What are YOU currently reading? (8)

[godisagardener]

Vertical Gardening by Derek Fell.

 

[Sif]

The Cold War: A World History by Odd Arne Westad

 

[RileyG]

Reading about 16 books at the moment.

Really enjoying Go in Peace: The Art of Hearing Confessions.

 

[DragonFox91]

I read a Flash comic, & some Red Hulk & Hulk comics my buddy gave me. Not sure the dates they came out. Flash was older but a reprint, the Hulk ones looked newer, 2000s based on art style

 

[PaulChilds]

Just finished a history of Rome by Cyril Robinson. It's sad so many 19th & early 20th Century historians don't get republished and their work eventually fades away. There was some racism and he does attribute some of the Roman's failings to dilution of their "stock" but if you can filter those ideas out it was pretty entertaining and comprehensive-ish, especially from Sulla-Tiberius. His perspective of Julius Caesar setting himself up as an Eastern despot akin to Alexander the Great was interesting and a little bit more convincing than I'm comfortable with, given that you don't see that view really espoused amongst modern day historians. I'm about to start Dynasty by Tom Holland (mainly for Augustus) but I'm not sure how pop-level it's going to be. If it's too much rehashing of the same material I will probably move onto "The Reformation" by George L. Mosse.


Have you happened to read any other material on the Diadochi? I was just wondering because it's hard to find good books on the topic. It's an underwritten/published part of history which is bizarre considering how important it is. And actually, that period of time we now start to discuss in the university, so that's why I need to read more books to improve my knowledge. And also, later, I'll need to write a paper on it, so the more I read, the better I'll write. The previous term, we had a lot of such tasks, and I started using https://edubirdie.com/essay-writing-help-online because sometimes it was so hard to write it so that I was risking to miss the deadline. I know that this time, I'll also have a chance to get help, but I still need to improve my skills and knowledge.

I started reading a history of Rome by C. Robinson, and I really like that book. And I agree that it's not that I find a really good book on Diadochi. Have you found something good since the time you posted?

 

[RoBo1988]

I just started E.M. Bounds Prayer compilation of all his books concerning prayer, on Kindle

 

[Trophonius]

Tartuffe, by Molière.

It was banned at the times because it was considered sacrilegous, apparently. The main character is a hypocrite, pretending to be a deeply religous person, to obtain benefits and goods for other. It's a comedy, lots of fun dialogue.
It was a required reading for a french literature class I'm taking.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

The Name of The Rose by Umberto Eco

 

[Tranquil Bondservant]

I started reading a history of Rome by C. Robinson, and I really like that book. And I agree that it's not that I find a really good book on Diadochi. Have you found something good since the time you posted?

Apart from the recommendations from Sif here in the first part of her comment I haven't. Everything seems to be either academic material or small piecemeal mentions in biographies of Alexander of the succeeding events after his death. Ghost on the throne is probably one of the better and more accessible ones I've read/listened to but there just seems to be a drought of lay-level books for this time period. Honestly youtube or just following your nose on Wikipedia is probably the best option at the moment but it sucks that you can't really check or trust the veracity of the information as much.

I've read Dividing the Spoils by Robin Waterfield and Ghost on The Throne by James Romm along with parts of Plutarch's Lives that refer to the Diadochi. It is a fascinating and important time period.

If you are interested in Roman history Adrian Goldsworthy has some good books on the Punic Wars, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, The collapse of the Western Empire. I find the Punic Wars an interesting period. The drama of the 2nd Punic War makes for good reading.

For a very different time period I suggest Agents of Empire by Noel Malcolm. It is the history of two families from what is today Albania and their participation in many events of the Mediterranean Wars against the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Roger Crowley has some outstanding books as well. 1453 is about the epic siege of Constantinople, Empires of the Sea is about the incredible siege of Malta and the Battle of Lepanto, City of Fortune is about Venice, Conquerors is about Portugal's circumnavigation of Africa and conquest of Goa in India, and The Accursed Tower is about the Mamluk siege of Acre.

Over The Edge of The World by Laurence Bergreen details Magellan's circumnavigation and used primary sources. The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake by Samuel Bawlf give a good account of Drake's circumnavigation and his role in fighting the Spanish Armada.

 

[Sif]

Apart from the recommendations from Sif here in the first part of her comment I haven't. Everything seems to be either academic material or small piecemeal mentions in biographies of Alexander of the succeeding events after his death. Ghost on the throne is probably one of the better and more accessible ones I've read/listened to but there just seems to be a drought of lay-level books for this time period. Honestly youtube or just following your nose on Wikipedia is probably the best option at the moment but it sucks that you can't really check or trust the veracity of the information as much.

Two other books I would recommend on the Wars of Alexander's Successors are The Wars of Alexander's Successors, 323 BC to 281 BC, Volume 1 and 2 by Bob Bennett and Mike Roberts. Volume 1 focuses on the commanders and campaigns and is closer to a narrative history. Volume 2 focuses on the specific battles and military "tech" such as the various ship style (trireme, quinqurem, dekereme, etc.). There is also the Lives of Plutarch as well. He has biographies of Eumenes and Demetrius. Not sure of any others off the top of my head.

I have become curious about the Successor Seleucus. He initially began with no territory under his control and ended up founding an empire and dynasty like Ptolemy. I may get the book Seleucus I and his Empire by Lise Hannestad.

 

[DragonFox91]

I finished My Body Is Not A Prayer Request by Amy Kenney

The book is a call to treat those w/ physical & mental disabilities w/ dignity, to be accommodating to their needs & not just brush them off, & to not dwell on eschatology or the reason for it.

I thought the book was largely ‘woe is me’. She spends most of the book whining. If you try to be welcoming to her, she whines you’re pitying her, but if you don’t, you’re not being welcome. She spends lots of the book saying how evil churches are, & maybe they are, but a church-going Christian woman in her 40s or so can only give a couple examples in 200 pages of people who have shown genuine kindness to her?????

Her sections on theology are very good. She finds good teachings in the examples of Jacob, Paul, Jesus himself, plus some more obscure Biblical examples. I really enjoyed her theology sections. She sees the goodness of God in the Bible & it’s beautiful, but she doesn’t see it in her life & doesn’t see it in others, like she's refusing not to, & it hurts.

I learned in this book to be more accommodating to those in the community myself & to work on not whining myself. I also learned examples of disability in the Bible I didn’t know.

I recommend this book to those struggling accepting the disabled as human beings or need a lesson in grattitude

 

[Trophonius]

Reading Cervantes Don Quixote and Rabelais Pantagruel.
Both awesome books.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

 

[Lost4words]

Reading this at the moment:

 

[JM]

I just started E.M. Bounds Prayer compilation of all his books concerning prayer, on Kindle

Very thorough work.

 

[JM]

 

[RoBo1988]

Very thorough work.

I'm on pg 146 of 569. It's a good read, so far.

 

[RonJohnSilver]

The Skin Collector ... Jeffrey Deaver

 

[RonJohnSilver]

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I have Power of Thrones on my Kindle. Haven't started it yet though.

 

[Sif]

The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien and edited by Christopher Tolkien.
The story is set in the First Age of Middle Earth. Much of the story by inspired by the Finnish of the epic poem The Kalevala (compiled by Elias Lonnrot), and specifically the sections dealing with the young man Kullervo (sections 31 through 36). Both Turin (son of Hurin) and Kullervo are tragic characters doomed by their all too Human flaws.