Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian

I was never a big fan of dracula stories but this novel’s gripping tale of dracula that married fact and fiction got me glued to the very last page.

‘The Historian’ is a story of a a series of modern day historians and academicians who were caught in the trail of uncovering the real dracula, supposedly an extremely cruel prince Vlad the Impaler aka Vlad Dracula who once ruled Wallachia an area in modern day Romania. The realization that Dracula was actually a real living person hit me hard, and how Dracula affected so many people and major world history made dracula seem to me even more deadlier than I ever thought he could be. There were moments when I thought I could not finish the book, when the story became too bone-chilling…

One special aspect that I found most interesting was the how the story dealt with the Ottoman invasion of Europe and the how it involved many many cities and towns…it was a colourful tour back in time and across continents.

The writing style is elegant and allows for a smooth read, which balances the sometimes gruesome details of the story.

Read this book and say hi to Dracula.

Joe Sacco’s Palestine

I came across this comic book or a graphic novel if you will, a few days ago and I thought how very interesting it was to see a piece of work which combined journalism and comic into one.

It is a comic book based on journalist/comic artist Joe Sacco’s experience interviewing the people in Gaza and the surrounding area, and the things he witnessed there the winter of 1991-1992, during the first intifada against the Israeli occupation.
His illustrations had a mixture of generous details and neatness to it, which really grabbed readers’ attention into the situation he was potraying. It was clear to me that he was depicting what he experienced with effortless integrity and honesty, seemed like he never did hesitate in telling any parts of the story, which made the story seemed all the more real and convincing. It was not at all poetic, it was not written beautifully, but it was so straightforward and the pictures so vivid it was impossible to take this lightly like one would a usual comic book. It seemed real.

I think the comic book, despite it dealing with a sensitive and political topic, can be easily read and appreciated by readers of all ages and backgrounds.