This was one of the weirdest reading months I’ve had in a very, very long time. I tell everyone my reading tastes are eclectic but, this month was a little too convoluted even for me! It included reviewing a giant stack of upcoming Catholic non-fiction titles for a local parish (they are updating their parish library and asked me for some guidance) and a string of recently released erotic fiction titles, and the epic historical text of Rome SPQR. Since it was a pretty extensive list this month, I’m not going to list them all but if you are interested in some recc’s in either of those genres, I’m your girl!
As for SPQR: A History of Rome by Mary Beard, this made me feel like I had retreated back to college history. It was intriguing and the narrative feel made the history jump off the page, but there is no denying the weight of this volume. It’s not light reading, it’s not for entertainment…it’s for educational purposes whether they be scholarly or a personal hobby. It took me a few chapters to understand the format (history is given then dissected by what is popular belief and what is fact versus fiction), but once I had that down I was able to finish the book without too many head shakes. The text is sprinkled liberally with diagrams, drawings and art work to support the research which was helpful and upped the “textbook” feel of the title. So…recommended for scholars, people with a STRONG interest in Roman history, or those who need it for their own book research 😀
Elizabeth Blair Books 