Tannbach

We're currently watching and really enjoying this German series. It follows the story of a village split in two by the border between West and East Germany after World War Two.

I studied a lot of the history in school and at uni but this really brings it to life and makes it personal. I wish it had been around when I was a student.

Pax Porfiriana

Yesterday I took my first daytime drive out in the new car to visit a friend for an afternoon of games.  She visited a board games convention last year and has been excited to try this new purchase ever since.

Pax Porfiriana is a board game based around cards.  I had a headache all afternoon as we deciphered the rules (we had a two player game, but up to six can play).  However, by the time we finished, I was enjoying the game more and more.

The game is based on the Mexican Revolution.  A topic I knew nothing about - in fact a topic I still know nothing about other than the fact that it was complicated!

I think it is like Siedler von Catan in that there are a lot of rules and it seems quite complex but the best way to do it is just to play and learn as you go along. 

For those who like games of strategy and have time and patience, I would recommend this game.

A History of Scotland

In my latest spurt of reading I have almost devoured this work over the weekend.  I've always had an interest in history and I bought this just after we got back from our honeymoon in Scotland as I was sure there was a lot I could learn.  Part of my family history also stems back to Scotland so it's that little bit more special than some of the areas of history I have studied.

There were two things I loved about this book.  The first was how much in sounded like Game of Thrones.  Normally, I find this kind of writing very heavy and hard to get through but this one was so well written and the content itself is so interesting that it was like reading a work of fiction and therefore, the history seemed all the more amazing.

The second, slightly more geeky aspect was how interconnected history is.  Everything I studied at school - the Tudors and the Civil War -, sixth form - the American Revolution and industrialisation -, and university - medieval Europe and Spanish history -; it's all in there even though the focus is always unmistakably Scottish.  It just goes to show what a huge and amazing history that country has - despite its size!

It's not a book I would recommend to everyone.  You have to be really into history and/or Scotland, but for those that are, this is a great read.  I'm really looking forward to finishing it this tomorrow.

Winter in Madrid

source

My fifty fourth and final book of 2012 was another reread - Winter in Madrid.  As with Guernica, I first read this while at uni and completely into Spanish history.  This was another, very different take on the civil war in Spain and its aftermath.  However, rather than being a family saga, this novel keeps you on your toes a little more with some unexpected twists that I had even forgotten since the first reading.  

The characters are interesting and varied and it's really easy to identify with them.  It was also nice in the way that most of the protagonists were English and therefore, the book stayed away from some of the Spanish stereotypes.  It also didn't take sides in the story - both sides were represented equally and it made it easier for the reader to see how things got so bad in Spain and how difficult it was for the families and friends torn apart by the events of the twentieth century in Europe.

This is a great novel for anyone interested in the civil war but also for those who just like a good adventure story.

Bring Up the Bodies

source

My latest completed read is this new novel from Hilary Mantel.  All that I knew about this book was that it had either won or was up for a big literary award.  I didn't know it was about the Tudors and Anne Boleyn in particular.  I also didn't realise it was the follow up to Wolf Hall which I may have to get a hold of now.

I've never really read any historical novels but I've always wanted to.  I was a little worried it would be like being back at school.  We did the Tudors in about year eight and while they are of course one of the more exciting periods of British history, I've always preferred more European history.  Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised.  There were some things I had forgotten and wanted to look up to help with the reading but it wasn't really necessary and I liked the way the story was told from a less obvious view point and made more personalised.

I'll definitely be reading more of this genre and from this author.

Anne Frank

Anne Frank's Diary

On Saturday I headed to Neue Vahr Nord to see the Anne Frank exhibition that is on there at the moment.  Entry is free and it was really interesting.  My friend invited me because she knows I am going to Amsterdam in August and hoping to visit the Anne Frank House.  It was a great preparation exhibition in that it wasn't amazing but it had lots of information and excitingly a complete copy of the diary.  It was very moving too with lots of quotes from her friends and family as well as from Anne herself.  It's amazing what a forward thinking and bright young woman she was, it certainly makes you wonder how things might have been.

The day falls in to the same category as the one on which I visited Auschwitz during a trip to Poland.  It's something that is incredibly interesting, important and impossible to miss for someone who studied German history but at the same time, can't be described as an enjoyable experience.  It was certainly though provoking and the exhibition here in Bremen would be great for some of the kids at school, though I think the older ones would appreciate it the most.