All Booked Up started out as a book review blog. Now its a more general one. Posts on whatever calls my interest. There will, however still be some book reviews.
There are lots of fine Christmas themed movies out there, but before I get to those, I want to mention one episode of a T.V. show that is one of the best Christmas themed shows I've seen in a long time:
The T.V. show is MacGyver, and the episode in question is The Madonna from Season 5.
The episode blurb from the season is:
A mysterious homeless woman comes to stay at the Challenge Center, and with her pocketful of miracles, ends up teaching MacGyver and the kids the true meaning of Christmas.
The amazon.com blurb:
MacGyver faces a busy Christmas Eve: he tries to help a priest reclaim a
stolen Madonna figure, aids Cynthia in keeping the Challenger Club's
doors open, and comes to the rescue of a bag lady preyed upon by
thieves.
To be honest, I prefer the first blurb, but either way, this is an episode worth watching. I saw it a couple of weeks ago as part of watching the whole series through in order for the first time and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since.
This is also the time of year for Christmas movies, and there are almost too many to count out there. Who can forget the Charlie Brown Christmas though?
That's a family tradition to watch, although I haven't gotten around to it yet this year.
How about A Christmas Carol? There are several versions of this movie out there, almost too many to count, but the most recent is the Disney version.
Another first for me this year was watching The Polar Express. Great music, and a very warming storyline, although I found the red/blue 3D glasses rather disconcerting to use. At least part of that though is that I wear glasses, and so don't really like any of the 3D glasses out there. Even so, it was quite the experience to see a movie at home in 3D - without needing any special technology.
What's your favorite Christmas movie or T.V. show?
I've started playing around with photomanipulation for the first time in about a decade. I'm reasonably happy with the end result I got on this first attempt too.
I haven't been doing a whole heck of a lot of reading lately. But, I have gotten back into editing and posting my photos, so here's a couple of them to tide you over until the next book review.
Take A Thief
Mercedes Lackey
DAW Books
Copyright Date: 2002
978-0756400583
The amazon.com product description:
Skif, a young orphan living with a miserly uncle, is taken in by a gang
of pickpockets and becomes a master of the thieves' trade, until he is
chosen by one of Valdemar's magical horses and is transformed into a
herald for the queen...
I hadn't realized Take A Thief came out so long ago. Skif is one of those characters who pops up in several of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar novels, including the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy (Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight, Arrow's Fall), the Mage Winds books (Winds of Fate, Winds of Change and Winds of Fury). As a result, it's rather nice to know his story from the beginning.
We knew he was a thief, here's how he became one. And, how does a thief get chosen? Well, that's a funny story - one Skif didn't think was as funny at the time. I certainly did though. As I also did with the snorer's chorus he ran into on one of his adventures.
I definitely enjoyed the read (or re-read as it were), though as I said, I'd forgotten how long ago the book came out. I definitely hadn't read it in a while, so it was rather new again.
Take A Thief serves as a good introduction to the world of Valdemar if you're new to the series, explaining who the Heralds of Valdemar are, the Companions and the roles that both serve in the running of the kingdom. It's also a book that's good for anyone from young adult on into adult.
IIRC, I couldn't find the official page for the 100 Books In A Year Challenge the last couple of years, so I'm glad to see it again at Book Chick City.
My reading's been a bit sporadic too over the last few years so I don't know if I'll make a hundred books next year but I'm going to try.
The rules for the challenge are:
Challenge Info
Timeline: 01 Jan 2014 – 31 Dec 2014
Rules: Read 100 books in 2014 (any genre)
You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add
them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them,
nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other
challenges you have on the go.
You can join at anytime. All books read in 2014 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.
Audiobooks are accepted.
Only fiction, no non-fiction.
This challenge can crossover with other challenges.
