My favourite read of October (in fact, my only read in October!) was this exploration of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
#12BooksOf2024
@Andrew65
My favourite read of October (in fact, my only read in October!) was this exploration of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
#12BooksOf2024
@Andrew65
Last finished book for 2024, probably.
Non-fiction
Preston collected formerly published stories of his about mysteries and murders in this volume. Among them are the story of the Money Pit on Oak Island, or the strange murders of couples in Tuscany, and the titular Lost Tomb (KV5).
Interesting to read and, this is why it took me twice as long as usual to finish, it sent me down several Wikipedia/Google rabbit holes.
I loved this! It was fun and light, without making me check my brain at the door. I was rooting for all four women and I enjoyed the atypical setting.
Haunting,atmospheric,1960s Florida low-lying coastal islands,bayou,wetlands,swamps,low lying brush. Here Faye Longchamp struggles daily to keep her Joyeuse Island,moldy, crumbling plantation, from the government for past due taxes.She digs on her land for artifacts to sell on the black market in hopes of staying afloat.In the process,she discovers a woman‘s skull.Rather than report it to authorities & face jail for her illegal activities, she ⬇️
What a great example for what #BookSpinBingo can do. I squeezed this one in, so I could make a Bingo 😅 It was a re-read for me after three years. I still agree that it's an excellent start for people not being used to read non-fiction, but want to learn about history. But even though this edition seems to have been updated, there are still some things, that caught my eye now: women are scarce, unfitting expressions and some unfitting opinions.
I absolutely adore Bettany Hughes. Her TV shows and in-person talks are fascinating and engaging.
But I have to say, I found this a bit of a slog to get through at times :-(. Lots of good info but not as engaging as the author herself.
I have a question. The author of 7 wonders is writing about the temple of Artemis and says that bees were her symbol. Her priestesses were called honeybees. And for a sec that made sense, then I remembered the long history of male scientists (hilariously) thinking the queen bee was a king. Were bees her symbol cause there were lots of bees in the area, cause everyone liked honey, or did ancient people know something later naturalists forgot?