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Table of contents
In a word, this island is well supplied with springs of sweet water which not only makes the use of it enjoyable for those who pass their life there but also contribute to the health and vigour of their bodies. And since their ventures turned out according to their expectations, they amassed great wealth and essayed to voyage beyond the Pillars of Heracles into the sea which men call the ocean. And it has come to pass that this shrine has been held in an honour beyond the ordinary, both at the time of its building and in comparatively recent days down even to our own lifetime.
Also many Romans, distinguished men who have performed great deeds, have offered vows to this god, and these vows they have performed after the completion of their successes. And after being storm-tossed for many days they were carried ashore on the island we mentioned above, and when they had observed its felicity and nature they caused it to be known to all men. For it was their thought that, since they were masters of the sea, they would thus be able to move, households and all, to an island which was unknown to their conquerors.
Opposite that part of Gaul which lies on the ocean and directly across from the Hercynian Forest, 7 as it is called, which is the largest of any in Europe of which tradition tells us, there are many islands out in the ocean of which the largest is that known as Britain. But we shall give a detailed account of the events of this conquest in connection with the appropriate period of time, 9 and at present we shall discuss the island and the tin which is found in it.
JW Cleland
This island stretches obliquely along the coast of Europe, and the point where it is least distant from the mainland, we are told, is the promontory which men call Cantium, 10 and this is about one hundred stades from the land, 11 at the place where the sea has its outlet, 12 whereas the second promontory, known as Belerium, 13 is said to be a voyage of four days from the mainland, and the last, writers tell us, extends out into the open sea and is named Orca.
They use chariots, for instance, in their wars, even as tradition tells us the old Greek heroes did in the Trojan War, and their dwellings are humble, being built for the most part out of reeds or logs. The method they employ of harvesting their grain crops is to cut off no more than the heads and store them away in roofed granges, and then each day they pick out the ripened heads and grind them, getting in this way their food. Their way of living is modest, since they are well clear of the luxury which is begotten of wealth. The island is also thickly populated, and its climate is extremely cold, as one would expect, since it actually lies under the Great Bear.
It is held by many kings and potentates, who for the most part live at peace among themselves. The inhabitants of Britain who dwell about the promontory known as Belerium 17 are especially hospitable to strangers and have adopted a civilized manner of life because of their intercourse with merchants of other peoples. They it is who work the tin, treating the bed which bears it in an ingenious manner.
Then they work the tin into pieces the size of knuckle-bones and convey it to an island which lies off Britain and is called Ictis; 19 for at the time of ebb-tide the space between this island and the mainland becomes dry and they can take the tin in large quantities over to the island on their wagons. Directly opposite the part of Scythia which lies above Galatia there is an island out in the open sea which is called Basileia.
But since the creators of this fictitious tale have one and all erred, and have been refuted by what has transpired at later times, we must give ear to the accounts which are truthful; for the fact is that amber is gathered on the island we have mentioned and is brought by the natives to the opposite continent, and that it is conveyed through the continent to the regions known to us, as we have stated. Now Celtica was ruled in ancient times, so we are told, by a renowned man who had a daughter who was of unusual stature and far excelled in beauty all the other maidens.
But she, because of her strength of body and marvellous comeliness, was so haughty that she kept refusing every man who wooed her in marriage, since she believed that no one of her wooers was worthy of her. And when he had attained to man's estate and had succeeded to the throne of his fathers, he subdued a large part of the neighbouring territory and accomplished great feats in war. Becoming renowned for his bravery, he called his subjects Galatae or Gauls 24 after himself, and these in turn gave their name to all of Galatia or Gaul.
Gaul is inhabited by many tribes of different size; for the largest number some two hundred thousand men, and the smallest fifty thousand, one of the latter 25 standing on terms of kinship and friendship with the Romans, a relationship which has endured from ancient times down to our own day. The largest one of those which flow into our waters is the Rhone, which has its sources in the Alps and empties into the sea by five mouths. And almost all of them become frozen over by the cold and thus bridge their own streams, and since the natural smoothness of the ice makes the crossing slippery for those who pass over, they sprinkle chaff on it and thus have a crossing which is safe.
Consequently many of the Italian traders, induced by the love of money which characterizes them, believe that the love of wine of these Gauls is their own godsend. For around their wrists and arms they wear bracelets, around their necks heavy necklaces of solid gold, 29 and huge rings they wear as well, and even corselets of gold. Consequently, when they are eating, their moustaches become entangled in the food, and when they are drinking, the beverage passes, as it were, through a kind of a strainer.
