Darymple tells what may have been an untold story about the web of trade, culture and knowledge ties with India at the center since pre-Roman times until Mongol conquests in the 13th century made the trade route known as the Silk Road possible. He also shows how the Christian triumph at Grenada may have triggered the renaissance as this knowledge from the east made its way to the west. William Dalrymple, a Scot who lived most of his life in India is the perfect person to tell this story.
I am again making a list of all the book listening and reading, as well as key podcast listening that I have done in 2022, as I did with Books of 2021. I include my top recommendations, and note the source of each of the books.
Over the years I have noticed that I am more sensitive to caffeine than others. In fact, if I drink coffee in the afternoon, I am likely to have difficulty sleeping. I have always associated this with a reduction in the metabolism of caffeine. Then I got a report from 23andMe that confirmed my conclusion.
This is a sad story about a family with a disturbing history who turned their curse into a blessing for secondary and medical education in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Back in December, prior to receiving our shipment from the U.S., I published a blog about Moving to Australia. This blog provides some updates about receipt of our shipment, renovations to our apartment, an exercise routine which I started, and places I have visited in Brisbane and its surrounds.
I am again making a list of all the book listening and reading, as well as key podcast listening that I have done in 2022, as I did with Books of 2021. I include my top recommendations, and note the source of each of the books.
I’ve never lived in another country. I came to Australia twice for two weeks each time. I’ve also been to London, Paris, Copenhagen, Munich, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, but never for any more than a few days. I’ve now been living in Australia for six weeks, and I have the realization that I’m here for good. Yes, we’ll be traveling back to the U.S.A., and probably elsewhere in the world, but Australia is now my home, and I’m in the process of absorbing that realization.
Ernest Shackleton was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who planned to cross the Antarctic from sea-to-sea, and instead he and his crew of 28 men became trapped in pack ice. I just finished listening to Endurance by Alfred Lansing and read by Tim Pigott-Smith. This author retells the story of the incredible voyage of these men through extreme weather conditions over a period of 21 months during which none perished.
For the last few weeks I have been listening religiously to the Fall of Civilizations Podcast which I discovered also has this same podcast in a YouTube video version. I’m likely to go back and watch all these videos when I have a chance, because the story Paul Cooper (@PaulMMCooper) tells is clear, detailed and illustrated with relevant pictures of artifacts, and readings from the period and from the people who discovered the ruins. I explain here why this is such a great podcast.
I just finished Leviathan Falls, the last (9th) book in The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey. Each book in the Series kept my attention, though my interest in continuing reading the series lessened with each book. I’m glad that I read and finished the series, and certainly enjoyed the process, considering my inability to put each book down while reading it.
T.P.Caruso 