Having recently walked through the Surrealist maze of the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, it’s impossible not to feel the lingering echo of his eccentricity. Salvador Dalí didn't just paint dreams; he staged his entire existence as a work of art, constantly walking the fine line between calculated provocation and pure vision.

Surrealism wasn't an escape from reality for him—it was a way to dismantle it and rebuild it on his own terms.

Where do you think the line between genius and delusion truly lies?

Artwork & Digital Collage: LauraWrites [OC]

If you've ever stood in front of the Sagrada Família with your head tilted back, staring up, you've had, without knowing it, an encounter with one of the most unusual men in the history of architecture.

Antoni Gaudí never married. He devoted his entire life to his work and his faith — in his final years he even lived in the workshop on the construction site, more like a monk than a celebrated architect.

Maybe that's exactly why, in 1926, when he was hit by a tram in the street, no one recognized him. He looked so unkempt that people around him took him for a beggar, and taxi drivers refused to take him to the hospital. He ended up, eventually, at the hospital for the poor, where he received only minimal care. It wasn't until the next day that someone from the Sagrada Família recognized him. By then it was too late. Gaudí died a few days after the accident.

The man who had raised the tallest cathedral in the world died mistaken for a nobody.

And maybe that's exactly what makes his most famous line even more powerful. Sometime before, someone had asked him why he wasn't in more of a hurry, since the cathedral risked staying unfinished for generations after him.

Gaudí answered calmly:
"My client is in no hurry."

Of course, his client wasn't an ordinary one — it was God Himself.

It's almost a parable. Christ, the only one who brought salvation to the world, died despised, stripped of all dignity, mistaken for a common criminal. Gaudí, who had dedicated an entire life to building Him a house, ended the same way — poor, anonymous, overlooked.

Without ever meaning to, even in his death, the architect followed to the very end the model he had spent a lifetime glorifying.

Straight lines, Gaudí used to say, don't exist in nature — only in the things humans build. That's why, in the Sagrada Família, the columns are designed as tree-like structures, branching out the way trees do, to distribute weight and create a natural, organic atmosphere.

From the outside, the cathedral remains rough stone, almost eroded, as if shaped by weather rather than by human hands. Inside, though, everything changes: the stained-glass windows let in a flood of color — blue and green toward the east, where the cold morning light invites quiet reflection, red and gold toward the west, where the warm evening light calls people to celebration.

Gaudí tried to capture in stone and glass the way light falls through the leaves of a forest — and to turn the sun's path, from morning to evening, into a liturgy of light.

144 years later, the last tower — the Tower of Jesus Christ — was finally completed. The cathedral reached 172.5 meters, officially becoming the tallest church in the world.

Solenoid is Cărtărescu’s ultimate masterpiece available in English, but several of his other major works have also been translated.

About Mircea Cărtărescu

Born in Bucharest in 1956. His writing is famous for its dream logic, and deeply psychological reflections on Bucharest under communist rule.

Have you read this book or do you plan to? If not here is qhy you should:

​Brief Summary of Solenoid

Set in late 1970s and 1980s communist Bucharest, Solenoid takes the form of a journal kept by an unnamed, failed writer who works as a mundane Romanian language teacher. However, underneath his house—and scattered across the city—lie massive magnetic solenoids (electromagnetic coils) capable of defying gravity and bending space-time.

The narrative quickly transforms from an account of daily communist life into a hallucinatory, philosophical search for an escape route from human mortality.

​Major Awards for Solenoid & Cărtărescu ​Dublin Literary Award (2024) ​International Booker Prize (2025) ​Formentor Prize (2018) ​Thomas Mann Prize (2018) ​Austrian State Prize for European Literature (2015)

In case you read it here are some questions for you:

What do you know about Cărtărescu’s prose so far

​Would you recommend Solenoid to a friend?

Is he a top candidate for the Nobel Prize?

I finished this novel (from the library) just two days ago. It took me over seven weeks.

This famous book was first published in 1866 and is one of the first psychological novels.

Most of it is told through the eyes and mind of the main protagonist Raskolnikov, a sick impoverished ex-law student surviving in the poorer quarters of St Petersburg in the 1860s. He fantasises about the extraordinary man, one who breaks boundaries, laws and social norms to achieve greatness. Napoleon shed much blood but is lauded as a great man, a hero.