The service at the meals is performed by the youngest children, both male and female, who are of suitable age; and near at hand are their fireplaces heaped with coals, and on them are caldrons and spits holding whole pieces of meat. Brave warriors they reward with the choicest portions of the meat, in the same manner as the poet introduces Ajax as honoured by the chiefs after he returned victorious from his single combat with Hector: They bring along to war also their free men to serve them, choosing them out from among the poor, and these attendants they use in battle as charioteers and as shield-bearers.
It is also their custom, when they are formed for battle, to step out in front of the line and to challenge the most valiant men from among their opponents to single combat, brandishing their weapons in front of them to terrify their adversaries. And some men among them, we are told, boast that they have not accepted an equal weight of gold for the head they show, displaying a barbarous sort of greatness of soul; for not to sell that which constitutes a witness and proof of one's valour is a noble thing, but to continue to fight against one of our own race, after he is dead, is to descend to the level of beasts.
Some of them have iron cuirasses, chain-wrought, but others are satisfied with the armour which Nature has given them and go into battle naked. In place of the short sword they carry long broad-swords which are hung on chains of iron or bronze and are worn along the right flank. And some of them gather up their shirts with belts plated with gold or silver. Some of these javelins come from the forge straight, others twist in and out in spiral shapes for their entire length, the purpose being that the thrust may not only cut the flesh, but mangle it as well, and that the withdrawal of the spear may lacerate the wound.
They are also boasters and threateners and are fond of pompous language, and yet they have sharp wits and are not without cleverness at learning. These men sing to the accompaniment of instruments which are like lyres, and their songs may be either of praise or of obloquy. Philosophers, as we may call them, and men learned in religious affairs are unusually honoured among them and are called by them Druids. They also observe a custom which is especially astonishing and incredible, in case they are taking thought with respect to matters of great concern; for in such cases they devote to death a human being and plunge a dagger into him in the region above the diaphragm, 33 and when the stricken victim has fallen they read the future from the manner of his fall and from the twitching of his limbs, as well as from the gushing of the blood, having learned to place confidence in an ancient and long-continued practice of observing such matters.
In this way, even among the wildest barbarians, does passion give place before wisdom, and Ares stands in awe of the Muses. The peoples who dwell in the interior above Massalia, those on the slopes of the Alps, and those on this side the Pyrenees mountains are called Celts, whereas the peoples who are established above this land of Celtica in the parts which stretch to the north, both along the ocean and along the Hercynian Mountain, and all the peoples who come after these, as far as Scythia, are known as Gauls; the Romans, however, include all these nations together under a single name, calling them one and all Gauls.
Their children are usually born with grayish hair, but as they grow older the colour of their hair changes to that of their parents. Captives also are used by them as victims for their sacrifices in honour of the gods. Certain of them likewise slay, together with the human beings, such animals as are taken in war, or burn them or do away with them in some other vengeful fashion. It is their practice to sleep upon the ground on the skins of wild beasts and to tumble with a catamite on each side. I think I smiled from page one to the end with just a few stumbles along the way. Despite this discord, family is family and when it comes down to it, they are there when he needs it.
And he needs it. William is a buffalo shifter with a past. He wants to help. Still, once Donnie gives up trying to convince William that he can help, he decides to just take matters into his own hands. Well, yeah, but you have to read it to find out why. Sep 11, Joyfully Jay rated it really liked it Shelves: Updated to add audiobook review. A Joyfully Jay review.
When I read the blurb, I knew I had to give this one a try. I was not disappointed. First, I want to start by talking about Donnie and William. From the first page, Donnie took a place Updated to add audiobook review. From the first page, Donnie took a place in my heart. He was adorable, and I was crazy about how much he liked William. I could picture him making goo goo eyes at William from across the room, and it made me smile.
I liked William right off the bat as well. I have a thing for grumpy bearded guys. The chemistry between Donnie and William was obvious…and hilarious. These two gave me quite a few laugh out loud moments. They were already charming and sexy, and the humor took it to a whole new level. It was exciting, and I was completely caught up in it. I was pleased at how it all tied up. Imagine a field full of coyotes including one who does a mean hyena call , a few bears, some birds of prey, and even a bobcat.
Frankly, it was awesome! Sep 18, Wax rated it liked it Shelves: Loved the concept of coyote and bison shifters. And the characters were appealing, with Donnie pining over the strong, silent William don't call him Bill. However, once things started to happen, there was just too much misunderstanding and misplaced angst. Jul 23, Widya Vello rated it really liked it Shelves: A quick read story of cute hyperactive coyote shifter and aloof growly buffalo shifter.