You don’t have to have a blog to join in – for those without a blog
but who use Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing etc, you can add the URL to
where you track your books. If you don’t have a URL at all then choose a
name you would like to use and then copy and paste the following link:http://wp.me/p2wdqf-6ZI
At the beginning of each month I will be posting an open thread so
you can discuss the books you’ve read and/or link up your reviews.
I never noticed the rule about no non fiction in previous years. That's going to make things a lot more difficult, as I've got two non-fiction challenges that I'm participating in, which I was hoping to overlap with this one. Not to mention, my reading of non-fiction has been growing while my fiction reading has been decreasing proportionally.
Now that December is on us, the stores are filled with Christmas - gift ideas, trees, red and green decorations, and of course, the music. I know I'm going to be heartily tired of the most common carols and tunes by the time Christmas rolls around - simply from hearing them day in and day out for the next three and a bit weeks.
On the other hand, I'm firmly into Christmas mode myself and need something to keep the mood up. Despite the repetition, it's the music that does it the best - but not always the traditional Christmas music.
These are some of my favorite Christmas albums:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is on here twice, because their albums are so different. Each one tells a story as the music progresses, which makes it interesting listening. At the same time though, it's possible to tune out the story and just listen to the music - which is what I've been doing as I write Christmas letters this year. These are definitely NOT your traditional carols, although they are the carols for the most part. There's a gorgeous rendition of The Holly and the Ivy on one of the two discs - just to name one of the many songs.
My favorite is Christmas Eve and Other Stories and the story it tells.
The Enya album is, for the most part, a collection of winter themed songs, though there are a few Christmas ones on there, including a gorgeous version of Silent Night.
Loreena Mckennitt has an album of traditional Christmas songs including Good King Wenceslas, The Holly and The Ivy, the Coventry Carol etc. All of them are done in her signature style too. Very different from the standard Christmas music you hear in the stores for the most part. One of the best value Cd's I've seen in a while too, with seventeen tracks.
Sarah Brightman's A Winter Symphony album is another one that changes the mood from that found in stores to something a bit more contemplative and classical. The first few times I heard the first track though, I was puzzled. It took me a little while to figure it out, but the "Arrival" track on this album is the title track for the Arrival album by ABBA. Different lyrics though. I love this album.
Boney M does a Christmas album that's more or less the standard Christmas songs you hear on the radio, but done in their own style. Their Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord is one of my favorite Christmas songs - and, to be honest, it's a song I've been known to put on during the rest of the year too.
Sting's Christmas/Winter album is one that reminds me of the Loreena Mckennit one I've listed earlier. Some of the songs on here are traditional British, and the others are his own compositions. This was the first Sting album I ever listened to as well, and still my favorite of his.
Handbook of Indexing Techniques: A Guide For Beginning Indexers
Linda Fetters
Information Today Publishing
Copyright Date: March 4th 2013
978-1573874618
The amazon.com blurb:
Linda Fetters' popular Handbook of Indexing Techniques
is now available for the first time from Information Today, Inc. in a
significantly updated fifth edition that will be welcomed by new,
aspiring, and occasional indexers and anyone who teaches indexing.
As
in earlier releases, the fifth edition includes clear explanations of
indexing techniques along with many helpful examples. In addition to its
easy-to-follow "how-to" coverage, you'll find updated information about
indexing seminars and training programs, professional organizations,
and indexing standards. Chapter 8, "Electronic Documents," has been
expanded to include basic coverage of embedded indexing, Cambridge
University Press indexing, XML indexing, ebook indexing, web indexing,
and taxonomies. And, for the first time, the book's bibliographic
references a rich source of suggestions for further reading appear in
two separate appendixes, one organized alphabetically and the other by
topic.
I said in my last post about this book that I wanted to buy it. Well, I did, and there are some parts of the book that are absolutely wonderful:
The end of chapter bibliographies. Extremely helpful if you're looking for more information on a particular topic.
Chapter 8, the chapter on indexing electronic documents. It gives clear explanations of the various aspects of indexing for websites, e-books and embedded indexing.
