Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I’ve had an interesting day as my school hadn’t bothered to tell me they had changed my start time so I turned up to teach already rather late. Thankfully, I had two students absent so I could catch up with my day.
My chosen quote today is by the American novelist and psychologist Jonathan Seth Kellerman (1949).
“Life is like a prism. What you see depends on how you turn the glass.”
Jonathan Kellerman
Happy Reading
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
Hello!
I have finally finished a book in 2024! I honestly thought I wouldn’t get a book finished this month as my reading has really slowed down.
What I am Currently Reading
I was doing my chapter a day of this but I have got to a really good bit and so I am rather ahead and only reading this book at the moment. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the Wheel of Time series but I could really do without Mat as he rather annoying.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I love how the Countess of Carnarvon makes history come alive. My review is here.
What I Think I will Read Next
I think at the moment I will aim for shorter reads but I never know for sure what I will go for as I am an extreme mood reader.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading
The Earl and the Pharaoh by The Countess of Carnarvon
Blurb
Bestselling author Lady Fiona Carnarvon tells the thrilling behind-the-scenes story of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun on its centennial, and explores the unparalleled life of family ancestor George Herbert–the famed Egyptologist, world-traveler, and 5th Earl of Carnarvon behind it–whose country house, Highclere Castle, is the setting of the beloved series Downton Abbey.
In November 1922, the world was mesmerised by news of an astonishing historical find in Egypt’s legendary Valley of Kings: the discovery of the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. George Herbert, himself a famed amateur Egyptologist and noted antiquities collector, financed the expedition and excavation headed by lead archaeologist Howard Carter, and accompanied him inside this sacred space that had remained untouched for centuries.
Inside the tomb, the explorers found King Tut’s sarcophagus and a treasure trove of astonishing artefacts: chariots and model boats, board games and paintings, a coffin made of pure gold. But these objects were more than just beautifully crafted works of art; they shed new light on Tutankhamun world and this fabled period of history, and changed our understanding of how the ancient Egyptians had lived–transforming overnight what had been formed through centuries of history and myth.
Drawing on Highclere Castle’s archives, Lady Fiona Carnarvon pays homage to her ancestor on the 100th anniversary of this extraordinary event. In vivid and dramatic detail, she brings into focus the larger-than-life characters and lustrous settings–as well as those twists of luck and tragedies that shaped Herbert’s life. Across the early 1900s, Highclere saw no less drama than the fictional Downton Abbey, with early tragedies for the Earl and love affairs, as well highs of exorbitant wealth and trials of punishing debt. But above all there was adventure. While Herbert first went to Egypt for his health, this mysterious, romantic land would become a second home; the beloved place where he funnelled his attentions over a period of decades, never quite realising how great the fruits of his labours would prove.
Review
I was so excited to get this book and I literally started reading it as soon as I received it for Christmas. I was not disappointed. It was so good to be back reading a book by The Countess of Carnarvon, she just has a way with words and telling family history.
This book is a comprehensive history of the life of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon including of course his great discovery with Howard Carter of Tutankhamun. The book also offered so much more history which I found really interesting.
One of the sections I thoroughly enjoyed was the section during the First World War. I learnt so much from these chapters. The plight of the wounded soldiers in the war and what they had to go through was harrowing but what was most shocking was how unprepared the British government was for the amount of wounded. Learning about what Almina did during the war was also really interesting.
It was also really interesting to see how the super rich lived in Lord Carnarvon’s time, even though quite often Carnarvon couldn’t really afford these extravagances. His obsession with cars and his motoring offences were highly amusing as was his interest in planes.
Carnarvon was an interesting character who had a passion for history but wasn’t just some treasure hunter. He wanted his finds recorded and treasured for posterity. He also wanted everyone to get along and was a perfect diplomat with everyone, always calming the arguments and trying to find solutions.
I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more books by The Countess of Carnarvon. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons. A perfect first read for 2024!
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Purchase Links
Bookshop.org | Harper Collins | Waterstones | WH Smith
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
A former auditor for Coopers & Lybrand, Lady Carnarvon is the wife of George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. Today, she manages affairs at Highclere Castle, home of the worldwide television drama Downton Abbey, including overseeing its grounds and gardens and many special events such as the Egyptian Exhibition in the cellars of the Castle.
Fascinated by Highclere’s history, Lady Carnarvon has written four books. The first two are about the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb with Howard Carter in 1922. Her latest are New York Times Bestseller Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere, and Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey.
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!
Welcome to my first Goodreads Monday of 2024. My chosen book this week is one off my 24 Books of 2024 list. It is also one I bought just before Christmas and have been very excited to read as it is by one of my favourite historians.
Medieval queens were seen as mere dynastic trophies, yet many of the Plantagenet queens of the High Middle Ages dramatically broke away from the restrictions imposed on their sex, as Alison Weir shows in this gripping group biography of England’s fourteenth-century consorts.
Using personal letters and wonderfully vivid sources, Alison Weir evokes the lives of five remarkable Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Philippa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois.
