Happy International Women's Day!

Happy International Women's Day! Here's to strong women: May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them (sharing my March TBR pile).

Natalie Haynes and Greek mythology

There, just finished Natalie Haynes’s “Divine Might”, released last 28 September.  “Beguiled” is my state at the moment after going through her seven books the last three months.

“Classics” and “entertainment” are juxtaposing terms, but Natalie Haynes has managed to meld these two in her writing. You’d think that someone who is steeped in ancient history would be stuck in her ivory tower looking down on the heathen population. But no, Haynes, with aplomb and humour,  joins the dots between the ancients and popular culture while injecting her staunch feminist position and political opinions.

It is tempting to stalk Haynes (she also does shows!), invite her to tea, and talk about the fantastic things she has written about. She must be prescient and aware of her powers as she's issued a veiled warning in “Amber Fury” to those who fall hopelessly in love with her and her work.  

Natalie Haynes is a rockstar and a goddess reincarnate. 

Read, Grow, Inspire

At 10 years old, he's completed reading the Harry Potter series, watched the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, and caught the golden snitch!

Roman Empire Trilogy by Steven Saylor (2007, 2013, 2021)

 

Roma (#1)

Astoundingly ambitious and utterly successful weaving of the personal stories of the Potitii and Pinarii ancient Roman families into the tumultuous "history" of Rome years before the time of Romulus and Remus, the rise and fall of the Roman republic, up to the assassination of Julius Caesar and the ascension of Rome's first emperor.

Empire #2

An incredibly massive story spanning five generations of the Pinarii (Lucius the Lightning Reader, Titus and Kaeso the twins, Lucius the Seeker, Marcus the Sculptor, and Lucius, comrade of Marcus Aurelius) amidst the backdrop of Imperial Rome (from the Julio-Claudian dynasty to the Year of the Four Emperors, the Flavian Dynasty and finally to the end of the reign of Hadrian of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty) and the mysterious fascinus which had made its way from one Pinarius family member to the next.

Dominus #3

The last of the trilogy, I read it as slowly as I could. It may be a while before Steven Saylor writes another book (or maybe this is it, he will retire!). I was heartened, however, to read this article:

Quo Vadis, Mr. Saylor?

by Steven Saylor
In 2018, I wrote “the end” not just to the novel The Throne of Caesar, but to the whole “Roma Sub Rosa” series featuring Gordianus the Finder, sleuth of ancient Rome. Roman Blood kicked off the series in 1991; another thirteen novels and two collections of short stories followed (with countless murders, conspiracies, kidnappings, robberies, and other crimes along the way). The series took place over the final four decades of the Roman Republic, from Cicero’s first murder trial to the assassination of Julius Caesar, and spanned 27 years of my writing career.

Along the way, I produced a couple of stand-alone novels set in my native Texas, A Twist at the End (serial murders in 1885 Austin) and Have You Seen Dawn? (contemporary suspense in a small Texas town uncannily like the one where I grew up).

Right now I’m in the final editing stages of Dominus, a third novel to complete the trilogy that began with Roma and Empire. It’s a family saga that follows the fortunes of the aristocratic Pinarius clan from the earliest beginnings of Rome, as a small trading post on the Tiber River, to the reign of Constantine the Great, first Christian emperor—who moved the imperial capital away from Rome to his own new city, Constantinople (modern Istanbul). Dominus will be published in June 2021.

So where do I go next? Or as Gordianus might have asked, “Quo vadis?”

For the first time since 1991, I’m not locked into a publishing contract, which means I have no deadline looming. Having that deadline year after year always represented security—I send in the book, they send me a check. But not having a deadline gives me a sensation of freedom and relaxation I haven’t felt in many years.

Also, I’m rapidly approaching age 65, looking forward to Medicare and all those senior discounts.

So, what’s next? I’m going to retire, of course!

Only problem: everyone tells me that writers never retire. My husband insists that writers can’t retire—it’s categorically impossible, like walking on the ceiling.

I feel awfully lucky to have finished, to my own satisfaction and at my own pace, not one but two series. No plot-threads left hanging. No nagging sense of something left unsaid, some corner of history unexplored, some crime unsolved. I’ve said what I wanted to say. And I think that the quality of my writing, whatever its intrinsic worth, has been pretty consistent from start to finish. I don’t want to be one of those writers who keeps turning out reams of prose longer than he or she should. (I’ll name no names, but I suspect most readers could cite a favorite author or two whose work “went off” toward the end.)

In 2013, I saw the late Ursula K. Le Guin speak to a packed auditorium on the UC Berkeley campus. (Famed for her fantasy and science fiction, Le Guin also visited ancient Rome in her novel Lavinia.) She talked about getting older, which she characterized as a progressive diminishment of every aspect of life. In her eighties, Le Guin wasn’t exactly retired, but she had left novel-writing behind; she attended a local writing circle and wrote poetry. She said she simply no longer had the physical or mental stamina to produce a novel.

I’m nowhere near 80 yet, and I suspect I could write more novels. But should I?

If life has taught me one thing, it’s to never say never. I learned that early in my career, when I initially thought Roman Blood was strictly a stand-alone, then, when my publisher wanted a sequel, I told interviewers that my Roman mystery series would comprise three or four books, at most. I’m glad I was wrong.

"Dominus" ends with the reign of Constantine and with the Pinariis moving to Constantinople, the new Rome. There's still almost two centuries before the barbarian general Odoacer deposes the last Western emperor. I really hope that Steven Saylor carries on with the magic of weaving the Pinarii saga into Rome's history.

The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do (2010)

 

“There are only two times. Now and too late.”
- Anh Do's dad

I've run into Anh Do via my son's book collection (Ninja Kid, E-Boy, Weirdo) and I thought this happiest refugee dude who is a stand-up comedian must be another person. I did a quick google a few years ago (I check out the authors of the books we read) and there's another Anh Do who finished law school at the University of Technology, Sydney. I thought at that time, "There sure are a lot of Anh Dos out there!"

I have just finished reading Anh Do's memoir and I am blown away by not just what he has accomplished (writing books, running interesting businesses, competing at Dancing with the Stars, hosting TV shows, acting in films, etc. etc. etc.) but more so with his ability to rise above his circumstances, the gratefulness and zest for life that radiate with everything he does, his love for his family, and his earnestness to remain true to his core values.

Page & Turner

My niece, Sara, has alerted me that there's a new bookshop near my workplace. I checked this during my lunch break, and I had a difficult time peeling myself from this store. One can get lost in this shop for ages - it's a treasure trove! There's even a children's section where (possibly) one can take a nap. 

Now, if Mark can be convinced to install a coffee machine, I can possibly be induced to take half the day off and pretend I caught gastro at some long meeting which served bad cheese. 

Page & Turner

Level 2, Myer Centre

Rundle Mall, Adelaide, South Australia

Trading Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday: 9.30am - 5pm

Sunday: 11am - 5pm

Martindale Hall and its home library

Martindale Hall, built in 1889, has 32 rooms and a large cellar of seven rooms. What dazzled me though in this Georgian-style mansion built in the 1800s is the home library with its fabulous collection. It does not hurt that this library also has a pool table and a mini bar.  Cheers to the "baronial" lifestyle!

Martindale Hall
Manoora Road, Mintaro, Clare Valley
South Australia 5415

https://martindalehall.com.au/
https://southaustralia.com/products/clare-valley/attraction/martindale-hall