Eye-opener and if you know nothing, you could still start here (personally I read some Ilan Pappé first). Towards the end I felt like I was reading reEye-opener and if you know nothing, you could still start here (personally I read some Ilan Pappé first). Towards the end I felt like I was reading reports regarding the current conflict, that's how recycled the excuses for killing are. Finkelstein calls himself a forensic scholar and so yes, this is not a thriller but a document aimed at posterity, that serves as a witness for truth and justice. He details the operations that happened in Gaza before 10/7 and the most jaw-dropping bits are the most unexpected: quotes from Israeli soldiers comparing war to video games, quotes from Amnesty reports. Still, those who want to be blind will keep themselves blind. This isn't a book for die-hard Israel fans but for those who have no idea, absolutely no idea what's going on......more
Not being a mythology buff, I had no clue what to expect from this book. Everything I have ever read on mythological figures from Ancient Greece neverNot being a mythology buff, I had no clue what to expect from this book. Everything I have ever read on mythological figures from Ancient Greece never stuck with me. I easily forgot the stories but not because they were forgettable, I realise now: Madeline Miller's writing makes all those intricate connections occur naturally before your mind's eye. Perhaps it was the addition of Circe's inner life that made it all click.
This appears to be a story about Gods and mythology and days of yore, with a great array of characters, yet it is apparent to me that this is a story of searching for one's self, seeking a way to live your life that makes sense to you, and not necessarily to others. How does a goddess who feels more mortal than divine, lead her life?
There is a modern tone to all this. Circe is indeed presented to us first as different than the gods surrounding her, to whom she had little to no affinity and then during her exile she "grows up" (if gods do) to be a strong feminine figure, one who has left her naiveté in the past. She muses on women's representations in poetry
Humbling women seems to me a chief pastime of poets. As if there can be no story unless we crawl and weep.
and women in general:
It is a common saying that women are delicate creatures, flowers, eggs, anything that may be crushed in a moment’s carelessness. If I had ever believed it, I no longer did.
I liked reading about her adventures, her relationship with her family, gods and mortals, her journey towards knowing herself and being not-still, not-dead, not God-like at all. ...more
Ioana Pârvulescu e ca prietena cu care vrei să te întâlnești mereu și când apuci, te bucuri și te liniștești în prezența discursului ei natural, intelIoana Pârvulescu e ca prietena cu care vrei să te întâlnești mereu și când apuci, te bucuri și te liniștești în prezența discursului ei natural, inteligent și învăluitor. Nu știam până acum că poți să ai un scris carismatic, dar așa mi s-a ivit cartea; e scrisă ca o poveste pasionantă printre rândurile căreia se mai strecoară prețul la șosete de mătase din 1926 sau ceva asemănător. O recomand oricui - mai ales că nu eram interesată de subiect înainte să o citesc....more
This is one to listen to again and again. Watts has done a brilliant job of summing up Zen Buddhism mixing it up with Pantheism, and what sounds to meThis is one to listen to again and again. Watts has done a brilliant job of summing up Zen Buddhism mixing it up with Pantheism, and what sounds to me like a Jungian view of the Self and the Ego. I can’t understand why people accuse him of recycling other ideas he’s heard. Granted, but he showcases them in a way that’s both spiritual and fun. Nothing wrong with that. I’ll be revisiting this lecture series....more