OH MY GODS: A MODERN RETELLING OF GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHS by Philip Freeman, 2012.

Wonderfully readable renditions of the ancient Greek and Roman myths, stories that have spoken to us for countless generations, reflecting our human hopes, desires, and fears. Freeman writes with great humor and wit, which adds to the general pleasure of reading these stories. The book is arranged in sections like "Gods," "Lovers," "Heroes," and "Troy," and he covers all the well known, popular tales: Perseus, Medusa and Andromeda, Icarus, the Minotaur, Odysseus' wanderings after the fall of Troy, the tragedy of Oedipus, Orpheus and Eurydice, the Argonauts, etc. The author spins the tales with great enthusiasm and contemporary language, and made them fascinating and fun. If you are unfamiliar with the great characters from mythology, this is a fine introduction to them, and an enjoyable read to boot. Freeman includes a character list and genealogies as well.

LOST KINGDOM: HAWAII'S LAST QUEEN, THE SUGAR KINGS, AND AMERICA'S FIRST IMPERIAL ADVENTURE by Julia Flynn Siler, 2012.

A riveting chronicle of how Hawaii came to be a part of the United States. The author has utilized available sources, including letters and diaries belonging to members of the Hawaiian royal family, to create this meticulous, absorbing narrative of the beautiful and calm Polynesian island chain before the arrival of the Americans and how the kingdom was taken over and transformed (not always for the better) by outsiders. With the arrival of the New England Christian missionaries in 1820 to Christianize and educate the native population, eventually Western powers like England and the U.S. began to take notice of Hawaii, and then to insert themselves into the kingdom's affairs. Siler not only discusses the changes that occurred because of this intrusion, but follows the life of Lili'u, born and educated to become the last queen of Hawaii, and presents a clear, well drawn portrait of this last Hawaiian monarch. She explores the various issues with the white planters who took over most of the prime agricultural land in order to grow sugar cane, made enormous fortunes, and became the self proclaimed "Sugar Kings," with their ever-growing influence in Hawaiian matters of state. King David, Lili'u's brother, indebted to most of them, became more ineffectual as a monarch as the years passed.
   By the time Lili'u came to the throne as Queen Lili'uokalani, her country was almost bankrupt, the natives were nearly powerless in their own government, and a few wealthy men were increasingly in control. In 1893 at the instigation of this powerful political group (and against the wishes of most of the native population) American troops landed in Honolulu, deposed the queen and kept her under house arrest. By 1896, with no help forthcoming, Lili'u was forced to abdicate her throne. Although she sought help from other nations (including the sympathetic President Cleveland and the United States) to regain her throne, by 1898, with the concerns of the Spanish-American War at the forefront, the United States under the newly elected President McKinley annexed Hawaii and thus gained a strong foothold in the Pacific. Siler writes movingly of the loss of Hawaiian customs and language, of the natural beauty of the islands, of governmental control taken from the natives and given to white planters and businessmen, of a monarchy haunted and decimated by disease, drinking problems, indebtedness, bad advisers, and ignorance, the ineffectual attempts at restoring power to the Hawaiian people, and the controversies surrounding annexation. A highly readable, factual, interesting, and revealing account of American imperialism in the Pacific and the tragedy it wrought on the island kingdom that became our 50th state.

LIVIA, EMPRESS OF ROME by Matthew Dennison, 2010.

If you are expecting to read about the scheming and malevolent Livia made famous by Robert Graves' novel or the TV miniseries "I, Claudius," you will be disappointed in this biography. Author Dennison has taken the available sources concerning the Julio-Claudian rulers of Rome, carefully sifted through the details, and fashioned a portrait of Livia that is somewhat revisionist (but perhaps more truthful). The book definitely gives the reader the impression that she was not necessarily a malicious, manipulative person with which we are most familiar, but someone who played the role of supporter her husband desired, who made herself indispensable to him, and who used her gifts of intelligence and organization to simply further her family's ambitions. The author is skeptical of sources like Tacitus and others who had an axe to grind against Livia, or who wrote many years after the events they describe. His narrative is smooth and readable, covering Livia's early years (as much as is known); her marriages to Tiberius Claudius Nero and then to Augustus; her life as Augustus' wife and helpmate during the time Rome moved from being a republic to an empire; her tangled and tumultuous familial relationships with her sister-in-law Octavia, her daughter-in-law Antonia, her sons Tiberius and Drusus, her stepdaughter Julia, etc.; her relations with certain Roman political figures; and her pursuit and use of power over eight decades. The author's view is that Livia's crime was not murder, but her scheming and maneuvering tactics to gain power for herself and for her son Tiberius, who became the emperor after Augustus' death. I agree this is surely a more balanced portrait of Livia and it has provided more facets of her life besides the many murders and other wickedness that has been laid at her doorstep. She most likely was over-maligned and accused of horrendous crimes that were not of her doing, but the possibility exists that Livia was behind at least some of them--consider Marcellus' death, Julia's banishment for sexual promiscuity--these events especially were of benefit to Livia or her son, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that she had something to do with them. My one complaint with the book is the author's tendency to whitewash or discount things that he doesn't like or to claim that a source is unreliable in some details but reliable in others that support his claims. However, in the main, Dennison has provided a very readable, interesting account of a truly formidable female who lived during a dangerous and disturbing period in Rome's history, who was able to find and secure her role in its society, to be actively involved in events and maintain her position, and survive to become the matriarch of what was probably Rome's most notorious dynasty.

