Litsy

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff, Schiff

Took an unintentional break…. My mental health has not been good and I‘m still adjusting to my new job so I just haven‘t been reading.

Currently I‘m try very slowly to finish Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian and Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff.

Things will get better I know and maybe getting back to posting will help.

#currentlyreading #hourofthewitch #cleopatra #chrisbohjalian #stacyschiff

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I hope you‘re feeling better 💛 2y

BacklistReader @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks thanks 2y

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BacklistReader

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Stieg Larsson

What do you when you have the next three days off because you left your job but the new one doesn‘t start yet?

Try to finish the books your in the middle of so you can have a fresh book to start your next chapter with of course.

#bookstack #currentlyreading #thegirlwiththedragontattoo #hourofthewitch #cleopatra #stieglarsson #chrisbohjalian #stacyschiff

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Enjoy ❤️📚 2y

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GingerAntics

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff

pan

I was not impressed by the supposed scholarship of this work. In fact, I‘d go as far as to say this is more pseudo scholarship. There is no clear thesis, but it seems Schiff is attempting to “restore Cleopatra“ to her rightful place in history (11). Sadly, nowhere in this book does that happen. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

GingerAntics This book has about as much gossip as a celebrity magazine. If that‘s your thing and you want to say you read a book about Cleopatra, knock yourself out. If you want actual scholarship, look elsewhere. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 4y

GingerAntics Schiff talks about the sexism that built up the myth and legend of Cleopatra, but turns around to be supremely sexist to Fulvia, Antony‘s second wife. She describes Fulvia as dying of “incessant meddling” and Cleopatra as “wanton” (154). These were Schiff‘s words, not a quote. So much for telling the story sans sexism. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 4y

GingerAntics This book is far longer than it needs to be. The vast majority of the book isn‘t actually about Cleopatra, but about the men in her life and occasionally how she pulled the strings in their lives to get what she wanted. There is little here that wasn‘t done by Rome 2,000 years ago. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 4y

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GingerAntics Some of the information is interesting - Cleopatra is Greek, not Egyptian; Cleopatra knew Herod of Israel - but there is not nearly enough of that to float this book or justify its length. I won‘t be reading any more by Schiff. @Riveted_Reader_Melissa #StacySchiff #CleopatraALife #Cleopatra #biography 4y

Texreader You finished?? Am I behind or did you decide just to get it over with? I expect to write a similarly review. And no more Schiff for me either. (edited) 4y

GingerAntics @Texreader I decided to get it over with. Your right in schedule. I think we‘re going to be two unpopular opinions on this one. I‘m hoping to read Joyce Tyldesley‘s book on Cleopatra later in the year. She‘s an archaeologist and one of the few sources of Schiff. It seems like it will be better. We will see. 4y

RamsFan1963 @GingerAntics Have you read When Women Ruled The World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney? Cleopatra is only a small part of the book, but I think you'd like it. 4y

GingerAntics @RamsFan1963 I have not, but it looks much more up my alley. Thanks for the recommendation!!! 4y

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GingerAntics

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff

Oy
@Riveted_Reader_Melissa #StacySchiff #CleopatraALife #Cleopatra #biography

BarbaraTheBibliophage Wut?? Sigh. (I know I read that, but it didn‘t grab me in the book.) 4y

GingerAntics @BarbaraTheBibliophage this book had some things in it that were legitimately stereotypical toward women. This was just one. 4y

BarbaraTheBibliophage I just read the new ARC from Kate Manne. It comes out next week. Would be a good antidote to Schiff.

Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women

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GingerAntics

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff

Yes, men are so powerless. Women walk by and they just can‘t help themselves.
🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
Once again, a mentality that still plagues humanity is begun.
@Riveted_Reader_Melissa #StacySchiff #CleopatraALife #Cleopatra #biography

BarbaraTheBibliophage Ugh 4y

GingerAntics @BarbaraTheBibliophage yeah, this (and other comments like this) were a big part of why I didn‘t like this book. 4y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @GingerAntics I agree. She just encourages the mindset. 🙇🏼‍♀️ 4y

