history
Book reviews
Books
Book review- Germania
For a country that is both Europe’s most prosperous power and arguably the worst villain nation of the 20th century, Germany does not get much mention in the English-language world, especially when compared to France or Italy. Germania- A Personal History of Germans Ancient and Modern attempts to remedy this by showcasing the history and […]
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Book reviews
Books
Book review- Why the Dutch are Different
I always enjoy reading books about entire countries and Why the Dutch are Different- A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands was certainly very enjoyable. Usually, when most people think of the Netherlands, windmills, dikes, and the red light and marijuana delights of Amsterdam usually come to mind. In reality, the country is so […]
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Books
Great books about regions
As a follow-up to my post a while ago on the best books about entire countries, here’s a list of great books about regions and continents that I’ve read. I really enjoy these kinds of books for their epic scale and the variety of countries and places they cover. If any of you have any […]
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Travel
Visiting Trinidad’s Pitch Lake and Savannah
As a small island, Trinidad is beautiful, hilly and green, but it lacks spectacular mountains or large lakes. What it has instead are the world’s largest natural asphalt deposit- the Pitch Lake, and one of the world’s largest urban savannahs smack in the middle of its capital. The Pitch Lake is not a lake, but […]
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Book reviews
Book review-Ottoman Odyssey-Travels Through a Lost Empire
If it wasn’t for the fact that Turkish authorities decided to ban the author from reentering the country due to her political journalism, the idea for writing about the former Ottoman Empire would not have come to fruition. So it is thanks to Turkey’s sensitive regime that Alev Scott wrote Ottoman Odyssey – Travels through […]
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Book reviews
Books
Book review- Saladin
I’ve always been fascinated by Saladin, the great military leader of the Muslim Arabs or Saracens who fought and won victories against Western Crusaders in the 12th century. He is famous for capturing Jerusalem from the Crusaders, but he was also lauded for his integrity. I was eager to read more about Saladin and John […]
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Book reviews
Books
Book review- Ten Cities That Made an Empire
At its peak, the British Empire owned territories around the world on almost every continent from Africa to Asia to Australia. I’m sure most of us have been to countries that made up this empire. At its core were illustrious cities like Bombay, Hong Kong, Cape Town and New Delhi, which provided the industry, commerce, […]
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