Bluets by Maggie Nelson (January)
Ploughshares (January Bonus Round!)
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (February)
Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff (March)
The Membranes (April)
Black Margins (April Bonus Round!)
Tea Dragon Society (April Bonus Round!)
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (May)See also:
- (At Least) 12 Books in 12 Months - 2017
- (At Least) 12 Books in 12 Months - 2018
- (At Least) 12 Books in 12 Months - 2019
- (At Least) 12 Books in 12 Months - 2020
- (At Least) 12 Books in 12 Months - 2021
- (At Least) 12 Books in 12 Months - 2022
- (At Least) 12 Books in 12 Months - 2024
- (At Least) 12 Books in 12 Months - 2025
Quick murder mystery novel I picked up at Books and Books on a whim. A fun-enough casual read, but nothing to write home about.
Borrowed this book from Abbey Ladwig-Conway at my office, who is really into ancient Egypt (it's her Roman Empire, if you will). The book is a biography of Cleopatra, but in turn also ends up being a bit of a survey of the Ptolemaic Empire from around 100 BC to about 30 BC, and the Roman Empire under Ceasar and then Antony (and Octavian).
The front cover is beautiful.
It was not my favorite piece of nonfiction I've ever read, I must say. But I do feel like I learned a lot about that era of history and that geographic region. One of my main gripes with the book was that the writing style was often pretty hard to follow, and a lot of sentences could have just been written more plainly to communicate the same idea more simply. I think it was written the way it was to come across as beautiful and enchanting prose, but it really just got in the way of understanding the factual content.
I read this book during a difficult time in my work life. Cleopatra's triumphs were motivating. Along those lines, this quote was relatable:
"The art of speaking," it was later said, "depends on much effort, continual study, varied kinds of exercise, long experience, profound wisdom, and unfailing strategic sense." (It was elsewhere noted that this grueling course of study lends itself equally to the court, the stage, or the ravings of a lunatic.)
The book is about redefining the legacy of Cleopatra away from conniving seductress towards astute regional leader. Sure, I'm sold. But everybody can agree that Cleopatra--her lifestyle and empire--was absolutely opulent and elegant and wealthy. That has been interesting to read about as I start to get settled in Miami, which is also a city that prioritizes expensive luxuries and excess. I'm still ambivalent about my relationship to luxury.
The book speaks about the city of Alexandria. The city seems like it was great--metropolitan, historical, filled with culture and depth. I'm sad it no longer exists, I would love to live in a city like the one described in the book.