The History Book Club discussion

This is the introduction thread for the book Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire by James Romm.

by James Romm

Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire

by James Romm (no photo)

Synopsis:

Alexander the Great, perhaps the most commanding leader in history, united his empire and his army by the titanic force of his will. His death at the age of thirty-two spelled the end of that unity.

The story of Alexander’s conquest of the Persian empire is known to many readers, but the dramatic and consequential saga of the empire’s collapse remains virtually untold. It is a tale of loss that begins with the greatest loss of all, the death of the Macedonian king who had held the empire together.

With his demise, it was as if the sun had disappeared from the solar system, as if planets and moons began to spin crazily in new directions, crashing into one another with unimaginable force.

Alexander bequeathed his power, legend has it, “to the strongest,” leaving behind a mentally damaged half brother and a posthumously born son as his only heirs. In a strange compromise, both figures—Philip III and Alexander IV—were elevated to the kingship, quickly becoming prizes, pawns, fought over by a half-dozen Macedonian generals. Each successor could confer legitimacy on whichever general controlled him.

At the book’s center is the monarch’s most vigorous defender; Alexander’s former Greek secretary, now transformed into a general himself. He was a man both fascinating and entertaining, a man full of tricks and connivances, like the enthroned ghost of Alexander that gives the book its title, and becomes the determining factor in the precarious fortunes of the royal family.

James Romm, brilliant classicist and storyteller, tells the galvanizing saga of the men who followed Alexander and found themselves incapable of preserving his empire. The result was the undoing of a world, formerly united in a single empire, now ripped apart into a nightmare of warring nation-states struggling for domination, the template of our own times.

About James Romm:



James Romm was born in 1958 in New York. After receiving his B.A. in Classics from Yale, he went on to earn a Ph.D. from Princeton in 1988. He has taught Greek language, literature and history at Bard College since 1990.

He is the James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Classics at Bard College. James has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He has written two books on the ancient Greek world, The Edges of the Earth in Ancient Thought and Herodotus, and edited Arrian’s Campaigns of Alexander, part of the distinguished Landmark series of works by ancient Greek historians.

all by or edited by James Romm (no photo)

Reviews

“Gripping . . . Romm is a gifted storyteller as well as a respected scholar, and he knows that compelling history is driven by consideration of character.”
—Choice

“Fascinating . . . Romm’s writing has vigor and style.”
—About.com

“Thrilling . . . Bringing the sources into artful alignment—affirming one account here, dismissing another there—takes expert eyes, and Romm clearly has them . . . A careful work of fine scholarship . . . It binds an otherwise mind-boggling narrative into a skillfully coherent whole.”
—Brendan Boyle, New Criterion

“James Romm succeeds brilliantly in bringing to life the seven-year period. . . The range of personality types in this complex web of tales is broad, and Romm delineates them sharply enough so that most readers will soon enough have picked their favorites.”
—Jeremy Rutter, History Book Club

"Fast-paced and absorbing . . . Romm brings to life the Bodyguards and their struggles to maintain their territories . . . Romm’s captivating study stands alongside Robin Waterfield’s engaging recent Dividing the Spoils as a sterling account of a little discussed era in ancient history."
—Publishers Weekly

"Scholarly but colorful account of the toxic fallout from the untimely demise of a continent-striding conqueror. . . Romm paints a vivid portrait of ancient politics . . . lively enough to engage newbies [to ancient history] as well."
—Kirkus

"After the death of Alexander the more amazing story begins. It's a story of astonishing courage and endurance, and of desperate battles, diplomatic intrigue, debauchery, assassination, and treachery. Romm tells the story of these often neglected decades with an eye for vivid detail, clarity about the often surprising military operations, and alertness to the transformation of the ancient world that took place when Alexander left his empire "to the strongest."
—W. R Connor, Andrew Fleming West Professor of Classics emeritus at Princeton, and Senior Adviser to the Teagle Foundation.

"Professor Romm is a leading scholar of the ancient Greek world. He is also a brilliant storyteller, and in the tale of the prolonged and murderous war for succession to Alexander the Great's throne and empire he has a truly gripping tale to tell. This combination of historical accuracy and original research with exciting, action-packed dramatic story is exceptionally rare in any field of history-and we are fortunate to have Professor James Romm as our mentor and dramaturge."
—Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, Cambridge University, and author of Alexander the Great: The Hunt for A New Past

"Ghost on the Throne illuminates the dark mysteries and personal motivations that swirled in the turbulent, little-studied era ushered in by Alexander's untimely death in Babylon. In Romm's gripping, detailed account, we watch the tragic drama unfold, as the young leader's closest companions become vicious rivals, shredding Alexander's grand dream amid blood and paranoia."
—Adrienne Mayor, author of The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy

"James Romm brings together impressive scholarship, an engaging prose narrative, and excellent maps and illustrations to bring alive the bloody aftermath to a general audience-as he sorts out in riveting fashion the failed efforts of successor would-be kings, thugs, and killers to restore Alexander's brief empire. A model of what classical scholarship should be."
—Victor Davis Hanson author, A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War; and The Other Greeks; Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

"In his gripping new Ghost on the Throne, James Romm adds the narrative verve of a born writer to the erudition of a scholar. Taking what until now had been a murky gray area of ancient history that was once the province of specialists--the eventful, convoluted, and bitter struggles for power immediately following the death of Alexander the Great--Romm has crafted a richly colored, expertly narrated page-turner. A wonderful book for anyone interested in history, power—or just an amazing tale."
—Daniel Mendelsohn

"What became of Alexander's stunning accomplishments and his vision of a vast, unified empire? Ghost on the Throne illuminates the dark mysteries and personal motivations that swirled in the turbulent, little-studied era ushered in by Alexander's untimely death in Babylon. In Romm's gripping, detailed account, we watch the tragic drama unfold, as the young leader's closest companions become vicious rivals, shredding Alexander's grand dream amid blood and paranoia."
--Adrienne Mayor, National Book Award nominee and author of The Poison King: The Life of Mithradates, Rome's Worst Enemy

ABOUT GHOST ON THE THRONE

When Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-two, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea in the west all the way to modern-day India in the east. In an unusual compromise, his two heirs—a mentally damaged half brother, Philip III, and an infant son, Alexander IV, born after his death—were jointly granted the kingship. But six of Alexander’s Macedonian generals, spurred by their own thirst for power and the legend that Alexander bequeathed his rule “to the strongest,” fought to gain supremacy. Perhaps their most fascinating and conniving adversary was Alexander’s former Greek secretary, Eumenes, now a general himself, who would be the determining factor in the precarious fortunes of the royal family. James Romm, professor of classics at Bard College, brings to life the cutthroat competition and the struggle for control of the Greek world’s greatest empire.

PRAISE

“Romm charts all the reversals and alliances with the skill of a great detective.” —Los Angeles Times

“Thrilling. . . . But Ghost on the Throne is [also] a careful work of fine scholarship.” —The New Criterion

“Offering well-paced and often-dramatic narratives, up-to-date research, and thorough documentation. . . . [Romm] lends a vividness and passion to his narrative.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Romm is a gifted storyteller as well as a respected scholar.” —Choice

“[Romm has] mastered the knack that all classicists should have: He can get inside the sources and bring them alive. . . . This is history every reader should know, and this is exactly how it should be written.” —Open Letters Monthly

“Romm’s saga of the tumultuous years immediately following Alexander’s relatively sudden death . . . becomes something of a thriller: [Who] will survive until the next chapter in this roller coaster of an imperial succession story?” —History Book Club

“Romm . . . is one of a few historians worldwide who can be numbered among the Alexander experts.” —Westfair Online

“Written more as a thriller than a history tome.” —The Daily Freeman

“Fast-paced and absorbing . . . Captivating . . . A sterling account of a little discussed era in ancient history.” —Publishers Weekly

“Lively. . . . [A] scholarly but colorful account of the toxic fallout from the untimely demise of a continent-striding conqueror. . . . Romm paints a vivid portrait of ancient politics.” —Kirkus Reviews

AWARDS

Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title
WINNER 2012

AUTHOR Q&A

Why has the time period following Alexander the Great’s death remained virtually untold?

Largely because Alexander is such a towering presence, and draws all the attention. Also, eras like that of Alexander, dominated by a single individual, are more attractive to historical authors than those that are not, because the structure of biography, a familiar and comfortable one, can be brought into play. The era following Alexander has an ensemble cast, with no dominant figure. That makes it a harder narrative for authors—but hopefully not for my readers!

Of Alexander’s many generals who vied for power following his death, who did you find most compelling to write about? Did anyone surprise you during the course of your research for this book?

Eumenes of Cardia completely won my heart, and he is in many ways the hero of the book. I had never quite understood why a Greek, who was originally Alexander’s secretary, played such a big part in the post-Alexander years. Learning the tangled tale of Eumenes’ rise to power was one of the great joys I had while researching this book. Also, Eumenes was extremely clever, smarter than most of the Macedonians, and I find smart people naturally interesting.

The title of your book, Ghost on the Throne, refers to the great power Alexander’s persona had, even in death. How did the generals try to channel this power?