GingerAntics @BarbaraTheBibliophage exactly. It was unfortunate, really. 4y

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GingerAntics

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff

And thus prejudice that still plagues the world was begun. 🤦🏼‍♀️
@Riveted_Reader_Melissa #StacySchiff #CleopatraALife #Cleopatra #biography

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GingerAntics

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff

I can get behind this.
@Riveted_Reader_Melissa #StacySchiff #CleopatraALife #Cleopatra #biography

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GingerAntics

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff

Cleopatra if she were alive today.
@Riveted_Reader_Melissa #StacySchiff #CleopatraALife #Cleopatra #biography

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GingerAntics

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff

Found the audiobook for this on Libby. I‘m hoping this helps me get through the chapters a little better. I can listen faster than I can read.
@Graywacke oddly enough, this one has tracks divided by the chapters of the book. Some chapters, like this week‘s, have two tracks. I have 18 tracks. How many do you have? Maybe I can share my track list and it will help. They all have time signatures of their beginnings, so that could help.

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa #StacySchiff #CleopatraALife #Cleopatra #biography 4y

Graywacke I have 17 tracks. 4y

Graywacke I‘m on #15 which is 54:34 long and so far is on the brink of the battle of Actium. 4y

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GingerAntics @Graywacke mine don‘t list lengths, they list how many hours:minutes:seconds into the book each track starts at. You have one less track though. Now I‘m really confused. Mine is read by Robin Miles, is your narrator the same? 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I honestly expected you to have one more track than I did, since my first track is “Ashed Audio presents” but is also the first chapter. Hm. 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics Robin Miles is the narrator for my copy too. Same recording just Libby-audible inconsistency. (And I do wonder why they can‘t pronounce Hachette like it‘s spelled. 🙂) 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke oh my... they couldn‘t find someone to tell Miles how to pronounce it properly? Wow. 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics that‘s how they actually pronounce it, with a soft ch. “hashette” or “ashette”. 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics so my “chapter 16” starts out by saying “chapter 9”. So I think I just finished chapter 8. Which chapter is next in the discussion? 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke 6... you‘re good for the next few weeks, actually. 4y

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GingerAntics

Cleopatra: A Life | Stacy Schiff

🤬🤦🏼‍♀️😴
I‘ve finished this week‘s chapter. If I‘m being honest, I would be done with this book after that chapter if it wasn‘t for the buddy read.
@Riveted_Reader_Melissa #StacySchiff #CleopatraALife #Cleopatra #biography
@Texreader maybe I‘m channelling your mother or something, but this book. Ugh. I commend her for trying it multiple times. I feel like a kid on a road trip: are we there yet?! Is it over yet? 🤦🏼‍♀️

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Maybe it‘s spaced out too much? 🤷‍♀️ 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I don‘t know. I feel like I‘m getting way too much detail in places and not enough in others. It feels long winded when it doesn‘t need to be. It‘s just exhausting and not in a good way. 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa If you want to DNF, I won‘t hold it against you, there are far too many books in the sea, so to speak, if you aren‘t enjoying what you‘re reading. 4y

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GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 🤣😂🤣 thanks! I was part of what got us all into this, so I kind of want to stick it out if I can. Sometimes it‘s good to push through. I think knowing I just have to read a chapter a week really helps me keep going. 4y

Texreader @GingerAntics I feel the same way. Some passages feel so incomplete, then we get drowned with detail. It‘s weird. But like you, if it‘s just one chapter a week I think I can do it. We will see. 4y

GingerAntics @Texreader one chapter a week is really helping. It makes it part of the regular weekly schedule and you just do it and leave it until next week. 4y

Texreader @GingerAntics Exactly. It does feel a bit like homework! 4y

GingerAntics @Texreader 🤣😂🤣 that‘s a perfect way to put it. I think it‘s good for me to push through and finish this, because sometimes you do have to push through stuff you don‘t want to, so having practice and getting to do it with friends is always helpful. 4y

Texreader @GingerAntics So true. To be honest I wish the chapters weren‘t so darned long. I‘m such a slow reader and I want to read other things. But I feel like the pace we set, and with friends along, I can do this... 4y

GingerAntics @Texreader you got this!!! Have you tried text to speech? It makes long, miserable things like this much more bearable. 4y

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