Wow! Already into March! 2025 is moving fast (and what a year it has already been- hang in there!) I want to remind my readers that books, both fiction and non-fiction, are a way to ground ourselves during unprecedented times. We can peer behind the curtains of events, like the French Revolution or World War Two, in the hopes of making sense of the world around us. We can look to world-building fantasy novels to inspire and take us away from the reality of modern-day woes. Hang in there, dear readers. As Marcus Aurelius reminds us: keep your philosophy close. With that being said, let’s dive into my reading list for February!
A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney
WARNING: This amazing book will make you spend some money on some ancient coins if you aren’t careful!
Indeed, it is true! Within the first few chapters of this book, I had my first Ancient Roman coin on order from Europe! By the time I finished this book, I had done a lot of research. You have been warned, and I will be posting about my coins soon! With that out of the way, let’s talk about the book! Harney uses coins as a means to give us an overview of the history of Ancient Rome. I think this is a brilliant idea- as coins provide a surefire way to tell us the history of their time. We can see portraits of the leaders, and the monuments they built- such as the completed Colosseum. Some of the basic facts that we know of ancient Rome did not come from scrolls or tables; rather, they came from coins! Realizing this was my favorite part of reading this book. The author includes images from his collection. 5/5 stars for me! This was a brilliant book and I cannot recommend it enough. Just be careful, it’ll make you want to buy coins! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
This is the second book in Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Like the first book, reviewed last month, I liked the world-building and overall plot of this second installment. The spice level on this one was a little turned up from book #1, so be aware of that for younger readers. To be frank, I can’t say this is my ‘favorite’ series of all time, and I feel myself losing just a bit of interest. That’s not to say the writing style is flawed, and I plan to finish out the series.
I am looking forward to reading Maas’s other series, Throne of Glass, which is set in a separate dimension from this book. 3/5 stars for me! ⭐⭐⭐
Phillip and Alexander by Adrian Goldsworthy
To truly understand Alexander the Great, we first need to step back and examine the life and achievements of Philip II. After all, it was Philip who laid the foundation for Alexander’s legacy. This book does an excellent job of delving into Philip’s life—a subject often overshadowed by his son. Alexander tends to dominate historical narratives, and most people recognize his name, while Philip remains less well-known.
Goldsworthy is a fantastic historian and writer, but I have to be honest—this book is dense. When reading history, I’ve noticed that some authors write primarily for a scholarly audience, catering to researchers and academics. I don’t mind that approach, but this book was incredibly detailed, sometimes overwhelmingly so. While it’s a valuable and informative read, it requires patience and a strong interest in the subject. I recommend having some background on who Alexander and Phillip were before diving into this very detailed book. Check out my review on Alexander The Great by Phillip Freeman for a fantastic novel that is engaging but not as heavy. I rate Goldsworthy’s book a 4/5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
Destiny is all! Like many, I am a huge fan of TLK series on Netflix. Since finishing the series, I have wanted to start the books and finally pulled the trigger (sword?) to read them. The first book was a super fast read, and it’s amazing how closely the show follows the book. Of course, we get a lot more character depth than we get in the show, so bonus points for that. Cornwell is a great author and even writes one of the greatest non-fiction accounts of the Battle of Waterloo (reviewed in January) to date.
There honestly is not much to say about this title. My only criticism is that the book is told in the eyes of an old Uhtred. I am usually not a fan of this writing style and prefer first or third-person real-time perspectives. Aside from that, everything is just so good about it and I look forward to continuing in the series! 4/5 stars for me! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome by Anthony Everitt
Everitt is a fantastic author and I have enjoyed many of his works. I recently acquired two silver Hadiran denarii from the Ancient Roman Empire. I used this book as some of my research for my recent post about the world and political landscape of Hadrian’s Rome. The writing style was excellent, so I was surprised to see some one- and two-star reviews. Everitt does explore Hadrian’s homosexual relationships, but it’s important to remember that societal norms in ancient times were quite different from our own. I suspect some of the criticism stems from this, but as true scholars, we should strive to understand the historical context rather than judge it by modern standards. I never got the sense that the author dwelled excessively on the topic—rather, he presented it as one aspect of Hadrian’s life. For a biography of such an influential figure, it’s crucial to include all the details, and Everitt does so with balance and thoroughness. 4/5 stars for me! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
Pierce Brown does it again! Iron Gold is (so far) my favorite book of the Red Rising series! This is the first time that Brown uses a multi-character perspective (I think that’s what it’s called.) Basically, every few chapters, the character’s POV switches. It’s brilliant and Brown executes perfectly in Iron Gold. It was hard to put this book down and it felt much more surreal than the others in the series; that is, there are definitely some dark moments in this one.
I 100% recommend this series to anyone even remotely interested in Sci-Fi. I am hoping that we get more of a world-building aspect from Brown- but that’s just me being picky. Iron Gold is a 5/5 stars read for me! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks for stopping by!
With school and some projects in full swing, I have opted-in for longer format books and it has been harder to get reading time in! I hope you enjoyed this month’s reading list and let me know in the comments below if you get around to checking any of these books out!
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