The Queen's Necklace

The Queen's Necklace by Teresa Edgerton

An early clockpunk work -- intrigue and drama in a world where the tyrannical Goblins, the Maglore, have been overthrown, but the hundred human realms are dependent on the hundred surviving Goblin "Jewels" -- in actuality, magical pieces of clockwork that do such things as maintain mines or keep the shores safe.
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motives, motives

I have a perfect good motive for Basil to talk to the students.  Once he's done so, he can later comment on how he thinks they are just about ideal students -- grave, modest, diligent -- and so doesn't understand why they were rejected elsewhere.  But that's me.
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Dialogues and Letters

Dialogues and Letters by Seneca

Some treastise, some letters. . . reflections on life, and philosophy. Also views of ancient Roman life. It's interesting to read an account of a philosopher who scorns to look for a runaway slave on the grounds that if the slave can live without him, it's disgraceful that he can't live without the slave.

class magic

Once upon a time, magic was the province of the powerful.  Whether you had court magicians a la Merlin, or put the power directly in the hands of the rulers.

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