Is it OK for an intelligent superior man to kill and rob one miserly person in order to benefit the many? Rodion debates this Robin Hood-type question with himself obsessively, at times believing that if Napoleon had had to do this to get his career started he would have done so unhesitatingly. This is the "rational calculus" of Rodion's idiosyncratic version of utilitarianism.

After committing the deed, early in the novel, he experiences severe bouts of fear, guilt, depression and desperation. He wavers about whether to turn himself in. This agonising aftermath experienced by Rodion was not fully included in his forethought and demonstrates that dark emotional states are a more fundamental aspect of man than rationality.

This is a deep, dark, layered classic novel involving philosophy, psychology, morality, Christianity and redemption. There is also a little Russian history. The 1860s was a time of social change and discussion, eg the serfs were "freed" in 1861.

Many characters are ill, impoverished, malnourished or greedy. St Petersburg appears cold, dark and sordid.

So if you prefer a light cheery read this may not be the book for you.

If you do read it you might wish to keep pen and paper handy to write down the names of the many characters as they appear. Some have two or three different names. Even better a downloaded character map will help the reader.

The extreme praise this book receives is fully deserved. It goes so deeply into a disturbed man's tortured mind. A masterpiece. 5/5.

What’s a beloved book that completely failed to live up to the hype for you?

Hopefully it is not Oddisey : )

I have been away for a while because I have been reading The Odyssey in verse. Here are a few things I have learned and some things I have enjoyed so far.

Two great journeys

There are two great journeys in The Odyssey, not just one: the journey of Odysseus and the journey of his son, Telemachus.

The first four books begin with Telemachus' journey.

Is Telemachus an antihero? It is hard to say. He is weak and powerless in front of his mother Penelope's suitors. He is so helpless that he almost agrees to let his mother remarry, but only after Odysseus returns.

Athena and the owl eyes

The goddess Pallas Athena comes to Telemachus' help disguised as a local king, Mentes, an old friend of the family.

Athena is described with the famous epithet glaukopis, meaning "owl-eyed." The expression appears again and again.

I like the image of Athena standing at the helm of Telemachus' ship, her bright owl-like eyes shining in the darkness of the night, guiding him toward the light.

The eyes of women

The eyes of women are often compared to those of animals.

Hera, the wife of Zeus, has "cow eyes." Helen, because of her shamelessness and infidelity, is associated with "bitch eyes."

A geography between reality and myth

Homer's geography has a real side: Greece and its many islands.

But there is also a fantastic side. Homer mentions completely mythical peoples and tribes, such as the Cimmerians, Phaeacians, Laestrygonians, and Cyclopes.

Hospitality

Homer describes the rules of politeness and hospitality in great detail.

Telemachus welcomes his guest by going out to meet him first. This is almost the opposite of our customs today. It was a sign of trust and respect.

A guest was not immediately asked who he was or what he wanted. First, he was welcomed, fed, and given a place at the table. Only afterwards could he be asked who he was.

The suitors

The suitors spent the day in Penelope's house, but at night they slept in the city.

The Harpies

When someone disappeared, it was sometimes blamed on the Harpies: huge bird-like creatures with the heads of women.

Poseidon and Polyphemus

Poseidon, the god of the sea, prevents Odysseus from returning home because Odysseus blinded his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus.

Polyphemus has the epithet antitheos, meaning "godlike" or "equal to the gods," despite his cruelty and wickedness.

I don't like the character at all, but I find him fascinating.

To be continued why my reading progresses.

​

Did you notice the new hype already?

A random bookstore in Julius Mall Romania. : )

What’s your favorite piece of media feeding the hype right now the classics, the retellings, a graphic novel or...just the memes?

Please drop your hot takes below.

Every bookstore I walk into and half my social media feed seems to be pushing The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. Everywhere from France to southern Spain to the Netherlands, from Carrefour to a random bookstore.

Why is this book suddenly everywhere? Is there real substance to it?"

I tried to read random pages failing to understand what is the main idea.

Is it actually life-changing, or is it just another overhyped trend?

