Review: Norse Mythology

Norse Mythology
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of a giant, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerges the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again. 

I am a huge mythology nerd, I'm not going to lie, ever since learning about the Egyptians at school I've been so intrigued by Egyptian Mythology. I have to say that one's my complete favourite, tied with Greek mythology. The Greek Mythology intrigue started after watching the Hercules Disney movie...and one of my favourite YA series, one of the first that I read in fact...The Covenant by Jennifer L Armentrout, is swimming in it and added to the obsession. Not to mention the Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan that I'm enjoying right now! (I still need to get to Percy Jackson!) If it has mythology in it...I'll read it. But not just Greek or Egyptian, I've always been fascinated by Chinese mythology too, and if there's a book, movie or TV show with it in...I'm all over it. My interest in Norse Mythology is the most recent, I'm not sure quite when it sprang up, I'm thinking it might have been the Thor Marvel movie, but it could have been me picking up an interesting sounding book with it in! Most recently I've been enjoying the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan that is completely full of Norse Mythology, and as I was reading this, I spotted more and more details that Riordan had used from mythology! 

I love Neil Gaiman's books, and when I heard he was going to be doing Norse Mythology I was so excited, it promised to be an utterly brilliant and exciting combination..and I wasn't wrong. Norse Mythology as told by Neil Gaiman is intriguing and compellingly written. I found myself falling in to the different tales, the Gods and Goddesses coming to life and leaping off the page. The settings painted vividly. There was humour, of course there was, as Gaiman adds his own touch. 

Norse Mythology is fast paced and for lack of a better term, it's not at all waffly like a lot of mythology books are. They can be dry and overly long...but Gaiman's Mythology is to the point, and fresh. I really, really enjoyed reading all about it, I knew bits and pieces...but this book has filled in the gaps and brought more to my attention. I could make connections to the Marvel Thor movies and other books I've read with Norse Mythology, I could see where things had been taken from and changed and twisted and so on. There's an abundance of information in this book and I'm kind of finding myself hoping Gaiman might do a Greek, Chinese or Egyptian Mythology book next! 

Review: The Secret Lore of London

The Secret Lore of London
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

London is an ancient city, whose foundation dates back literally thousands of years into the legendary prehistory of these islands. Not surprisingly it has accumulated a large number of stories, both historic and mythical, during this period, many of which, though faithfully recorded at the time, have lain almost forgotten in dusty libraries throughout the city. 

The Secret Lore of London is a guide to the legends, including a discussion of their importance as part of the oral tradition of Britain, combining Prehistoric, Celtic, Arthurian, Roman, Saxon and Norman levels - each of which has contributed to the many-layered life of the city. 

The first part contains a unique selection of essays (some printed here for the first time) by experts in their fields, each of whom possesses a unique interest in the legends of these islands, and who have written widely on associated themes.

The second part of the book will consist of a Gazetteer of the sites mentioned which are still in existence, together with various other sites of associated interest, compiled by the Editor, the contributors, and members of the London Earth Mysteries Group. This part will be fully updated and extended to include many more sites.

The result is a wide ranging and wholly fascinating book, with wide sales application possible. A series of appendixes will include William Stukley's extraordinary document The Brill, which relates to the ancient prehistoric sites around the area of present day St. Pancras, and excerpts from some of the best known 19th and early 20th century works on Legendary London by Lewis Spence and Harold Bayley.

Okay, bit of a departure from my usual reviews, I know...but I completely love this kind of stuff so I couldn't resist this book and then telling you all about it because it's full of some fascinating stuff! Whether you live in London or not, I think you're going to be intrigued! 

As outlined in the synopsis there are three parts, Legends, a guide to the sites that still exist and stories from the past which are excerpts from old writings. There's a completely fascinating introduction that immediately piqued my curiosity! There's so much information in this book! There's information on well known sites like the Tower and Westminster Abbey and so on, as well as lesser known sites, or sites that frankly...I'd never heard of before or wasn't aware existed! The book had a lot of bits that I didn't know, and expanded on some other bits that I did know like the tube going through or around plague pits all over London. Seriously after I read that in a book a few years ago, I couldn't look/think about a tube journey in the same way again. 