The specific reference is to a ploy devised by Eumenes, following the model of his senior commander, Perdiccas. Eumenes set up Alexander’s throne in a special tent and placed Alexander’s royal gear on it, then met with his officers only in front of that throne. They would not accept him as leader without the implied presence of this spectral Alexander. It’s a fascinating image, one that reveals the power Alexander exercised on the imagination of the age.

Had Alexander lived, do you think he would have been able to maintain control of his empire? Or had it grown too vast even for his giant personality?

That’s a very difficult question. Alexander’s character was changing at the time he died. It seems likely he was increasingly autocratic in his behavior, often drunk, and mistrustful of those around him. In a way he was lucky in the timing of his death, as it cut short what might have been a total degeneration. He might not have been able to hold things together for long, though perhaps long enough to secure a viable plan for succession.

There were also many strong female characters who fought for access to Alexander’s throne through marriage or their children. Was this common for the time period? Who was the most successful in her bid for power?

You point to one of the features of this era that most appeals to me, the prevalence of strong women. The queens and princesses of the Argead royal family were remarkably scrappy and self-assertive. Ultimately none achieved her goals, but Olympias, Alexander’s mother, came very close to success. Through sheer charisma and force of will, she got control of the throne and the Macedonian homeland, but failed to hold on, mostly due to her lack of good generals.

A major source of conflict involved racial relations, particularly in regards to Alexander’s policy of intermarrying with the ruling classes of the Asian nations he conquered. Was Alexander the first European to promote such practices? Did it continue after his death?

Yes, Alexander was a revolutionary in this regard, and the example he set—arranged marriages between European men and Asian brides, for instance—was largely discarded after his death. But there were a few who carried the experiment forward, in a limited way. In my book I make the case that Perdiccas, Alexander’s senior officer at the time of his death, supported his racial policies, principally in his support for the succession rights of Alexander’s half-Asian son. Peucestas, a minor character in my book, learned the Persian language and wore Persian clothes, for which Alexander cherished him.

The city of Athens is a major character in Ghost on the Throne. How did the fallout after Alexander’s death influence the development of the city state in the years to come?

The story of Athens after Alexander is a painful historical tragedy. The city had avoided a direct clash with Macedon for fifteen years, saving up its resources and training its youth in anticipation of the right moment. With Alexander’s death, the moment had arrived. The Athenians staked everything on the rebellion of 323-322 and came agonizingly close to success. There would never be another moment for Athens with similar possibilities.

Not all Readers may be aware that Aristotle was Alexander’s teacher as a boy. How was his life affected by the turbulence in Athens?

This is one of the murkier and more surprising elements of the post-Alexander story. Aristotle was in cahoots with the Macedonians for most of his life, though just how active he was on their behalf is not clear. Still, he was, in Athenian eyes, on the side of the enemy. His flight from Athens in 323, and possibly an earlier departure in 347 as well, were direct results of anti-Macedonian bias.

With the intense drama of this time period, one can easily picture an HBO series or motion picture being made. Have any films about Alexander touched on the time following his death?

No, but the final segment of Oliver Stone’s film Alexander conducts a quick wrap-up of the fates of the principals, narrated by an aged Ptolemy, who had survived them all. I’m pleased by your mention of an HBO series because I was in fact influenced by the series Rome when I wrote Ghost on the Throne. I tried for the same vividness, panoramic scope, and depth of character portrayal that made Rome so successful, though of course the techniques are different when the story’s on the printed page.

The circumstances of Alexander’s death are still contested (including whether or not he was murdered). Has any new evidence in this “case” been discovered?

No new evidence, but an important new theory, which I am writing about now for Smithsonian Magazine. Recent toxicological studies have suggested that hellebore poisoning may explain Alexander’s symptoms. Since hellebore, in low doses, was used as a medicinal purgative by Alexander, it’s entirely possible he died from a drug overdose, or from medical malpractice. The research on this question is so new that I didn’t deal with it in Ghost on the Throne, and in fact I make no effort there to identify the cause of Alexander’s death. I was interested in the effects rather than the cause.


Are there any shadows of this conflict to be found today in the countries that were part of Alexander’s empire?

There are many, especially following the fall of the Hussein regime in Iraq and the departure of Mubarak from Egypt. These dictators ruled the territories that Alexander once ruled, by way of a cult of personality similar to his. It remains to be seen how the region will develop after their departure, but the contemporary Middle East has the benefit of a democratic superpower exerting its influence. Alexander’s empire was the world’s superpower, so the power vacuum created by his death was much more damaging.

June 10, 323 B.C., would turn out to be a devastating date for the fortunes of the world.

