Reading roundup
Jews, God, and History, Max Dimont.
A classic that is now very dated- interesting more as historiography than history, but a good read nonetheless.
Five Children and It, E. Nesbitt.
This is cute. It's one of that particular era of children's novels, that both talk down to children and characterize them as odd little adults. It's also chock-full of British schoolboyisms- such a very definite flavor. Completely enjoyable, if nothing earth-shaking.
Pompeii, Robert Harris
This is fantastically fun fluff. It needs a hook to hang off- simple death and destruction wouldn't do it- and the Roman aqueducts actually make for a very good one. It still can't be a TERRIBLY good story, with that particular end looming down on it, but it sustains interest right up to the very end and the guy obviously knows his Roman-engineering-stuff... And Roman engineering hardly needs help to be very interesting and impressive.
A classic that is now very dated- interesting more as historiography than history, but a good read nonetheless.
Five Children and It, E. Nesbitt.
This is cute. It's one of that particular era of children's novels, that both talk down to children and characterize them as odd little adults. It's also chock-full of British schoolboyisms- such a very definite flavor. Completely enjoyable, if nothing earth-shaking.
Pompeii, Robert Harris
This is fantastically fun fluff. It needs a hook to hang off- simple death and destruction wouldn't do it- and the Roman aqueducts actually make for a very good one. It still can't be a TERRIBLY good story, with that particular end looming down on it, but it sustains interest right up to the very end and the guy obviously knows his Roman-engineering-stuff... And Roman engineering hardly needs help to be very interesting and impressive.