Part one was perhaps my favourite, there where 11 different chapters each with a different legend or piece of history! I'm not going to lie, my favourite was the chapter about Merlin in London because I'm a King Arthur fangirl and Merlin was one of my favourite shows ever even though it was in no way historically accurate if Arthur did actually exist. But yeah! I also found the chapters on the Templars and the Withces/Witchcraft incredibly interesting. 

Part two, the guide to the sites that still exist features an extensive list of all of the sites in London that still exist and are worth a visit. They're divided up in to sections, North, Central etc and feature museums as well as actual places. There's some of the usual suspects featured in there, but there's also a lot of museums and places mentioned that I'd never heard of or realised existed, the Mithraeum for example and I really can't believe I didn't know about that! Each place has a paragraph or so of information about it and where it's located and how to get there and it's history and so on, which was fascinating to read, although Walbrook stream is being renamed Stream of Skulls or Stream of Death by me now. Can't decide which is catchier. 

Part three....well...it had a section called London in The Time of Arthur so it's inevitable that I loved it really wasn't it? That was clearly my favourite but there where plenty of other fascinating writings from the past that where incredibly interesting to read! Being from the past some of them where a bit of a slog, not going to lie, but if you put the effort in they make for great reading! 

Along with all of this information, there's some brilliant illustrations to break up the text, and a section in the middle with photos which I enjoyed spending time looking at and trying to work out where they where and if I'd seen them or if I hadn't seen them, how I hadn't seen them! Gives you an idea of what you're looking for in some cases as well! Right in the back there's also a really good list of extra reading to do and I'm definitely heading to the library to pick up a couple of the titles! If you're surprised you shouldn't be, I once read a King Arthur textbook for fun, I'm so very Hermione when I want to be! 

Review: The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen

The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Michael O'Mara Books!

"My hair was at least tidy, which was all my ambition."

Thanks to the Classics Challenge I've become a bit of an Austen fangirl, I LOVED Pride and Prejudice and I'm determined to slowly work my way through her other books, I'm thinking Sense and Sensibility next or maybe Emma! This little volume caught my eye, because Austen is insanely quotable and here we have all her quotes in one place. But it's not just made up of book quotes, this book also contains quotes from her personal correspondence giving you a rather fascinating insight in to who Jane Austen was. 

The introduction on this book was fantastic, there is plenty of information on Austen that you may or may not already know, but like...I had often wondered about her romances in real life, and the introduction told me all about it, as well as providing some context for the letters. It also gives you some incredible insight in to her life and her writing, her wit and her way of seeing things shown in her books. There's even a brief note on her novels, telling you when they where written as well as when they where published, and the other names the novels had before they where published, very important information considering we have letters in this book! 

"I shall not tell you anything more of William Digweed's china, as your silence on the subject makes you unworthy of it."

The quotes from the book where all expertly picked, they where all ones that I would have picked and marked out myself, and all pertained to some different aspect of life. But it was the quotes from her letters that fascinated and intrigued me the most. You get so much insight in to who she was as a person, and her life and her relationships. I'd love to be able to read the letters in their entirety! Jane Austen is funny, witty, and profound in equal measure. 

Now, it's not just a book of quotes. Well, I mean...it is, BUT all of the quotes are organised in to different sections such as....

Early Exuberances- All quotes from her early work, which I've not had the pleasure of reading! 

"It was the peculiar misfortune of this woman [Elizabeth] to have had bad ministers - since wicked as she herself was, she could not have committed such extensive mischief, had not these vile and abandoned men connived at, and encouraged her in her crimes." 

History- There is actual Austen, actually narrating ACTUAL HISTORY. Or well...her thoughts on various Kings and Queens. It was brilliant and I'd totally read more of that! 

"Our ball on Thursday was a very poor one, only eight couple and but twenty-three people in the room; but it was not the ball's fault."

Balls, Gowns and Other Fashions- Her comments on fashions of the time and balls, they're not as much fun as they seem! 

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."

Books and Writing- Here we have all the bookish quotes you could possibly desire. As well as quotes from her letters giving you some insight in to publishing at the time and her thoughts on it all. 

"Mr Richard Harvey is going to be married; but as it is a great secret and only known to half the neighbourhood, you must not mention it."

The Marriage Market- This section had some letter quotes with some very intriguing gossip. Just saying! 

"I will not say that your mulberry-trees are dead, but I am afraid they are not alive."

Family- The quotes from the letters in this section where just fascinating, you could see what her relationships where like with her family members. 

There where a few more sections, I've just mentioned the ones I found to be the most interesting! There's some sections that have lots of gossip about people who I do not know, but it did make me chuckle! This is a must for any Austen fan! 

Review: World Mythology in Bite-Sized Chunks

World Mythology in Bite-Sized Chunks
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Michael O'Mara Books!

A masterful introduction to world mythology, shedding light on the impact it has had on cultures past and present and untangling the complex web of deities, monsters and myths. From the signs of the zodiac to literature and art, the influence of world mythology can still be seen in everyday life. With a stunning array of fascinating tales, World Mythology in Bite-sized Chunks gets to grips with the ancient stories of Aboriginal, Sumerian, Egyptian, Mesoamerican, Maori, Greek, Roman, Indian, Norse and Japanese cultures, encompassing legends from the most diverse societies and the most ancient cultures from across the globe. Learn about why Odin, the Father of the Gods in Norse mythology, was so keen to lose an eye, the importance of the Osiris myth of Ancient Egypt, and much more besides. Entertaining, authoritative and incisive, this is an enlightening journey into the fascinating world of mythology.

I am completely obsessed with mythology and eager to learn as much as I can about it, but sometimes reading a huge book with pages of very tiny writing is a bit off putting no matter how interesting you find the subject matter! This book is most definitely the best way to do it! You learn all of the important bits of information in a paragraph or so! Not to mention that it had all the bits I'm most interested in, like the author knew which bits of mythology people would be most interested in, from the well known to the slightly lesser known! 

Each section for each country tells you where the stories came from/where they are rooted, as well as more about the people of the time the stories, and more about the time in general! So you get way more information than just the mythology, you get a context to it, and some of the meaning behind the stories is explained in with the mythology itself. It really helps you to understand the people and their legends, as well as pointing out links between similar stories in different cultures, which I thought was a nice touch as some of them where very similar! 

There's some illustrations to break up the text, showing you the Mayan calendar and tablets and so on, which added a nice visual aspect to it so you could fully picture what was being described in the book accurately. 

The book is very easy to read, and it's laid out nicely, with a country, information on the people, and then different sections for different parts of the mythology, all comprised of a paragraph or two. Each section concisely gives you the story and manages to evoke a feel and mental image to go with it, each has all you need to know about the fascinating mythology mentioned. It was genuinely interesting to see how different cultures had similar gods, but different stories. Some of the stories actually could make sense and you kinda wished was the real story, others where a little bit silly! 

The narrative was entertaining, the author isn't afraid to make a witty remark to give the text a more fun feel and keep it interesting! He also doesn't pull any punches, and tells it like it is! Now I've said my thoughts on the book in general, but I thought I'd give you a bit more information on each section! 

Australian Mythology
This section is Aboriginal, and mostly creation stories, as well as having information on the Maori Gods! There's even a handy chart! I've never really known much about Aboriginal mythology let alone Maori, so I found all of this information fantastic! 

Sumerian
The mythology in this section has been pieced together from fragments of text, and had some very interesting information on their tablets, as well as Gods! 