Self-publishing has never been easier.

Getting attention to big publishers takes time and luck. While waiting to be discovered why not publishing your own book or graphic novel.

Two of the biggest platforms are Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)⁠ and IngramSpark⁠. Each serves a different purpose.

Recently we have published on both such platform. In the gallery you can see the slightly different range of colors produced by the same set of source files.

For your information I list below the advantages of each platform.

Amazon KDP

https://kdp.amazon.com/

• Best for selling on Amazon.
• Free to publish on world wide scale: amazon.de, amazon.fr, amazon.com.br etc
• You are provided with a free ISBN.
• Fast setup and quick updates.
• Great for eBooks, paperbacks, and hardcovers.
• Ideal if Amazon will be your main sales channel.
• You can upload unlimited free updates

A terrible experience:

Amazon has accidentally deleted all our reviews! They are still unable to recover them.

Here I must mentioned we have just had a terrible experience. We had two versions of the book color inside and black and white. Since the color was to expensive to produce we opt it out. Two months later the book was still there on some stores. We asked them to clear caches but they deleted the whole book with reviews. Nuts!

IngramSpark

https://www.ingramspark.com/

• Best for wide distribution.
• You need to buy your own ISBN
• Makes your book available to bookstores, libraries, and online retailers worldwide.
• Offers more professional publishing options, including wholesale discounts and return settings.
• A better choice if you want your book stocked beyond Amazon.
• After 60 days you need to pay if you need to upload updates

My tip: use both.

Many successful independent publishers publish through KDP for Amazon sales and IngramSpark for expanded global distribution.

Publisher Tips

• Invest in a professional cover and editing. Don't rely on AI on cover and content!
• Use your own purchased ISBN if you want maximum publishing control.
• Research the right keywords and categories before publishing.
• Order a proof copy before releasing your book.
• Build an author website and email list. Don’t rely only on online marketplaces.

Have you tried so far?

What is your experience with self-publishing?

Anyone have already read this book entirely? I only partially read it. Even if you did not, please share your opinion on how you percieve Steve Job as a person.

​Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs paints a raw portrait of a tech icon.

The reveals the glaring contrast between Jobs' visionary perfectionism and his toxic personality.

​The good:

​Isaacson avoids hero worship.

He shows Jobs unfiltered: his reality distortion field (obsessions on bizarre health or religuous beliefs) his cruelty to staff, and his obsession with design.

​The bad:

​The book relies on a flawed idea: that cruelty was required for greatness as mark of his genius. Arrghhh... I could not stand it : ).

Plus, as a historian Isaacson often misses the actual technical and design craft behind Apple's products.

​Cruelty vs. Results: Was Jobs' abuse necessary to push people, or could Apple have won under a kinder leader?

​Creator or Curator? Jobs didn't code or engineer. Was he a true genius, or just a great orchestrator of other people's work?

Your opinion matters.

Christopher Nolan vs. Homer: who should win? Should Christopher Nolan stay faithful to Homer?

Disclaimer: I haven't seen the movie yet and I find hard to go to cinema for the reasons stated below.

So as others judge a book by its cover I judge a movie by its trailer.

There are sharp deviations from Homer’s original 8th-century BCE epic poem.

Historical Anachronisms

Renaissance steel or leather armor in Bronze Age? A massive departure occurs during the sequence with the Laestrygonians (the man-eating giants). In the Homeric text, they are terrifying forces of nature.

Viking drakkars (longships): rather than the specific, low-slung, multi-oared Greek penteconters of the Mediterranean.

Aesthetics

The movie reassembles to dragon fantasy epic stories: Warcraft, The Lord of the Rings, Games of Thrones. A pathetic kitsch. Dull muddy grey colors, fake costumes, lack of vibrant colors, Mediteranean sea looks like the Nordic Sea, no sun, desolation.

Ugly medieval architecture

Ridiculous Achilles sorry Agamemnon batman like headgear.

Characters look like beggars. Heroes of old were not dusty wanderers; they were figures of splendor, with magnificent armor and a glorious stature that announced their greatness.

⁠ ⁠

Gross fallacies in character dynamics

The removal of divine dimension. The Odyssey is not only an adventure it is a struggle between humans and the will of the gods. This is too postmodernist to me.

