Thought I'd get it rolling.

I'm reading the Guilded Chamber by Rebecca Kohn.  It's about Xerxes and Queen Esther.

Melody, please let me know how this turns out. I have been wanting to read some stuff about Xerxes but was afraid that it this one would be too religious for my taste.

Me too, Melody!

Gee, I wonder how many of us are reading Black Ships this month. Hmm. ;-)

Currently, I'm about half-way through Lavinia. I can see that I'm going to confuse these 2 stories. The General'll have to straighten me out.

Did anyone read Stealing Athena by Karen Essex yet? I have this one and Abundance (which I know I want to read) out from the library.

Genie

I'm just finishing up Gallileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, likely standard historical fiction, but it's turned out to be a biography told using a unique construction. Enjoyable but dry. I've a few chapters to go--he's not quite dead yet, LOL! (Isn't that where every biography has to end?)

I have been thinking the same thing Genie. However, it seems to me that Lavinia tells the end of the story (Aeneas' landing in Italy and his reign) and Black Ships tells the beginning of the story (the fall of Troy and his journey to Italy). I THINK that's the case anyway. If so, then we will just be reading the story in reverse order.

You're absolutely right, Jennifer! But it's my ability to keep that very simple distinction straight that's the issue. LOL!

I'm loving Lavinia. Has anyone read anything else by Le Guin? She's been writing for years, but she's never been more than a name I recognized before. What else do you like by her?

I just finished The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber.  This was one that kind of grew on me as at first the multiple personna viewpoint thing sort of distracted me.    It's a DaVinci Code type thriller but about William Shakespeare and I think much better written than DVC.  As an ex-theatre/english major I love anything about The Bard!

I've just about finished our BOM for August. I don't want to say much here as I don't want to give anything away and Jennifer has done such a great job with her multiple thread idea.

I think next I am going to finish the third "book" in Katherine of Aragon by Jean Plaidy.  I believe it is called The King's Secret Matter.  I really like Plaidy's treatment of Katherine very much.  What a sad but brave lady she was.

Genie, this is the first book by Le Guin I have read. It seems to me that she writes mostly Sci- Fi, which is why I have avoided her so far. I was really surprised when I saw that she was writing Lavinia which seemed a bit outside of her normal genre. But I agree, it is a really good book so far. I love the writing style. It is definitely unique.

Sci-Fi, huh. Guess I'll steer clear too.

But Lavinia is fabulous. I think I like it even better than Black Ships.

Just finished:

• "The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

   Just started:  "A Dangerous Fortune" by Ken Follett

I loved Galilieo's Daughter, and I also like LeGuin, although I'm not usually a SciFi reader.

I'm reading a non-fiction about Theodora of Byzantium (I think that is actually the title)

Mimi, Did you read Lavinia? I loved it, although I've never read the Aeneid. I wonder how much I would have liked it if I already knew the story. Meaning, I wonder if any of it would rise to the level of a new interpretation - or just something different.

I've not, the LeGuin books I've read have been her SciFi ones.

I'm reading the Red Rose of Anjou (yep...back to Plaidy's Planatagent series) after a hiatus to read some lighthearted fare - The Real Animal House. The awesomly depraved saga of the fraternity that inspired the movie. It was silly, but it was cute too. Red Rose is so far, so good.

Well, I had been reading Stealing Athena by Karen Essex but I couldn't find it yesterday so I started reading Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick which I think I'll finish first even though Stealing Athena showed up today:)

Aimee, thanks for mentioning Vivaldi's Virgins!! I hadn't heard of it, and it sounds great. I made a spot on my full wishlist for it, but let us know what you think of it.  I don't think I've read anything at all by this author, and I don't want to waste a precious WL spot if it sucks. ;-).

I really enjoyed Karen Essex's books about Cleopatra, and was very excited to get an ARC of Athena. Then, I realized the ARC had a few pages missing! Aargh.  Has anyone else read the Cleopatra books by Essex? The reviews I saw were very mixed, but I enjoyed both books.

Over the past week, I have read The Blood Axe by Eileene Harrison Beer, April Blood by Lauro Martines, and I just finished The Scandal of the Season by Sophie Gee.

I'm still reading and enjoying Alhambra and Black Ships.

I've got a trip scheduled to Taiwan Aug 12-21, so that means I should be able to get alot of reading done this month.  I actually look forward to the long flights so I can have an excuse to just sit and read for hours!!

I've started in on Black Ships and also just started Becoming Madame Moa by Anchee Min.  Others on my TBR list for this month are The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George, Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors, The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

I'm reading Stealing Athena, too. So far I like it.

I'm almost done with "The Rossetti Letter" by Christi Phillips, I'm really enjoying it!

Am gonna start The Crystal Skull by Manda Scott.

Gosh I think I am going to have to read Lavinia!  My youngest daughter loves Ms LeGuin and has I think everyhing she had written but it was nearly all Sci-Fi.  I was really bored last summer and read everything that the "kid" had left behind in the house by that author.  I thought they were vey good but I'm just not a huge fan of the genre so I would love to read something HF!

Surprise!  I'm also reading Black Ships, which I just started last night so I haven't been able to participate in any of the discussion threads on it so far. Hopefully I'll be through the first section by the weekend and will be able to jump into the discussion.  I'm glad I read this thread as now, of course, I'll have to check out  Lavinia.

I also just got notified that Lords of the North is in for me at the library, so I suppose I'm going to have to try to read that one at the same time as Black Ships.  I really got into Uhtred with our July BOM (The Last Kingdom) that I had to read the second book in the series, The Pale Horseman.  Now I'm so far into it, that I have to finish the series (or at least get up to date - I don't think Cornwell is done yet, is he?). 

No, Cornwell isn't done yet. The 4th book is Sword Song, and there'll be more.

Great [she says sarcastically]!  More books to eventually add to my TBR pile! 

I know how you feel. (: