Tag Archives: Rome

Are We Rome?

Posted on August 27, 2009 by smellincoffee

Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America © 2007 Cullen Murphy 262 pages Lead poisons our wine and makes us stupid / Gladiators keep us entertained / More votes cast for idols than for … Continue reading →

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Catalina’s Riddle

Posted on August 25, 2009 by smellincoffee

Catalina’s Riddle 1993 Steven Saylor 430 pages Returning to Steven Saylor’s Roma sub Rosa series was a treat last week, but I did not expect to be as riveted as I was this week while reading Catalina’s Riddle. Our principle … Continue reading →

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The Venus Throw

Posted on August 18, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Venus Throw © 1995 Steven Saylor 308 pages Back during the spring I began enjoying Steven Saylor’s Roma sub Rosa series, depicting life during Rome as it passes from republic to empire through the adventures of Gordianus the Finder, … Continue reading →

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The House of the Vestals

Posted on April 24, 2009 by smellincoffee

The House of the Vestals: The Investigations of Gordianus the Finder© 1997 Steven Saylor260 pages In previous weeks I have read two novels by Steven Saylor starring Gordianus the Finder, ancient Rome’s very own private detective. This book is a … Continue reading →

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Arms of Nemesis

Posted on April 12, 2009 by smellincoffee

Arms of Nemesis: A Mystery of Ancient Rome© 1992 Steven Saylor318 pages Two weeks ago I read Roman Blood, a mystery novel set in late-Republican Rome. It was the first in the series Roma sub Rosa, and Arms of Nemesis … Continue reading →

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Rubicon

Posted on March 30, 2009 by smellincoffee

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic© 2003 Tom Holland407 pages, including index As a student of history, Rome holds a particularly strong fascination for me. Having been brought up in western civilization, Roman history is my history. I … Continue reading →

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Roman Blood

Posted on March 28, 2009 by smellincoffee

Roman Blood: A Novel of Ancient Rome© 1991 Steven Saylor401 pages They had an awful lot of sex in ancient Rome. Not quite as much as the Cro–Magnons in Jean M. Auel’s Earth Children series, but a good part of … Continue reading →

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Pompeii

Posted on March 6, 2009 by smellincoffee

Pompeii: A Novel© 2003 , Robert Harris274 pages In May 2007 I read Fatherland, an mystery book set in an alternate history setting in which Nazi Germany prevailed in World War 2 and the S.S. Holocaust is largely unknown. Last … Continue reading →

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The Roman Mind

Posted on March 2, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Roman Mind: Studies in the History of Thought from Cicero to Marcus Aurelius© 1956 M.L. Clarke168 pg. While Rome is known for its administrative prowess, author M.L. Clarke wants to remind us that they were thinkers, too: philosophers, borrowing … Continue reading →

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Imperium

Posted on February 27, 2009 by smellincoffee

Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome© Robert Harris 2006305 pages I would not have expected to find a novel set in ancient Rome, nor would I expect the author of a mystery novel set in a world where Nazi Germany … Continue reading →

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