Read: Jo Graham - Black Ships

Interesting! A re-telling of The Aeneid, about the founding of Rome, but with larger-than-life mythological characters transformed into fairly ordinary, everyday people. There's still a hint of magic realism, but it's largely a plausible story about a desperate group of people trying to escape war and find a new home. I think I would enjoy this story even more if the tragic elements were played - misfortunes are a little underwhelming and skimmed over. One of the best parts is the author's enthusiastic notes at the end about the various literary and historical sources she drew from - have to love the geeking out on ancient Greek history.

Read: Yvone Lenard - The Magic of Provence

I didn't actually finish reading this one. Not nearly as funny or informative as Peter Mayle. Although you can tell she's trying. I would like to see the old village house they restored/built - it sounds beautiful. I wish this had just been a lush photographic book about the house and village, with fewer words.

Read: Lisa Unger - Beautiful Lies

A mystery novel of sorts - the narrator discovers that she's not who she thinks she is - she was abducted as a baby and raised by another family. I'm not really sure how I ended up reading this book - I think it was just a result of skimming the available e-book options with the library. Not bad, although the writing style is a bit pedestrian - I could do with far fewer knowing and cryptic comments from the narrator, who is writing about past events and revealing clues about the future outcome. The plot has enough turns of its own that you don't really need to have the intrigue of it hammered home continually. But I'm still glad I came across it.

Read: Lindsey Davis - The Accusers

Hmm, I hate to say it, but Lindsey Davis' mysteries are becoming somewhat formulaic. Not the plots, which still manage to twist about with a surprise at the end. But the general writing style (the omniscient narrator reveals the real significance of events far too often) and the dialogue (there's not much in the way of snappy banter between Marcus and his wife Helena anymore). The first novels in the series were interesting less because of the detective work and more because of the ancient Roman setting and personal relationships in Marcus' life. I think at this point he's going to have to keep traveling out of Rome to new destinations to keep it interesting.