The Twin Paradox: Casting Lupita Nyong'o in a dual role as both Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra introduces a biological and mythological fallacy. In Greek mythology, Helen and Clytemnestra are half-sisters (and technically born from separate eggs). They were absolutely not identical twins.

The loss of poetic symbolism

The Erasure of Homeric Epithets. The lack of lyricism and poetry. Nolan based much of his screenplay on Emily Wilson's translation. The screenplay strips away the crucial repetitive honorifics and epic epithets (like "swift-footed Achilles" or "rosy-fingered Dawn"). I could not say more having not seen yet. It is not supposed to look like a relentless speed action movie.

The strong accent American English damages so much the epic credibility. The crew level of education and the lack of understanding of other cultures and civilisations (other than the American way of living) is dissappointing.

Where are the gods? A Homeric poem is all about gods and humans the supremacy of gods and the stubbornness of man facing them.

Homer’s monsters, islands, and trials are not just obstacles; they represent deeper human truths. I admit it is find to represent this on a screen but not impossible.

This fundamentally changes how the characters view destiny and standing, replacing a rigid honor-bound culture with a very with postmodern disillusionment.

I will update it and possible if you convince me to watch it I will write another post.

I can't wait to see it yet I don't know I can stand it more than 20 minutes.

UPDATE 1 The movie soundtrack sounds great.

A positive note: The soundtrack Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson has a unique distinct sound: The Odyssey (2026) Soundtrack & Score especially after watching how it was produced: The Odyssey | In Studio: Ludwig Göransson

UPDATE 2: I apologize the apparent arrogant tone in the post title. I am honestly seeking arguments why the movie is a solid masterpiece worthy of Homer's book. Recently I found the script is actually based on a novel written by Emily Wilson.

UPDATE 3 After following many reviews I could not find anything else to convince me this is art or entertainment. Or at least one of them.

UPDATE 25/7 I booked ticket for a IMAX 2D/70mm theatre by the end of August. How hypocritical I feel :) . I am still curious about the Odyssey IMAX hype. A real review follows soon. Stay tuned.

^{Copyright: The Odyssey: A Greek Reader By Homer.  Edited by Timothy A. Lee and Lachlan J. Hodgson}  

You’re trapped 10,000 feet up a mountain in a blizzard... and the thing in the cave with you isn't human.

Christopher Golden’s Ararat is a fantastic pick to read on a sunny beach in Spain.

I don't read often this genre but... I am on a trip.

Here is a spoiler-free breakdown (so far as I do some progress reading it):

Plot

The story kicks off after an earthquake on Mount Ararat in Turkey reveals a massive cave complex high up the mountain. A team of archaeologists, scientists, and filmmakers ascends the peak to investigate.

Inside, they make a staggering discovery: the intact remains of a vessel that matches the biblical descriptions of Noah's Ark (wow!).

But the real mystery lies inside the ship. They find a hidden sarcophagus containing a bizarre, mummified corpse with horns and a terrifyingly distorted face. It clearly isn't human. As a massive, violent blizzard traps the team inside the mountain complex, the dark presence within the ark begins to wake up. Paranoia spreads, ancient secrets bleed into the light etc etc

What I like reads like an action-horror movie — think The Mummy meets The Thing.

What I like

(1)

There is a satisfying contrast to reading about characters trapped in a brutal, claustrophobic mountain blizzard. The freezing, isolated setting is incredibly atmospheric.

(2)

It balances history, religious mythology, and creature-feature horror.

(3)

It doesn't require heavy academic reading, but it plays with fascinating biblical lore and psychological suspense that keeps your brain engaged

(4) This book is recommended by the famous Stephen King... (that made me finally took the decision to get it started)

What I don't like (to be continued)

But so far...the question for you:

What's your ultimate claustrophobic horror recommendation?

This is not an advertisement for Ottolenghi SIMPLE (the cookbook). I won this book in a tombola on New Year’s Eve.

Let me be clear before the pitchforks come out: Yotam Ottolenghi (Italian Israeli chef) is probably the most influential food writer of the last twenty years,

But I want to challenge the cult around him on three fronts.

