Favorite historical photo of the year is my bae Mbappe’ with the France World Cup win!

Happy New Year, dear Histastrophe followers! I wanted to take the time before aggressively drowning the rest of my night away in whiskey and Yahtzee to give you my personal favorites of History Things from this past year. Sure, this is just my opinion alone, but I think you’ll find that I have great taste regardless and that you’ll be fairly familiar with some of the below or, if not, will go out and make it so! Without further ado–the Best History Things of 2018:

Book: Circe by Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller has been making a name for herself over the years by writing beautiful narrative works on Ancient/Classical Greece history particularly ground in mythology! Circe follows the tale of the famous witch who became entangled with Odysseus in The Odyssey and intertwines many other well known Greek Mythological tales into the story. It’s wonderfully written and fun to read–you’ll catch yourself guessing or picking up on all of the little Greek Mythology references!

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child–not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power–the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world. – Summary from the Publisher Little, Brown and Company

Video Game: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

This one is a no brainer, but Ubisoft has since shifted their action series into full on Open World/RPG experiences with extensive world maps and quests which have kept me busy for a few months now with no end in sight. AC: Odyssey follows Kassandra on a quest to learn more about her family and topple a mysterious influence over the Hellenic world while navigating the war torn political and military landscapes of The Peloponnesian War. Along the way, you’ll run into famous Classical Greek figures like Socrates, Pericles, and Herodotus. Yes, please.

TV Show: The Assassination of Gianni Versace

A disturbing and yet intriguing mini-series, Ryan Murphy follows up with another American Crime Story focusing on the string of murders perpetrated by Andrew Cunanan in the mid-to-late 90’s which ultimately ended in the cold blooded murder of famous Fashion Designer Gianni Versace. The series mostly follows the life and crimes of Cunanan with an intoxicatingly twisted portrayal by Darren Criss, which he won an Emmy for this year.

Movie: The Favourite

Watch. This. Movie. Director Yargos Lanthimos isn’t everybody’s cup of tea–The Lobster and Killing of A Sacred Deer being divisive among many circles despite being personally loved by me. But The Favourite is compelling enough to be pleasing to almost anyone as long as they don’t have any problems watching three ladies on-screen connive and manipulate one another in depraved, sexual and political games. Set in the court of England’s Queen Anne with the feuding Sarah Churchill (Yes, that family of Churchill) and Abigail Masham, the script is packed with witticisms and the anachronisms are clever–yet, in case you’re having too much fun laughing at the absurdities showcased in the film, Yargos is quick to slap the audience with a much needed reality check when appropriate.

Note: I had a really hard time picking a fave for Historical movie of 2018, there has been a lot of great movies that have come out this year. Other contenders are Vice, Operation Finale, Mary Queen of Scots, First Man, Colette, Outlaw King, BlacKKKlansmen, and Green Book to name a small few.

Podcast: You Must Remember This

Though this podcast debuted by Slate in 2014, everyone is looking for a podcast recommendation, right? Host and writer Karina Longworth delves into Hollywood and Film History of the Silver Screen Era with some modern takes and comparisons with today’s world. Narrated and told as if you were gossiping together at an Oscar’s Viewing Party, listen to this if you want to get the dish on all of the scandals and drama of Hollywood’s past.

http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/

News: 8-Year Old Girl Pulls Sword From Lake of King Arthur’s Excalibur

ALL HAIL QUEEN SAGA!

Histastrophe Post: The Nose Goes: When Octavian Meets Alexander the Great

My most popular and visited post of this year goes to When Octavian Meets Alexander the Great. Apparently, folks are super interested in both the whereabouts and fate of Alexander’s corpse in 2018!

The Nose Goes: When Octavian Meets Alexander the Great

It starts like any whimsical joke, so Octavian meets Alexander the Great. And, naturally, the end of it is marked with a well-placed punch. Not least of all, the humor in it accented by the fact that Alexander is, well, super dead. To bring us back to this moment in time, Octavian who is soon…

And with that, thank god 2018 is over. Happy New Year!