pickWhich will win, my distaste for history of science or my love for medieval shit? Medieval shit, it turns out. A concise little summary of how it's wrong to label the medieval era as stagnant, with lots of interesting bits about engineering, astronomy, clockwork, but more importantly their impact on society. That said, Gimpel is VERY based in the mid-1970s and draw some far fetched (we've seen) conclusions about the fate of the western world.
Random book from our home library:
📖 Life in the Castle in Medieval England by John Burke
"... That christianity, by destroying classical animism, brought about a basic change in the attitude towards natural objects and opened the way for their rational and unabashed use for human ends..."
pickI LOVE this trilogy. Historical Fiction isn‘t usually my thing but these are just so unputdownable (for me anyway)!
I sure wish we get an English version of this graphic novel!! Heck I‘d buy the French just to look at the graphics!
so-soThis brutal brick of a book is the story of dozens of characters surrounding the real-life events that resulted in the martyrdom of the Archbishop of Canterbury. If you‘re into detailed descriptions of violence, rape, feudalism, architecture, pubic hair, castle politics and Catholicism, this book is for you. I read it based on a recommendation. I finished it because I liked the challenge, not because I liked the characters. I cannot recommend it.
pickI'd place this somewhere between "pick" and "so-so." It's a decent read, and provides a good overview of the Teutonic Knights. Some parts, such as the structure of the order, where interesting. However, the style of writing didn't quite draw me in. Still would recommend if you're looking for an introduction to the Teutonic Knights.
I‘m trying to keep my recent reads firmly planted in the Middle Ages.
We all know the victorians is why we can't have nice things, so it's a little jarring when 60s historians praise their horror show (in a quote).
"I admire the 19th century West's success in postponing the age of sexual awakening, sexual experience, and sexual infatuation far beyond the age of puberty. You may tell me that this is against human nature; but to be human lies precisely in transcending nature..."
Again, why we can't have nice things.
