A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

I love this genre of mythological fiction, and it was certainly the time to read this book, starting it just prior to our trip to Turkey and our tour of Troy.

And I love the idea of this book, bringing to light the untold stories of the women impacted by the Trojan War.

But for some reason it didn't work quite as well as I had hoped.  

It's difficult to understand why.  Perhaps it's the lack of a narrative, even though I know my Iliad and Odyssey quite well.  It read more like a series of short stories, which I can certainly enjoy, but wasn't expecting in this case.

But still I'm happy to have read it, for the new perspectives these stories add to the rich tapestry of The Iliad, The Odyssey, and the broader canon of the ancient Mediterranean world.

The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World

Once again, these guides are invaluable to understanding and exploring such massive topics.  Among other findings, this book has underscored the need to read Polybius before completing my study of the age.

Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age by Peter Green

I love big books on big topics, and this one didn't disappoint.  Green covered the spectrum of the Hellenistic era, covering the military and political progress, but more interestingly the social, cultural and religious progress as well.

The era was unsettling for most people, rocking the political underpinnings of the known world, motivating people to think more inwardly and independently.  Rather than focusing on the glory of their city-state, people tended to focus on their immediate family and their inner thoughts.  Hence the rise of Epicureanism and Stoicism.

Art focused on realistic features, including the ugly, poor and struggles of life.  

These themes and more were explored in great detail, and I'm grateful to have found such a wonderful overview of so important an era.

Now I need to decide how many specific topics of the Hellenistic I want to dive further into (art, literature, religion?) before moving squarely on to the Roman republic.

Albert Schweitzer - Out of my life and thought

I bought this slim paperback perhaps 30 years ago, for $0.40 at McKay Used Books in Knoxville.  In need of a quick palette cleanse, I ripped through it this week.

Although most well known for the hospital he founded and led in equatorial Africa, it turns out that Schweitzer was something of a polymath, a latter day DaVinci.  I would estimate only 5-10% of the book recounts his time spent in Africa.

He was also renowned as a preacher, a writer of philosophical works, and a celebrated organist and Bach expert.

Schweitzer hailed originally from the Strasbourg region, which began his life as part of Germany, ending as part of France, changing hands as a result of WWI.  This unique perspective over the course of both WWI and WWII elevated him in my mind to a man-of-the-world, the very opposite of a nationalist, a concept which he abhorred.

I skipped over most of his philosophical and religious thinking; my interest centered on his philanthropic work, which was ground breaking and thoroughly interesting, if only one part of his prolific life.

Istanbul by Bettany Hughes

 I needed a refresher on Istanbul's long, complicated history, and this book by Bettany Hughes fit the bill.

With our trip to Istanbul less than three months away, I'm now reminded of the cultural prominence of this remarkable city.

I can hardly wait to experience it in person, after reading about it for 25+ years!

Philip & Alexander by Adrian Goldsworthy

I'm diving into the Hellenistic with this book on the father-son legends of Philip and Alexander of Macedon.  I debated whether to read one book on each, but am happy with this singular study of both characters.

Goldsworthy makes a strong case that Alexander's success wouldn't have happened without Philip.  The latter elevated Macedon from a struggling, weak, regional power, to the most ascendant state in the Greek world of that time.  Philip innovated the art of war in ways without which Alexander would have struggled profoundly, and likely would have foundered had he launched his conquest of Persia.

Having said that, Alexander was obviously an extraordinary specimen.  His fortitude and single-minded effort to conquer Persia was unprecedented.

Yes, it was the combination of Philip and Alexander that led to the greatest conquest the world had yet seen.

Their stories are that of war, a fact that I did not necessarily look forward to.  But Goldsworthy admirably broke the monotony of battle, siege and warfare with stories of the personalities, politics and cultures that shaped the conquest.

As I wind down the book, I look forward to exploring the post-Alexander period of the Hellenistic and the cultural achievements of that age.

The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle by Russell Miller

For a number of years now I have been wanting to read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, something I recently began to do.

And as part of that same project I've read this biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in an effort to better understand the man, the time and the stories.

I always love reading about writers; they always seem to live such interesting lives.  Doyle didn't disappoint, with a life that reached far beyond Holmes.

Doyle was the reluctant creator of Holmes, whom he felt placed limits on his acceptance as a writer of more serious works.

The first 3/4 of the book was quite interesting; I skimmed through the last 1/4, covering Doyle's foray into the world of spiritualism, a belief that consumed the last decades of his life.  If anything was to diminish his legacy, it would not be Holmes, but his prominent leadership of this spiritualist movement.

Nonetheless, the book helped create context for better understanding and a deeper appreciation of the Holmes stories, something I hope to enjoy for a long time to come.