John h. Oakley — Blog

What a month! The spooky season is over for another year, and I know I’ve said it already multiple times this year, but this was the quickest month I’ve ever experienced. I was thinking about maybe reading some spooky books, but I knew deep down that wasn’t going to happen due to how I am 100% a mood reader.

I finished five books this month; two audiobooks, two non fiction and one re-read and it was such a wonderful month of reading! The fact that I read two non-fictions in one month (again!) astounds me, but I guess since one of them was all about Greek pottery and was half images helps understand it better.

The first book I finished in October was Raelia by Lynette Noni. Raelia is the second book in the Medoran Chronicles which follows Alex, a teenage girl from Earth (Freya), who finds herself in a completely different world. This world, Medora, is full of gifted humans and other races of mortals, but most notable, the mysterious immortal race of the Meyarins and their lost city of Meya. I listened to the audiobook of Raelia and it was fantastic! It’s getting more intense, the stakes are getting higher, and the Stealth and Subterfuge part of this book was such a highlight!

The second book I read this month was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This was a re read and a buddy read with my lovely friend Myrthe over at SunflowerWinters, and it was truly a lovely time. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those books I read for the first time when I was younger, about 13, and I have re read it multiple times since then (with one of those times being to study it in school). Although I definitely got more out of it in this re read, and there are subtle nuances that definitely went over my head in previous readings, the nostalgia that is connected to this book will always be there. I adore Scout as the narrator, and Atticus is one of the best father figures I have ever encountered in a piece of literary work. This will always be a favourite book, and a huge comfort read for me.

Book number three for October was The Greek Vase: Art of the Story Teller by John H. Oakley, and it was my first non-fiction read of the month. This richly illustrated book takes you on a journey through the history, creation, use and decoration of vessels from Ancient Greece from c. 800 BCE through to the Classical Period. Oakley takes you through the changes in designs throughout the years and reasons for fluctuation in subject choice, he takes you through the specific functions of each different type of vessel, and how often, the form, function and design are all interrelated. There were sections that delved into depictions of the gods and deities of Greek mythology, daily life of the ancient Greeks, and one of my favourite sections, the discussion around the makers of the vessels. I loved learning about how we have attributed some potters and painters to particular vessels, even if they didn't sign them. It’s all so fascinating, and if you haven’t noticed by now, I absolutely LOVE learning about pottery.

Coming to book number four is my favourite book of the month, and thats Draekora by Lynette Noni, the third book in the Medoran Chronicles. Once again I listened to the audiobook, and if I haven’t been clear thus far - I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook. The narrator is fantastic and you get so immersed into the story it’s hard to stop listening (I’m pretty sure I finished this book at 2am because I just couldn’t stop listening, the suspense was too much). In this instalment, you get a lot more Meya, and you get to learn a lot more about the Meyarins that you’re already familiar with, plus the brand new Draekora, and a couple of new characters (one of which has become my absolute favourite in the series). These books just keep getting more and more intense, and whenever I think Alex is in the clear and things are going her way, the plot does a 180 and I’m left completely stunned. If I had to wait for each of these books as they were released, I would have gone crazy. I am SO glad I get to just binge listen to this series. Read these books!!!!

The final book I finished in October is a book I’ve been reading since September, and that’s The Celtic Myths That Shape the Way We Think by Mark Williams. I was kindly gifted a copy of this stunning book from Thames & Hudson to review both for my blog but also for World History Encyclopedia, so thankyou again Thames & Hudson! This book was a huge undertaking by Williams, who not only summaries the myths and legends in question, but also went into the language, the sources we know them from and their presence in modern literature and pop culture. I really enjoyed it but you would definitely get more out of it if you’re already familiar with the characters and myths, and even just the language of Celtic folklore. This quote really encapsulates the book perfectly.

Once again we are reminded that what we call ‘Celtic mythology’ is not a pure substance handed down from the pagan past, but a rich amalgam that developed over centuries.’ (213)

So that’s it for my October wrap up, hope you enjoyed reading this rundown of the books I read this month! Come and let me know over on Instagram (@kell_read) what genre you read the most this month on my wrap up reel!

★★★★☆.5 - more than just a coffee table book!

The Greek Vase: The Art of the Storyteller by John H.Oakley is a richly illustrated guide to everything you need to know about Ancient Greek Pottery. This book has images on every single page of pottery from Ancient Greece, beautifully photographed and well described. This book has six main sections; Fabric, Form and Function, Potters and Painters, Depicting the Divine, Meeting the Myth Makers, A Life Well-Lived and Seducing the Senses. These sections take you through the different forms of pottery and in what contexts they would be used. They explain in detail the main decorative forms including red-figure, black-figure and white-ground, and the changes in preference for each of the design types. I absolutely loved the section ‘Potters and Painters’ which takes you through how some potters and painters have been identified and how analysing drawing styles isn’t as easy as it sounds. Pottery has been traced back to the workshop in which they were manufactured, and in some instances, pottery has been inscribed with names which makes it clear it was a family skill, passed from father to son. Honestly, the detail that was put into the designs of ancient pottery, and the fact that so many have survived so well for so long absolutely blows me away. I never thought I would love ancient pottery quite this much.

One of the most fascinating points made in ‘Meeting the Myth Makers’ is the fluctuation in preference for pottery designs, with the political changes in Athens which is clear in the decline of vases decorated Herakles and his labours (which were very popular prior to 508/7 BCE), and the increase in the depiction of Theseus during democratic Athens. The detail in which Oakley analysed the depiction of gods, goddesses and other deities was fascinating, and he posed the issue multiple times that most of the divine were depicted as humans, so pottery without the names of the figures depicted can often be analysed in multiple ways. From mythology to everyday life like sports and theatre, to weddings and funerals, the greek vase was present in every aspect of Ancient Greek life, and so much of life was depicted on them. We know so much about the daily life of the Greeks, and the Athenians specifically, from the decorative designs on pottery. The detail this book went into was an unexpected surprise, but a very happy surprise nonetheless. It truly broadened my knowledge of artistic features, function, development and ways in which to analyse Ancient Greek Pottery, and the sheer number of images accompanying the text elevates it that much more. I would recommend this book to any and all lovers of Ancient Greece, pottery, or ancient art in general!