Currently reading?

[Zyklop]

Unweaving The Rainbow by Richard Dawkins

[Strengthandhonour]

Lords of Italy by Orville Prescott. Portraits and stories of some of the most colorful and flamboyant figures kings-popes-tyrants of medieval italy.

[Gil]

War of the Spider Queen - Dissolution by Richard Lee Byers though i'm also reading at the same time Blood & Gold by Anne Rice.

Cheers

[Rusalka]

Interestingly enough," Turkish Gambit", by Boris Akunin. This is the third book of the Erast Fandorin series which are very popular in Russia from what I hear. Only three out of eleven novels have been translated into English so far and all three were delightful reads (the third one still is as I'm only halfway through it). It's like Poirot written by Tolstoy, if you know what I mean. The first two books of the series were The Winter Queen and Leviathan, respectively.

[Perun]

Originally Posted by Rusalka

Interestingly enough," Turkish Gambit", by Boris Akunin. This is the third book of the Erast Fandorin series which are very popular in Russia from what I hear. Only three out of eleven novels have been translated into English so far and all three were delightful reads (the third one still is as I'm only halfway through it). It's like Poirot written by Tolstoy, if you know what I mean. The first two books of the series were The Winter Queen and Leviathan, respectively.

Are those the spy novels you were telling me about?

[Rusalka]

Originally Posted by Perun

Are those the spy novels you were telling me about?

Yes indeed.

[Theobald]

Le Camp des Saints (The camp of the Saints), by Jean Raspail, a French novel. Very sad, have to say. It deals with our disappearance
More informations here and here
The Bible, again

[Menydh]

La Guerra de la Independencia (War of Independence), by Ambassador and Historian J.A. Vaca de Osma.

An exposition of the backgrounds which led to this war against the Napoleonic armies, and which finished off with the Old Regime in Spain, as well as of the grave consequences of it which lasted more than 100 years.

[Nerthus]

French book here too - Montaillou, village occitan de 1294 à 1324 by Emmanuel Le Roy La Durie. Montaillou was a village that was famous for its Cathar beliefs and a high level of heresy. The Church, of course, could not tolerate this so Jacques Fournier, Bishop of Pamiers planned an inquiry - the whole village was arrested and everyone were questioned about their lives and beliefs. The eeevil Inquisition strikes again

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Aeternitas

French book here too - Montaillou, village occitan de 1294 à 1324 by Emmanuel Le Roy La Durie. Montaillou was a village that was famous for its Cathar beliefs and a high level of heresy. The Church, of course, could not tolerate this so Jacques Fournier, Bishop of Pamiers planned an inquiry - the whole village was arrested and everyone were questioned about their lives and beliefs. The eeevil Inquisition strikes again

Ha! The Cathars were more extended in Occitania, but so were in Italy, Germany, Aragon and Catalonia, and other parts of Europe.

Ramon VI, Count of Tolosa (Toulousse), and the other lords of the Occitania (with maybe some rare exception), were Catholic. Catharism was not something in the interest of noblemen and landowners. However, the Counts of Tolosa refused to persecute their people. Something that Louis de France profited, with the excuse of a crusade against the heressy, to invade the lands of Occitania.

At the time France was little more than the Ille de France, i.e. Paris and surrounding territories. Occitania was a region where culture and commerce was blooming.

Pere II El Catòlic, King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona, went on the help of his Occitan vassails, the Counts of Tolosa, Foish (Foix), Comenges, Bigorra and Bearn and the Viscount of Carcassona-Razés, who were either feudatary of Pere II or had sweared loyalty to him.

In 1213 in Muret, the crusading armies led by Simon de Montfort invaded, the chivalrous King Pere II died defending his Occitan vassails and the lands of Òc, where the courteous love flourished, were lost until this day.

When the crusaders of Simon de Montfort entered a town (can't remember which right now) and were told to kill all heretics, they asked Simon de Montfort how would they know who was a Cathar and who a Catholic. Simon de Monfort simply answered: Kill them all, God will recognize his own people.

[Nerthus]

I was willing to bet money this would get a reaction from you

[Rusalka]

Interesting thing that the very same man's son, Simon de Montfort (the second) was a much different figure. Although religious like his father, he was better known as a reformer and England's history would have been very different indeed if he had not been killed by his own nephew Edward (Longshanks) in the Battle of Ewesham. In contrast to his father, he was adored by the common people. I'd like to find a good book fully on the account of Simon de Montfort and the Oxford Provisions. What he had established was practically a parliament system in the 13th century. If he had succeeded and Edward had not won, I think the fate of Scotland and Wales would also have been different -in a better way.

[Perun]

The Cathars started assasinating Vatican officials and in response the Inquisiton was put in force.

[Perun]

Originally Posted by Rusalka

Yes indeed.

For some reason I keep forgetting the title of those novels. Although then again I'd rather read a history of the Okhrana as opposed to novels about it.

[Rusalka]

Originally Posted by Perun

For some reason I keep forgetting the title of those novels. Although then again I'd rather read a history of the Okhrana as opposed to novels about it.

Let me know about it too, if you come across a good book on the Okhrana.

[Perun]

A History of Fascism, 1914-1945 Stanley Payne


In Other Words: the science and pyschology of second-language acquisition Ellen Bialystok

Ukraine: A concise Encyclopedia Halyna Petrenko

The Ethnic Revival Anthony D. Smith