The Disappointed Idealist

White world problems: we are allowed to be whatever we want to be, we have millions of choices and what we really do is sit on our couches and wonder what we should do while our life flies away. Yes, I might be idealizing the past a little (OK, a little more - comes with being a history fan). But the truth is that in a world with a clear set of rules preventing you from reaching your inner purpose, you are more motivated to discover and fight for what you really want. Human lives thrive in adversity, (most of) the best people that have lived since the beginning of times are people that were born or placed in difficult times and places and had to learn how to manage. And so they went on to do great things. We live in a world that (I am talking about the Western civilization now) raises its children in comfort and keeps its people in a comfort that numbs the mind. We are no longer challenged by life - unless we proactively seek that challenge. The lack of challenge allows us to choos...

Queen Anne: The Politics of Passion by Anne Somerset My rating: 3 of 5 stars Extremely detailed. The events are told accurately and unbiased, in a chronological order, without many personal comments. It is an advance history book - some prior knowledge of the general history of this era is required in order to follow everything. I like the fact that the author leaves room for everyone's interpretation, offering hers only in the final chapter. View all my reviews

The Dragon & the Rose by Roberta Gellis My rating: 3 of 5 stars Had it not been for the note at the end claiming that the book was accurate, I would have given it 4 stars. As far as writing is concerned, the story is great, progresses wonderfully and I literally could not put the book down until I finished it (8PM in the evening till 3 AM in the morning is what it took me). BUT this book is not accurate. Example of inaccuracies: the Gray that was executed by Richard III was not Elizabeth Woodville's brother, but her second son. Elizabeth of York was 19, not 22 when she married. Henry Stafford died in 1471, not 1482. Letters between him and Margaret show that their marriage was based on mutual affection (although I'll grant you that that could all be for show). If one of Margaret's marriages was a simple arrangement on both sides, that was Thomas Stanley, since she ended up taking a chastity vow while still married to him. Francis of Brittany's first wife died in...

If you want to survive and not die of heartbreak, this is an idea that you have to get used to. People stick with each other because people serve a purpose. Once that purpose is done, people leave. Now what about the noble love and other feelings? That is also a purpose. Love is a feeling that makes us feel good. As long as we love you, we stick with you because you're a source of good feeling. If we stop loving you, we leave because you've served your purpose and now it's done. And whether you like it or not, you do the same to other people. Because we leave others just like others leave us. When we leave others, we think we're doing the best for ourselves and justify the hurt it causes by what's best for us. But when they leave us we hurt and we blame them for feeling selfish. We choose to forget that we're equally so with others we don't care as much about. People always leave. You leave too. Just accept that part of the price you pay for do...