I personally prefered April Blood. Being a fan of the Medici, Lorenzo specifically, it was hard for me to read a book showing a more pro-Savonarola view that was definately anti-Medici. Although, I can see why people would be anti-Piero. I like that the author takes a different perspective, but I don’t like that he tried to justify the bonfire of the vanities within the context of the period and that he denies Savonarola’s responsibility in the negative actions of his boys rampaging the streets. I doubt I’ll ever view the boys as anything other than an early version of the Hitler Youth. Book burning in any time period is something that makes me want to cry. He was a talented man…I get it; precurser to Luther…got it; Asked for some reasonable changes… ya; but I feel like the Renaissance lost itself in Florence because of him. After the death of Lorenzo, the emphasis shifts to Rome because instead of a rebirth of classical ideals, Florence was being reborn religiously.

Quick read, but interesting if you were ever a little curious about the MASH units, or even just to find out where some of the ideas for the show came from. I never thought that 4 o’clock Charlie was real. =)

This book was great! I loved every moment of it – from the mentor relationship between student and teacher (that few people understand), the characters, their adventures, and the history that Kostova brings into the novel. I never wanted to put it down and I was sad when it came to an end. The book draws you in and you want to rush through it to find out what will happen next. However, when you finish it you wish that you had prolonged your reading of it so that you could still be with the characters.

Baudolino was quite a suprise. It’s a great book that anyone interested in history, sci-fi, or adventures would find entertaining. I just finished it a few moments ago and I’m still in awe since I loved the last sentence. =)

It’s the best! Read it!

This was written by my Renaissance history teacher at Washington State University. He’s a great teacher and the book is really good.

The author of this book is a modern historian who specialized in World War II. Why he wrote a book on Michelangelo…? He felt like it. Basically the book is a combination of information you can get from Gaardner’s Art Through the Ages and Iving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy. The information’s okay for the most part, but there are better books out there that would be better to spend your time on. Mediocre to say the least.