This week I finished Lisey's Story and Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King, both very good. . except the second half of Hearts in Atlantis just. . .it didn't hold up to the first.
Also reading Early Imperial China by DR. Tanner, Gone To Texas by Randolf B Campbell and The Romans: From Village to Empire by Boatwright, Gargola and Talbert. -- the latter being the most interesting and most entertainingly written. Though I do find that it is a little too conservative in several different senses of that word (none having to do with modern politics).
Also read two of Plutarch's Lives today from Rome in Crisis ( a Penguin Book Classic containing 9 of his Lives, all relevant to the Fall of the Republic) -- specifically Sertorius and Lucullus -- both of which were fascinating in comparison to the BGT text (that's what we call Village to Empire) which was so. . . again, conservative is the best word for it, if you can attach yourself to the right connotative meanings of it. Besides, Plutarch is very good at romanticizing without making it feel like that's what he's doing, except that when you compare it to his own words in "Should an Old Man Take Part in Public Life?" which starkly criticizes the actions of Lucullus in his retirement (that he retired at all, and how he retired)as a general rule, though he is very generous of the actions when confronted with a man guilty of them directly. Though is is most likely partially out of honor and else out of bias (Lucullus was favourable to Greeks, and Plutarch loves any who love Greek art/philosophy as well as having been a loyal citizen of Chaeronea, whick Lucullus had done a grand kindness of sorts for).
Just because they're for school doesn't mean they don't count.
Also, Monday I'll start. . . .I guess Bag of Bones? (running out of King books. . .need to go pick up some more) and probably Tuesday or Thursday read (they're only around 200 pages) either Wu Zhao: China's Only Woman Emperor by N. Harry Rothschild or else Mexican Americans in Texas: A Brief History by Arnoldo De Leon . . .. I suspect the Wu Zhao book to be FAR more interesting. .. as its subject matter is, but I've heard Rothschild to be almost as dry and disappointing as Loewe.