More books VII

"At last, he's back!", I hear you cry! Except, I don't hear you cry it, because either a) that means I have upset you; or b) there's actually no one reading any of my reading material; or recommendations. I suspect the latter. :) Here are some more recommendations from me, but this time with a theme of LONDON.

St Pancras Station (Wonders of the World): Let us not forget that until recently, St Pancras station was a dump - after years of neglect. Now, it is a wonder of the world, and rightly so! It was often the forgotten station, a great cathedral of trains. This book is a great introduction, and is really excellent. It tells the fascinating story of how the station and hotel were built, and just shows how impressive the whole structure is. After reading this book, I promise you that the next time you travel from St Pancras to Paris or Brussels you will have to look up! 7/10.

London's Dead: If you're fascinated about the history of London's dead, then this is the book for you! It details information on so much death, and in so many areas of London from plague to execution. I found this absolutely fascinating and the author provides so much information. 9/10.

Necropolis: London and Its Dead: Unlike the above book, the author discusses in more details, the many cemeteries and graveyards in London. If you have ancestry in this great city and wanted more information on the parish churchyards, or the cemeteries, please read this book. From the horrible parish churchyards of Portugal Street (near Holborn, and where my ancestor of the same name was/is buried) to the true cemetery cities of St Pancras & Islington Cemetery and other Victorian masterpieces - this is a fascinating book. 8/10.

More books VI

I've just finished reading Moab Is My Washpot by Stephen Fry. If you like a book that's a little mixed up, hilarious and very Stephen Fry, then this is the book for you. 6/10.

My second recommendation for the end of the year is the very sad book about Madeline McCann, called: Madeleine by her mother. It goes into every sad detail of their missing daughter and reveals the true heart breaking events that lead up to and since her kidnap. All proceeds from the book go to the charity which is helping to fund their search for Maddie. Let's keep the little girl in our prayers and please buy this book today. 10/10

More books V

Another eclectic list of books that I have read recently. I highly recommend all of these:

A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain: The author (Marc Morris) writes like a novelist and thus you are instantly hooked by the various intrigues and invasions that encompass the reign of Edward I. One recommends that you read this book first, before watching the film Braveheart again. Braveheart's history is so terribly wrong that it hurts. However it's a good film, and so I recommend you watch it afterwards, Braveheart [1995] [DVD]. 10/10 for the book; 8/10 for the film.

Richard III (Revealing History): Another good book, but not written in as good a style as Edward I above. Plus, it can sometimes be totally muddled. However, it is still a good book and I recommend anyone interested in this period to read this as an introduction. The author is not pro Richard III, but it is still a good read. 8/10.

More books IV

Here are some more books that I've read recently and what I think of them! The theme is history, but if you love history, enjoy. Here's the first...

The Year 1000: An Englishman's Year: I loved this little book, as it came out just before the year 2000, and was a good introduction to a thousand years ago. As ever, I have only read it now, but what a little gem! Most books about this era can be quite dry and dull, but the authors completely avoided being like this. Instead, they take each month of the calendar and discuss a theme set around that month, so the book ends up touching on hungers, riches, and every other spectrum of life in 1000. I highly recommend this book, because it gives you a rich and interesting take on the Year 1000. 9/10.

And the second...

The Middle Sea: A History of the Mediterranean: This book is truly a remarkable achievement, like the civilisations that lived along the shores of the Mediterranean. John Julius Norwich is an excellent historian and writer, and has seamlessly written a history of the middle sea from its beginnings to the Great War. It is truly an amazing book, and Lord Norwich manages to keep it fascinating and intriguing. I recommend anyone who wants to read a history of this fascinating sea to get a copy of this book as soon as possible - in it you will find out about so much: from the Ancient Greeks to the Romans; from the Pope to the King of Spain; from the Ottoman Empire to the Holy Roman Empire - everything is covered. Highly recommended. 10/10

More books II

As my busy life has taken over again, I've not managed to read as much as I wanted to. However, here's a selection of some of the books I've read over the last month or so, please do let me know your thoughts. Have you read them too? As ever, I have given my recommendations too:

Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years: These books are so brilliant and I can't recommend them enough. If you have not read Adrian Mole before, please do start here: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4. 10/10 for all of them so far. I will be reading its sequel next.

Wuthering Heights (Penguin Classics): This is such a good novel by Emily Bronte. It is her only novel and one dreams of what else she could have written. It's full of themes, such as violence and love. It is also a very sad love story, where love turns into hatred. The novel also includes some comedy in the form of the little bit stupid Lockwood. I highly recommend this book! 10/10

Wiped! Doctor Who's Missing Episodes: I love everything to do with this programme (as you may have been able to tell in previous blogs below!), but this really is an excellent book. One of the saddest things about being a fan is that if you didn't watch the early episodes the first time around, you are now unlikely to see them (ever) again. However, although this is very true, two more episodes were found since this book came out - but that doesn't make this book any less interesting. The book explains in great detail why the episodes are missing and then explains how many were found again. Highly recommended. 9/10.

The Aeneid (Penguin Classics): Everyone should read one or all of these mythological classics, whether it's an original Greek one like The Odyssey or The Iliad, or the Roman copy of both in the Aeneid. Virgil's Aeneid is full of love, sadness, adventure and so much more. I recommend you read The Odyssey first...

The Book of Lists: London: If you like lists and love London, read this today. Every possible list is in this book. Brilliant fun and really interesting. 8/10

More books

As life has taken over again, I've not managed to read as much as I should have done. However, here's a selection of some of the books I've read over the last month:

The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How it Changed the City Forever - I love London history, but this is so fascinating. It's a well written, well researched, well sourced masterpiece. I can't recommend this enough - fascinating. 10/10

The Scions of Shannara (Heritage of Shannara) - I have read all of the first three in the trilogy over the last month (Sword, Elfstones, and Wishsong) and have now moved onto this book. AMAZING. I was so impressed with Brooks writing in the first three; but this is even better. I read it in three sittings - it was that good. 10/10

Reading

Sorry for the slight delay in writing another blog, but I have been busy, busy, busy – and more besides. As I grow older, I have begun to realise that perhaps I won’t read all the books I own, or all the books I want to – which is a shame.

My father used to always tell me to read Dickens, Dickens, and more Dickens – but I’ve only read one of his books. However, I have read many classics in literature – including books from the Brönte family, Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, and many others – but not enough. However, we can’t forget that there are many years of modern literature out there too! I have loads of Agatha Christie and PD James, but I never have time to read them.

However in addition, I want to read about my favourite subject – history. I love the Tudor and Stuart period; and ancient civilisations throughout the world. And, these kind of books take longer to read too.

All this lack of reading (my favourite past-time) is starting to drive me mad, so I’ve come to a conclusion: I am now going to ban TV for one night a week, so I can just read. Let’s see how that goes – I’ll update you in my next blog, including details of what I’ve read. Bye for now.