pickA comprehensive history of modern Greece, well-written. I learnt much about where Greece sits in the wider context, including that it hasn‘t existed as a country until relatively recently - whereas there is a strong conceit of the Hellenic (or Greek) ancient history & culture. For a country that invented democracy, it seems to have been a hot mess for the last 200+ years. So many coups, periods of no government and reliance on imperial countries.
pickWhile I found some of the language Farquhar uses to describe many of the Romanov rulers objectionable, it is very clear that most of them suffered from developmental disabilities and/or severe mental illness. This book is a gossipy wild ride through 300 years of madness, ineptitude, and dreadful, traumatic parenting. Don‘t expect serious discussion of politics, international relations, or statecraft - this version of history is a train wreck.
I saw @MadelineMcCrae review last night and immediately had to see if my library had it. 😂
I should wait until I finish Birnam Wood, but I‘m not enjoying it. I‘ll push through for #CampLitsy23, but I‘m 40% through and it‘s just a slog, so…I think I‘m going to read a bit of unhinged history. I love Romanov history almost as much as I love the Plantagenets.
pickNone of these people were sane. Not. A. Single. One.
panThe authors had an opportunity here to convince us that Hitler escaped to #Argentina. The hypothesis is based on first person accounts including his doctor while in exile. However, they stated it as if it were gospel. Periodically they go into a “Deduction” (which unnerved me every time I heard it) in which some wholly imaginative “fact,” like describing Eva Braun‘s perfume on her nightstand at the first house they stayed on the mainland. ⬇️
I‘m making my way through this audiobook making my color chart of my TriBlend markers so I can match them with the papers I use to scrapbook and make cards. I love these markers. They can be so vibrant. Makes up for the dull audiobook
I really dislike this book. I‘m listening to it for #Argentina #readingtheAmericas. The first half was a detailed synopsis about the war. In the last 3-1/2 hours it‘s finally about the “escape.” They do call out their own “deductions,” but then they describe the “escape” in minute detail like it‘s already established fact. If someone wasn‘t paying close attention, they‘d think it was true. Of course, the authors believe it. Just 3 hours to go. 🫣
I‘m starting this audiobook next, which posits that Hitler escaped to #Argentina. #readingtheAmericas @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
pickThis book shares first person accounts of Syrians. It‘s divided into several sections from the increase in authoritarianism, through protest and war, to flight to other countries. The author interviewed people from 2012-2016 who had left Syria.
I didn‘t feel like buying groceries to make something for #FoodAndLit, so I made these simple barazek cookies.
#nonfiction #audiobook #Syria #ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld
