Welcome to Litsy!

I expected to enjoy this, and I wasn't disappointed ?

I do, however, have to disagree with the Times reviewer's adjective "jolly". Haynes does inject her subject with humour, but as that subject covers infanticide, rape, murder, torture, slavery, execution and war, even at a great historical distance, jolly it isn't!
She also cautions against judging the ancients by modern ethical and moral standards, while drawing out lessons to be learnt. 4⭐

"in 1843, Karl Marx wrote that religion was the opium of the masses. He couldn't possibly have foreseen that after a century and a half religion would, instead, be the cocaine of the few."

"I have been obsessed with the ancient world since I was eleven years old, when I began learning about Roman Life at school."
- Introduction

"It's tempting to believe that we no longer need to think about politics." ?
- Chapter 1: Old World Order
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

#BookmarkMatching featuring the good old XX Valeria Victrix Legion of the Roman Army, and a souvenir Greek Hoplite helmet from a long-ago holiday to Corfu.

Series 11 of "Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics" is up on BBC Radio 4, and the theme seems to be places, starting with Alexandria last week, The Library of Alexandria this week, and The Museum of Alexandria next week. The two episodes released so far are both as funny and informative as usual, the library episode really pushing those Litsy buttons!
I've two of her books tbr, and I'm inspired to read the tagged next ?

A really brilliant book. It‘s a history book with a difference; full of facts but more importantly full of discussion and insights into what can be gained from the achievements of the ancient world and what can be learnt from their mistakes, their brutalities.

I‘ve become a real fan of Natalie Haynes, listening to her #OvidnotCovid series on Twitter, and ‘Natalie Haynes stands up for the classics‘ on BBC Radio 4.
Just finished this thoughtful, approachable book about Greece and Rome, and contemporary times. I learned a lot!

Finished this audiobook- what would the ancient Greeks or Romans think about the financial crisis? Universal Healthcare? Our diplomacy? This is an engaging book by classicist Natalie Haynes (she also does a series on BBC Radio about classical figures and is a stand up comedian). Taking modern life and then showing that really there is nothing new under the sun and the lament that we need to go back to the “good old days” ignores history. 👍👍👍👍

What a marvellous book. Ms Haynes writes with such insight, clarity and enthusiasm about the enduring appeal and relevance of Classical Greek and Latin literature. See my Goodreads review at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15133051-the-ancient-guide-to-modern-life. #nataliehaynes, #theancientguidetomodernlife #classicalliterature #latin #ancientgreek #philosophy #literature #juvenal #satire #comedy #tragedy #enduringappeal #non-fiction

I have enjoyed Natalie Haynes‘s ‘The Ancient Guide to Modern Life‘ so much that I have decided to revisit Juvenal‘s Satires, which I remember grappling with in the original Latin forty odd years ago at school. #nataliehaynes #theancientguidetomodernlife #juvenal #satires #classics #literature #latin #i💙nataliehaynes

I think I am falling in love with Natalie Haynes, and her marvellous distillations of the Classics, whether fiction or nonfiction. #nataliehaynes #theancientguidetomodernlife #books #book ##currentlyreading #booksandcoffee #coffeeandbooks #coffee #caffeine #caffeineaddict #cotebrasseriemuswellhill #wakeupandsmellthecoffin #wakeupandsmellthecoffee #muswellhill #muswellhillbilly #muswellhillsunday #breakfastwithbooks

So guess what got started this morning 😂
Only just finished Pool of Two Moons last night and I still have 4 other books on the go! 🙈
Thought I'd show some love for the Greeks with a Greek and Ancient History based bookstack. My other Natalie Haynes is in there, a non-fiction, witty exploration of what the Greeks and Romans did for us and how our society has been shaped by them, from politics to theatre!
#bookstack #greeks