Egyptian
To be honest, there's not much I don't know about Egyptian mythology and what I do know about it was present in this book...along with some of the few bits I had no idea about! The creation story for example. Yes I'm surprised I haven't come across it before either. There's a family tree of the Gods which was a nice touch, and it was brilliant to see it all laid out. I really didn't know Egyptians thought writing down bad things may bring them to life, that was an interesting little tidbit and explained a lot about some things. I enjoyed reading the authors narrative on Set and Osiris's spat, followed swiftly by round two with Horus subbing in for Osiris. 

Chinese
Another area of mythology I know a fair bit about, but not as much as I would like! There's lots of fables in here, there's a bit about dragons (I love dragons okay!), we learn more about the Chinese New Year! I knew some of the information about it but not all, and certainly not much about what each Zodiac sign means! 

American Indian
I've picked up bits of American Indian mythology here and there, but there was plenty in this section I didn't know as well as some cutting and validated remarks from the author. I found the significance of circles particularly interesting, as well as their creation story! As well as The Sun Dance...considering a festival stole that title! I liked the brief section on it in modern culture, the author really doesn't pull  his punches here! 

South and Central America
Another source of fascination for me, this section is divided in to Mayans, Aztecs and Inca's and pretty much had the sum of what I knew, plus a couple of other bits, the World Tree and all of the Gods in more detail, sacrifices, and the creation story. 

Greek
And we come to the other section that, alongside Ancient Egypt, I know the most about! This was the biggest section of the book, and there's nothing left untold! The Gods and Goddesses....thank GOD there was a family tree, because even I get confused sometimes! I knew next to nothing about the Muses, so it was nice to see them get a mention. I didn't know all of Hercules's Twelve Labours either, or if I did, I didn't know much detail! There's also plenty on various monsters and heroes and so on. If you loved the Disney movie as much as I did, or reading any other book with greek mythology in it, you might recognise some things, although this is the proper version, not the Disney kid friendly version.

Roman
I never quite realised how much the Romans had pinched from the Greeks, not going to lie! I enjoyed learning about the Romans, because I often get things muddled with them, and I've realised there's two creation stories...which is probably why! As well as the pinching of Greek Gods and Goddesses. This had a lot that I didn't know!

Norse
Norse mythology is a recent fascination to me, courtesy of ya know...Thor...and Magnus Chase. Magnus Chase had a lot of information about it, and sparked my interest and this section told me everything I need to know! We have another handy family tree, and tonnes of information on the Gods and Goddesses, and ya know....the end of the world! 

As you can see, each section has much the same, gods, goddesses, creation stories and so on, but it's all laid out in an appealing and easy to read format, you'll see some things you know, have other things expanded on, and learn new things. For such a small book there is so much information crammed in here, without the need for tiny type! 

The Undertaker's Daughter

The Undertaker's Daughter
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the Publisher!

In The Undertaker's Daughter, Kate Mayfield shows us what it was like living in a small town, in a funeral home as a daughter of an undertaker. The setting is 1960's Jubilee in Kentucky, having moved there, her father became the second of two white morticians in a town where segregation was alive and well, a town that was God fearing, loved to gossip, and where vindictive men could gang up to play out their petty vengeances. We're introduced to some odd characters and their, at times, even odder families, family feuds, and victims of various accidents or suicides. Through the eyes of a young Kate we see her love for her father grow and then change when she hits her teens and realizes he's not the man she thought he was all her life. We also watch Kate's father quietly deteriorate thanks to alcoholism, watch a lonely old woman's final gift to her father be destroyed by a pathetic and petty man, and watch her sister become more abusive by the day.

I'm trying very hard to put what I'm feeling about this book in to words, I mean the vast majority of the time I forgot this was a memoir and that all what happens in the book happens in real life....I genuinely forgot. It reads like a novel, it's fast paced, it's slick, there's intrigue and mystery, there's hardships there's everything a novel requires, but it's ALL true and I can't be the only one who was sucked in to the world of the memoir and totally thought they where reading a novel.

