Book Review: Hope of Ages Past by Bruce Gardner In 1618, accountant’s son Peter Erhart and military advisor’s son Hans Mannheim witness an outrage in Prague, Bohemia. The two Catholic governors of this Holy Roman Empire province are tossed from a tower by their Lutheran colleagues. Hans has a moment of panic, and temporarily flees. Peter finds Hans and his kindness manages to… Continue reading Book Review: Hope of Ages Past
Tag: Catholicism
Book Review: Sex with Kings
Book Review: Sex with Kings by Eleanor Herman One of the advantages of being a king is that the rules don’t apply to you the same way as they do to commoners. For centuries in Europe, this also extended to tolerance of extramarital affairs, to the point that many kings had maitresse-en-titre, the “official mistress.” This… Continue reading Book Review: Sex with Kings
Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners
Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners by Ron David Opera is one of the great art forms, blending theater and music into a powerful emotional experience. But it also has a stereotype of being incomprehensible melodrama that boring rich people drag their unwilling spouses to. And many of the books about opera are written… Continue reading Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners
Book Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Book Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo The Year of Grace 1482 is going to be the big one for Pierre Gringoire; he just knows it! The poet, philosopher and would-be playwright is debuting his new mystery play for the Cardinal of Bourbon and the Flemish ambassadors on January 6th, the Day… Continue reading Book Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Book Review: The Play of Death
Book Review: The Play of Death by Oliver Pötzsch Disclaimer: I received a Kindle download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway to facilitate this review. No other compensation was offered or requested. The year is 1670, and the people of Oberammergau are preparing their every-ten-years Passion Play…though some of them think it might be… Continue reading Book Review: The Play of Death
Book Review: Kings & Queens of Great Britain: A Very Peculiar History
Book Review: Kings & Queens of Great Britain: A Very Peculiar History by Antony Mason For about 12 centuries, the English have been ruled by monarchs, and eventually this form of government spread to all of the British Empire. That’s a lot of history, and many kings and queens to take account of. This small… Continue reading Book Review: Kings & Queens of Great Britain: A Very Peculiar History
Book Review: The Transplanted
Book Review: The Transplanted by John Bodnar This volume, written in the 1980s, is a survey of patterns of immigration into urban areas of the United States between 1830-1930 (approximately.) It covers those who came to stay, those who just came to get a nest egg to improve life in their home country, and… Continue reading Book Review: The Transplanted
Comic Book Review: Saints: The Book of Blaise
Comic Book Review: Saints: The Book of Blaise written by Sean Lewis, art by Benjamin Mackey Disclaimer: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was requested or offered. “Monster” Blaise is a heavy metal musician with “one weird trick”–his glowing hands can cure throat ailments.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Saints: The Book of Blaise
Book Review: The Sculthorpe Murder
Book Review: The Sculthorpe Murder by Karen Charlton Disclaimer: I received a Kindle download of this book as a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was offered or requested. The year is 1810, and Bow Street Runner Detective Stephen Lavender has been called from his native London to Northamptonshire.… Continue reading Book Review: The Sculthorpe Murder
Book Review: The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution
Book Review: The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution by David Wootton At the beginning of the Fifteenth Century, there were no scientists as we understand the term, and no science. Received wisdom from Aristotle and Galen ruled knowledge and philosophy. Then a series of changes in technology and the way people… Continue reading Book Review: The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution