Reading Still Matters

In the past, when I still enjoyed watching movies, I always attempted to avoid movies that were based on my favourite books. I knew that as soon as I watched the movie, the pictures of the places and people that I had constructed in my imagination would immediately dissolve and be replaced by the movie settings and the Hollywood faces playing the major roles. For the most part, I ended up watching the movies and Liam Neeson became Rob Roy and Peter O'Toole became Lawrence of Arabia. I thought I had a victory when I managed to avoid watching Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, but the previews, movie posters and advertising were enough to take over the treasured, but shadowy realms of my imagination. I have since wondered why pictures in movies so easily and ruthlessly replaced those in my imagination, why Daniel Radcliffe actually became Harry Potter for all time.   So, I thought I would look into the phenomena and find out if it was just me or if the...

Antony Beevor's Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921 is a dramatic survey of one of the most shocking and brutal events of the 20th century - the collapse of the Tsarist autocracy and its replacement by violent zealots determined to reshape the world.     Buy it on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/4vDjvka Who is Antony Beevor? Antony Beevor is an internationally renowned and sometimes controversial British military historian who has written a number of books, including Stalingrad, The Fall of Berlin, and The Battle for Spain, among a number of others.   Interestingly, Beevor had been a tank commander in the British army before deciding to leave and write full-time. In some countries where his work has been published, his books have generated considerable controversy and even bans. For example, both Russians and Ukrainians took exception to his portrayal of their respective military's actions during the battle of Stalingrad. There was much discussion of the bru...

Interest in Russia briefly waned after the fall of the Soviet Union, but newly aggressive Russia under Vladimir Put has revived interest in Russia.   If you are looking for some solid history recommendations to give you a better sense to the history of modern Russia, check out the selections below. A History of Twentieth-Century Russia by Robert Service      In A History of Twentieth-Century Russia, Service provides a comprehensive, single-volume narrative history that covers the tumultuous period from the final years of Tsar Nicholas II through the collapse of the Soviet Union.      It is widely regarded as a useful reference and an accessible introduction for general readers, incorporating material from previously closed Soviet archives. This book remains a great place to start for understanding Russia's twentieth century and a better understanding of the system that produced the likes of Vladimir Putin.      Service constructs...