Author Archives: Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

About Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

I'm the Librarian for the Kinrowan Estate. I do love fresh brewed teas, curling, English mysteries and will often be playing Scandinavian or Celtic  music here in the Library here in Kinrowan Hall if the Neverending Session is elsewhere. I'm a violinist too, so you'll me playing in various contradance band such as Chasing Fireflies and Mouse in the Cupboard as well as backing my wife Catherine up on yearly Christmas season tours in the Nordic countries.

A Kinrowan Estate story: Our Rooms

Posted on 29th August 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Kinrowan Hall’s a vast sprawling edifice going back far longer than one would suspect and it’s been added unto more often than perhaps was for the better. What that means is that we who are staff here each have private … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: A Gathering of Stitchers

Posted on 1st August 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

I was watching the new reading group that had sprung up last Fall as they met in the Pub near the fireplace. They call themselves ‘A Gathering of Stitchers’. It was, not surprisingly, a reading group devoted to books on knitting … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 25th of July: Jerky; Alice’s Restaurant on film; Roger Zelazny and Stephen Brust; all things Looking Glass Wars; Norwegian death metal, Palestinian oud, early country rock, modern jazz, and much more

Posted on 25th July 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

These fragile, worn, faded, thin, cheap paper-bound books. They smelled of dust, and mould, and age. They smelled, faintly, of pee, and tobacco, and spilled coffee. They smelled like things which had lived. They smelled like history. ― Lavie Tidhar’s Central Station It’s … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 13th of June: Oysterband Gone Trad, Constantine Isn’t That Hair Colour, Music to Tickle Your Fancy, Yet More Chocolate, Anthony Bourdain, Gaiman’s Sandman and Other Matters

Posted on 13th June 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

She wanted to apologize again, but how many times could she repeat empty words without becoming empty herself?  ― Aliette de Bodard’s On a Red Station, Drifting I’ve been listening to Laurie Anderson’s Life On A String recording this fine late … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 30th of May: Simon R. Green and Elizabeth Bear, Naomi Kritzer’s and Everina Maxwell’s full-length debuts; faux-Italian SF and revived pulp fiction; Brian Wilson tribute and food and footie on film; fantasy jazz, lo-fi country, Väsen from the archves; lots of chocolate, and more;

Posted on 30th May 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Having access to knowledge didn’t always mean understanding things. I do not entirely understand people. ― CheshireCat the AI in Naomi Kritzer’s Catfishing on CatNet Just what the Internet needs: more cat pictures. Lots more. Or at least that’s what I’m getting from reading … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Our very small art exhibition space

Posted on 24th March 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Well, it is. Very small, that is. And it’s been located here at the Estate for at least several centuries as the endowment that created it goes back that far. One piece of art, be it painting, sculpture or banzai … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Breakfast, Korean style

Posted on 14th March 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Now that was tasty! I was grumbling yesterday morning to Mrs. Ware, our Head Cook here at the Estate that houses us, that porridge is often boring even if many here like it as Winter breakfast fare. She smiled and said … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 7th of February: Some trad music for your listening pleasure, Spiegelman’s Maus considered, lots of dark chocolate, two looks at Garner’s Owl Service and Other Creature Comforts

Posted on 7th February 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

He wanted to run through the stacks, pick at the books, sample them one after the other, climb the stacks to their highest reaches and see what treasures were hidden there. ― Lavie Tidhar’s The Bookman Gus, our Estate Head … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 24th of January: Live music from Lúnasa in Australia, Taco Tapes’ Trad is Rad, Robert’s Visit to the Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History, Alastair Reynolds’ The Prefect audiobook, Tom Baker’s Birthday, Jennifer Stevenson’s Lasagna and Other Neat Stuff

Posted on 24th January 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Or is anyone’s identity a matter of fragments held together by convenient or useful narrative, that in ordinary circumstances never reveals itself as a fiction? Or is it really a fiction? ― Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice No, it’s not that cold but … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Of Puppets and Their Masters (A Letter to Anna)

Posted on 17th January 2021 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Dear Anna, I was lusting after a wee dram of Laphroig very late one night as I wasn’t sleeping well so I got dressed, left my sweet wife sleeping, and made my way to the Pub. As you know, it … Continue reading →

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