Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion
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Alicja wrote: "So pronounce Alicja as ahleetsyah...."I did want to know how to pronounce your name. This makes way more sense then sounding the CJ like it's english.
Alicja wrote: "Allie wrote: "Tickets to Poland? That's frickin' awesome! I do hope things go smoothly for you guys this time around so that you can just enjoy your vacation time together. My grandmother was Polis..."Thanks, I'm definitely messaging you if I'm ever lucky enough to get to Poland. Love the mini lesson you just gave us. Thanks for that link! I listened to the demonstration and laughed. My learning Polish is going to take a while ;) but its a pretty cool site! I saved it in my favorites and wrote it down in my little notebook of "things to remember".
Dawn, you learn German and I'll learn one of the 4 languages I bought from the Pimsleur approach. We'll be so smart :)
My husband also has the duo lingo app on his ipad Dawn. It's slow going but ok for a beginner, which he is. DEREK!!!!! I have found an awesome Xmas present you should get yourself. There is a white boxer by the name of Garth at the Tulsa shelter. He is gorgeous! Everyone should know the undying, wet love of a boxer, just once. He would make the best pressie to yourself :))))))
Been planning to do Ancient Greek again. I think I'll be checking to see if a younger growd has posted on good old Diceopolos!
Aww, thanks Darcy :) but I'm too scared to enter into anything online, even if it is on goodreads. I'll have to see if a library close by carries it.
Margaret wrote: "Alicja wrote: "I haven't read this one yet but Kissing Sherlock Holmes is on my list. I heard good things about it..."Oh, now that looks interesting."
Don't know how I missed this...but definitely added it to my tbr list. But my dear Margaret, as a Holmes aficionado......you're ok with this???? lol.
Lisa wrote: "My husband also has the duo lingo app on his ipad Dawn. It's slow going but ok for a beginner, which he is.
DEREK!!!!! I have found an awesome Xmas present you should get yourself. There is a whi..."
Awwww! you've hit on a weakness of mine, Lisa. I love dogs & had a boxer named Clyde when I was a kid. My favorite dog ever! I still have a picture of him hanging on my wall. Tulsa is a few hours drive away, but I'll definitely look into it. I already have two dogs living in my small apartment, but I'd love to have another Boxer. I might have to change his name though.;)
DEREK!!!!! I have found an awesome Xmas present you should get yourself. There is a whi..."
Awwww! you've hit on a weakness of mine, Lisa. I love dogs & had a boxer named Clyde when I was a kid. My favorite dog ever! I still have a picture of him hanging on my wall. Tulsa is a few hours drive away, but I'll definitely look into it. I already have two dogs living in my small apartment, but I'd love to have another Boxer. I might have to change his name though.;)
Oh wow, it's a sign, haha. I love boxers Derek. We had two, Kostya and Bell! Brindle and red respectively. We don't have children so they really were it for us. We loved them soooo much. I miss them like nothing else. Chris has a hard and fast rule, that if you have a dog you have to be prepared to do the right thing, and be there, when the time comes. We were there when it counted, but we were so heartbroken we are a bit shy to do it again. Garth/ "insert your preferred name" is at the Tulsa animal welfare, but he is listed on the Facebook site of Boxer Rescue of Northwest Arkansas.What are your current dogs called?
I've posted his photo on my profile for you. He is gorgeous!
Alicja, my sloooow internet has finally loaded your photos. Thanks for that. What a wonderful, history rich, city it would be to visit. I'm envious, and will happily act as porter or you and your girlfriend :). The anniversary story you shared was great. I love how you both went to so much trouble to get something special for each other. How will you top this next year?? :))
I was just kidding. I'd love to have a Garth. I have a Chinese Pug named Rocky & Shih Tzu named Claire. They are my family. I'm off to check your photo & if I can make it work, I'll have a Boxer named Garth. :)
Thank you for the beautiful photographs of a very old and interesting city. I must admit that my personal knowledge has been acquired in a handful of visits. My only memories of Gdansk are in the dead of winter when everything was covered in very deep drifts of snow. The extra winter coating doesn’t detract from the innate beauty of the area. My literary knowledge is also based on a double handful of books including Poland
by James Michener and Mila 18
by Leon Uris.
