The Box

As modern commerce unfurled,
transport and manufacturing were twirled.
What I mean to say
is that they had to change ways,
for the box that changed the world


The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
by Marc Levinson

The Knife Man

There once was a young Scottish farmer,
who, though neither graceful nor a charmer,
proved an in-born ability
for scientific inquiry.
Of anatomical studies, he was a reformer.

The Knife Man: Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Surgery

by Wendy Moore

Grand & crumbling Rome is the chorus
for the Farneses, Orsinis, the Sforzas.
See power and might
betrayal anger and fright
of one's life under the Borgias.

City of God

by Cecelia Holland

Sworn to Silence

A peaceful, rural locality
shaken by rash criminality.
Set amongst the Amish,
readers left astonished
by such unexpected brutality.




Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder #1)
by Linda Castillo

The Singer from Memphis

Nicolaos now married and grown.
The challenge for a land not his own.
Off to discover
to whom goes the honour
of claiming the Egyptian throne

The Singer from Memphis

The latest in Gary Corby's series

A comment on all 6 books: reliable fun. Each book takes place in a different place or cultural event/setting, giving great insight to the ancient world. Corby's story-telling style is the right balance of descriptive and leisurely: the characters and places come alive but the story continues at a good pace. 

There is a strong element of humor - dare I say even satire - thrown in, as well as personality traits of historical figures that remove the distance of time and space, making them people we meet every day. 

History, satire and murder mysteries, it's a winning combo. 

There once was a lady from Boston
Her story was told, but not often
Along came wise Karin
Who said "This needs sharing!"
A book for you to get lost in.

The Gilded Years

by Karin Tanabe 

My apologies for the simple approach in this limerick: I have been wanting to use the classic "there once was" structure and this book afforded me the possibility. Also, full disclosure, Ocean and I are trying to find a business use for the situation in which Sharon is Karen and this was too good a chance not to use that rhyming ploy as well.

There is so much in this book - the impressive level of research is just one element to delight my nerdy little heart. The historical setting: in the 1890s some universities had started admitting African-American students, albeit generally one at a time. Vassar was not amongst these, I'm sad to report. But of course, what is race, really, in a body made up of who knows what mixes of people. (That may be my own typical anarchical view of life).

The character of Lottie Taylor is written to perfection, the reader can't help but get caught up in her spirit and friendship, feeling the whole time as the characters do that she is highly flawed but undeniably likable. She doesn't drop a beat throughout the book.

Karin also introduces the complexity of social views in America at the time. We know about racial views in the south, but she adds the contrast between north-east and west. The frontier-lands, as they were, were the most forward thinking of the time in most things social (drinking bans aside). I confess some ongoing frustration at the common (though not universal) north-eastern belief that there is "us" and then the rest of the country trailing behind. The social structures of NY and its environs, at the turn of the century, were especially strict, and I do believe that if women's lib had been left to these areas we would be wondering about it still today. Thank you Wyoming for leading the charge on that particular note (first female justice of the peace and, of course, first state to grant women's right to vote).

Bel Canto

Surpassing their shared disadvantage,
to communicate they must manage.
No grammar or words,
will need to be heard:
Just music - their one common language

Bel Canto
by Ann Patchett

Proof: The Science of Booze

Millennia of consumption and history,
experiments in science and artistry,
biology, chemistry, geology,
neuro-science agriculture, archaeology,
And yes still: booze is a mystery

Proof: The Science of Booze
by Adam Rogers

The Golden Vanity

Three attempts to living life happily
Three women, succeeding but passably
A sudden turnaround
"[A] breath brought it down.
It was a soundless catastrophe.”

The Golden Vanity by Isabel Paterson

The Marathon Conspiracy

A journey through the Athenian legacy,
From tyranny to newfound democracy
With help from young Socrates,
old Aeschylus, and Pericles
Unveiling the Marathon Conspiracy 



The Marathon Conspiracy (The Athenian Mysteries #4) by Gary Corby

50 Children

Before the deaths of 6 million
This small, yet strong noble mission
Against political reluctance
The Kraus's endurance
Did save these 50 named children.

50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple's Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany

Pressman, Steven

Sacred Games, Gary Corby

At the greatest games of the nation
A troubling accusation.
(Nico) Fending off war,
his victory soars:
the first Olympic Investigation


(The Athenian Mysteries, #3)

The Tragedy of Liberation

War, tumult and great agitation
And then hope for Utopia's foundation.
Now the records unsealed,
read and studied, revealed:
The Tragedy of Liberation

Not always brilliantly written but informed. 

My Limericks, Tweeted

That's me!

Thanks to author Gary Corby for finding and tweeting my limericks. Tee hee.

The Ionia Sanction, Gary Corby

Our young agent now must seize
The chance to impress Pericles
If he can first of all
Save Athens from a fall
To invasion by Themistocles        

Ethan Frome

The story: most everyone knew
Yet its sadness and mystery grew
With a framed composition
A message - its mission:
Beware should your wishes come true

Lustrum (Cicero)

He came to the battle well-armed
With words, which has previously charmed
But against such brute force
Of Caesar's unbending course
No man walks away unharmed

(not my best work but give me a break, it's 7:00 AM)

A Head Full of Ghosts

Preparing a book to be read
of a story both televised and lived
Three versions are shown
Doubts securely sown
Are the ghosts in my house or my head?


Yes: read and lived is not an effective rhyme. Work with me. 

The Astors

Meeting the Oracle I'd ask her
Could anyone accumulate faster
the incredible wealth
longevity and health
Of the fortune of John Jacob Astor

The Pericles Commission

More series' of historical mysteries
Democracy's founder: Ephialtes
his murder retold
a theory proposed
An enjoyable leap back through history