Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good Monday and start to the week.
My chosen book for my Goodreads Monday is one that has been on my TBR for quite a while but one I hope to read this year as part of my nonfiction challenge.
Jerusalem 1119. A small group of knights seeking a purpose in the violent aftermath of the First Crusade decides to set up a new order. These are the first Knights Templar, a band of elite warriors prepared to give their lives to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over the next two hundred years, the Templars would become the most powerful religious order of the medieval world. Their legend has inspired fervent speculation ever since.
In this groundbreaking narrative history, Dan Jones tells the true story of the Templars for the first time in a generation, drawing on extensive original sources to build a gripping account of these Christian holy warriors whose heroism and alleged depravity have been shrouded in myth. The Templars were protected by the pope and sworn to strict vows of celibacy. They fought the forces of Islam in hand-to-hand combat on the sun-baked hills where Jesus lived and died, finding their nemesis in Saladin, who vowed to drive all Christians from the lands of Islam. Experts at channeling money across borders, they established the medieval world’s largest and most innovative banking network and waged private wars against anyone who threatened their interests.
Then, as they faced setbacks at the hands of the ruthless Mamluk sultan Baybars and were forced to retreat to their stronghold in Cyprus, a vindictive and cash-strapped King of France set his sights on their fortune. His administrators quietly mounted a damning case against the Templars, built on deliberate lies and false testimony. Then on Friday October 13, 1307, hundreds of brothers were arrested, imprisoned and tortured, and the order was disbanded amid lurid accusations of sexual misconduct and heresy. They were tried by the Pope in secret proceedings and their last master was brutally tortured and burned at the stake. But were they heretics or victims of a ruthlessly repressive state? Dan Jones goes back to the sources to bring their dramatic tale, so relevant to our own times, in a book that is at once authoritative and compulsively readable.
Please drop me a comment if you have taken part in Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
My chosen poem today is by the poet Eugene Field (1850-1895). Field was an American writer, best known for his children’s poetry and humorous essays.
Wynken, Blynken and Nod
Wynken. Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden show, -
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
'Where are you going, and what do you wish?'
The old moon asked the three.
'We have come to fish for the herring-fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we,'
Said Wynken,
Blynken
And Nod.
The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
That lived in the beautiful sea.
'Now cast your nets wherever you wish, -
Never afraid are we!'
So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam, -
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home:
'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
As if it could not be;
And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea;
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little heard,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:-
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.
Eugene Field
This week I have been on half term so I haven’t had school. This has meant more free time and I have made the most of it by going on some lovely walks. I am really enjoying the start of the lighter evenings and I am looking forward to going on some evening walks once I am back at school. My husband and myself are also taking part in the Conqueror Lord of the Rings Challenges and we are now half way through earning our second medal, fingers crossed we get to the end soon.
Yummy Treats
We have managed to go out for some treats recently. Last week we went out for a lovely meal where I tried my first ever Baked Alaska. It is so nice to go out for the odd treat. I also cooked a roast on Sunday which I rarely get to do because we generally don’t have enough time on a Sunday due to work commitments. I will be honest the Yorkshire puddings are the best ones I have ever made, sadly they caught slightly on the one side but they were huge!
Card Making
I spent a lovely afternoon yesterday making some Easter cards. I am really enjoying my bits of crafting at the moment and have loads of ideas. I just need to find more time to work on my ideas!
So there are a few of my non bookish activities. We are hoping to go out for an adventure tomorrow but we haven’t decided what yet.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
How is everyone’s week going? I have had a lovely day card making, reading and walking. I had to do some teaching this evening but I now don’t have any teaching till Monday so that is quite nice. Reading is still going well which is good.
What I am Currently Reading
I started Meditations by Marcus Aurelius today and so far I am finding it quite interesting. I spent all day yesterday and this morning reading The Count of Monte Cristo and I am still absolutely loving it.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I knew I shouldn’t have reread The Pilgrim’s Progress but I honestly thought I might feel differently about the book after so many years. No such luck though, I will post my review soon. I reread The Crossing Places in a matter of a couple of days, I will be reading the next in the series once I have finished Meditations.
What I Think I will Read Next
As usual I’m never quite sure what I will read next but I have been enjoying having a slightly more structured reading with my TBR for each month.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
I love this weeks topic for Top 5 Tuesday as I love reading massive books. I think there is something so comforting about reading a massive book, especially when it is a really good book. Here are 5 thick books that I have read in the past.
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
1474 pages
I read this fabulous book whilst in sixth form and absolutely loved it. I remember the copy I had had tissue paper thin pages. I loved that copy but sadly I leant it to my English teacher and she never returned it to me. I have another copy but it doesn’t hold the same memories as I original copy.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
1392 pages
I love Tolstoy! Anna Karenina is one of my all time favourite books and but this is definitely a close second. I remember carrying this book everywhere so whenever I had a minute to spare I could read a few pages. This also meant I had to have a larger than normal handbag to accommodate the massive book.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
1037 pages
This book spent a long time on my book case but a few years ago I finally got around to reading it and although I did enjoy it Scarlett O’Hara really drove me up the wall at times.
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
880 pages
I love Dickens but I do remember this was a hard read for me back in 2006. I really should reread it again and refresh my memory of the story.
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
977 pages
I love this book and fully plan on rereading it. This book was where I discovered my love of Pilcher’s amazing writing. I also read this book on my kindle but it just didn’t have the same feel as reading a physical book.
So there are 5 thick books that I have read in the past and will probably happily reread again in future. Hopefully I get to read some more thick books this year.
What thick books have you read in the past or plan on reading soon?
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week so far.
My chosen book today has been on my Goodreads TBR for a very long time and I’m not sure why as it is a book that I have wanted to read ever since I visited Exmoor with my parents. I remember falling in love with Exmoor (probably because of the very cute ponies) and desperately wanting to read Lorna Doone when I got home but it never seemed to happen.
First published in 1869, Lorna Doone is the story of John Ridd, a farmer who finds love amid the religious and social turmoil of seventeenth-century England. He is just a boy when his father is slain by the Doone’s, a lawless clan inhabiting wild Exmoor on the border of Somerset and Devon. Seized by curiosity and a sense of adventure, he makes his way to the valley of the Doone’s, where he is discovered by the beautiful Lorna. In time their childish fantasies blossom into mature love—a bond that will inspire John to rescue his beloved from the ravages of a stormy winter, rekindling a conflict with his arch-rival, Carver Doone, that climaxes in heartrending violence.
Please drop me a comment if you have taken part in Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
Lady Book Dragon 