pickI loved this little book of travellers tales by Arabic (specifically, a Baghdadi of the Abbasid Empire from what is now Iraq, written while he was living in Egypt in 947CE) writer, Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Mas'udi.
His accounts of Persian, Greek, Egyptian, East African,Indian, Central Asian, Chinese, Malaysian, Cambodian, etc. life and cultural practices are fascinating, and there are hints of knowledge of the Americas and Japan, all 👇
al-Mus'ādī is describing some of the wonders of Egypt, including the excavation of a temple lost beneath the desert sands. Uncovering stairs leading to the entrance, a rash man sets foot on the fourth step, triggering two swords to spring out of the walls & slice him to pieces, one of which rolls onto another trigger-step, causing the whole edifice to collapse, burying 2000 people!
I love that Indy's Tomb Raiding has such a venerable lineage! 😃
"... all traces of science have vanished and its splendour is spent; learning has become too general and has lost its depth, and one no longer sees any but people filled with vanity and ignorance, imperfect scholars who are content with superficial ideas and do not recognise the truth."
Written in 947 CE, presumably al-Mas'ūdī had the gift of precognition? Either that, or human nature is constant over the millennia, which is either ? or ?
"We beg our readers' indulgence for any mistakes or negligence which they find in this book; for our memory is weakened and it strength spent as a result of the great weariness brought about by voyages which have taken us by sea from one country to another and by land across extensive desert."
Opening line of a short selection of entries from Baghdad-born Mas'üdī's lengthy account of his 10th C. CE travels.
#FirstLineFridays @shybookowl
pickThe humor in this book was the page-turner for me! And when Avnar‘s dad takes him for ice cream, reading it in my head with an accent had me howling 🤣🤣. But the story line is good, too.
I was at the House of Literature last night to hear Elif Shafak talk about her latest book
What a talk. She talked about so many aspects of the novel and the significance of different writing styles for the different POV. I now have a deeper understanding of the novel
And Sharif was so sweet. Taking her time for everyone wanting a signed copy and a selfie. I stood 50 min in a queue. I can‘t remember the last time I did that
I popped into the bookstore while my oldest son was with his tutor. This book jumped out at me and reminded me to check it out at the library. I did read the first few pages there. Is that stealing? I‘m not a bookstore person, at the library, this is encouraged!
pickI highly recommend this book. It is more a bio of one mans career as a Navy SEAL. Through all its stages. A career that included the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Absent is the self-righteous patriotism that can be prevalent today. He approaches his story as a professional. Just telling his story without trying to drive home a political opinion. An inspiring story and a look into the real world of the Navy SEALs.
pickEvery once in a while you read the blurb of a book and think this could be a new favorite. Then you read the first paragraph and gets it confirmed. This was that book for me. I knew I was in safe hands and could just get lost in the story.
Arthur by the Thames from the 1840s, Narin by the Tigris in 2014 and Zaleekhah by the Thames in 2018. I preferred Arthur and Zaleekhah‘s stories and I post under a spoiler why
And that ending
It occurs to him, in that moment, that poverty has its own scent, an odour that emanates from his pores, easily detected. It is an awful, debilitating thought.
(This quote has my thinking of “Parasite” right away)
Mas'üdī mentions his Islamic faith and culture, while respecting the faith and cultures of the peoples he meets. He reports hearsay at times, clarifying where he has no evidence, and occasionally commenting on things that seem probable exaggerations or fiction.
I particularly enjoyed his accounts of treasure hunting and excavation of the antiquities of Egypt, and his story of the foolish king of 👇 5h