Emma Types Stuff

I'm going on holiday this year! Sorry to mention it, but as someone who averages a proper holiday every five or six years, I'm excited! I'm going to Italy and I'm going to see Pompeii. Naturally my History Reading Challenge has taken to the theme, awakening my Ancient Roman Nerd from it's long slumber; growing up close to Colchester - a major Roman settlement before Boudica got involved - will do that to a kid. So here are the books I've read, perfect for when you're in the mood for some toga action... Vesuvius By Night by Lindsey Davis This is an odd book - more of a dramatic re-enactment than a novel. We follow two roommates in the immediate hours following the eruption, each taking a different approach. One - a conman - decides to use the opportunity to loot. The other - a family man (and one of the 'painters at work') attempts to get his daughter out of the city. His wife - based in Herculaneum - seeks safety for her other childre

It's hardly a secret that book publishing follows trends, or that new releases can be styled and marketed in the same way as recent success stories. I am waging a permanent war (in my own head at least) against women's historical literature with the same filigree flowery design on the cover. But occassionally two books come along that - intentionally or not - have such similar vibes that to think of one is to automatically think of the other. This piece marks the start of a new (occasional) series in which I read those books to compare and contrast. It's easy to see why Several People are Typing [Calvin Kalsulke] and We Had to Remove This Post [Hanna Bervoets] might occupy the same space in one's mind. There is surface similarity - the familiar wording of their social-media-speak titles, and (depending on the edition) their very different and yet still noticeably millennial-pink toned covers. They are of similar, short lengths and address modern technology's