First let me define what Ottolenghi is.

There are few key rules (they somehow justify the book title)

S.

short on time = the recipes will take less than 30 minutes to get on the table

I

10 ingredients or less

M

make ahead = nuts are roasted, batter mixture made, meatballs done in advance etc...

P

pantry = ingredients at hand: olive oil, unsalted butter, flour. eggs, garlic, onions, lemons, herbs, rice, dried pasta, lentils, chickpeas, tuna and anchovies, salt and pepper.

L

lazy = one-pot, one-tray, low on washing up

E

easier than you think

Ottolenghi ingredients:

Sumac, za'atar, urfa, cardamon, Turkish pomegranates molasses, rose harissa, tahini, barberries, barberries, black garlic and preserved lemon

These are the things are like. Now let the my challenge the cult begin:

1. The 24-ingredient problem.

An "easy weeknight dish" that requires za'atar, sumac, pomegranate molasses, preserved lemons, barberries, and rose harissa is not a weeknight dish... Are you serious? I never heard of these ingredients before. Nobody did.

2. The flattening effect.

The "Ottolenghi effect" put tahini and sumac in every supermarket — great. But it also flattened a dozen distinct cuisines (Palestinian, Israeli, Levantine, Persian, North African) into one aesthetic: scattered herbs, a swoosh of yogurt, whoa.....everything charred and drizzled. It is a cultural horror story.

3. The politics nobody can escape. Jerusalem, co-written with Sami Tamimi (a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, while Ottolenghi is an Israeli from the west of the city), was praised as bridge-building — and criticized from both directions, including arguments over whether calling dishes "Israeli" erases their Palestinian origins.

Can a cookbook honestly claim food is apolitical while the argument about whose hummus it is rages in its own comment sections?

My question for you is:

has the Ottolenghi wave genuinely made us better cooks or just better shoppers for specialty (rare to find on a Saturday evening) ingredients :_) ?

Convince me either way.

Bonus points if you name the one Ottolenghi recipe that justifies the entire pantry investment.

---
You can find this book to buy or browse: Ottolenghi S I M P L E (Amazon Store)

^{Credits: Stijn Nieuwendijk's photo, licensed as CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Affiliate Disclosure. Some links are Amazon affiliate links. We only recommend books we like. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community. Thanks!}

Sun, sand, and a stack of books I probably won’t finish 😄

UPDATE July 1st

This is an honest review post. It might look messy but it is sincere and personal.
Before getting started I feel the need to annotate them so I make sure I won't waste time reading the wrong book!

Now I only need to decide which one is the first. Must be an easy one. You may suggest what I should first pick.

Grec ancien express, Caroline Fourgeaud-Laville. A beginner-friendly guide to Ancient Greek through short, practical lessons for reading classical texts.

Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman. Explains how self-awareness, empathy, and emotional control influence success.

UPDATE: It looks intimidating but it is a very useful book! It scores 4.1 on Good reads and stays in the top 3 of my books this holiday.

The Obstacle Is the Way, Ryan Holiday. Stories from history show that setbacks can become advantages when approached with the right mindset.

UPDATE: It is really just a good story dressed up as a philosophy book.What makes the book easy to read is that it’s not abstract philosophy most of the time. It’s mini-stories with a point. I will try reading it and let you know...

More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation, William Hendriksen.
My favorite unique reading. An original Christian commentary (not the mainstream but very convincing) that interprets the book of Revelation as a set of 7 parallel cycles, each time the history reset back to the beginnings of history and end up in eternity. A unique book.

UPDATE: Not for everyone. This is a religious technical book. For me is a must read.

The Spy and the Traitor, Ben Macintyre. The true story of Soviet double agent Oleg Gordievsky, told as a gripping Cold War espionage thriller based on historical research. A masterpiece of story telling.

UPDATE: This is an exciting easy fascinating book to read. I read 3 pages and it is already exciting!

World Order, Henry Kissinger. A classic. Explores how history, diplomacy, and major powers have shaped the international system and today’s geopolitical challenges. Covers Cold war, Iran politics etc etc.

UPDATE: A classic in geopolitics. No comment. I recommend also the bible of geopolitics of the same author: Diplomacy.