Two forms of bibliography, as mentioned in the blurb. As I said about the end of chapter bibliographies, these are one of the best resources in the book.
As the subtitle for the Handbook of Indexing Techniques notes, the book is designed as a "Guide For Beginning Indexers" and as such, I'd say it might just be the book I'd recommend first. The style is clear and easy to read and the book covers just about everything you need to get started, ranging from discussions of the various educational options out there to different methods of indexing (dedicated software such as Macrex or Cindex, the indexing modules in programs such as Word, and even the method that gave us the "Index Card").
Then there's actually creating the index. The Handbook of Indexing Techniques covers that too, with many a reference to the other stand-by reference books out there, including Mulvaney's Indexing Books Second Edition and Indexing From A-Z Second Edition by Hans Wellisch.
That's what it boils down to essentially. It's been one of those weeks where despite my best intentions I haven't had anything to post here.
I've been darting from book to book but not getting anything read at all, not even the two new indexing books that arrived the day before yesterday.
Part of that is due to the fact that I've been busy. On Tuesday, the snooker table arrived so the day was taken up by that being installed. Wednesday the new wood stove was installed, only to discover that we need to get the chimney extended.
I've also found out that to run some of the software I need for an ongoing project, that I need to upgrade the operating system on my computer tower. NOT to Windows 8 though. I'm only upgrading to Windows 7. However, that's still proving to be a challenge as I keep finding something else that I need to back up first. That's been most of Thursday and Friday.
Yesterday as well, we had someone out to replace the pump on the furnace system. Quiet at last. Of course, as well there was a batch of beef barley soup to be made.
Now, on to the recipe I discovered the other day.
Roast Beef Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
Best made on a cranberry loaf.
4 slices of bread (for two sandwiches)
grated cheddar/mozzarella cheese combination
sliced deli roast beef
margarine/butter
Butter the inside side of all four slices of bread. Add a handful of the grated cheese to one slice for each sandwich. Lay down slices of the roast beef to cover the cheese one layer thick. Add another handful of the cheese and then the other slice of bread.
Grill in a sandwich press/george foreman grill/panini maker until the cheese is thoroughly melted.
Now, I've finally unpacked the majority of the collection from the move (plus the books that I'd stored for lack of space). The resulting photo took up one side of the other new arrival today, the snooker table:
Of course, one of our two cats had to get in on the game too. She's sitting behind The Art Of The Hobbit.
The books:
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
One volume edition, illustrated by Alan Lee. (bottom of the stack, spine out)
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
One volume, movie cover edition. (hiding behind The Art Of The Hobbit)
The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Box Set by J.R.R. Tolkien
The white box set including the Lord of the Rings Readers Companion by
Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. Still in the shrink wrap. (beside The Art Of The Hobbit)
The Lord of the Rings box set by J.R.R. Tolkien
The black box set. (slightly tipped, in the middle)
The Lord of the Rings
The BBC Radio Play edition adapted by Brian Sibley. Each of the major
characters is done by a different actor, including Ian Holm (Frodo),
Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum) and Michael Horden (Gandalf). (beside the DVD's)
The Annotated Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Annotated by Douglas A. Anderson
Lovely design with two columns: one for the text and the other for
notes, including excerpts from letters, possible inspirations etc. I'm a
bit ashamed to admit I have yet to fully read this edition, but it's so
full of information that it really is a must have.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Illustrated by Alan Lee
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Mass market edition.
The Hobbit Graphic Novel
Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
Black edition.
Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
Illustrated Hardcover edition, with the illustrations being by J.R.R. Tolkien too. Library discard.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Hardcover, with illustrations from the Rankin-Bass animated movie. The first edition of The Hobbit that I ever read. A bit awkwardly sized, but has a lot of sentimental value.
The Hobbit
BBC Radio Play edition
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Hardcover, illustrated by Ted Naismith
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Library discard hardcover
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo translated by J.R.R. Tolkien
My favourite translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Tolkien seems to have kept the meter and rhyme scheme very well.