Spent a wonderfully satisfying afternoon yesterday viewing Stephen Spielberg's recently released film "War Horse"(2011). Based on a children's book by Michael Morpurgo (which I haven't read), the story follows an intelligent and loyal horse from Devon, England, as he passes through the lives of several people during the World War I era. From the opening sequence, depicting the colt's birth, young Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) feels an attachment for the animal.When the horse, still young and untrained, is put up for auction in the village, Albert's father stubbornly wins the bid against his landlord and brings him home, much to the disgust of his wife Rose, who expected him to bring home a horse for the farm work. Albert, thrilled, names him Joey, and faithfully trains him. When war comes, Albert's father (in need of money for the rent due on the family farm) sells Joey to the British army and a new master. With Ted Narracott's Boer War pennant tied to his bridle, thus begins the Joey's journey into the hell of war-torn Europe. Spielberg has done a wonderful job in relating the story of this magnificent horse and the friends he makes through the years, set against the backdrop of war with all its horrors and miseries for both humans and animals. The horse is the major star in this story, and Spielberg made the right decision to do the film that way. The other characters are important to the story, but the audience is swept along and views the horse's experience through his viewpoint. Even though you do root for Albert, once he is in France as a soldier, to finally locate his horse, it is the horse you wish to see triumph even more. And all along the adventure, the audience is treated to some marvelous setpieces: Joey's birth in a Devon pasture; his first battle in France against the Germans; the awful suffering in pulling the German guns across the land; the death of Joey's friend, the big black horse Topthorn; the beauty of the Devon farmlands and villages; the terrors of being gassed in the trenches. John Williams' wonderful score is so appropriate and moving. Most of the human roles (with the exception of Albert) are small but well cast: Emily Watson and Peter Mullen as the Narracotts are fine; Benedict Cumberbatch as Major Stewart; Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nicholls; Patrick Kennedy (from "Bleak House") Eddie Marsan, and Toby Kebbell as British soldiers, and Celine Buckens as a young French girl all add richness to the storyline in their parts. Spielberg didn't skimp on accurate details concerning the use of horses during World War I and should be commended for this. Hundreds of thousands of horses and mules died on the battlefields in Europe, many were sent from the United States and Canada.Those left alive at the end of the war were auctioned off. Yes, at times the film maker is a bit sentimental and sappy and does his best to tug the viewer's heartstrings, but why not? With its universal themes of friendship, separation, longing for home, unexpected kindness, and heroism, Spielberg has created a beautiful and moving saga that is definitely easy on the eyes and will linger on in the memory long afterward. I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen; for my time and money, it was totally worthwhile.

GEORGIA BOTTOMS by Mark Childress, 2011.

Full of charming small town humor and quirky characters, the story concerns Georgia Bottoms (family name was previously Butts) in Six Points, Alabama, a good looking woman who makes a living serving as the mistress to six important men in the town. She's a great cook, faithful churchgoer, a superlative hostess, and she takes care of her mother who has borderline dementia as well as watches out for her bum brother. Each of her gentlemen callers is unaware of her relationship with the others, and so her life is a juggling act that she has totally perfected and she makes sure that everything stays on schedule. Her callers leave her weekly generous gifts (money) to help with her lifestyle. However, when the preacher (her Saturday night lover), feeling a huge burden of guilt, threatens to spill the beans on their set up, her world begins to come crashing down. Then her annual September luncheon is totally ruined by 9/11, and when things just can't seem to get any worse, a strange young man arrives at her front door, and Georgia realizes the jig is up and it's time to face the music. Even her best friend and co-conspirator Krystal, the town's mayor, can't help her, as she has problems of her own, and one of them involves her own feelings about Georgia. This novel is all about human frailties and failings and misplaced values, done with great humor and insight.  A light, fun read, on the order of Fannie Flagg and Clyde Edgerton.