First Man in Rome, Colleen McCulloughHere are the stories of Marius, wealthy but lowborn, and Sulla, penniless though aristocratic and debauched men of vision whose ambitions will lay the foundations of the most awesome empire ever known. Great events and mortal frailties, a vast and vivid cast of unforgettable men and women, kings, commoners, lovers, soldiers and senators are woven effortlessly into a rich densely embroidered tapestry and bring a remarkable era to magnificent life.

and a country as it is transformed in ways that

from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business

Dead Souls (1842) stands as one of the most dazzling and poetic masterpieces of the nineteenth century

will help us

A school bus driver must grapple with how much he's willing to give up in order to belong

the disjunction between its code of individualism and its fetish for prisons

He is slowly going blind

joyous and bitingly sharp

But as Lo delves deeper into The Project

Anita Diamant imagines the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of The Red Tent

With his infectious curiosity and trademark verbal pyrotechnics

They enjoy controlling others and will do anything to get what they want