#rereaders

Emma’s readers (and rereaders)

"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich . . .". In the latest episode of TLS Voices (see below) we draw out the bicentennial celebrations for Jane Austen's Emma. As a forthcoming review in the TLS notes, the novel first appeared in print on December 23, 1815, after being advertised as published "this day" a week earlier; its title page, as above, is dated 1816, as was conventional for books…

Why Margaret George’s Historical Novel Is The Closest You’ll Get To The Real Cleopatra

#Rereaders is an ongoing series where we highlight the books we love to read again and again. Here’s our first installment:

As an ancient Egypt nerd, I will read pretty much anything and everything about that particular era in history.

I keep turning back to Stacy Schiff’s non-fiction Cleopatra: A Life and recommend it to every history geek I know because it’s a breezy read of the famous Queen’s life that presents dry facts as something interesting. I also adore Stephanie Dray’s Lily of the Nile trilogy because it combines history and magic to create an enthralling series that sums up Cleopatra Selene II’s mission to honor her mother and her goddess.

However, one novel has always stuck with me and that particular piece of historical fiction is Margaret George’s The Memoirs of Cleopatra.