The Fall of the Roman Empire directed by Anthony Mann (DVD)

Not bad, but not as good as many other Roman epics, although it has some pretty good action scenes.  Sophia Loren is distracting in her amazing beauty.  The ending is really good.

The Sign of the Weeping Virgin by Alana White (fiction)

Pretty good 15th century mystery novel set in Florence.  Most people in it are real characters, and I thought the author was fairly good at making them human.  There are lots of little details that are clearly a product of research, and I enjoyed them. Seems this may be the first book in a new series, and the next one will be set in Rome with the same protagonist.

The Deadly Sisterhood A Story of Women, Power, and Intrigue in the Italian Renaissance, 1427-1527 by Leonie Frieda (nonfiction)

I've read Frieda's biography of Catherine de Medici and this is just as good, telling the story of various women from the generation before her.  These women were often left as regent of their husbands' or sons' city states because of the turmoil of the times.  Turns out the Italian Renaissance was also a renaissance for women, even if it didn't last long.

Graven with Diamonds by Nicola Shulman (nonfiction)

The Many Lives of Thomas Wyatt: Poet, Lover, Statesman, and Spy in the Court of Henry VIII.  This book won a Writer's Guild Award for Best Non-Fiction Book, and I know why.  It was a crazy mixture of learned history with poetry analysis, all combined to reset the idea that Wyatt was not a great poet.  This book was a fast read, even though the topic doesn't seem like it would be zippy, I loved it.  I learned new things about the English language, and about how Henry treated his diplomats.

Merge and Disciple by Walter Mosley [two short novels from Crosstown to Oblivion] (fiction)

Two science fiction novellas, weird, sexy, appalling, fascinating, creepy.  Mosley is thinking about where we've been and where we're going, what's going on in the universe, and we're lucky enough to be reading his musings.  Merge was better than Disciple, but I enjoyed them both well enough to recommend.

The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, Amarna and Its People by Barry Kemp (nonfiction)

Written by an archaeologist digging there for 35 years.  Weird wild stuff, lots of guessing.  Pictures and diagrams to help understand the guesses were effective, a quick read.  Typos.

Mankiewicz' Julius Caesar from Shakespeare (DVD)

Tense atmosphere, good actors. 

The Tragedy of Mr. Morn by Vladimir Nabokov

I've read everything I can find by Nabokov, about Nabokov, even his scientific book on butterflies. This, the first English version of Nabokov's only 5-act play, was translated by Thomas Karshan and Anastasia Tolstoy.  WOW.  The play has so many beautiful parts, I can't begin to describe them.  It is a deceptively quick and easy read like much of Nabokov's work, and I find that you benefit from repeated readings.  If you loved his Pale Fire, you will be fascinated by the early exploration of many of the ideas in it.

The Robe (DVD) directed by Henry Koster with Richard Burton

One of the best Christian epics I've ever seen.  Great movie from start to finish.