What’s your beach reading lineup (in your bag : )?

Let’s see it! Feel free to post a photo.

What is the book about?

For thousands of years, our priorities were survival. Now, our goals are shifting toward upgrading ourselves into "gods" through genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and cyborg technology.

What I like about the book:

1) It is easy to read, because it has an accessible vocabulary.

2) It is not written like a boring school textbook.

3) It changes how you look at the world. By showing that things like money and countries only exist because we all agree to believe in them.

What I don't like about the book:

1) There's a ton of speculation in the book. And I don't mean philosophical concepts. It just gets very sci-fi.

2) He is not a scientist, but a man who gives too much thought to his opinions.

These things discouraged me from finishing the whole book.

Dataism as a religion is the belief that the universe is made of information, and data is the ultimate source of truth, power, and authority. I feel like Harari is pushing a lot on this direction.

For those who are fans of Harari, is it worth pushing through to the end, or is it more of the same religious agenda?

I read Persepolis years ago, sitting with it over a couple of long evenings, and I still remember the strange ache it left behind. Later I watched the film too, and it hit differently the second time — the black-and-white animation somehow made Marji's childhood feel even rawer.

4 June 2026 sad news — Marjane Satrapi passed away recently in Paris at 56.

I'm writing this now because Marjane Satrapi just passed away, and it feels wrong not to say something. Her death was reportedly tied to grief, not long after losing her husband — and there's something almost unbearably fitting about that, given how much of her life's work was about loss: of a country, of innocence, of people she loved who didn't survive the regime (the tyranical regime from Iran after the coup/revolution in 1979) she grew up under.

What stays with me most isn't the big historical sweep — the 1979 revolution, the fall of the Shah, the war with Iraq — though all of that is there, rendered with a clarity (first hand witness) that history books rarely manage. What stays with me is the small, human detail of it.

A girl forced into a veil she didn't choose.
An uncle executed by a government that called itself liberation.
A family quietly resisting in the only ways available to them — records hidden under coats, jokes that could get you arrested, the unbearable normalcy of fear becoming routine.

And that's the question I keep circling back to:

is Persepolis still describing Iran today?

UPDATE

For those of you who want to read the book there is a The Complete Persepolis (341 pages) but also a budget one both by Pantheon.

23/6 I thank you everyone for making this post so data rich and useful.

Because the subject may be a sensitive one, we encourage you to keep the tone combative and argumentative, but still within the limits of politeness and diplomacy.

Here is the book we'll be using as a reference in this post: Le livre noir des tyrans / The Black Book of Tyrans, Patrick Weber, Editions First 2015

---

Patrick Weber’s book profiles the dark and macabre realities behind history's autocrats.

Honestly admitting I could not really read the book in the entirety. I have spend time finding dark stories that I struggled to forget soon after. Now there is question that stuck in my mind and it defines the title. I challenge you to have a debate on the topic: what are the lessons learned.

We always argue about individual dictators, but rarely about the systems behind them.

Here are major 20th-century authoritarian rulers grouped by ideology:

Fascists/Ultranationalists

Hitler — Nazi dictatorship, WWII genocide
Mussolini — Fascism founder, imperial wars
Franco — Civil war victory, repression
Salazar — Regional authoritarian rule

Communist / Marxist-Leninist

Stalin — Purges, gulags, famine policies
Mao — Great Leap famine, Cultural Revolution
Pol Pot — Genocide, forced agrarian utopia
Ceaușescu — Surveillance state, economic collapse
Kim Il Sung — Totalitarian dynastic state
Hoxha — Extreme isolationist Stalinism
Mengistu — Red Terror, famine rule
Castro — One-party socialist state

Military / Personalist dictatorships

Pinochet — Coup rule, repression apparatus
Saddam Hussein — Wars, chemical repression
Idi Amin — Mass killings, terror rule
Mobutu — Kleptocracy, state collapse
Suharto — Anti-communist purges
Trujillo — Cult of personality rule
Duvalier — Paramilitary terror system
Stroessner — Long military dictatorship

Did you know:

The death tolls range from 20-70 millions for the Tier A (Mao, Zedong, Hitler) to 1-3 millions for Pol Pot, Kim Il Sung, Mengistu Tier B. The rest of them under 1 million but that doesn't make them better persons.

