Today as we mused beside the fire I learned about Jethro Tull. I thought it was just a clever band name, but thanks to Wikipedia, I now know that he was a real person in the 18th Century. Tull was someone who believed that scientific ideas could be applied to agriculture and so developed new tools which helped start the British Agricultural Revolution. Tull had been born into a family where he had the advantage of a good education, and travel, he was influenced by the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. If you have not ever thought too much about how ideas travel through society, he might be a good one for you to look into. The British Agricultural Revolution is a juicy topic being where crops from the "new" world like potatoes, the Scientific Revolution, and Britain's transformation into a powerful nation all come together in complex and interesting ways.
As our conversation naturally moved on, we discussed the experience of reading a beautifully written novel. I usually read for the story and am forgiving of weak writing if the story grips me. But sometimes I have stumbled across writing so eloquent, so concise, or so clever that I suddenly realize that my experience is even more rich. To that end, I was recommended a novel, The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje, so I am going to give it a try. My usual genre is Science Fiction, or Mysteries, so I recommend The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman; and The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King.
That's all for now, back to the fire. :)
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