They make such an unusual but adorable duo. Though sometimes it irked me everytime Donnie made a childish and reckless action but I still liked him because he's just too cute and funny to resist. There are several sweet and heart melting moments between them that made my day. Feb 18, Claudia rated it it was ok Shelves: Bill was not someone I wanted to get to know and to be honest I don't think I did.
He is awkward and funny and flirty and just a real person with a major crush on someone that happens to be under investigation. William is on the run sort of and he didnt want to get involved with anyone because no one can handle all the craziness that is his life but Donnie squished himself in and wont give up his newest love. I really liked how the characters shifted into different animals and how they couldn smell and hear like animals when in human form.
If the whole gay romance bugs you well it wasnt my favorite part of it but since it is told in first person it wasnt he he it was I and he so It was easy to read. I got to meet the author and she was really nice and it was a really funny book and I think im going to continue on with the series. Oct 09, Kari rated it it was ok Shelves: I don't think I'm the target audience for this book. Also, apart from the shifting aspect one character is a coyote, the other an American Bison, and there are other shifter characters , this felt like a regular ol' no-magic-here romance novel.
I don't really read books that don't have magic or sci-fi in them. It's a character flaw. Honestly, I think the author was like 'haha I could name him William a Hmm. Honestly, I think the author was like 'haha I could name him William and have him be a bison' and then just wrote the book around that conceit. I didn't really like Donnie our MC --less because he was a bad character and more because I didn't really feel like I got to know him.
Also, his name sounds Given that William is a badass who takes quiet and stoic to unheard of levels, I suspect that Sterek might be where this story started. William is also bearded, buff, and strong. He takes his coffee black and doesn't really like sweets. I didn't like that William treats Donnie as a child for most of the story These are not bad character traits, but they're glossed over, and all contribute to the feeling of a young character.
And the way they're presented in the story feels distinctly 'judge-y'--they could have worked, but it feels like the author doesn't approve of his lifestyle, either. Donnie and William don't seem to have much in common, apart from thinking the other is hot. There's also A LOT of second-hand embarassment in this novel, which I guess doesn't bother everyone but sure as hell bothers me.
LacusCurtius • Diodorus Siculus — Book V Chapters 19‑40
And William keeps having sex with Donnie to distract Donnie from asking questions. I know what the author was aiming for sweet home-maker helps soften the edges of stoic manly-man , but it felt really classic het romance novel to me, and not in a good way. Also, I checked how many pages were left of this book. That's not a good fit for me.
I wasn't sure what that meant, so I googled it, and lo and behold, it's Donnie to a T: Too Stupid To Live. Yep, that's Donnie alright. I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads. This is a ridiculously silly but still kinda fun shifter romance.
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It starts out quite sensibly with an excitable, twinky barista fancying one of his customers, an older college professor. Some of the humour came from ridiculous villains using exaggerated dialogue straight from a s TV crime drama. Even more of the humour came from the WTF moments where I tried to figure out what was going on. So many complicated back plots are referenced and not clarified in this story that I was sure I was jumping into the middle of an established series until I rechecked that this is Book 1 on Goodreads.
There are also some serious moments as Donnie tries to figure out his future and work through his relationship with his family. Without thinking too hard, this is a fun and exciting read. Sep 12, Duncan Husky rated it really liked it Shelves: This is such a fun story! The setting alone, a shifter-friendly university in Cody, Wyoming in a world where humans are unaware shifters exist, creates all kinds of possibilities. This is kind of obvious given that the book is labeled "Shifter U. Donnie is such a lovable goofball.
He's smart, funny, and impulsive - every bit the coyote. He's a perfect foil for William, a stoic and taciturn professorial-type. The sparks between the two of them are so fun to r This is such a fun story! The sparks between the two of them are so fun to read as they waver between "I can't keep away from you!
I think it's a great endorsement that I was invested enough in Donnie and William that I was in tears as they reached their Happily Ever After Spoiler? They really are a sweet couple. The side characters are quite entertaining too, even if most of them have little time on the page. Donnie's best friend Ford stands out, not only as a smart and pragmatic guy, but also an intriguing type of shifter. I would guess we'll be seeing more of Ford in the next book in this series.
The one place where the plot breaks down a bit is the international espionage element.