On that day, Alexander the Great, at the height of his powers and only 32 years old, died in Babylon, leaving behind no heirs or possible successors except an unborn child and a mentally defective half-brother.

Asked on his deathbed to whom his vast empire should pass, he uttered three words that would translate into three decades of global upheaval: “To the strongest.”

All of Alexander’s top generals (the Diadochi, or "successors") considered themselves “strongest,” and these men – brilliant tacticians, backed by cadres of battle-hardened troops – would tear one another to pieces in the years to come, turning much of the ancient world into collateral damage as they fought.

Alexander’s stunning achievement, a world united into a single empire, died from the wounds they dealt it; but a new world emerged, a world fractious nation-states and struggles to dominate the Mideast – in short, the template of our own times.

Indeed, events of recent years have painfully driven home the relevance of this story: On the same Mesopotamian battlegrounds once bloodied by Alexander’s generals, we have once again seen how a collapse in central authority can lead to chaos, upheaval, and a war of all against all.

Ghost on the Throne chronicles the death of Alexander and the five years that followed, a time when most of the known world, from Alexander’s Greek homeland as far east as modern-day Pakistan, was sucked into the maelstrom created by an immense power vacuum.

Its chapters move between widely varying locales of this multinational, multiethnic epic so as to capture the global scope of events, allowing the reader to watch the shock wave of Alexander’s death radiate outward from Babylon to the fringes of his empire.

This tale of a world suddenly rendered leaderless at a moment of profound change, and then nearly destroyed by the mutual hatreds and suspicions among those who succeeded to power, will have a powerful impact not only on history buffs but on all readers concerned with the uncertainties of a suddenly destabilized global order.

Film/TV rights optioned by James Lassiter of Overbrook Entertainment

A Main Selection of the History Book Club

"James Romm (editor of the magnificent The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander) dives right in with the conviction that although these might be messier tales, they're still really good ones and well worth telling. The effort lives or dies according to the author's abilities not just as a detail-sifting historian but as a storyteller. Romm succeeds marvellously. He's mastered the knack that all classicists should have: he can get inside the sources and bring them alive for a non-specialist audience. When he talks about the Somatophylakes, Alexander’s elite Bodyguards (hard, pragmatic men like Ptolemy, Perdiccas, and Leonnatus), soldiers who’d 'waded through rivers of blood' in their pursuit of Alexander's conquests, he's being as literal as figurative speech can get, and he's quick to establish the tension behind the dizzying stakes of the youthful conqueror's last days, when almost every one of the men around him saw himself as the sole best suited to take over…. Although the story has less visceral allure than the golden myth of Alexander's swath across the world, it's easily a more important story nevertheless—and in James Romm it has a teller well worthy of your attention. This is history every reader should know, and this is exactly how it should be written." — Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly

"Romm tells the gripping tale of the breakup of Alexander the Great’s far-flung but ephemeral empire. The author sets the scene vividly…. Romm is a gifted storyteller as well as a respected scholar, and he knows that compelling history is driven by considerations of character.... Highly recommended." — Choice

"Engaging…. Romm charts all the reversals and alliances with the consummate skill of a great detective." — Nick Owchar, Los Angeles Times

"Romm’s Ghost on the Throne is the thrilling story of the paths these claimants followed in the years after Alexander’s death. Its action resembles nothing as much as a film noir, played out on the open expanses of the modern Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa. Double-crossings, femmes fatales, hired guns, and dirty money are the order of the day. And this is not to mention the man-eating crocodiles, man-trampling elephants, and a poison-filled mule’s hoof. Romm is professor of Classics at Bard, a discipline more commonly given to scholarship as dry as the clay on the British Museum’s tablet. But he turns out to have quite a gift for the hardboiled…. [The book] has the briskness of a screenplay and is organized as a series of brief scenes, most of them introduced by the date, location and the major players: ‘Aristotle at Athens, 323,’ ‘Ptolemy in Egypt, 322,’ and so on. These little inter-titles prove indispensable, since I simply cannot exaggerate how complicated the aftermath of Alexander’s reign was—and its complexity is only exacerbated by the state of the sources…and it is a marvel to watch how judiciously Romm navigates them.… Bringing the sources into artful alignment—affirming one account here, dismissing another there—takes expert eyes, and Romm clearly has them. For all its lurid details, then, Ghost on the Throne is emphatically not ancient pulp, but a careful work of fine scholarship. And not merely on the minor—but crucial—questions about the trustworthiness of various sources, but also, more importantly, on the geopolitical questions that Alexander’s massive empire raised.… It binds an otherwise mind-boggling narrative into a skillfully coherent whole." — Brendan Boyle, The New Criterion

