Recent Reads {Guardian of the Flame}

Guardian of the Flame by T.L. Higley - This is the third in Higley's Seven Wonders series, and is set in Alexandria, Egypt in 48BC.  If you're sketchy on your ancient history, that was when Julius Caesar and the Romans entered Egypt and the battle for power between the Romans and the Ptolomaic heirs to the Egyptian throne, including Cleopatra.  The main character is Sophia, a reclusive and embittered widow who is the Keeper of the lighthouse at Alexandria.  She faces many difficult decisions in the uncertain times - how to protect the scholars from the Museum and their work, how to support her former student Cleopatra, and how to respond to the Roman centurion who is invading her lighthouse and possibly her heart.  One of the scholars is an elderly Jewish man that has been Sophia's friend through many years, and who gently but persistently reminds her that the One God loves her and she doesn't need to prove herself worthy of His love. The story explores the time from the viewpoints of Greek Egyptians and Romans, and is a great read for anyone interested in historical fiction.

By the same author: City of the Dead, Pompeii: City on Fire, In the Shadow of Colossus

Recent Reads {City of the Dead}

City of the Dead by T.L. Higley - This novel in Higley's Seven Wonders series was not what I expected, but I mean that in a good way.  Obviously it is based in ancient Egypt, during the building of the Great Pyramid, but I thought it would probably be a romance.  Although there is a love story winding through it, it is actually a murder mystery, and a fairly good one!  The story is told in first person by Hemiunu, the Grand Vizier and the architect of the Great Pyramid.  He references a tragedy that occurred in the past that still haunts him, and as events unfold he realizes that it is linked to the murders happening in his present.  Hemi is also cousin to Pharoah Khufu, and their royal circle includes Khufu's wife, Merit, and a couple of other high-ranking Egyptians.  One of their number, Hemi's closest friend, is murdered and Hemi is determined to find the killer and restore ma'at (the Egyptian concept of order) without losing any time on the ongoing construction of the pyramid.  When Merit is also murdered, the search for the killer is intensified, but Hemi begins to meet resistance and to see the possible connections between the murders and what happened in his youth.  During this time he also befriends his new foreman and his daughter, who happen to be People of the One - worshippers of the One God of the Jews - and accepts their help in his quest for answers, and a relationship between himself and the daughter blossoms.  Hemi is himself accused of the murders and spends time in prison and on the run before the mystery is solved.

So is this book a "Christian romance" novel?  Not exactly.  It's unusual in a few ways, and a very enjoyable read, one I highly recommend.  By the way, you can also visit Higley's website, No Passport Required, for more information about her books and what is fact and what is fiction in each of them.

By the same author:  Pompeii: City on Fire, In the Shadow of Colossus

Recent Reads {The Devil's Queen}

The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis - Catherine de Medici was not exactly popular, as French queens go.  She came from the influential de Medici family of Florence in a political marriage to the second son of King Francis I of France.  She had a reputation as an extremely intelligent and politically astute woman, but was excluded from governing while her husband, King Henry II was alive. After his death, she had much more influence during the reigns of her sons - sickly Francis II, mad Charles IX, and Henry III, and although she probably had nothing to do with the decision to assassinate leading Huguenots (which led to the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre), she was blamed and reviled for it afterwards.  This novelization follows Catherine from her childhood in Florence until shortly after the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, and imagines the beliefs, actions, and motivations that may have contributed to her nickname "The Serpent Queen"  It is a matter of record that Catherine was a devoted student of astrology, had prophetic dreams, and had a large collection of talismans and a deep interest in magic.  One of her properties had pentacles painted on the floor.  Kalogridis creates a very believable character around what is known about Catherine and her contemporaries, and presents a fiction that could well be true regarding the lengths to which Catherine would go to produce children, protect herself, and guard those she cared about.  The story contains a couple incidents where violence is described in detail that made me wish I hadn't read it right before bed, and a couple of bedroom encounters that are unnecessarily graphic, but other than that I found it an engrossing and thought-provoking novelization.  Usually Catherine de Medici is demonized, and probably with reasonable cause, so a novel from her point of view is rather unique, and put me in a position of sympathizing with a historical character that would normally not receive much sympathy from me.

