Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!
This week's theme is '10 Books From X Genre That I've Recently Added To My TBR List'. If you saw my Summer TBR you'll know Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles is on there and that the warmer weather always puts me in an Ancient mood, but, however much I might enjoy historical fiction, I've read basically no historical fiction set in the Ancient world - it's a sub-genre of historical fiction I've only just begun to be interested in, just as I've only really become interested in Ancient history in recent years.
Like most children I grew up fascinated by Ancient Egypt, The Mummy is one of my favourite films, and I had several holidays to Crete as a child that definitely stirred an interest in Ancient Greece, as did Disney's Hercules. I've become fascinated by Italian history since my trip to Rome in 2015, and I've since visited Florence and Bologna too, and I've always found the story of Pompeii really interesting. I love Mary Beard, too, and I've enjoyed every single one of her documentaries I've watched.
Basically, my interest in the Ancient world has always been buried somewhere under the surface, but it's only in the past year or so I've had an active interest in it in terms of doing my own research. So this week I'm sharing a list of books, mostly fiction but there is some non-fiction in there too, that are all set in or are about Ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore by Bettany Hughes: This piece of non-fiction sounds super interesting; not only is Bettany Hughes discussing what the real Helen of Troy would have been like, discussing the period of history in which she was said to live, but she's also looking into how Helen has been portrayed over the years, from royal beauty to promiscuous whore. I really enjoyed Susan Bordo's The Creation of Anne Boleyn, which looked at the cultural history and impact of Anne Boleyn, and I'm hoping this book will do the same for Helen of Troy.
Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault: I know basically nothing about Alexander the Great, other than that he did an awful lot for someone who died fairly young, but I've heard brilliant things about Mary Renault's novelisations of his life. One of my friends is a huge Alexander the Great nerd and she loves these books, so I have high hopes!
Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott: Okay so I lied a little, this book isn't set in Ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome, instead it's the first in a fictionalised series of the life of Celtic queen Boudica. I remember learning about Boudica in primary school, when I was about 8 or 9, and I've always thought she was a pretty cool lady. This is the start of a series about her life that has very good reviews on Goodreads, so onto my TBR it goes!
Troy by Adèle Geras: I met Adèle Geras while I was at university at a Litfest event; she was on a panel with Celia Rees, one of my favourite childhood authors and the author who first got me into historical fiction, but I never went on to read any of Geras's work. I remember her discussing this book in particular because an Ancient Greek scholar told her off for including lemons in the book when the Ancient Greeks didn't have lemons. I'm all for historical accuracy, but even I can't help wondering if that's going too far...
The Sweet Girl by Annabel Lyon: This one doesn't really have very good reviews, but I'm intrigued all the same; I read Lyon's Imagining Ancient Women last year where she discussed the research she did to write this book, so it'd be interesting to read the novel, too.
Pompeii by Mary Beard: Mary Beard is one of my favourite historians and the Classicist Queen. I watched her documentary on Pompeii last year, or possibly the year before, and really enjoyed it because she didn't discuss Pompeii's demise, but instead showed the kind of town Pompeii was before the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. I'd love to learn more!
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran: I haven't read a single book set in Ancient Egypt and my knowledge of Ancient Egypt is pretty dire to be honest with you. This novelisation of Nefertari's rise to power has me intrigued - especially as I know practically nothing about Nefertari.
Pompeii Awakened: A Story of Rediscovery by Judith Harris: This book isn't about Ancient Rome exactly, but it is about Pompeii's rediscovery from the 18th century onwards which fascinates me just as much as Ancient Pompeii itself. An awful lot of Ancient art was rediscovered and then hidden away in a secret museum, where only certain people were allowed to look at it because it was deemed as vulgar, and I find the idea of rediscovering an Ancient civilisation only to hide it away again really interesting.
Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton: This is another book with great ratings on Goodreads and another book set in Ancient Egypt, this time a novelisation of the life of Hatshepsut. According to Egyptologists Hatshepsut was one Ancient Egypt's most successful pharoahs and I'd like to learn more about her - or at least a version of her in fiction.
Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn: I get the feeling that whoever designed the cover of Daughter of the Gods also designed this one. Yet again, this book has great ratings on Goodreads and Kate Quinn seems to be a very respected author in the world of fiction set in Ancient Rome. Plus it has a gladiator in it. I like gladiators.
Which books made your list this week?
Like most children I grew up fascinated by Ancient Egypt, The Mummy is one of my favourite films, and I had several holidays to Crete as a child that definitely stirred an interest in Ancient Greece, as did Disney's Hercules. I've become fascinated by Italian history since my trip to Rome in 2015, and I've since visited Florence and Bologna too, and I've always found the story of Pompeii really interesting. I love Mary Beard, too, and I've enjoyed every single one of her documentaries I've watched.
Basically, my interest in the Ancient world has always been buried somewhere under the surface, but it's only in the past year or so I've had an active interest in it in terms of doing my own research. So this week I'm sharing a list of books, mostly fiction but there is some non-fiction in there too, that are all set in or are about Ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore by Bettany Hughes: This piece of non-fiction sounds super interesting; not only is Bettany Hughes discussing what the real Helen of Troy would have been like, discussing the period of history in which she was said to live, but she's also looking into how Helen has been portrayed over the years, from royal beauty to promiscuous whore. I really enjoyed Susan Bordo's The Creation of Anne Boleyn, which looked at the cultural history and impact of Anne Boleyn, and I'm hoping this book will do the same for Helen of Troy.
Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault: I know basically nothing about Alexander the Great, other than that he did an awful lot for someone who died fairly young, but I've heard brilliant things about Mary Renault's novelisations of his life. One of my friends is a huge Alexander the Great nerd and she loves these books, so I have high hopes!
Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott: Okay so I lied a little, this book isn't set in Ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome, instead it's the first in a fictionalised series of the life of Celtic queen Boudica. I remember learning about Boudica in primary school, when I was about 8 or 9, and I've always thought she was a pretty cool lady. This is the start of a series about her life that has very good reviews on Goodreads, so onto my TBR it goes!
Troy by Adèle Geras: I met Adèle Geras while I was at university at a Litfest event; she was on a panel with Celia Rees, one of my favourite childhood authors and the author who first got me into historical fiction, but I never went on to read any of Geras's work. I remember her discussing this book in particular because an Ancient Greek scholar told her off for including lemons in the book when the Ancient Greeks didn't have lemons. I'm all for historical accuracy, but even I can't help wondering if that's going too far...
The Sweet Girl by Annabel Lyon: This one doesn't really have very good reviews, but I'm intrigued all the same; I read Lyon's Imagining Ancient Women last year where she discussed the research she did to write this book, so it'd be interesting to read the novel, too.
Pompeii by Mary Beard: Mary Beard is one of my favourite historians and the Classicist Queen. I watched her documentary on Pompeii last year, or possibly the year before, and really enjoyed it because she didn't discuss Pompeii's demise, but instead showed the kind of town Pompeii was before the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. I'd love to learn more!
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran: I haven't read a single book set in Ancient Egypt and my knowledge of Ancient Egypt is pretty dire to be honest with you. This novelisation of Nefertari's rise to power has me intrigued - especially as I know practically nothing about Nefertari.
Pompeii Awakened: A Story of Rediscovery by Judith Harris: This book isn't about Ancient Rome exactly, but it is about Pompeii's rediscovery from the 18th century onwards which fascinates me just as much as Ancient Pompeii itself. An awful lot of Ancient art was rediscovered and then hidden away in a secret museum, where only certain people were allowed to look at it because it was deemed as vulgar, and I find the idea of rediscovering an Ancient civilisation only to hide it away again really interesting.
Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton: This is another book with great ratings on Goodreads and another book set in Ancient Egypt, this time a novelisation of the life of Hatshepsut. According to Egyptologists Hatshepsut was one Ancient Egypt's most successful pharoahs and I'd like to learn more about her - or at least a version of her in fiction.
Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn: I get the feeling that whoever designed the cover of Daughter of the Gods also designed this one. Yet again, this book has great ratings on Goodreads and Kate Quinn seems to be a very respected author in the world of fiction set in Ancient Rome. Plus it has a gladiator in it. I like gladiators.
Which books made your list this week?
