Rite of Fancy

  A short summary of Funeral Games: The ending of Alexander's Empire. My favorite Mary Renault quote from the book: "Whatever the stars said, good food was good food." Questions to ponder while reading Funeral Games: Why do we allow greed to destroy legacies? Why do empires require an autocrat rather than a democracy to exist? My review of the book: Jumps about a bit. Well-researched endings. A great peek into the cultures of ancient society. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors and  webshop  or buying me a cup of...

  A short summary of The Butterfly Garden: Kidnapping a beautiful collection. My favorite Dot Hutchinson quote from the book: "Because courtesy is as much of a bitch as disdain." Questions to ponder while reading The Butterfly Garden: Could you force yourself to live under those conditions? Could you recover? My review of the book: A very scary tale. A very engaging read. The family dynamics stretched plausibility a bit. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors and  webshop  or buying me a cup of coffee!

Dear Henry, Today's internet rabbit hole began with a meme.  The meme suggested that everyone was wondering if penguin meat was any good.  While I hadn't thought about it before and would, under no terms, eat a penguin, it made me wonder if they were, in fact, tasty and if there were a culture, somewhere, that considered them a delicacy. I should mention, right at the beginning, that it is absolutely illegal for a US citizen to eat a penguin according to the Antarctic Conservation Act.  Don't try it.  This would be such a silly reason to end up in federal prison.  I should also mention that I'm not even advocating eating a penguin, and I would judge you harshly for doing so (starvation aside). Still, I wondered about penguin meat palatability and whether or not it was something that had ever been widely consumed. The verdict:  Eating penguins is terrible in all regards.  There are no cultures that I have been able to identify that used penguins as a fo...