Bruno Hunziker
First time reading Clarke. Like most anthologies of it's kind, some stories are more memorable than others, but overall there are some interesting scenarios and Clarke definitely knowns how to build a compelling world in a few pages.
In line with the series' style and spirit, this will give you a quick but ade uate crash course on the subject - this time the fall of the Western Roman Empire and all the avatars that followed in his steps. The analysis takes critical but widely accepted positions on the matter, namely the “Rome never died, it just took different forms” narrative. Great if you're already familiar with the subject and want to solidify you're bases.
I'm not usually a love story kind of guy, but Zweig's writing is so colorful and easy to read...
Thrilling. Zweig's Ferdinand Magellan is complex and tragic. It sent me on a Zweig reading bender.
A smarter, more human retelling of Defoe's tale, with a profound philosophical discussion at its core.
My wife wanted to name our son Aliocha and “made me” read this. By the end of the first hundred pages I was convinced. Absolutely loved it (particularly the devil scene, oh how I love Ivan!).
An insightful analysis on the interplay between empires (mainly Rome, Islam and China) and religion (Christianism, Islam and Buddhism), as seen through Ibn Khaldûn's notions of sedentary and bedouin populations. A page-turner, though some basic historical knowledge may be needed.
Funny, informative and alarming, if somewhat outdated. Zaid effectively describes the book market, challenging our preconceptions and (despite a bleak picture) giving us hope about the future of bookshops.
Not Levinas most enjoyable work, mainly for its brevity and the lack of context (it's originally a conference).
Interesting enough since I had little to no knowledge about the Etruscan culture and history, but even then the presentation felt patchy and the research undoubtedly outdated (there's apparently a newer version in the same series).
Originally a series of conferences about Charlemagne, this biography keeps the freshness of a spoken text but lacks the depths of a more serious historical analysis. Regardless, it's fun and easy to read, and a good introduction to the Carolingian Empire.