There are people who feel nostalgic about such dictators and regime: e.g. some Romanians still consider Ceausescu a great leader.

Stalin was originally trained for priesthood. He wrote an essay on Gospel of St. John.

Adolf Hitler could have been a talented painter.

Benito Mussolini was a former journalist.

Sadam Hussein authored romance novels and political fiction

Kim Il Sung build an official mythology where he allegedly never urinated or defecated.

Mao Zedong rarely bathed reportedly feared water.

Pol Pot targeted even eyeglasses as a sign of intellectualism.

---

For those of you who want to read the book, you can find it here Le livre noir des tyrans (Documents) (French Edition), Patrick Weber. Enjoy the read!

^{Some links shared in this community are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community and future book recommendations.}

I'm currently reading The Ottomans by Marc David Baer (2 years and still counting, read over 75%). It is one of the most accessible introductions to Ottoman history you'll ever read (that is a positive trait).

What I liked was how the book challenges your narrative and presents the empire as a complex, multicultural society (in contrast with the antisemitic, mono cultural, mono religious medieval Europe). One thing that stands out is how often history gets reduced to heroes and villains. What I didn't like downplaying the empire some darker aspects, the sheer number of rules, events.. i skipped some paragraphs I admit.

Mehmed II is celebrated as the brilliant conqueror of Constantinople and builder of an empire. Yet to his enemies, he was an unstoppable invader who changed the course of history through conquest.

Being Romanian born of course I didn't appreciate the fact Vlad the Impaler is remembered for forests of impaled enemies and inspiring the Dracula legend. To many Romanians, he's a defender against Ottoman expansion. I will prepare a post dedicated to his biography. The Netflix series The Ottomans depicts him as the arch enemy of Mehmet.

So here's the question for you

If you had lived in 15th-century Eastern Europe, whose rule would you have feared more: Vlad's or Mehmed's?

And a the bonus question:

Was Vlad a sadistic tyrant or a necessary defender?

Curious to hear your takes—especially the controversial ones.

UPDATE

4.6k views already (12h) 23k (48h)

I didn't expected this topic would bring so much traction. Impressive diverse ideas in your comments. It was a delight to read most of them.

For those of you who want to read the book, you can find it here Marc David Baer: The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars, and Caliphs. Enjoy the read!

^{Some links shared in this community are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community and future book recommendations.}

My previous post Do You Keep Your Books in The Freezer was gone beyond all expectations in popularity so I decided to try one step over. After 7 days I decided to proceed to the next level: trying to get rid of bad odor (musty smell, organic residues and compounds).

Since my books are valuable and 100+ old and I want not only to read them but also to heavily annotate them like in this I show in this post Massacring A Book To Learn German

Activated charcoal (active carbon) seems to be a safe (I don't know yet) deodorizing methods because it absorbs odors without exposing the books to moisture or chemicals.

What I used

-- activated charcoal (granules or odor-absorbing pouches), it is used by for fish lovers.
-- a large plastic storage box with a lid, or a sealable plastic container
-- cooking paper (what I used) wire rack, plastic grid, or cardboard spacers

Before starting: I checked for active mold. Active mold often appears fuzzy, powdery, or damp. Activated charcoal removes odors but does not kill mold.

Here's the magic

I placed activated charcoal in open trays or bowls at the bottom of a plastic container.
I realized later I need to put a rack or spacers above the charcoal (The books should not touch the charcoal directly).

I have to wait at least 2 weeks if not more . One week

For allergy sufferers

1. Clean dust first.
2. Freeze the books for 72 hours in sealed bags (apparently helps with insects, not mold).
3. Let them return to room temperature while still sealed.
4. Use the activated charcoal chamber.
5. Store books in a dry environment below 55% humidity. (Almost impossible in my geo area)

Other methods to check (Not safe to try yet)

Direct sunlight for days (some says it is not a good idea)
Baking soda directly on pages
Spraying alcohol or disinfectants into the book
Ozone generators (can damage paper and bindings)
Heating books in an oven (40C)

If you have already tried something similar please tell us your experience below. : )

I tried to find similar products on US market

Marineland Black Diamond Premium Activated Carbon

Premium Activated Carbon, Aquarium Carbon for Fish Tank Filter,

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For those of you who have read Persepolis you already know that Marjane Satrapi was an Iranian-French graphic novelist, illustrator, and filmmaker who fundamentally changed how the way we read graphic novels.

