Jerusalem - The Biography (Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2011)

Book had received glowing reviews - and clearly deserved them.  This is one of the more helpful things I've read recently.  Bought it. Will use it for reference.

Author is a descendant of one of the leading Jewish families in Jerusalem (his great great uncle plays a prominent role).  Author - I hadn't heard of him previously - apparently he is known for writing popular histories.  But in his case this is a plus - as best I can tell, he's managed to write useful, balanced books that also are highly readable.

Jerusalem is a relatively small, remote town.  That somehow became ground zero for the three Abrahamic religions.  The history is simply unbelievable.

Hopefully any government official with any decision-making authority about sending Americans into this part of the world will have read this book carefully.  (And plenty of other materials.)  The issues run deep here in ways we cannot really fathom.

I like how he handles the Old Testament era - it's interesting how archaeology continues to confirm some of the Biblical figures (plenty others remain in myth-status).  David.  Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians.  Herod.  Paul of Tarsus - labeled "The Creator of Christianity" here - which is a pretty interesting thought.

Muhammad's seemingly tenuous connection to Jerusalem.  Turned into something big.  Crusaders.  Byzantines.  Richard the Lionhearted.  Saladin.  Ottomans, and periods of obscurity.

Napoleon's ill-fated Mideast tour spawns bestsellers and renewed Western interest.  Christian evangelicals - many in U.S. - see linkage to the last days.  Russians pour in.  Mark Twain.  WWI, Zionism.  1948.  1967.

Useful discussion how the Christians, Muslims and Jews all have so many sub-sects floating around, often at odds with each other.  The conflicts aren't just among the three major strands.

A city absolutely unlike any other.

The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller, 2012)

I liked this, and would recommend it.  But the reviewers were so enthusiastic that I think my expectations were set too high.

This is the story of Achilles - with the twist being
that it is told from the perspective of Patroclus (who was a significant character in the Iliad, but not that big a deal).

In this book, the boy Achilles selects Patroclus to be his special friend - an unlikely choice.  Achilles has a goddess-mother who doesn't care for Patroclus.  Achilles is fated to be the best warrior of his time, and there are some other unpromising prophecies about his future.

The two grow up together, including a couple years being trained by a centaur.  Patroclus and Achilles do turn out to be special friends.  Then comes the abduction of Helen and the Trojan War.

Quick read, creative approach, I liked the last couple chapters.

Hadn't realized that the story of Achilles' unprotected heel (targeted by archer Paris) was a later add-on (not part of the original Greek story).