Books!
Because I've been so busy in school these last few years, I haven't been reading as many non-school books as I used to do.
Therefore I've decided to make a promise to myself that I'll try to read 20 books before June 1st 2009.
It might be cheating to count a book I started reading before I made the promise, but I figured I might need some help to reach my goal.
I love history, so when I saw An Utterly Impartial History of Britain or 2000 years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge by John O'Farrell, in one of the bookstores at Heathrow airport, I just had to pick it up. It sounded like a really fun book, and it was!
The book begins with Ancient and Roman history and ends with the end of World War II. Since I'm Swedish I've only studied the really "important" things in British history (Henry VII, Elizabeth, the industrial revolution, end of slavery, colonization, the world wars etc.). So this book was a great way to get an overview of the different Kings (and Queens) and the rise and fall of the British Empire. The book is written in a way that the facts are correct (like who was king, what year something happened...) but the facts are intertwined with jokes, irony och sarcasm, which means the book isn't as heavy to read as some history books can be.
It's difficult to choose one part that is my favorite, so this is what the back of the book says:
"When a historian says 'Waterloo' do you automatically think of ABBA?
From 55 BC to 1945, an utterly impartial history of Britain informs, explains, but most of all laughs at the seemingly incomprehensible rollercoaster of events that make up the story of Great Britain. Packed with great characters trapped in impossible dilemmas, this true-life drama will have you on the edge of your seat thinking 'I wonder which of them dies at the end?' (Well, the all do, obviously. It was ages ago.)"
I think everyone who's interested in history and doesn't mind if a book isn't completely serious, will enjoy this book. It is quite long, 550 pages in the paperback version, but there are many small chapters, which is perfect if you want to read just a few pages before going to bed.
Therefore I've decided to make a promise to myself that I'll try to read 20 books before June 1st 2009.
It might be cheating to count a book I started reading before I made the promise, but I figured I might need some help to reach my goal.
I love history, so when I saw An Utterly Impartial History of Britain or 2000 years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge by John O'Farrell, in one of the bookstores at Heathrow airport, I just had to pick it up. It sounded like a really fun book, and it was!
The book begins with Ancient and Roman history and ends with the end of World War II. Since I'm Swedish I've only studied the really "important" things in British history (Henry VII, Elizabeth, the industrial revolution, end of slavery, colonization, the world wars etc.). So this book was a great way to get an overview of the different Kings (and Queens) and the rise and fall of the British Empire. The book is written in a way that the facts are correct (like who was king, what year something happened...) but the facts are intertwined with jokes, irony och sarcasm, which means the book isn't as heavy to read as some history books can be.
It's difficult to choose one part that is my favorite, so this is what the back of the book says:
"When a historian says 'Waterloo' do you automatically think of ABBA?
From 55 BC to 1945, an utterly impartial history of Britain informs, explains, but most of all laughs at the seemingly incomprehensible rollercoaster of events that make up the story of Great Britain. Packed with great characters trapped in impossible dilemmas, this true-life drama will have you on the edge of your seat thinking 'I wonder which of them dies at the end?' (Well, the all do, obviously. It was ages ago.)"
I think everyone who's interested in history and doesn't mind if a book isn't completely serious, will enjoy this book. It is quite long, 550 pages in the paperback version, but there are many small chapters, which is perfect if you want to read just a few pages before going to bed.