It just seemed a little over the top. It's well-written and keeps things moving along well enough that it's a minor annoyance, though. I'll give this one 4. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Surtout les derniers avec "I love you" sur chacuns d'eux. Dec 07, Riayl rated it it was ok Shelves: The beginning when Donnie is crushing on William and trying to find out about him is cute but once they really start interacting with each other things start to go south. And then the action and bad guys come in and things just get wonky.
Donnie is an idiot. William is an ass.
The random shifters vs bad guys was I have no words, let's just say I thought it was Lack of communication, stupid decisions. I spent the second half of the book whining, "Are we there yet? Sep 11, Sara Bauer rated it it was amazing. This was my first J.
Leigh Bailey novel, and I was not disappointed. I adore her sense of humor, and the sex scenes were scorching. Although this is a romance story, there was so much more to it: Sep 01, Stephanie rated it it was amazing Shelves: Not your typical shifter series! While William is definitely an alpha shifter, the story is told by loveable Donnie, who's a bit manic in his thoughts at times, insecure, but driven.
This is the type of story I pick up intending to read a few pages and suddenly an hour goes by. May 17, T. Smith rated it it was amazing. Tams gives this one 5 Stars Love the play on words in this story Donnie has been smitten with William since the first day he walked into the coffee shop Donnie works at.
What he doesn't know is that the feeling just might be mutual. The two of them are thrust into each other's worlds by bad circumstance and Donnie tries to make lemonaid out of lemons, but William doesn't make it easy. He's domineering by nature and has a protective nature that comes across more like a warden. One can only hop Tams gives this one 5 Stars One can only hope they figure out the schematics of their volatile relationship before William's past settles the deal for them.
Loved the story, a different twist on the classic shifter tale that is so worn out as of late. I really do hope that there are more books in the 'Shifter U' universe. The story is intriguing and the narration definitely did the book and the characters justice. I loved the deep, sexy, baritone Finn Sterling used for William while giving Donnie an occasionally manic tone that totally fit his disposition.
If you're a fan of Shifter stories you have to check this one out, it's really good.
This was a really fun book with a fair amount of action and lots of humor and some nice chemistry as well! Donnie is a great character as is Buffalo Bill. I hope to see this as a series in the future. This is a story that makes you laugh, has a bit of a mystery and a touch of angst. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and audio and highly recomm This was a really fun book with a fair amount of action and lots of humor and some nice chemistry as well! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and audio and highly recommend it! Mar 05, Riina Y. Fun story with an awesome cast!! Oh I loved Donnie!
Bill was great too. Looking forward to the second installment, it's already waiting on my kindle: Mar 30, Tiferet rated it really liked it Shelves: Cute characters and tropey fun. Jul 09, Gabriella rated it liked it Shelves: Good romantic-suspense story, but a little light with the romance part.
The constant back and forth in Donnie's and William's relationship was also a bit tiring. I've said this before but I really like reading about how an author explains a shifter world that they've created. Plus, Donnie being a coyote and William being a bison are something different! It's rare to see these types of shifters! I love reading about Ford as well! Don't we all want a BFF like him? I can't wait to read the next one since it will be about him!
I love the last chapter! I definitely agreed with Donnie about William there! Feb 17, Manlove rated it liked it. But I stuck with it because the main character was funny and delightful. Sep 04, Katherine rated it really liked it. I have to admit, I did enjoy the beginning of this book better than the middle, but it was still a book I enjoyed in the end. Donnie, a barista and a coyote shifter, has a huge crush on one of his patrons. A regular that enjoys the savoury rather than the sweet, William is a professor at the nearby University and a buffalo shifter.
The same day Donnie finally gets the nerve to speak to William and isn't rebuffed also just so happens to be the same day that some very unsavoury men come in looking I have to admit, I did enjoy the beginning of this book better than the middle, but it was still a book I enjoyed in the end. The same day Donnie finally gets the nerve to speak to William and isn't rebuffed also just so happens to be the same day that some very unsavoury men come in looking for William.
In a bid to make sure his man is safe Donnie rushes headlong into protecting William, and soon finds himself caught up in some old business from William's past.
- TEXANA,MEXICO From MySEABooks.
- Sacrifices;
- Dragons Among the Eagles?
- The Business of Photography?
Donnie is friendly is a little hyperactive. He has a loving family, close best friend, and has an easy time making friends around the town. The only thing is he doesn't really have anything steady in his working life; with his family not even seeing college as worth it they don't really support that he wants to work anywhere outside of the oil fields, and with his hyperactivity and being unsure of what he wants he's never been able to settle down.
It makes Donnie a little unsure of his worth and this pops up quite a few times in his run-ins with William and everything that happens.