Malta: Living on the Edge of Europe » History

2000-year old apiary

Sandro — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:23:46 +0000

Shooting Mdina with a smartphone

Sandro — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:05:12 +0000

The Russian Court at Sea by Frances Welch

Sandro — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:58:38 +0000

The reason I chose to read this book is because it recounts the journey of the members of the Russian imperial family as they fled Russia, travelling by sea from Yalta to Malta. Though there are few references to my country, they are generally positive. Comments such as, "The Romanovs were elated by the beauty of the island" or "Sofka was very taken with Malta". The Dowager herself wrote in her diary, "...Xenia and I drove in an open motorcar to lovely San Antonio in the loveliest weather and where the air was full of the scent of orange blossoms as we drove into the garden."
The main part of the book is written in the style of an on-board diary while the concluding pages deal with the "where and how all the family members and main characters end up over the years".
In spite of the wealth they had been born into and their kinship to European royalty, I cannot but realize that a refugee is always a refugee, pining for a return to one's home.

I rate this book a 7/10.

Shakespeare by Bill Bryson

Sandro — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:30:56 +0000

Shakespeare's biography reduced to a slim volume that can easily be read in a day? Can't be any good then, can it?

As Bill Bryson makes clear in the opening pages, so little is actually known about William Shakespeare. Interestingly, today's spelling of his name is not the way he ever signed it. Besides, from the few specimens left it is evident that Shakespeare never signed his name the same way twice.

So how do other authors turn out hefty tomes? As Bryson explains, a lot of what goes into those books is conjecture, plain and simple. Here, Bryson strips down to the bare facts but puts in lots of background information by way of compensation. This is what I found most enjoyable, reading about life and London in Shakespeare's time. It was so illuminating to find that modern day gripes - traffic, reluctance of people to walk anywhere - are really echoes from centuries past.

The closing chapter, which deals with a plethora of conspiracy theories about the authorship of the plays, is a fitting conclusion to the real mysteries of the man who authored well over half-a-million words but left so few tangible signs of his passage through this world.

A clear 10/10.

Decision Points by George W. Bush

Sandro — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:15:47 +0000

Too often we forget that there's always another side to the coin. This book, as can be expected of an autobiography, shows us a side of the former US president, George W. Bush, which was generally ignored during his two terms in office.

He delighted us with his "Bushisms" , the newspapers entertained us with his caricatures. Yet all the while he led his country though some testing times: 9/11, hurricane Katrina, the financial meltdown, a couple of wars. His book - Decision Points - is divided into chapters, each focusing on one particular aspect of his presidency.

This is an ideal way of presenting the full picture surrounding a key moment that may in fact span a number of years. It allows us to see the whole, rather than forcing us to pick up fragments sprinkled throughout the entire volume.

On the other hand, we tend to see things in isolation. For example, the war in Iraq was running in parallel to other domestic and international events but this is no so apparent when a complete chapter is solely dedicated to it. Occasionally, Mr Bush throws in some passing references to these circumstances which help illustrate the bigger picture.

The style is informal (including mild expletives!), pacey and never boring.

An essential read to better know the man so many loved to hate.

No doubt about it, 10/10.

Five Boys: The Story of a Picture

Sandro — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:48:08 +0000

I want to share this with you because it is one of the most interesting articles I've read in a long while; and taken from a quarterly magazine I highly recommend - Intelligent Life.

Five Boys

http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ian-jack/5-boys