Welcome to Litsy!

It‘s unusual to read a historical fiction set in ancient Mesopotamia, and I appreciated experiencing that culture. Jomar & Zefa are a brother & sister sent to the city of Ur to find a new life when their family is facing starvation on their farm. Jomar is apprenticed to a goldsmith, and Zefa tries to find her way as a musician.

*I received this #MiddleGrade #audiobook through the #Librofm Educator #ALC program.
Audio duration: 3 hours 34 minutes

History fans, the episode this week is for you. We delve into the first part of Adrienne Mayor's fantastic book, “The Poison King.“ A riveting history of Mithradates, the legendary king who for a time was the biggest threat to the Roman Empire. We discuss fascinating details, stories, and more. Thanks for listening!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rNtUiUPI5WwyQJLVxR8HO

Mary Beard brings to life the Roman emperors in this fascinating study of their daily lives, homes & customs. She has a rich knowledge of this period to draw from &, following SPQR, this is an attempt to look at the emperors & their subjects as real people rather than a dry history. I don‘t know enough about the era so found it confusing switching between emperors as it‘s told as a series of anecdotes. But history buffs will enjoy this fresh take.

Excellently written, Mike Duncan does a thorough job at communicating the years and decades of Roman history prior to the rise of figures like Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar. Besides covering major events, wars, and social tensions, this book highlights how these events frequently led to constitutional crises, and how these crises frequently resulted in violations of established laws and precedents, Additionally, Duncan frequently mentions and highlights how these events influenced later events and built upon each other. Highly recommend the book.

Great collection of ancient inventions! I gave my copy to my brother in law.

This is not a chronological account of the different emperors from Octavian 44 BCE until Alexander Severus death 235 CE. This is a look at what it meant to be an emperor, what where your responsibilities, what recognized a good emperor, how was the household run and all your employees. It also looks at the women close to the emperor like mother and wife. It closes of with a look at how some of the emperors where turned into goods after their death

I'm slowly making my way through my collection of Trojan War stories.
The author refers to Ulysses (Odysseus) as the "boldest pirate-king." What an interesting description. It gives a vivid idea not only of his character but of his ancient lifestyle in so few words.

I love these, will definitely manage all 4! Thanks for this interesting ( and really useful to #readyourkindle) reading challenge, @CBee!!

I like the Odyssey more than the Iliad. So maybe that‘s part of this, but the author is more trope then man. He tells you that he brings the Iliad with him when he travels and it never fails to move him to tears. I‘m picturing him on Southwest Airlines between a overtired toddler and their parent assuring them “It‘s okay! It‘s just…Achilles!” And sobbing.