Some time ago I promised that I would update about the things I had been reading. Now it seems so long ago, and I am struggling to remember all that I wanted to say.
I try to read in Italian each day, and a recent railway station book choice was an historical novel set in England. I didn't read the back cover; the content seemed to be at a comfortable level for me to read without a dictionary (unlike my current siesta reading which is challenging me somewhat), and the title and general theme seemed pleasant (and romantic) enough for my train trip up to Rome.
I finished reading the book some time later, and it lay on the bedside table for a few days. When tidying I picked it up and read the back cover. To my enormous surprise it was written by an Aucklander.
So that was the light-hearted side of my recent reading.
More serious and compelling perhaps was some on-line reading. This reading was triggered by a comment about the celebrations for the diamond jubilee of our monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A friend referred to the festivals as "panem et circenses", which translates into bread and circuses. The origin of the phrase interested me, and is well described here. This website was full of gory and fascinating detail and is a good place to revise your history before a trip to Rome. You can choose to read it in either English or Italian, the homepage is here.
Another wander through the ether took me here, to an article about Roland Camberton. I'm not so sure about the style of the article, but packed in there, should you have time to look, are some fascinating glimpses of another life.
And should you wish to contemplate the future of Greece (and the EU, the euro, the world...) then this is quite a good place to start!
Today I am grateful for the written word.
I try to read in Italian each day, and a recent railway station book choice was an historical novel set in England. I didn't read the back cover; the content seemed to be at a comfortable level for me to read without a dictionary (unlike my current siesta reading which is challenging me somewhat), and the title and general theme seemed pleasant (and romantic) enough for my train trip up to Rome.
I finished reading the book some time later, and it lay on the bedside table for a few days. When tidying I picked it up and read the back cover. To my enormous surprise it was written by an Aucklander.
Sophia James Neozelandese, laureata in Letteratura inglese e Storia all'Università di Auckland, ha scoperto la passione per la scrittura leggendo insieme alla sorella gemella i romanzi di Gorgette Heyer.I had never heard of this Kiwi writer (but then I tend not to read romance novels in English, only in Italian so I can call it study...). Trusty Google to the rescue. Here is Sophia James' website.
So that was the light-hearted side of my recent reading.
More serious and compelling perhaps was some on-line reading. This reading was triggered by a comment about the celebrations for the diamond jubilee of our monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A friend referred to the festivals as "panem et circenses", which translates into bread and circuses. The origin of the phrase interested me, and is well described here. This website was full of gory and fascinating detail and is a good place to revise your history before a trip to Rome. You can choose to read it in either English or Italian, the homepage is here.
Another wander through the ether took me here, to an article about Roland Camberton. I'm not so sure about the style of the article, but packed in there, should you have time to look, are some fascinating glimpses of another life.
And should you wish to contemplate the future of Greece (and the EU, the euro, the world...) then this is quite a good place to start!
Today I am grateful for the written word.
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