ParchmentDragon

So a few weeks ago I finally conquered The Histories by Herodotus, a historian who lived approximately from 484-425 BC. This notable work of history is partly an account of the war between Greece and Persia in the 5th century BC, but also an inquiry into different cultures and nations, which the author has either witnessed himself (probably), or heard about through oral accounts. I was very intrigued to read this rather long book, because it is generally accepted as the foundation of historical writing as a genre, and I thought it would be fascinating to read about a time that long gone from someone who was actually alive back then and wrote down what he was told and witnessed himself. It was indeed a fascinating read, especially the first few books. I read the Penguin Classics Deluxe edition, which is full to bursting with useful notes, comes with thirteen different and very handy maps, and two introductions. These are by the translator (Tom Holland) and editor (Paul Cartle...

Royal Assassin is the second book in Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series and takes off where Assassin's Apprentice ends. We follow FitzChivalry Farseer over a period of some years, when the Red Ship raids are laying waste to the coasts of the Six Duchies and intrigue is endangering the bit of security the realm has left. There's really not much else to be said of the plot, since it is the second book of the series and everything else would contain spoilers. Suffice it to say, that although it is a long and rather slow moving book, I loved it even more than the first book and did not want it to end, despite all the pain it caused me. The biggest strength of these books are definitely the characters. Hobb creates such an amazing cast of deep characters, they all feel very real and many-faceted. I love how Burrich can be both the always grumpy but still caring and loving father figure, and the irrational, stiff-necked man who can't accept Fitz...

T his tag was created over on Youtube by Beyond the Pages and TheSkepticalReader, two of my favourite channels. I love reading classics and these two ladies read such a wide variety of them, I always find their videos very inspiring! So I wanted to join the fun and participate in this really cool tag.  A bit like fantasy, classics really take you away and to a time and place that is very different (in appearance at least) than where you are. Books like Jane Austen's I read for the simple pleasure and cosiness, for the beautifully refined language. But I also care about learning of the differences between society then and now, to see what has changed and what maybe hasn't. Reading classics really makes me think about the themes and topics I read about, because so many things aren't explicitly stated in the text but rather hidden in the language, so that one can learn so much from them, about the times and people depicted, but also about humans in general. O...

Hello there! The Portrait of a Lady is one of Henry James' most famous works. After reading it myself, I have to say it deserves this fame 100%. First serialised in 1881, it is generally regarded as a realist novel. The story introduces us to a set of various interesting and very different characters. The heroine, or the Lady , is Isabel Archer, who, after her father's death, is taken to England by her eccentric aunt Mrs Touchett. As the title suggest, the novel basically (if one can actually use the term 'basically' in relation to James) attempts to create a portrait of Isabel's live. And oh does it succeed. So, the outset of the book shows us Isabel newly landed in England, surrounded by her sickly cousin Ralph Touchett, his father Mr. Touchett, the friendly Lord Warburton and of course her aunt. Isabel immediately captivates the attention of all those around her, as she is very different from the usual women of England's upper society. She is ov...

Hello fellow bibliophiles  As you may be able to tell, I'm very, very new to the world of book blogging, and thought the best way of going about this might be to try this tag. I found the blog version of the booktube newbie tag on Love and Other Bookish Things, and thought it would be perfect to introduce myself a bit.  via GIPHY  I have been following the online book community, especially booktube, for quite a few years now. Seeing all these very different people come together over something that I have loved since I can remember has had a very big impact on my reading. I feel that watching and reading about books online helps seeing many different perspectives on something you might only have had one opinion on, and I think that influences how I read a lot. So becoming part of a book community should help making me a more active reader. And I just love talking about books of course.   Like most people here and on Youtube, I am reaaa...