Derek wrote: "Lisa wrote: "My husband also has the duo lingo app on his ipad Dawn. It's slow going but ok for a beginner, which he is. DEREK!!!!! I have found an awesome Xmas present you should get yourself. T..."
I did try it, but I'm probably more than a beginner--an intermediate--so I got impatient with it.
Allie wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Alicja wrote: "I haven't read this one yet but Kissing Sherlock Holmes is on my list. I heard good things about it..."Oh, now that looks interesting."
Don't know..."
Yes I am. If you read the canon stories again, there is actually quite a lot of homoerotic overtones to them. Some of it is possibly the change of the English language, but as Conan Doyle was a friend of Oscar Wilde, I suspect much of it was deliberate.
Haven't read the actual stories yet. Moved around so much in the past 2 years, all my books are tucked away in storage :( but I'm super excited for that one. My library better have a copy.
I don't know if any of our English members are into the cricket...but if any are I just wanted to say.....Say bye bye to the Ashes. :)
Terri wrote: "I don't know if any of our English members are into the cricket..."She's innocently forgotten this Pom... [insert unprintable comment]
Allie wrote: "Dawn, you learn German and I'll learn one of the 4 languages I bought from the Pimsleur approach. We'll be so smart :)"I had a phase when watching the Olli/Christian storyline of Verbotene Liebe (anyone surprised?) where I started to learn German because I didn't want to only rely on the subtitles. I may have to go back and pick it up again, it is a very interesting language!
Lisa wrote: "I love how you both went to so much trouble to get something special for each other. How will you top this next year?? :))"
Haha! I'll probably start thinking about it like this year, one week beforehand when I realize "oh, shit! that's next week!"
I am also so happy I could spark some interest in Poland with my pictures. I've always loved it even though I live in the US now and I love to visit even though its not always been easy.
Alicja wrote: "Allie wrote: "Dawn, you learn German and I'll learn one of the 4 languages I bought from the Pimsleur approach. We'll be so smart :)"I had a phase when watching the Olli/Christian storyline of Ve..."
I also have German cds to learn. I think I may get the hang of it though. After working for a Jewish family for 8 years I understand and can speak some Yiddish which is based a little on German. Every time they said something I'd be like what's that?? Now I mutter Yiddish sayings all the time and no one knows what I'm talking about. Oy vey!
Finished Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman yesterday. In all the historical fiction books I have read, my protagonists in battle are out-manned, suffer the severest weather, are on the verge of starvation, get dangerously low on ammunition, etc. They are come from behind guys. I think about poor Hannibal crossing those mountains under such dire circumstances that I wonder how even one man completed the journey. I wonder if his brother's crossing just a little while later was as fraught with peril, or the antagonists for that matter. Something to think about.
It's a well known fact that we like to cheer for the underdog. And conquest with no drama wouldn't make a very interesting story. Maybe that's why we only read and hear about Hannibal and not his bother??
The new Goodreads reading challenge should be up soon. Has anybody decided on what they're putting in for the new year?? I think I'm just going to increase mine by 5, to 135. I want to get to more of the "chunksters" this year so I don't want to increase it too much.
I was thinking of 100, but may go for 80.
Im gonna stay with 50 as Im hoping to get OUT more next year :)
I might stay more or less the same as this year [170].
Going to increase mine, but using my 2013 bookshelf as a guide, not the official tally. The officially tally includes books I never finished, so really isn't that accurate.Will probably increase my target by about 5 books from the final tally.
Jane wrote: "I might stay more or less the same as this year [170]."170? Wow! I'm lucky if I get enough "quiet time" to read a book a week.
Allie wrote: "Jane wrote: "I might stay more or less the same as this year [170]."170? Wow! I'm lucky if I get enough "quiet time" to read a book a week."
That's one good thing about being retired; I have more time to read.
Portia wrote: "Reading Michener's Poland taught me that I may be descended from the Mongol Hordes. Hmmmm."A friend returned recently from Poland and said it was beautiful. Years ago, I read Poland and really enjoyed learning about its history in such an interesting way.