Recent Reads {The Seven Wonders of the World}

The Seven Wonders of the World by Ron Tagliapietra - This book is kind of like a combination of a travel brochure, a history lesson, and a Bible tract.  It presents a short description of each of the accepted wonders of the ancient world, and then lists and describes the seven wonders of some other categories - technological, archaelogical, architectural, and natural.  In each Tagliapietra carefully explains the criteria and why some 'wonders' were chosen over others.  When describing the wonders of the ancient world, he puts them in context of Biblical history and draws some contrasts between the religious beliefs of the builders of these wonders and the truth of God.  The descriptions of all the wonders are fairly short - about three to five pages - and most include historical background and some brief information about visiting the sites.  I've found this book to be a good "extra" when studying history and geography in our homeschool.  When we studied Egypt, we read the section on the Great Pyramid.  When we studied Australia, we read about the Great Barrier Reef (a natural wonder).   The narrative lacks continuity in some places, and a few of the Biblical lessons seem a bit contrived, but overall it's a unique study of various wonders of the world suitable for readers from middle school up.

Recent Reads {Pompeii: City on Fire}

Pompeii: City on Fire by T.L. Higley - It's the intriguing setting of this novel that captured my attention - Pompeii, shortly before the catastrophic eruption of Mt Vesuvius.  I don't think I've ever seen a Christian 'romance' novel set in Pompeii before.  The main characters are Cato, a rich patrician Roman who has left an unfulfilling career as a politician in Rome and wants to build a new life in Pompeii; and Ariella, a Jewish slave who has disguised herself as a young boy sold into a gladiator troupe.  Pompeii's local government is corrupt and despite Cato's attempts to sidestep the issue, he is finally drawn into the upcoming election after his own business and family are threatened.  In the meantime, Ariella must prove herself in the gladiator ring while keeping her secret.  Cato and Ariella cross paths and, predictably, find themselves drawn together.  They also come in contact with the Christians in Pompeii and must make their own decisions regarding the faith.  All while Vesuvius is giving the first warning signs of the disaster to come.  The story itself was interesting, with new perspectives on the setting and the daily life of Roman citizens and slaves at that time.  However, every few chapters there was a short excerpt that was from the mountain's 'point of view' that I didn't care for.  It set the tone for the chapters to come, and revealed that the eruption was coming ever closer, but it also gave a little nod to the earth goddess belief system, suggesting that the mountain viewed itself as a 'mother' to the city and was making her own decision to punish and destroy.  This is only partially debunked at the end.  I found it slightly off-putting to read a page of the thoughts of the 'volcano goddess-mother' while chapters before and after featured Christians claiming that there is only One God and rejecting the Roman belief in many gods.

By the same author:  In the Shadow of Colossus (which I read awhile ago, but failed to write about...)

Recent Reads {Read For the Heart}

Read For the Heart: Whole Books for Wholehearted Families by Sarah Clarkson - Sarah Clarkson is the adult daughter of well-known homeschool author Sally Clarkson.  In this book, she shares her own love of books which was fostered by her family's priority on reading and enjoying books.  Clarkson begins by sharing how important good books are to a well-rounded education and a well-lived life, through stories from her own experience as well as research that highlights the value of reading quality books.  She then shares book recommendations in many different categories and genres, with brief summaries of the books along with age guidelines.  I found this to be a great resource, with ideas for read-alouds and for companions to our science and history studies, and full of encouragement and inspiration to keep providing opportunities for my children to get familiar with good literature and uplifting stories.

Recent Reads {Jane Eyre}

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - since I was kind of on a classic novel kick, I thought I'd better include the Bronte sisters on my reading list.  I have to admit it took me awhile to really get into this one.  Just at the point where I was thinking to myself "is this whole book going to be about Jane being 10 years old at the boarding school?" she introduced the tenth chapter by skipping ahead several years to the time she spent as a teacher at the same school, and the following chapter finally took her to Thornfield Hall where she would meet Edward Rochester.  From that point on, the novel had my full attention with the melodrama, psychology, and the unlikely romance between Jane and Rochester.  I was often reminded of the type of Gothic romance that Austen satirized in Northanger Abbey - a dark secret hidden somewhere in the mansion that threatens the happiness of the lovers.  There are coincidences and foreshadowings to spare, yet it all seems to "fit" and doesn't seem unbelievable at all while reading.  I also noticed the contrast in Bronte's style and Austen's  - Austen leaves the reader to decide what characters look like, other than the barest of descriptions, and really doesn't spend much time describing settings in detail; while Bronte goes into great detail about the appearance of characters and engages in lengthy descriptions of settings.  These features are used to establish character and mood.  I truly enjoyed this classic novel, and it's reminded me that I never did finish the Jasper Fforde series that stars with The Eyre Affair, and its many references to Jane and other characters from the novel!