TITLE:  Plague of War: Athens, Sparta, and the Struggle for Ancient Greece

AUTHOR:  Jennifer Tolbert Roberts

PUBLICATION DATE:  2019

FORMAT:  Paperback

ISBN-13:  9780190940881

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DESCRIPTION:

"In 431 BC, the long simmering rivalry between the city-states of Athens and Sparta erupted into open warfare, and for more than a generation the two were locked in a life-and-death struggle. The war embroiled the entire Greek world, provoking years of butchery previously unparalleled in ancient Greece. Whole cities were exterminated, their men killed, their women and children enslaved. While the war is commonly believed to have ended with the capture of the Athenian navy in 405 and the subsequent starvation of Athens, fighting in Greece would continue for several decades. Sparta's authority was challenged in the so-called Corinthian War (395-387) when Persian gold helped unite Athens with Sparta's former allies. The war did not truly end until, in 371, Thebes' crack infantry resoundingly defeated Sparta at Leuctra, forever shattering the myth of Spartan military supremacy.

Jennifer Roberts' rich narrative of this famous conflict is the first general history to tell the whole story, from the war's origins down to Sparta's defeat at Leuctra. In her masterful account, this long and bloody war affected every area of life in Athens, exacerbated divisions between rich and poor in Sparta, and sparked civil strife throughout the Greek world. Yet despite the biting sorrows the fighting occasioned, it remains a gripping saga of plots and counter-plots, murders and lies, thrilling sea chases and desperate overland marches, missed opportunities and last-minute reprieves, and, as the war's first historian Thucydides had hoped, lessons for a less bellicose future. In addition, Roberts considers the impact of the war on Greece's cultural life, including the great masterworks of tragedy and comedy performed at this time and, most infamously, the trial and execution of Socrates. A fast-paced narrative of one of antiquity's most famous clashes, The Plague of War is a must-read for history enthusiasts of all ages."

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REVIEW:

This is an interesting and fairly comprehensive narrative of the Peloponnesian War, including not only battle tactics and politics, but also what was happening socially at the time.

Title: 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire

Author: Rebecca Rideal

Published Date: April 26, 2017

Publisher: John Murray Publishers

Format: Trade Paperback

Page Count: 304 pages

Source: Own copy

Date Read: May 20-25, 2020

Review

So the war takes up the majority of the book, but being a naval war in the 1600s means there was war "seasons" and war "breaks". However, my favorite part was the plague. Wow, humans don't change or evolve their thinking when it comes to public health. We still do the dumbest shit when the shit hits the fan. And then there is the dumb ass politicians. And then there are the doctors and scientists and public health technicians trying to do their best to combat the twin diseases of the black plague and people's stupidity. I had feelings since we were still in quarantine when I finished this book...I may still harbor some of those strong feelings.

However, the Great London fire section was where I learned the most history. I thought it happened one night, not four plus days and changed the Embankment area forever. As for the naval battle - the political maneuvering and planning was interesting, but there were pages of detailed naval battle with lots of naval jargon and it was a bit of a slog to get through. 

I found the book overall very readable for both history buffs and non-history peeps and quite enjoyable. 

@GoddessFish, @Archaeolibrary, @GameOverStation/, #YoungAdult, #Fantasy, 5 out of 5 (exceptional)

Plague Arcanist is the fourth book in the Frith Chronicles and you really do need to read them in order. The question should be "Why wouldn't you?" This is an amazing fantasy series with amazing characters and abilities, set in a world that will take your breath away!

I'm not giving out any spoilers when I say Volke is infected with the plague. Not only does this happen at the end of book three but the very title sort of gives it away!

 I am Finished!

Nine rolls.

Eight prompts filled.

Five books off my physical reading shelf read.

No ladders, yet also no snakes. 

Previous Rolls

1. Space 1: Author is a Woman

A Distant Melody (Wings of Glory #1) by Sarah Sundin, 355 pages (worth 2 rolls) - Finished 4/9/2020

2 You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-10 00:43:11 UTC

Space 11

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-10 00:44:57 UTC

Space 19: Set in UK

The Scandalous Suffragette by Eliza Redgold, 234 pages, set in London, Manchester, and the Kent countryside (worth 2 rolls). Read April 9th-14th. 

3. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-15 13:56:05 UTC

Space 24

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-15 13:57:14 UTC

Space 28: Written between 1900 and 1999

The Final Days: The Classic, Behind-the-Scenes Account of Richard Nixon's Dramatic Last Days in the White House by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, originally published in 1976 (456 pages without the index). Worth 2 rolls when completed. Read 4/16-4/22.

 4. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-23 00:31:33 UTC

Space 32

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-23 00:32:04 UTC

Space 41 - Characters involved in politics

Eisenhower 1956: The President's Year of Crisis - Suez and the Brink of War by David A. Nichols (286 pages without notes or index). Worth 2 rolls when completed. Read 4/17-May 11.

 5. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-12 21:04:28 UTC

Space 48

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-12 21:04:48 UTC

Space 59 - Book published more than 10 years ago

I am using a book that I read during the game. The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby (285 pages without notes and index). Read 4/25-4/27. Worth two rolls.

6. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-15 01:35:41 UTC

Space 70

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-15 01:36:02 UTC

Space 73 - Categorized as YA

Another book I read during the game is Beauty Queens by Libby Bray (396 pages; I listened to the unabridged audiobook). Read 4/25-26th. Worth 2 rolls.

7. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-16 14:56:03 UTC

Space 78

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-16 14:56:24 UTC

Space 82 - Urban Fantasy

The Dead & the Gone - 309 pages.  Read 5/15-16. Worth one roll.

8. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-19 00:27:52 UTC

Space 94 - Nonfiction

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh. Read 5/13-14. Worth 2 Rolls.

9. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-19 00:41:19 UTC

Space 100 - Right on the nose, how 'bout that?

1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire by Rebecca Rideal (234 pages of reading material).

Last night I registered myself and the kids for our local public library's Summer Reading Program, which starts June 1st. I already received my first "badge" which was "Coffee and Books" - very fitting Beanstack, even if I drink tea not coffee. The program for the kids will be done via two ways: FB Live for story time, and then parents go the library and pick up materials for the hands on part of the program to do at home. Honestly, this works for me and the kids - who knew the social distancing methods would work so well with mine and the kids temperaments?

Today the kids and I participated in the "reverse parade" where parents drive their kids to school to caravan along the sidewalk and say goodbye to the teachers and staff (the last two social distances parades had the teachers caravan through the different neighborhoods that feed into our school). I received a succulent from Sophia's teacher as a thank you gift for helping out in the classroom this year.  After, we went to Starbucks for apple juice and cake pops to celebrate - Joshua is now a 4th grader and Sophia is now a 2nd grader! 

Looking towards this holiday weekend, I am working my way through 1666, which will be my prime reading choice so I can officially finish Snakes and Ladders 2020. Then on Monday, I start my summer reading project with daily reading in the anthology Because He's Perfect. The novellas Random Number Generator picked for me this upcoming week are Dance All Night, Love By the Letter, Proper English, Mail Order Cowboy, and The Cost of Hope. So that is what I'm reading this weekend/week. 

Happy Reading and if you are in the US, Happy Memorial Day!