Did you guys hear that news story of the 16 year old kid who drove drunk (.24 blood alcohol) and killed 4 people. Well, they had a trial and he got off on probation and a trip to a 450K counseling camp paid for by daddy. What was his defense? "Afluenza" a faux condition made up by his psychologist that says because he is rich up to his ass, he didn't know that there were consequences to his actions so he's not responsible. And the judge bought it! Yes, this is a real story in the US: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12...
I am so pissed off right now I can't even see straight. I mean, we all know that the rich get away with crap in the US but now their sole defense is that they are rich. Its disgusting!
Alicja wrote: "Did you guys hear that news story of the 16 year old kid who drove drunk (.24 blood alcohol) and killed 4 people. Well, they had a trial and he got off on probation and a trip to a 450K counseling ..."Yeah, that made our news down here. It is digusting all right.
Bryn wrote: "Terri wrote: "I don't know if any of our English members are into the cricket..."She's innocently forgotten this Pom... [insert unprintable comment]"
I forgot you were into the cricket..or did not know maybe? Can't recall. But that's good. A pom to gloat at. :D
...in saying that though. A partnership today could see the Aussies humiliated. The poms shouldn't give up yet.
Linda wrote: "Finished Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman yesterday. In all the historical fiction books I have read, my protagonists in battle are out-manned, suffer the severest weather, are on th..."I love an under dog. It is one of the main reasons I dislike the Romans so much.
Dawn wrote: "The new Goodreads reading challenge should be up soon. Has anybody decided on what they're putting in for the new year?? I think I'm just going to increase mine by 5, to 135. I want to get to mo..."
I am going to stick with my 50. I know I can achieve it easily and if I have things come up and cannot read much again next year (like what happened this year with my 57 or so books read) then i don't feel pressure.
Terri wrote: "I love an under dog. It is one of the main reasons I dislike the Romans so much."Likewise on Romans, also why I follow the English cricket team.
Then you must also follow the Aussie Rugby team then??
Bryn wrote: "Terri wrote: "I love an under dog. It is one of the main reasons I dislike the Romans so much."Likewise on Romans, also why I follow the English cricket team."
Bryn and Terri, now I know why!! :) But Ruso, anyway, is not a 'proper soldier' [since he's a doctor], as Tilla keeps telling him. :)
I'll probably up my goal to 60 - not being retired and all :)
I am confused. Are there several conversations going on here? NNTA LOL
Linda wrote: "I am confused. Are there several conversations going on here? NNTA LOL"Yes. Sorry, I know only a few of these abbreviations.
So it's an RQ, eh? :)
Linda wrote: "I am confused. Are there several conversations going on here? NNTA LOL"There are always several conversation going on in here! :)
NNTA NO NEED TO ANSWERCOS CHANGE OF SUBJECT (I made up those two)
LOL LAUGH OUT LOUD
RQ ??? REPETITIVE QUERY??? REAL QUANDARY? ROYAL QUEEN?
REASONABLE QUESTION? RARE QUESS!TION? What, do tell?
RQ = rhetorical question. I made this one up probably.NNTA IS an valid acronym for the meaning you gave. I looked it up.
http://www.allacronyms.com/NNTA
Yesterday was a catastrophe! Did you know that Niacin repels mosquitoes and fleas? I took a Niacin pill and had a reaction. Since niacin is a vitamin a body needs, I can't figure why I swelled up, burned and itched all over my body. Won't take niacin pill ever again. While I was swimming, my right front tire started going flat, but it was a slow leak and I made it home. Took a shower after the swim. Dropped the soap, bent over to pick it up. I hit my left eye on the shower control and have a shiner today. It hurts too. When I swim today, everyone will ask who gave me the black eye, and no one will believe the truth. I may start telling this entire tale dragging it out as much as I can, they will lose interest and swim away. My first swim partner died of cancer earlier this year. Just found out my present swim partner has cancer. So be cheerful your relationship with me is via the A&M.
Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction
Books mentioned in this topic
The Berry Pickers (other topics)Fortune's Child (other topics)
Hild (other topics)
Sharpe's Command (other topics)
Edenglassie (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Amanda Peters (other topics)Nicola Griffith (other topics)
Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
Allan Hands (other topics)
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I actually just downloaded the duolingo app into my tablet last week. I kind of like it but I prefer the CD's from Pimsleur.
Maybe this should be my New Years resolution.....learn German!!