Review: Books I am currently reading
Hello everyone!
Hope you are as well as can be during these mad times. If there is a silver lining to this, it's the fact that now it's impossible to come up with an excuse to not pick up that book that's burning in your bookcase and read it!
I am (once again) juggling three books in one go (to be honest, one of them is a series of small, academic books). I just can't help it! I love alternating, although all of the works I am currently keeping near are in the factual sphere of things. You need to keep your brain active even (or especially) if you're in self-isolation!
What book or creative work are you currently reading? Comment below
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
A massive yet intense yet beautiful brick of a book, covering the history of the famous Silk Roads (roads which saw the flowing of goods, religions, people, diseases etc.). The book refuses the Eurocentric view of the world history, which is taught in European schools and strongly portrayed in museums, and instead places the centre point of world history to Asia. 'The Silk Roads' main focus is on the rise of Persia (now Iran). Frankopan, who is a director of the Centre for Byzantine research at Oxford, places a hefty title on the shoulders of Persia, indicating that it's the centre of the world. He supports this viewpoint - which is argued against by many Eurocentric historians - with a substantial amount of research.
If I said it was an easy read, I would be lying. It's a fairly slow read, and I am not blaming this on the fact that it's written in my second language. No, it's the fact that the massive book doesn't linger on details; every page is firing tons of information at you in a manner which I am not used to reading (academic, subject specific study books which are read at universities go on about the one, particular focus point for 10-30 pages). But I am not in a rush, am I? I have all the time in the world, and interest, too! I, for example, had no idea that already in the 5th century Christians already were obsessed with the supposed cave that Jesus rose up to heaven. For some reason, I always thought that came later. I also had never heard of a religion called Zoroastrianism. Nor did I know that steppes and/or climate change had a major role in the fall of Roman Empire. One other fascinating detail of the book is the fact that the term “silk road” itself is fairly new, originally coined by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877 who was the uncle of the first world war flying aviator, the Red Baron.
All in all, the book is a (600 pages long) piece of art and I love it, even if I can't take it all in during the first read. Thus, I am going to read it all over again immediately after finishing it!
theatre & by a variety of authors
A series of small & short academic books in the field of (drama and) theatre, all which summarise the main, recent research/viewpoints of an individual topic related to theatre. For a student, or an enthusiast.
Palgrave Macmillan, who is the publisher, writes about the series on their website: 'A-list scholars mould cutting-edge thinking about theatre into an easy-to-digest and easy-to-afford form for consumption by everyone'. Revolutionary! If you don't know how - or want to - get a hold of a big book on every topic, you can just read all these in one afternoon and always return to them for a "quick fix" when you need to top up your knowledge. They are all hella interesting, by the way.
Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister The Official Companion to the BBC Series by Anne Chome
'In July 2018 the first blue plaque to be encircled by the LGBT+ rainbow was unveiled at Holy Trinity church, Goodramgate, York. The plaque celebrates the life of Anne Lister (1791-1840), a “gender-nonconforming entrepreneur”, and commemorates the “marital commitment without legal recognition” that took place between her and her lover Ann Walker in the church in 1834. Controversially, the word “lesbian” was not used on the plaque.' source: The Guardian
Recommended by one of the readers of this blog and a friend. Featuring extracts from her diaries, this book tells an inspiring and remarkable story of Anne Lister, who was an intellect and an entrepreneur, who spoke openly about her interest in women and who fearlessly remained committed to her openly lesbian "lifestyle". Always dressed in black and speaking in a deep voice, Lister was heckled as 'Gentleman Jack'.
There are many books released on Lister, but this particular book focuses on her determination to explore her sexuality, detailing her innermost thoughts on menstruation, money and relationships. As well as restoring her ancestral home to its former glory by re-opening coal mines, she also needed to marry well - but not with a man. Despite her many female lovers, her eyes and heart was set on a socialite called Ann Walker, whom she eventually had a marriage ceremony with. An interesting detail about this book is the fact that many passages of Anne's diary have been decoded for this book in particular, for they were once hidden in secret code.
It's an immensely inspiring book. I am a huge lover of biographical works, especially those that tell a story of someone who firmly stuck to their choices and ignored what everyone else said. Lister was well-educated, well-travelled, and she was a feminist figure of the 19th century, hence it's fantastic that she is finally getting the recognition she deserves. However, despite her open-mindedness on the subject homosexuality and other matters, Lister was a firm believer in social hierarchy. She made the people whom she employed in her mine work inhumane hours and seemed to think the proletariat belonged to its position. In terms of LGBT+ history, this book honours her memory. It's an adventure tale and informative way to learn about her life. Truly recommend!
