It's Monday! What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  This is the meme to share what you read last week, what you're delving into now and what will be coming up shortly and to see what others are buzzing about of course!

This is actually my first time participating in this meme! 

Read this week:

 

 Reviewed of Days of Splendor Days of Sorrow.

I will be not be reviewing The Scorpio Races or State of Wonder but will be writing about them in my Friday Reading Journal.


Reading Right Now:

Long the stuff of legends, Spartacus is known to most modern readers through the classic Kubrick film version of Howard Fast’s novel. Now bestselling historical novelist Ben Kane returns to the source material and presents a lively and compelling new vision of the man who was Spartacus—Roman army auxillary, slave, gladiator and ultimately the leader of an army of slaves who nearly brought Rome to its knees. Ben Kane’s brilliant novel begins in the Thracian village to which Spartacus has returned after escaping from life as an auxiliary in the Roman army. Jealous of his attachment to Ariadne, a Dionysian priestess, the Thracian king betrays Spartacus to the Romans who take him, along with Ariadne, into captivity and to the school of gladiators at Capua. Against the background of the unbelievable brutality of gladiatorial life, Spartacus and Crixus the Gaul plan the audacious overthrow of their Roman masters. They escape and flee to Vesuvius, where they recruit and train an army of escaped slaves that will have to face the conquerors of the known world, the most successful deadly army in all of history in a battle that will set in motion the legend that is Spartacus.

Upcoming Reads for this week:

When young Robert Dudley, an earl's son, meets squire's daughter Amy Robsart, it is love at first sight. They marry despite parental misgivings, but their passion quickly fades, and the ambitious Dudley returns to court. Swept up in the turmoil of Tudor politics, Dudley is imprisoned in the Tower. Also a prisoner is Dudley's childhood playmate, the princess Elizabeth. In the shadow of the axe, their passion ignites. When Elizabeth becomes queen, rumours rage that Dudley means to free himself of Amy in order to wed her. And when Amy is found dead in unlikely circumstances, suspicion falls on Dudley - and the Queen...Still hotly debated amongst scholars - was Amy's death an accident, suicide, or murder? 

Juliana St. John is the daughter of a prosperous knight. Though her family wants her to marry the son of her father's business partner, circumstances set her on a course toward the court of Henry VIII and his last wife, Kateryn Parr. Sir Thomas Seymour, uncle of the current heir, Prince Edward, returns to Wiltshire to tie up his concerns with Juliana's father's estate and sees instantly that Juliana would fit into the household of the woman he loves, Kateryn Parr. Her mother agrees to have her placed in Parr's household for "finishing" and Juliana goes, though perhaps reluctantly. For she knows a secret. She has been given the gift of prophecy, and in one of her visions she has seen Sir Thomas shredding the dress of the king's daughter, the lady Elizabeth, to perilous consequence.  As Juliana learns the secrets of King Henry VIII's court, she faces threats and opposition, learning truths about her own life that will undo everything she holds dear.

Their love affair happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her ... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams. When she discovers that Jamie may have survived, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face what awaits her ... the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland ... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that lies beyond the standing stones.

Upcoming Reviews for this week:

May 30th- 

At twenty-three, Saba Tarcan is a talented but naive singer who dreams of being more than just another act playing in small clubs and talent contests in Wales. So when the opportunity arises to join a group that will entertain the troops in the Middle East, she jumps at the chance. She must leave behind her overprotective family and cut short a burgeoning love affair with a young fighter pilot, Dom, whom she met when she went to sing in the hospital where he was recovering from burns after his plane had been shot down.  When Dom follows Saba to Cairo, the difficulties of combining their two intense lives are compounded. Dom, addicted to flying, refuses to stay grounded, while Saba finds she’s suited for life on the stage and on the road. When it turns out that Saba is also uniquely qualified for a secret mission, she is asked by the Secret Service to spy on a Turkish impresario and his associates. But it’s a mission that will jeopardize not only her own safety, but also the love of her life…

Hopefully everyone has a nice relaxing Memorial Day planned.  I am spending mine with my nose in Spartacus before it's back to work Tuesday :)