SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome | 
pickA brilliant history of Ancient Rome. Mary Beard has a mastery of her subject and an engaging writing style that makes this a pleasure to read. I came to this knowing very little so it‘s a lot to absorb and probably more comprehensive that I need (as a casual lay reader). But it‘s accessible as an introduction & would be super rewarding for those who have a particular interest. New material is still coming to light. Essential if you like history.
panI wanted to like this book, but it didn‘t provide much history. I think it was more of a commentary on Roman history, with an expectation that the reader was familiar with Roman historical events but not with modern History theory and approaches. I haven‘t studied History academically in years, but I remember the basics, so I was disappointed that so much of the book was about Historical theory and not Roman history.
2/5 I didn‘t learn much
#BookSpinBingo
August roundup
Another good month, with 2 lines, #bookspin and #doublespin in the bag, 5 arcs for #NetgalleyGroup
This is such an enjoyable way of flying through these tbr lists. Thank you so much for hosting Sarah 😊 @TheAromaofBooks
pickI liked this history of Rome which I listened to on audiobook. It was nice to hear Latin read aloud (it‘s been since college!). If you‘re a fan of Cicero, Caesar, Pliny, Ovid this book is for you.
Every few months I'm reminded that I have a Litsy and think to post on the site. Since May I've been slowly reading SPQR by Mary Beard to learn more about ancient Rome.
#ancienthistory #romanhistory
Some recent purchases… and some others. I‘ve given up on doing SPQR just via the audiobook - and it came around on a daily deal this week so maybe that will help…
Took a walk downtown this evening and came home with a couple of new books. I really enjoy Mary Beard's writing but haven't read SPQR yet for some reason. Well, that changes now.
pickI really enjoyed this! I don‘t know why I‘d never before considered why or how or when Rome began. Beard is very thorough and covers all aspects like myths, politics, relationships and analyses why sources are or aren‘t reliable and what archeological discoveries can tell us. Obviously some answers we‘ll never know but she paints an intriguing and detailed picture!
#20in4
Not a great start as I was off work today after picking dtr up from uni yday and ended up only reading for 90 mins. 30 this am finishing a bk and an hour this afternoon as I am trying to add a bit of non fiction to my diet and dreaming of one day visiting Rome.
The reason for the reduced mins was watching an episode of 'small axe' which is so good .
Anyway I have found a crime novel to speed up my reading stats, culture over for now.
pickI tried reading this when it first came out years ago, but bailed because it became overwhelming trying to remember all the Roman names. It works much better as an audiobook, so there is no stumbling over hard to pronounce names, and the narrative flows better. 4 💫💫💫💫
1st book finished for #20in4 readathon @Andrew65
When you trip and spill your tea ☕️🤦🏼♀️
*instant heart-break*
so-soBeard details a history of ancient Rome, exploring how it grew & challenging common misconceptions. While I found many ideas interesting, a deeper background in the subject might have helped. The writing was often circumlocutory & made a dense history harder to follow. I did learn a lot, but because of the writing, I know I didn't fully comprehend or retain many things. Perhaps if you have more knowledge going in, you might do better than I did.
Started not One but TWO books yesterday. As long as books are different genres or, like here, Fiction and NF, my brain seems to be able to keep the details straight 🤓 I‘m also using the Serial Reader app to read A Room With a View when I‘m using my stationary bike. Pleased to be back in the reading swing of things again! 👍🏼
bailedIt's very interesting but so dense. I fully plan to go back to finish it but I need to move on.
#ReadingEurope2020
Since I came to the challenge late, can I just fill in the spots on the Google form for books I read previously this year or would you like me to list them here on Litsy as well?
pickJust finished this. Started it this morning and just powered through it all day lol quite enjoyable even though I did not enjoy the narrator.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
so-soManaged to make it through the book as I am personally quite interested in Roman history, but it certainly wasn‘t easy. While extremely informative and fairly well-organized, it tended to drone on monotonously, and struggled to keep my attention. Granted, I might be expecting too much of a history book, but it might‘ve benefited from a different sort of voice than the one the author provided.
pickReading about (sunny) Ancient Rome whilst it's raining ☔ outside
@stephothebesto I am soooo ready for my staycation to Italy 🇮🇹 Both books are ones I want to read, and I loved the themed goodies! The pasta, chocolate biscottis and dark Italian roast coffee all look amazing. And the metallic puzzle is so cool!!! Thank you for the thoughtful box!!! 😎🧩☕️ Thank you!!!
@Chrissyreadit #SITS #staycationintimeswap
so-soEntertaining, but a bit of a one trick pony that struggled to support itself over 500 pages. I learned less from it than I had hoped to, but laughed more often. Meh. 🤷🏻♀️ #HSreadathon
This is the thesis statement of this book, I'm not kidding 😂 Guys, this is SO FUN TO READ. Mary Beard loves Roman history and clearly is NOT impressed with self-promoting historians from ANY period and I am incessantly giggling at her snark. #HSreadathon
Just signed up for the #HSreadathon! https://bit.ly/2SZAlsq Looking forward to spending my quiet August trying to blast through my TBR pile...but guys, do you have any idea how many #chunksters are on said pile? Or how much my pile blew up after the local bookstore decided to move and made all their books $2 to lighten the load? These are just the TBRs I have WITHIN ARMS REACH! 😆 😆 😆
Things that are really embarrassing -- I somehow slept through the ENTIRETY of my education on Ancient Rome as a young adult. 😬 Since I know nothing about it beyond “et tu, Brute“ and I'm hankering for a nonfiction read, I picked this book up from the library today. Mary Beard is “happily of my generation“ in her interest in the life of the common citizen and gender studies, so I'm SUPER stoked to see what she says.
Settling in for a wild Saturday night. Excited to try this hard cider rosé! ?
Spent the afternoon/evening in the hammock.
Happy solstice everyone!
The sun is my motivation to make progress on this book!
I haven‘t cracked this book in weeks but hoping to make some progress this evening while taking advantage of the nice weather!
#Riotgrams #Day4 #StacksonStacks
Just one stack tonight before going to bed. These are my current nightstand books. The bottom two I am currently reading, the top one I just found today in a Little Free Library.
Got a bit behind on this challenge due to 3 days being internet-less, but getting back on track now!
Kind of a gloomy day today so decided to spend a little bit of time with this book at my local coffee shop as an excuse to get out of the house.
I recently watched the Netflix show Roman Empire, which alternates between historian talking heads and pretty high production value dramatizations, and have been craving to read more about Ancient Rome. This has been hitting the spot so far.
Does anyone have recommendations for historical fiction set in Ancient Rome?
One reviewer notes: “Ms. Beard seems more eager to tell us what historians DON‘T know than what they do.” This is an occasionally frustrating tendency of hers but ultimately I appreciate her cautious approach.
pickThis is an accessible and engaging history of Ancient Rome. It is funny, informative and almost never boring. This book nicely covers the major institutions of the Roman Republic-turned-Roman Empire, and the lives of the individuals who comprised them. An apocryphal quote attributed by Tacitus to an enemy of Rome nicely sums up the imperial project: “They create a desert and call it peace.” We may yet have something to learn from history.
Mary Beard in conversation with Dan Jones!!! I love her: she‘s just said that when journalists call and ask her which Roman Emperor Donald Trump is like, she, annoyed at the idiocy of equating historical empires, will name an Emperor no one‘s ever heard of ... (Elagabalus? spelling could be off) 😂😂😂 She‘s got Dan Jones almost crying with laughter.
Help, Littens! I am looking for recommendations for book set in Rome, Florence, Naples or the Amalfi coast To prepare for my summer vacation that I just booked. I have read the Ferrante series and found it brilliant. I am thinking of reading SPQR to bone up in my history of Rome. Any other great books you would recommend? Any genre would work. Grazie!
so-soRome is still important: our calendar, political system, the concept of citizenship rights, and the underpinnings of our culture came from Rome. Mary Beard‘s book is both fascinating and frustrating: she likes to write about themes, sources and the difficulty of the historian‘s work, but it is hard to know WHAT actually HAPPENED. There is great analysis and insights, but a frustrating lack of narrative. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Im on a serious Roman kick right now. Ive been watching Mary Beard‘s Roman documentaries. I love her style. #SPQR
I love Roman history and Beard is a terrific writer.
Recent selfie of my hubs and me from my anniversary/ birthday trip to Italy. Sorry about bad quality but it was dark out and maybe you will be distracted by the amazing colosseum in the background. #friyayintro
pickA long book full of interesting Rome facts and corrections to common misconceptions. Good for history fans but enter with caution because it does just keep going.
pickA surprisingly easy read, but I feel like I‘d need to read it 10 times just to pick up everything.
I'm one half way through this book, and I can't love it more. It feels wrong to read it without a glass of wine!
