The Friday Five for 3 May 2019

[ringsandcoffee]

History

Is there a particular historical period or event, anywhere in the world, that fascinates you?
I guess since I've read so many books from the era, 1800s England.

Would you like to visit that time, or live in it permanently, or does the whole idea make you want to run screaming?
I'd like to visit, and experience wearing corsets, not bathing much, and all that fun stuff. Also, see what they would do with my hair.

What's the best piece of historical writing, nonfiction or fiction, you've ever read?
Rhett Butler's People. It's a retelling of Gone With the Wind from Rhett's perspective, but starts from when he was a child. All the characters and the history added so much more to the story. I actually listened to it on audiobook, and the narrator was fantastic.
The Marriage Bureau by Penrose Halson, about matchmakers in wartime London, was great.

What's the worst?
These weren't terrible, but could have been better:
The Lilac Girls
The Atomic City Girls
The German Girl
(sheesh, along with Radium Girls, you'd think I was choosing books by titles that have "girl" in it)

Is there a historical site you would love to visit?
I'm going to Italy in about a month, so I get to see a ton of them! I think I'm most excited for Rome and Pompeii.

Comments

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

1. The Middle Ages, WWII, and the Salem Witch Trials

2. I would visit, but certainly not live there.

3/4. I can't think of anything at the moment,

5. The Great Wall of China, Itsukushima Shrine, and Stonehenge

[meathiel]

Lalala ... guess where I'm going (again) in June!

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Visit for sure, but live, no way! I like my modern conveniences.

[wendelah1]

Italy should be amazing.

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

I hope so. I'm just planning to soak it all in, and hopefully get some good pictures.

[meathiel]

1. Old Rome, the Middle Ages, the Tudors, the Victorian Era ...

2. I would love to visit a lot of times - but probably only for a few hours. *lol*

3. I'm very particular to the novels by Lindsey Davis, set in ancient Rome.

4. I can't even remember the author's name anymore - some German woman writing about the 18th century. It was sooooo bad! I bought it because it was set in the area I live in. Only time I ever felt inspired to write a review on Amazon.

5. The Roman sites in Libya, Petra in Jordan, Machu Picchu ... and lots more!

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

It had to be pretty bad to earn an Amazon review.

[coercedbynutmeg.livejournal.com]

Haha, now you had me checking my Goodreads to see which books have "girl" in the title. Ones with 1 or 2 stars are these.

Girl, Stop Apologizing
Girl, Wash your Face
Gone Girl
Juniper: The Girl who was Born Too Soon

1 is fiction, 1 is a bullshit memoir, and the two Rachel Hollis ones are self-help-that-isn't-helpful.

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Rachel Hollis seems to have more criticism than praise. I'm not big on self-help books anyway.

So, you don't recommend Juniper?

[coercedbynutmeg.livejournal.com]

I hate the mom. She couldn't get pregnant despite various methods, then she had to resort to a donor egg, then when she got pregnant she engaged in stupid high-impact activities that caused the placental abruption that made her go into labor 4 months early. And she was very self-righteous otherwise.

[atlantisburning.livejournal.com]

Ooh! You're going to love Rome. It's busy busy busy, but it's filled with so many amazing things. We were there in June as well (we got hit with a 90+ degree heat wave the whole time). The crowds weren't horrendous, thankfully.

I love reading and watching 1800s England stories. I'm particularly enthralled by British Navy stories of the time, but all of it is wonderful.

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I'll be overwhelmed in Rome and not see enough all at the same time. I'm letting the tour guides and my sister figure out what to do and see. I've seriously not done any planning.

Making fortunes in the navy is a part of all the Austen novels. Aside from that, I don't know much. I do remember being in England, and being entertained by the fact that England and France (and others) basically spent 1500 years invading each other. Or something to that effect. Edinburgh was built on a hill, behind a wall, pretty much for defensive purposes.