What I’m Reading: My Nonfiction Odyssey
I’m currently reading The Norns in Old Norse Mythology (2011) by Karen Bek-Pederson.
While I’m also a fan of comics, sci-fi, and fantasy, I’m currently on a nonfiction streak. My favorites are books about religion and mythology, history, folklore, and anything a bit strange, but you’ll often find me prowling the stacks, searching for something new.
After noticing that a lot of the more obscure nonfiction books don’t have any good reviews on sites like Goodreads, I’ve started writing my own. Here on my blog, each book review is accompanied with a public domain or Creative Commons image that I felt complemented the book.
Old Thiess, A Livonian Werewolf: A Classic Case in Comparative Perspective
Old Thiess, A Livonian Werewolf: A Classic Case in Comparative Perspective (2020) by Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln is, as far as I can tell, the best English-language scholarly book about the fascinating figure of Old Thiess. Old Thiess was an octogenarian man who was put on trial in 17th century Livonia after proudly proclaiming himself a werewolf, a “hound of God” who harrowed hell and fought evil witches to return fertility to the land. But just because Old Thiess is the best English book on this obscure subject doesn’t mean it is always a satisfying read.