Tales from The Perilous Realm b J.R.R. Tolkien
Made up of Leaf by Niggle, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wootton Major. Illustrated by Alan Lee
On Fairy Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited by Verlyn Flieger and Douglas A. Anderson. Included commentary and notes
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tree and Leaf by J.R.R. Tolkien
Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.
The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Audiobook read by Christopher Lee.
Smith of Wootton Major by J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited by Verlyn Flieger
Finn and Hengist by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Ancrene Wisse edited by J.R.R. Tolkien
One expensive book! In some form of Middle English, I think with some
latin mixed in. I can't read it at all. Early English Text Society
edition.
Bilbo's Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien
Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
Same cover style as the Black box set of the Lord of the Rings.
The Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The Book of Lost Tales One by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The Book of Lost Tales Two by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The Lays of Beleriand by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The Shaping of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The Lost Road by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The Return of the Shadow by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The first book covering the draft versions of The Lord of the Rings. Also, the first book in the History Of Middle Earth series that I ever read.
The Treason of Isengard by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The second book about the Lord of the Rings
The War of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The third book in the set about the Lord of the Rings.
Sauron Defeated by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
Only part of the book covers the end of the documents about the Lord of the Rings. The rest holds one of my other favourite unfinished stories by Tolkien though: The Notion Club Papers.
I think this copy also has some holes punched in the pages (from the
metal bookmark I stopped using as soon as I discovered it was doing
that).
Morgoth's Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
The War of the Jewels by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
Peoples of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
Only one of the History of Middle-Earth books I have in hardcover.
A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary by Kenneth Sisam and J.R.R. Tolkien
IIRC, Kenneth Sisam was one of Tolkien's tutors.
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
Hardcover edition
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
With the improved index.
J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
This is the gold standard biography I believe.
The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter
The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
Slip-cased set of two volumes: the Chronology and the Reader's Guide. Another jaw-dropper of a set, and one I consider to be a must-have.
The Lord of the Rings Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
The Art Of The Hobbit by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina
Scull. The artwork that
J.R.R. Tolkien did for The Hobbit, both during the drafts and for
publication gathered together in one place. Beautifully done in a lovely
slipcase.
J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist And Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
About Tolkien's own artwork over the years from his childhood on.
Stunning, and has insights into Tolkien and his writings as well.
The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth by Robert Foster
The Complete Guide To Middle Earth by Robert Foster
Dates from university where I was keeping a copy handy for between class editing of my website.
A Question of Time: Tolkien's Road To Faerie by Verlyn Flieger
Interrupted Music: The Making of Middle-Earth by Verlyn Flieger
Splintered Light: Langage and Logos by Verlyn Flieger
Green Suns And Faerie by Verlyn Flieger.
Meditations on Middle-Earth edited by Karen Haber
Illustrated by John Howe. A number of authors writing on how Middle-Earth and J.R.R. Tolkien influenced them.
Master of Middle Earth by Paul Koch
A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings by Lin Carter
A Tolkien Compass by Jared Lobdel
Tolkien's Legendarium Essays on The History of Middle-earth (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy) edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F. Hostetter
Essays that focus on the History of Middle Earth series. Another expensive book (especially for its size).
The History of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins by John D. Ratelliff
The History of The Hobbit: Return to Bag-End by John D. Rateliff
The Journeys of Frodo by Barbara Stratchey
Maps and distances focused on the descriptions given in The Lord of the Rings. Rather a neat book to have, if an awkward size.
Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstaad
Understanding The Lord of the Rings by William Ready
Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary by Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall and Edmun Weiner
The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle: Music By Donald Swann and Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is one that I`d really like to hear some day. I can`t read music, so I don`t fully appreciate the book at all.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Man Who Created The Lord of the Rings by Michael Coren
Understanding The Lord Of The Rings: The Best Of Tolkien Criticism Edited by Rose A. Zimbardo and Neil D. Isaacs
J.R.R. Tolkien by Robley Evans
To be honest I cringe at this book - the errors are glaring.
