Revisiting an old book friend, reading the latest in a trilogy, and a new book by a friend.

Prince of Foxes, Samuel Shellabarger

A fascinating tale of a character who is initially a follower and admirer of Cesare Borgia, but who changes his perspective on meeting and getting involved with people who are honourable and kind and who don’t want to take over the world by force. The unforgettable character of Mario Belli also develops throughout the book, although he deceives other characters into thinking otherwise, partly because he has a face like a devil. I love this book and the film that was made of it (with Orson Welles as Cesare Borgia and Tyrone Power as Andrea Orsini). I’ve read it more than once and like to revisit it.

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The Aurelia Curse, Cornelia Funke

A fun read but not as gripping as the first book in the series. I liked all the underwater scenes. I also appreciated the environmental awareness.

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Chaos Monk, Steve Dee

An exhilarating journey through chaos monasticism, a mystical practice informed by chaos magic. Accessible and clearly written, yet informed by a deep knowledge of the history of spiritual movements in both East and West, decades of magical practice, psychotherapy and art, this is a book for anyone with mystical leanings who wants to put them into practice. The first part describes the theoretical basis of chaos monasticism, and the second part shows how to put it into practice. Steve offers genuinely original spiritual exercises to help you develop your practice and introduces an element of play into the inner work. (See my full review)

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