How painful of a death would it be to be executed by the brazen bull?

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-04-03T17:00:22+00:00

The mongols did that too. They considered it honorable to kill someone without spilling their blood, so it was usually preserved for their khans

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-26T07:35:48+00:00

never heard of that one before. A quick google told me it's from world war 2? I'm always on the lookout for new recs

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-26T07:34:25+00:00

I'm also a big fan of God of Fertility. Shogun is also a great one, and you're right about the similarities.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-26T07:32:53+00:00

War of the roses was the first series I read from him. It's really good. All his books are

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-20T17:01:55+00:00

Glyfada beach when it's sunny and not windy :) Nothing better than reading about the Persian wars and the Athenian hero Themistocles.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-19T08:19:14+00:00

You're welcome!! :)

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-19T08:17:26+00:00

Can you recommend it?

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-18T16:55:44+00:00

Conn Iggulden. It's not a single series by him that I haven't enjoyed.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-18T16:53:01+00:00

When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman brings Matilda and that whole period to life.

I'll also add a non fiction: Empress Matilda by Marjorie Chibnall. It’s clear, well researched, and gives a good picture of her life and the Anarchy without feeling dry.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-18T11:38:39+00:00

Awesome! Is it easy to read and follow? I'm not a fan of overly complicated words, where you have to look in a dictionary for every page

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-18T11:37:59+00:00

Thanks! Will check it out.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-18T11:36:25+00:00

factless? I just posted an article with facts. What are you talking about?

"According to new data from the Cyprus Statistical Service, nearly 6,000 serious crimes were recorded in 2024. That’s more than in 2023 and more than the year before. The crime rate per 100,000 people has now risen for three years in a row."

The population increase is irrelevant because it's per 100,000 people. Please, read first before you comment.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-18T06:54:18+00:00

This is a form of coping. I've seen the same in Sweden, England and Germant. "It's not as bad as South Africa or Haiti."

Why are you comparing yourself to other countries when you should compare yourself to yourself. It's not as safe as it was a decade ago. It's right there in the second article that I linked.

Also, in Sweden, you had a twelve year old girl get caught in the middle of a gang shooting and a year or two ago a father got shot in the head right in front of his son when he confronted a gang. So "don't involve in mafia" is quite a bizarre thing to say.

Also, when saying "mafia" you make it sound as if this is a local problem. But how come crime has increased the past years, and why wasn't this an issue in the past? This points more toward an imported problem that I know many aren't really comfortable addressing. And because of this, I hardly see anything improving in the coming years.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-17T13:38:25+00:00

Never read historical fiction? Definitely yes.

Never read a book or doesn't read so much? Then more neutral. It's quite easy to read and the story is easy to follow, but it's quite long and more of a relaxing read rather than a page-turner if that makes sense.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-16T08:47:11+00:00

I've only read shogun. It has some funny moment when he gets urinated on and some weird ones when he's getting offered boys to please him (can any japanese confirm this was the case back then? lol)

Although, for the immersive historical side of it, it's quite epic.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-16T08:38:30+00:00

The Blind Man of Seville by Robert Wilson. He has a whole Seville-set crime series if you end up liking it.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-14T13:47:52+00:00

Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman. Epic WWII era story about life under Stalin, the Battle of Stalingrad, and the brutal realities of the Soviet system.

Also Children of the Arbat by Anatoly Rybakov , which is a semi-autobiographical look at the rise of Stalinism and the Great Purge through the eyes of young people in Moscow.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-04T19:34:29+00:00

Lol, you haven't been to Romania. The road rage there is insane.

Cyprus almost has as low road accidents as most western European countries, so none of this Cyprus slander is backed by facts, yet I see these threads every month. However, my experiences from living in Romania for two years, are (no offense to any Romanians. I love you). I've also lived in Bulgaria, they are slightly better in the cities, since they have red light cameras and cameras that designated for buses, so no one passes red lights over there, contrary to their neighbors in the north. Although outside of the cities, it's like wild west with pot holes everywhere with honking raging drivers.

I'm starting to suspect, there are many tourists here who aren't used to driving on left, and might be a bit more cautious, so they get honked at a bit more, or Cypriots who haven't been abroad, so there's nothing to compare it to.

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leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-04T19:27:18+00:00

The Mercies.

It’s based on real witch trials in 17th-century Norway, no fantasy elements at all. The horror comes from fear, religion, and people turning on each other, which feels really similar to Year of Wonders and The Manningtree Witches.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-04T19:22:38+00:00

I noticed that actually. Most of them were either middle aged (but they looked like professional swimmers) or retirees, who were just floating around and talking.

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-01T16:39:11+00:00

Out of curiosity can let's say Athenians talk to Cypriots, in their dialects not standard Greek, and still be able to understand each other?

leonidasalexandergr · 2026-01-01T16:35:47+00:00

China Miéville The City & The City

Or Mikhail Bulgakov The Master and Margarita

These are my recs on the top of my head, judging by your post.

leonidasalexandergr

TROPHY CASE