Tolkien: A Celebration edited by Joseph Pearce
The Battle For Middle-Earth: Tolkien`s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings by Fleming Rutledge
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme I used to do regularly until last year, but I picked it up again last week and I'm planning to make it a regular part of my week. The meme is hosted by Sheila of the blog Book Journey.
I only got one book from last week's list read: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. I have to say it was an amazing read though.
I've been busy with things like working on my crochet projects, working on another big project that I can't wait to talk about further and, yesterday, splitting firewood for the new wood-stove that's going to be installed on Wednesday.
This week I'm currently reading: The Lady In Medieval England by Peter Coss. A history book about the place of the lady in England between the years 1000 and 1500.
I think the rest of my current "in progress" list has been more or less abandoned for now, but I don't know what I'm going to add to the list in their place.
I don't think I've done this meme before, but I can't wait to rave over the books I found yesterday and the magazine I discovered this afternoon.
Anyway, Friday Finds is hosted over at Should Be Reading. The idea is to showcase your finds for the week, whether or not they're books you've purchased.
I've got about five for this post:
Spin-Off Magazine
Maybe I hadn't looked hard enough but I've been spinning with a wheel and with a drop spindle for several years now and this is the first time I've seen a magazine for spinning. What's more, I found it on the rack at the local grocery store. This issue has articles on things like spinning finer yarns, reducing spindle wobble with a drop spindle and a whole lot of other things I haven't had a chance to look at yet. The magazine comes out four times a year, and to be honest, I just might find myself subscribing to it.
The rest come from my favorite used book store.
The Landmark Hellenika - Ed. Robert Strassler - Non Fiction (History, Primary Source) I'm collecting the Landmark series as I find them - preferably in hardcover, but this is a great series of editions of primary sources including Thucydides, Herodotus, Arrian's Campaigns of Alexander etc. Each book has numerous appendices covering various facets of the culture, landscape etc, all done by noted names in the field.
Women In Medieval Society - Ed. Susan Mosher Stuard - Non Fiction (History)
The Lady In Medieval England 1000-1500 - Peter Coss - Non Fiction (History)
I Am Malala
Malala Yousafzai
Little, Brown & Company
Copyright: October 8, 2013
978-0316322409
The amazon.com blurb:
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.
Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.
I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education,I Am Malala of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.
I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.
is an amazing book. Once I got well into it, I couldn't put it down, especially when I got to the point where she was shot. Even though I knew from the start going into the book that Malala survived, I had to know how.
This is one of the Chapters/Indigo Best Books for 2013 as well as a Heather's Pick title, and I can see why for both. I Am Malala paints a picture of a culture we, or at least I, don't know much about. Prior to reading it, about all I knew about Pakistan was what I'd seen in the news. Now, having read her story, I'd like to think I have a slightly better feeling for that part of the world and an understanding, however slight for her culture.
I've also got an even greater appreciation for my education, seeing the value she's put on schooling and the fight it can be to get it in some parts of the world. Keep up the good work Malala.
In some ways, I Am Malala reminded me of Little Princes by Conor Grennan - mostly in that it's a book that's really inspiring and I'd love to recommend it to everyone I know as a reminder of the impact that one person can have on the world.
It also serves as a reminder not to write off whole countries because of issues like the Taliban - even when things seem to be at their worst there are ordinary people who are trying to go about their days and work despite living in fear under threat of death.
Even in somewhere like Pakistan with the restrictive rules they live under, girls will be girls, trying to enjoy life with games, music and movies. That's something that Malala's story demonstrates again and again - as well as the reminder that no matter the rhetoric, not everyone belonging to a region or religion subscribes to extreme views, something I think we all need reminded of now and again.
I have to recommend this book to everyone from teens on up. Five stars!