I mean you can probably tell from the synopsis that I got pretty riled up while reading it. I mean that Fletcher bloke, I really wanted to punch him in the face, he was such a pathetic, vile little man out for vengeance, who took their inheritance, one that they didn't ask for, and kept pushing and pushing until it was taken away from them, he just bowled over a lonely old ladies last wishes because he felt he was entitled to the house and being inside it. I mean....seriously you can probably feel my disgust, rage and general loathing for him seeping out of the screen. He's kind of the perfect villain.....and he was a real person. Oh yes folks, this memoir shows us that not all villains reside in books and movies or on the news. What a despicable person. I applaud Mayfield for not throwing his ass out of the viewing.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when reading, I wasn't expecting it to be all happy, and sunshine and rainbows, but even I wasn't expecting her sister Evelyn's behaviour. I mean, I've never read anything like it and it was truly saddening to me, how she treated her siblings, how she got away with it with her manipulations and how they never got an apology. What was even sadder was that she wouldn't be diagnosed for years because at the time, mental illness wasn't really acknowledged.

I found the history tidbits fascinating. You get a first hand account of what living in a bible belt place was like during segregation, and subsequently, integration. It's so baffling to someone like me, at the time, that everyone was kept separate and there was all this taboo, it's sometimes hard to picture, so to read about a first hand account was fascinating. I was also fascinated by the WW2 elements her father's life brought, particularly the letter he sent that is included in the epilogue. Again, PTSD wasn't something that was known of? Acknowledged? I'm not entirely sure, back in the time Mayfield's father fought in the war, and he had no help to deal with it, while he may have seemed to be coping, it comes out that he wasn't really, and again, in this day and age, it's mind boggling that he received no help or treatment and was just left to muddle on through. I found the letter I just mentioned particularly fascinating, and I had such a moment when reading it, I had to remind myself that this was a real letter, about real events, and was from a real persons point of view. It sounds silly to keep reaffirming that I was apparently stupid enough to forget it's not fiction, but it genuinely seems like it's a novel. I mean, reading about an event in the war I had no previous knowledge of, and a heartbreaking one at that, really explains her father more, and brings such a sadness upon you when it really sinks in what he went through.

The prose was truly vivid, and I'm still not quite over the story. It was at times sad, at others funny, frequently witty and very insightful in to all manner of things, not just history wise. Being the history geek I am, naturally I pick those out. My father is fascinated with WW2 and his collection of books on the subject really helped me out in school with history projects, so when I get a chance, I think I might show him certain parts of the book pertaining to that, that he'd find fascinating.

The epilogue is a collection of all the mysteries answered. What happened to her siblings, what happened with the court case (which really really angered me, sorry but it did) and the mystery that was her fathers wound. For me, this really made me think. Mayfield's father keeps his wound and how it happened a secret, sure she finds out but she still doesn't know the cause of the altercation, and never will, and it made me wonder, somewhat morbidly I would imagine, just what secrets family members I thought I knew aaaalll about, took to the grave with them.

Mayfield's accounts of the people of the town and her struggle to leave it behind made for heart wrenching and gripping reading. Logically you know she did leave, but at the time of reading you're gripped, wondering is she will. It's a fantastic coming of age story, set against a unique and fascinating background that covers such historically wrought times, that just so happens to be true.

I'm at a loss to fully describe how incredible a read this book is, it's a struggle not to review this as if it where simply fiction. Mayfield expertly brings you in to the world of her childhood and teenage years. I have nothing but respect for Kate Mayfield for how she handled things such as the incident with her sister, how she managed to live with a person such as that, how she managed to survive living in a town that suffocating, to get out of said town and how she has managed to convey her life experiences in a novel such as this, laying bare her secrets, her families secrets and her fathers secrets. These secrets all unfold over the course of an exquisitely written book.

I have to also mention, a little detail I loved. At the end of most of the chapters, there would be a little "In Memoriam" section,  each mentioning a different death in the town, some more heart breaking than others, all described by Mayfield who knew each person, and all served to help the town come alive from the pages that little bit more.

I literally can't stop rambling and gushing about this richly told memoir (see I got another note of praise in there), so I'm going to leave it here before I can gush even more, I'm sure by now you get my point about what a fantastic read this is!