Hope you are as well as can be during these mad times. If there is a silver lining to this, it's the fact that now it's impossible to come up with an excuse to not pick up that book that's burning in your bookcase and read it!
I am (once again) juggling three books in one go (to be honest, one of them is a series of small, academic books). I just can't help it! I love alternating, although all of the works I am currently keeping near are in the factual sphere of things. You need to keep your brain active even (or especially) if you're in self-isolation!
What book or creative work are you currently reading? Comment below
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
A massive yet intense yet beautiful brick of a book, covering the history of the famous Silk Roads (roads which saw the flowing of goods, religions, people, diseases etc.). The book refuses the Eurocentric view of the world history, which is taught in European schools and strongly portrayed in museums, and instead places the centre point of world history to Asia. 'The Silk Roads' main focus is on the rise of Persia (now Iran). Frankopan, who is a director of the Centre for Byzantine research at Oxford, places a hefty title on the shoulders of Persia, indicating that it's the centre of the world. He supports this viewpoint - which is argued against by many Eurocentric historians - with a substantial amount of research.
If I said it was an easy read, I would be lying. It's a fairly slow read, and I am not blaming this on the fact that it's written in my second language. No, it's the fact that the massive book doesn't linger on details; every page is firing tons of information at you in a manner which I am not used to reading (academic, subject specific study books which are read at universities go on about the one, particular focus point for 10-30 pages). But I am not in a rush, am I? I have all the time in the world, and interest, too! I, for example, had no idea that already in the 5th century Christians already were obsessed with the supposed cave that Jesus rose up to heaven. For some reason, I always thought that came later. I also had never heard of a religion called Zoroastrianism. Nor did I know that steppes and/or climate change had a major role in the fall of Roman Empire. One other fascinating detail of the book is the fact that the term “silk road” itself is fairly new, originally coined by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877 who was the uncle of the first world war flying aviator, the Red Baron.
All in all, the book is a (600 pages long) piece of art and I love it, even if I can't take it all in during the first read. Thus, I am going to read it all over again immediately after finishing it!
theatre & by a variety of authors
A series of small & short academic books in the field of (drama and) theatre, all which summarise the main, recent research/viewpoints of an individual topic related to theatre. For a student, or an enthusiast.
Palgrave Macmillan, who is the publisher, writes about the series on their website: 'A-list scholars mould cutting-edge thinking about theatre into an easy-to-digest and easy-to-afford form for consumption by everyone'. Revolutionary! If you don't know how - or want to - get a hold of a big book on every topic, you can just read all these in one afternoon and always return to them for a "quick fix" when you need to top up your knowledge. They are all hella interesting, by the way.
Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister The Official Companion to the BBC Series by Anne Chome
'In July 2018 the first blue plaque to be encircled by the LGBT+ rainbow was unveiled at Holy Trinity church, Goodramgate, York. The plaque celebrates the life of Anne Lister (1791-1840), a “gender-nonconforming entrepreneur”, and commemorates the “marital commitment without legal recognition” that took place between her and her lover Ann Walker in the church in 1834. Controversially, the word “lesbian” was not used on the plaque.' source: The Guardian
Recommended by one of the readers of this blog and a friend. Featuring extracts from her diaries, this book tells an inspiring and remarkable story of Anne Lister, who was an intellect and an entrepreneur, who spoke openly about her interest in women and who fearlessly remained committed to her openly lesbian "lifestyle". Always dressed in black and speaking in a deep voice, Lister was heckled as 'Gentleman Jack'.
There are many books released on Lister, but this particular book focuses on her determination to explore her sexuality, detailing her innermost thoughts on menstruation, money and relationships. As well as restoring her ancestral home to its former glory by re-opening coal mines, she also needed to marry well - but not with a man. Despite her many female lovers, her eyes and heart was set on a socialite called Ann Walker, whom she eventually had a marriage ceremony with. An interesting detail about this book is the fact that many passages of Anne's diary have been decoded for this book in particular, for they were once hidden in secret code.
It's an immensely inspiring book. I am a huge lover of biographical works, especially those that tell a story of someone who firmly stuck to their choices and ignored what everyone else said. Lister was well-educated, well-travelled, and she was a feminist figure of the 19th century, hence it's fantastic that she is finally getting the recognition she deserves. However, despite her open-mindedness on the subject homosexuality and other matters, Lister was a firm believer in social hierarchy. She made the people whom she employed in her mine work inhumane hours and seemed to think the proletariat belonged to its position. In terms of LGBT+ history, this book honours her memory. It's an adventure tale and informative way to learn about her life. Truly recommend!
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