1. Pick one or more History books written by historian(s)—must be pure non-fiction; historical fiction is not allowed.
2. It has to be a work through investigation and researches, and not only collecting and listing historical data.
3. Biography is permitted, but not Autobiography, as I think autobiography lacks the objectivity of a history.
4. I’m not an expert in this area (history), so you are more than welcome to correct or add something if I’m wrong.
5. Frankly speaking, I don’t read many histories yet (and that’s why I’m
creating this challenge), so I might not be the right person to consult
with, about whether this or that is a pure history or not. For
reference, you can consult these lists: 100 Best History Books Goodreads’ Best History Books
Note: The 100 Best History Books is more reliable than
Goodreads list, as Goodreads created the list from people’s labels, and
it is proved sometimes not accurate. So, be careful before picking a book, you better check the synopsis first or even better…google it! :)
**Challenge level**
I have set several levels to challenge ourselves along the year:
Student : read 1 to 3 books
Scholar : read 4 to 6 books
Historian : read 7 or more books
**How to join?**
1. To join in, you must have either blog/Facebook/Goodreads where you can post your thoughts.
2. Pick one of the level suits you, and post about this challenge in your blog, or just comment in this post.
You can mention books you’d like to read too—but no obligation (I’m
only curious!). Of course, you might change the level or the books later
on along the event.
3. Register through the linky below (you might put the link to your challenge post or just your blog/FB/Goodreads URL).
4. Place the challenge banner somewhere on your blog, linking to this post, in case others want to participate too.
**Optional analysis – more challenge!**
After reading and reviewing, you might want to add more challenge to
your history reading. As I am working on WEM project, I picked these
analysis questions from the project that would be interesting to work
on. Go to the analysis questions
I'm including the analysis questions too as I'm thinking of using them in at least some of my reviews, and not just for this challenge.
**Analysis Questions**
Note: The questions might not suit all history books, so you’d better pick only the related ones for each book.
Who is this story about?
Guiding questions: (you don’t have to answer all questions, you can answer your own way)
- Are they individuals, group of people, or entire nations?
- If individuals: Is the history focused on a single person, or on a network of individuals who may be related by blood or some other tie?
- If group of people: How does the historian distinguish them: by nationality, gender, age, class, job, economic status?
- In both cases: Is the historian telling you a ‘top-down’ or
‘bottom-up’ history? In other words, is it focusing on wealthy,
influential people, political power? Or on ordinary people and their
daily lives?
- If entire nations: What is distinctive about each nation? How
do its people envision themselves: as warriors, men of learning,
farmers, free people? And how (in the historian’s eyes) is the nation
better (or worse) than other nations?
What challenge did this hero/ine (from above question) face?
What challenges the ability of the central character(s) to lead full lives?
Who or what causes this challenge?
The historian’s task is to answer this question; does he/she succeed in doing so?
What does it mean to be human?
Guiding questions: (you don’t have to answer all questions, you can answer your own way)
- A history always highlights one particular aspect of human beings as central.
- In this history, how are men and women portrayed?
- Are they essentially workers, patriots, members of families, businessmen, rational animals, children of God?
- What is their central quality?
- To what must they aspire in order to be human?
Why do things go wrong?
Guiding questions: (you don’t have to answer all questions, you can answer your own way)
- What causes one set of people to be challenged or persecuted by another?
- What motivates the oppressors?
- Why do people live in squalor?
- What motivation does the historian give to his/her wrongdoers?
What is the end of the history?
Guiding questions: (you don’t have to answer all questions, you can answer your own way)
- How is the end different from the beginning?
- What is the goal of the historical story?
- What does the historian see as the ultimate shape and form of humanity?
I'm not going to be too ambitious in my goals for this challenge as I have several other ventures going for the coming year, so I'm only going for the lowest level (with, hopefully, the option of upgrading should I get past three books).
Handbook of Indexing Techniques: A Guide For Beginning Indexers
