The Plantagenets by Dan Jones
Why should I read a story of made-up kings and queens, when the real deal can be so entertaining and interesting? With the Plantagenets, you get it all. Fearsome warriors, good kings, mad kings, bad-ass queens, treasonous children, politics, intrigue and everything else, you can possible think of.
Dan Jones has taken 280 years English history and has done the almost impossible: he has made history accessible in an entertaining way. At some point I became so immersed in the book, I just kept turning the pages.
An incredibly read and a book that I can highly recommend to anyone, who is interested in history.
A is for Arsenic by Kathryn Harkup
The premise of this book is right up my street. Chemistry and Agatha Christie in one book … consider me a happy reader. And I really enjoyed this book, even though it hasn´t been a perfect read for me.
My favorite part of the book has been Harkup´s descriptions of famous poison murders in history. I was totally engrossed whenever I reached that part of a chapter.
I found some parts of the book to be repetitive, especially when she explains the effect of plant-based alkaloids on neurons. She could have described the effects once in a clear manner, maybe with a decent painting of a neuron (a visual aid helps a lot when it comes to the workings of a neuron), and then she could have made a reference back to that passage. And at times she is a bit too spoilery for my taste. Which is why is skipped two of the chapters, because I haven´t read the accompanying books.
Defnitely a book I would recommend for the Christie, chemistry and/or poisons enthusiasts out there.
The Feather-Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
I know, I have gushed a lot about this book. But here it comes again. This is an excellent piece of non-fiction, with a completely whacky premise. And yet the premise isn´t so whacky after all.
This book is about the hobby of fly-tying, which is bordering on obsession for some people, the history behind this hobby and the history behind the mad quest for beautiful birds and feathers. This book is engrossing, captivating, infuriating, informative and simply an excellent read. I actually loved those fly-tying guys toward the end.
Highly recommended.
6
0