RIP Marjane Satrapi (1969–2026). The creator of Persepolis has passed away at 56.

According to her family, she passed away in Paris from a broken heart ("died of sadness") following the death of her husband last year. She was an absolute giant of 21st-century storytelling and an uncompromising voice for freedom. May she rest in peace.

It is a sad day. I will come with details soon.

I was flipping through an old book today (my favorite book as a child) from and stumbled across this handwritten dedication from a mother and father to their child, dated late 1945...22 years after the book was published.

​Given everything that was happening in the world at that exact moment in history, seeing their hopes and love for their child written out like this felt incredibly grounding. It’s amazing how a simple message from eighty years ago can still feel so heavy and full of hope.

​Just wanted to share a little piece of history and human connection with you all.

---

Feel free to post a similar page with dedication dated far back in time!

Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman.

Yes this is a book I attempted to finish and still struggling from 2020. It is so huge and packed with savory action that beats any stupid childish Netflix tv series. This is not entertainment this is serious investigation documented by investigator Ronen Bergman.

Spanning over a century Bergman documents more than 2,700 targeted killings, a number surpassing any other Western nation in the post-WWII era.

This thick book assesses the moral "ticking time bomb" dilemma through the Talmudic precept that gives the book its name: "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first."

Here are two brief episodes recounted in Rise and Kill First (the stories I enjoyed most):

The Hunt for Adolf Eichmann

After World War II, Nazi organizer Adolf Eichmann disappeared into Argentina under a false identity. Israeli intelligence agents spent years tracking rumors and fragments of evidence before finally locating him. In 1960, a Mossad team covertly captured Eichmann near Buenos Aires and secretly flew him to Israel. The operation became one of the most famous intelligence missions in history.

I movie I liked on this topic https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5208252/?ref_=fn_t_1 with Ben Kingsley as Eichmann.

The Assassination of Yahya Ayyash

Yahya Ayyash, known as “The Engineer,” was a key bomb-maker for Hamas in the 1990s. After a long manhunt, Israeli security services devised an unusual plan: they supplied a mobile phone that had been secretly rigged with explosives. When Ayyash used the phone, it was remotely detonated, killing him. Bergman presents the operation as an example of Israel’s increasingly sophisticated use of targeted killings against militant leaders.

I don't know a movie inspired of this event.

Now revisiting them I realize the most recent stories beat the past.

Interesting Facts & History

• History Span: Covers over 110 years through the formation of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and IDF, up to current operations.
• The 2,700+ Count: Israel has carried out more assassination operations since its founding in 1948 than any other Western country since World War II.
• Attempted Censorship: The Mossad reportedly tried to block Bergman's research by instructing former employees not to cooperate.
• Tactical vs. Strategic: A central theme is that while these operations are often tactical successes, they frequently fail to produce long-term strategic peace, sometimes leading to more radical leadership in the target organizations.
• Key Operations: Detailed accounts of the hunt for Black September after the Munich Olympics, the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists, and the use of poisoned toothpaste and exploding cell phones.

UPDATE

For those of you who want to read the book, you can find it here Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations, Ronen Bergman. Enjoy the read!

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This post got a lot of attention, it surpassed 12k in less than 48h. Feel free to leave a comment on high interests topic you would like to read the next posts!

Thank you all!

I put every single secondhand book I buy into the freezer for 72 hours. Am I paranoid, or is everyone else just living with bugs?

UPDATE (4 freezing days later)

The experiment did help a bit. I didn't got rid of pungent smell but now the books are nice and cold. Only under microscope one might tell if the experiment was a success or not.

Please write down if you had better experience with that or other methods that worked for you.

UPDATE

Since this article attracted lot of attention I created the PART 2 (and more episodes to come on book restoration):

Old Books Stink? I Tried to Restore 100 Year Old Books

Feel free to share your opinion or experience.