“When I was hunting in Lesbos, I saw, in a wood sacred to the Nymphs, the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen—a painting that told a love-story.” So begins the ancient Greek prose narrative of Daphnis and Chloe, attributed to Longus, who goes on to describe the beautiful painting that provoked “a longingContinue reading “Book Review: “Daphnis and Chloe” by Longus”
Tag Archives: #bookreview
Book Review: “The Ingenious Language” by Andrea Marcolongo
“I am certain, however, that studying Greek helps you develop a talent for life, love, and hard work, for choosing to take responsibility for your successes and failures. It also helps you take pleasure in things, even when things aren’t all that perfect.” “The life of a language resides in the human beings who useContinue reading “Book Review: “The Ingenious Language” by Andrea Marcolongo”
Book Review: “Thucydides: On Justice, Power, and Human Nature” by Paul Woodruff
One of my current work projects is this collection of selected passages from Thucydides, summarized and translated by Woodruff. It is not a scholarly work in the traditional sense, featuring a stated thesis, supported by analysis of evidence. The scholarship lies in the curation and translations, which present an argument about what Thucydides’ preoccupations andContinue reading “Book Review: “Thucydides: On Justice, Power, and Human Nature” by Paul Woodruff”
Book Review: Greek Gods for Kids by Monica Roy
Greek Gods for Kids by Monica Roy, which I received from NetGalley for review, is an illustrated introduction to the Olympian pantheon and a few of the most enduring narratives and heroes associated with it. I enjoyed the strong lines and bold colors of the illustrations and found the content to be fluidly organized, effectivelyContinue reading “Book Review: Greek Gods for Kids by Monica Roy”
Book Review: Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
Ideally, novels can function as empathy exercises, putting us—readers and writers—into the minds and hearts of people who we are not and helping us better understand them. For this to happen, of course, we have to be willing to step outside of our own thought-boxes and listen without judgment. I tend to think, as withContinue reading “Book Review: Wolf Den by Elodie Harper”
Book Review: Ariadne Unraveled by Zenobia Neil
Ariadne Unraveled is a retelling of the myth of Ariadne and Dionysus. The novel opens with Ariadne waking up on the shores of Naxos realizing that Theseus has abandoned her, then goes back in time to tell the story of what brought here there and follows her forward through the aftermath of Theseus’ flight backContinue reading “Book Review: Ariadne Unraveled by Zenobia Neil”
Book Review: Flamefall by Rosaria Munda
Rosaria Munda’s Flamefall is the second book in a fantasy young adult series in conversation with ancient texts. The first book, Fireborne, draws on Plato’s Republic and Virgil’s Aeneid. Flamefall, the follow up published this year, takes inspiration from Homer’s Iliad and Sophocles’ Antigone. In addition to the ancient influences, which Munda mentions explicitly inContinue reading “Book Review: Flamefall by Rosaria Munda”
Book Review: Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
“But do you realize what it’s doing to our society to train our children, practically from birth, to idealize and glorify fighting? To worship the First Citizens like saints? We should be teaching our children to be more caring, more inquisitive—not only to destroy, but to build” (182). Which of the books in the photoContinue reading “Book Review: Skyward by Brandon Sanderson”
Book Review: Across Ancient Sands by Eric Scott Horn
What are your favorite books and movies about archaeology? One of my secret wishes growing up was to become an archaeologist and go on adventures around the world searching for ancient treasures. I never realized this particular dream and thus was excited when Eric Scott Horn kindly sent me a copy of his novel AcrossContinue reading “Book Review: Across Ancient Sands by Eric Scott Horn”