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I work my way through this every so often, it's great reading material but the print is very small so reading is actually a challenge. The illustrations are useful but it must have been done on a low budget as they all b/w prints that are a bit blurry and not very big either. Still, the actual content is fantastic and I hope the author can get it re-printed in a slightly better more reader-friendly version.

Still working my way through this as textbook backup to my legal studies. Bingham writes well and really knows his stuff.

I'm reading this as part of my legal studies. He writes well , he is a former judge, and manages to keep this topic alive and interesting.

Intriguing collection of items that reflect women's activities & contributions to culture and history and significant events, looking forward to the rest.

Just started.....

Just started this novel, hadn't realised it was part of a whole series about this famous family.

Not sure what I've taken on with this book, much overwhelming description of both scenery & the feelings, attitude & personal history of the principal character......some handy footnotes particularly in regards to classical Greek poetic references ....more anon....

Just started, looking good so far!

Just started, hope to find some time over Christmas to read this.

This book is decidedly more complex than I originally thought, as it not only gives a timeline biography of George Orwell but also goes into a lot of detail about the 'author environment' concerning utopian/dystopian essays & books and critics thereof, mostly focussed on 20th century writing.

Just started this in-depth biography. Ackroyd really digs into Shakespeare's family background & early upbringing & also provides the reader with a flavour of the times. He quotes from Shakespeare's writings, suggests their sources & explains Shakespeare's use of the 'english' language of the time (post late Anglo-Saxon but generally pre-Tudor & not too latinized) - all very intriguing so far!

Suddenly discovered this book on my bookcase & realised I hadn't read it! So far so good, intriguing as historical description of life in Pompeii interspersed with some imagined real narratives, gleaned from the archaeological evidence and other writings of this much studied & explored area.

One of the Flavia Albia informer novels - so far so good, with lots of slightly caustic thoughts and comments from our heroine Flavia, not to mention lots of the usual intriguing details of Roman life post Vespasian.

As advertised, gripping novel, can't put it down, must read it to the end!

So far, not heavy going at all and written very much from the point of view of Nero himself, with a few switches to other 'significant personages' in his life as well, and generally giving a completely different way of considering this slightly controversial historical figure.

Some super short stories from the greats (Pushkin, Gogol, etc) but also some lesser known writers from the late 19th-early 20th century whose works, though published & available in Russia, have only been released & translated into English since perestroika in 1980s. Some absorbing eye-opening vignettes of daily life after 1917 revolution too, perhaps now safe to consign to the bin of history & for readers to enjoy!

I usually really enjoy 19th century Russian authors but struggling a bit with this Tolstoy novel, finding it a little bit heavy going despite its enormous detail about a world & lifetime that no longer exists.I will keep on reading & hope for some progress. Finally finished, the stories got a little more interesting as I persisted with this book but would only recommend it for real afficionados of russian literature.

I usually really enjoy 19th century Russian authors but struggling a bit with this Tolstoy novel, finding it a little bit heavy going despite its enormous detail about a world and lifetime that no longer exists....I will keep on reading & hope for some progress....

Finding this book a bit heavy going-had meant to read it in high school, but never did. Some very impressive personality descriptions of the main characters & the storyline reminds me of some TV programme episodes that take place in Victorian England, e.g. 'Ripper Street' starring Matthew Mcfadyen,comes to mind for instance.I must read on & hope there's some sort of light at the end of this seemingly sordid tunnel.

Feels a bit choppy so far, not so good as some of his later stuff, plus it's a bit outdated as relates to America in the 1990s!

Bearing in mind that I often read 2 - 3 books at the same time, this was a very easy read & brought to mind (obviously) the TV series of same name. Enjoyable & filled me in as a prequel to the TV series (which I don't think I ever saw). This is a novel in its own right & if you like sci fi fantasy fiction, it's fairly straightforward, not complicated, & well written, with some character development.

Story skims her early life tho' does a fair job of it, then gets into a very in depth, detailed account of the final weeks & days leading up to her death, focussing on her private & public contexts & leads to his somewhat open conclusion as an accidental death from an overdose. He re-examines some myths about this, hints at her men-friend relationships, the later public enquiry, etc. All good stuff if you an MM fan!

This book becomes overwhelming when it comes to late 19th century & 20th century historical facts. I am just up to about 1979 now with the author's central thesis about everything revolving around the original silk trading routes and it's like a refresher in very recent history.....the silk trade has now become the 'black gold' of the oil reserves war in the middle east....

Pleasant action-packed novel about a couple of pseudo-archaelogists with lots of money & high-end lifestyle who seem to fall into enemy territory whenever they 'find' something. All good stuff but some of the character development is a bit cheesy. Great settings & exciting action descriptions nonetheless.

In-depth reading but good stuff & the viewpoint is quite non-eurocentric which is refreshing; I am learning a lot about the spread of multiple religions in the middle east area as linked to trade routes, all good stuff so far (even find myself looking at the footnotes!).

This is a re-read of the book; thought it might give me some insights on Britain's entry into the Common Market.Sort of helpful as it's about the Wilson years in government-the UK economy has really changed since then but the issues are the same--balance of trade, low wages, immigration,however it was full employment in 1960s, quite a bit different from now & no mention of a 'welfare culture' - eg living on benefits.