The turbulent, brutal Age of Chivalry witnessed the Black Death, the Peasants’ Revolt, the Hundred Years War against France and savage baronial wars against the monarchy in which these queens were passionately involved. Queens of the Age of Chivalry brilliantly recreates this truly dramatic period of history through the lives of five extraordinary women.
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a nice weekend. I have managed some reading which has been good but I still haven’t finished a book this month and that is rather bad for me.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
I’m still doing my chapter a day of The Shadow Rising and thoroughly enjoying it. The Earl and the Pharaoh is fascinating and I am really enjoying it, I’ve learnt so much so far.
Happy Reading
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
This year I am trying to buy less books and read the books off my backlist. However, I have preordered some books so I have some nice surprises through the year. Two books arrived this week one was a preorder and the other was my little splurge in the Waterstones sale.
My plan this year is also to read new books as quickly as possible and not have them sit around unread for years. I really hope I stick to it!
Happy Reading
Happy Friday!
I hope everyone has had a good week so far.
I have chosen the poem for today because the weather people keep threatening us with snow. I have also chosen it because as you have probably noticed by now I am a huge Thomas Hardy fan.
Light Snow-Fall After Frost
On the flat road a man at last appears:
How much his whitening hairs
Owe to the settling snow's mute anchorage,
And how much to a life's rough pilgrimage,
One cannot certify.
The frost is on the wane,
And cobwebs hanging close outside the pane
Pose as festoons of thick white worsted there,
Of their pale presence no eye being aware
Till the rime made them plain.
A second man comes by;
His ruddy beard brings fire to the pallid scene:
His coat is faded green;
Hence seems it that his mien
Wears something of the dye
Of the berried holm-trees that he passes nigh.
The snow-feathers so gently swoop that though
But half an hour ago
The road was brown, and now is starkly white,
A watcher would have failed defining quite
When it transformed it so.
Thomas Hardy
Happy Reading
Diddly Squat: Pigs Might Fly by Jeremy Clarkson
Blurb
Another year on the Diddly Squat Farm and Jeremy is still knee-deep in mud and endless challenges.
Welcome back to Clarkson’s Farm. Since taking the wheel three years ago Jeremy’s had his work cut out. And it’s now clear from hard-won experience that, when it comes to farming, there’s only one golden rule:
Whatever you hope will happen, won’t.
Enthusiastic schemes to diversify have met with stubborn opposition from the red trouser brigade, defeat at the hands of Council Planning department, and predictable derision from Kaleb – although, to be fair, even Lisa had doubts about Jeremy’s brilliant plan to build a business empire founded on rewilding and nettle soup. And only Cheerful Charlie is still smiling about the stifling amount of red tape that’s incoming . . . But he charges by the hour.
Then there are the animals: the sheep are gone; the cows have been joined by a rented bull called Break-Heart Maestro;. the pigs are making piglets; and the goats have turned out to be psychopaths.
But despite the naysayers and (sometimes self-inflicted) setbacks, Jeremy remains irrepressibly optimistic about life at Diddly Squat. Because It’s hard not to be when you get to harvest blackberries with a vacuum cleaner.
And, after all, it shouldn’t just be Break-heart Maestro who gets to enjoy a happy ending . . .
Review
I have loved all the Diddly Squat books so far so when I saw this one was out I put it on my wish list and my lovely husband bought it for me for Christmas. I read it almost immediately and basically read it in one sitting.
Again, this book has the same beautiful illustrations separating the chapters as the previous books and the book is in the same format as the previous books.
As much as I loved this book I did miss Lisa, Kaleb and Charlie. In ‘Diddly Squat: ’Til the Cows Come Home’ Lisa, Kaleb and Charlie featured a lot more which I really enjoyed so I missed them this time. Although the story of Lisa with the pigs was hilarious.
I liked this book because it is year three of Clarkson as a farmer and you can see he is getting into the swing of things. He is also still trying his hardest to highlight the plight of the poor farmers and what they have to go through to try and make a living.
There were some deeply poignant moments in this book which really showed a different side to Clarkson and a side we don’t often see on TV. I loved his story about Pooh Sticks and what that story means to him and what Winnie-the-Pooh means to him.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book but it was too short! When I reached the end I found myself wanting more so I hope the next one might be longer but I know it all depends on his newspaper column. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.
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Purchase Links
Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born April 11, 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring.
He writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun, but is better known for his role on the BBC television programme Top Gear.
From a career as a local journalist in the north of England, he rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. From 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own chat show, Clarkson.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a nice day today. I didn’t have school today so I spent a lovely morning reading and then went for a long walk. I had teaching in the evening and an Etsy order to do but at least I got some reading done.
My chosen quote today is by the English author, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian C. S. Lewis (1898-1963).
“Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably.”
C. S. Lewis
Happy Reading
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. As predicted my reading has plummeted since been back at work but I’m hoping that I will manage to at least read one book per week.
Here are my planned reads for January.
I actually started The Other Queen in December 2023 but I only read about a quarter of it before work and Christmas prep got in the way, I was really enjoying it so I hope to finish it this month. I really hope I read some of these books but as you have all worked out by now I’m not great with TBR plans as it all depends on what mood I am in.
I hope everyone has some exciting reads planned for January.
Happy Reading
Lady Book Dragon 