"In this fast-paced and absorbing account, Romm chronicles the political intrigues and military conflicts of the half-dozen generals who struggled for power after Alexander the Great's death in 323 B.C.E. The goal for each was control over an empire stretching from the Danube to the Indus. Because Alexander left no will or obvious successor, his seven closest friends--the Bodyguards--fought not only to preserve Alexander's Macedonian empire but also among themselves to mark out territory to rule. Drawing deeply on sources such as Plutarch's Lives and the anonymous The Lives of the Ten Orators, Romm brings to life the Bodyguards and their struggles to maintain their territories. As Romm points out, five of the Bodyguards placed crowns on their own heads, creating five royal dynasties to replace the one they had lost. A decade after Alexander's death a new multipolar political order had emerged, one marked by rivalry, shifting alliances, and long-running, small-scale conflicts. Captivating...a sterling account of a little discussed era in ancient history." — Publishers Weekly

"What became of Alexander's stunning accomplishments and his vision of a vast, unified empire? Ghost on the Throne illuminates the dark mysteries and personal motivations that swirled in the turbulent, little-studied era ushered in by Alexander's untimely death in Babylon. In Romm's gripping, detailed account, we watch the tragic drama unfold, as the young leader's closest companions become vicious rivals, shredding Alexander's grand dream amid blood and paranoia." — Adrienne Mayor

"In his gripping new Ghost on the Throne, James Romm adds the narrative verve of a born writer to the erudition of a scholar. Taking what until now had been a murky gray area of ancient history that was once the province of specialists—the eventful, convoluted, and bitter struggles for power immediately following the death of Alexander the Great—Romm has crafted a richly colored, expertly narrated page-turner. For too long, the immense spreading shadow of Alexander himself has overshadowed the careers of those around him: Romm’s new account now alters that balance, providing unforgettable, darkly-glinting cameos of the dead conqueror’s generals, friends, and relatives—most of them grasping, some memorably hapless—among whom figure a startling array of remarkable female players in this ‘Macbeth’-like drama. A wonderful book for anyone interested in history, power—or just an amazing tale." — Daniel Mendelsohn

Ghost on the Throne - The Death of Alexander the Great - podcast - Jon Bacheldar

Link:
http://www.johnbatchelorshow.com/podc...

Source: John Batchelor Show Podcast with James Romm

Sign up here for the discussion beginning July 13th. An event notification will be sent out for this discussion.

Signing up!

Glad to have you - let us know where you are from and why this book interests you. Vicki will be along shortly.

Bentley wrote: "Glad to have you - let us know where you are from and why this book interests you. Vicki will be along shortly."

I'm in Northern California.

Well I've never had a real chance to examine Alexander (I have studied him, just not in-depth with my degree) and thought this looked like a good option to indulge that! =)

Hi to Vicki!

Welcome, Kiri. I hope you like the book and enjoy the discussion.

I too am from Northern California, specifically Berkeley. Great weather we've been having!

My main area of historical interest is ancient Rome, in particular the late Republic and early Principate, but the Alexandrian era is also quite important. I look forward to learning a lot.

The book discussion begins July 13th giving everybody enough time to get their book. The 13th is next Monday. In the meantime, post your intro and why you are interested in the book - where you are from - city/state or if a global reader - your town/city/country. It is always fun to know where everybody is reading from and we want to give a special welcome all of our global members.

Try to stay with the reading assignments and post often - and you will all enjoy the discussion even more.

The Table of Contents and Syllabus have their own thread and are posted. But here is the link:
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Vicki Cline will be moderating this discussion.

Welcome,

Bentley

Please be aware that there are no marks in the main text to indicate where to go for end-notes (at least in my edition). The notes themselves give a page number and a few words of text. Personally, I go through the notes before reading a chapter, and put a little mark in the text for each one to indicate that there is a note. Obviously not recommended for library books, and I don't know how it would work for an ebook.

Hi from North Georgia! I haven’t participated in an online book discussion yet, so I’m excited to see how it goes. My interest in the book most likely comes from the hole Game of Thrones has left. I’ll be listening to the audio version, so no end-notes for me. Hopefully it won’t be an issue.

Welcome, Stephanie, we're glad you'll be joining us. The audio version should be interesting, at least you'll get to hear the correct pronunciation for names and places.

Vicki wrote: "Welcome, Stephanie, we're glad you'll be joining us. The audio version should be interesting, at least you'll get to hear the correct pronunciation for names and places."

And if anyone is interested on how the Greek names are pronounced in modern Greek (so that you can impress your Greek friends) please ask!

Michael wrote: "And if anyone is interested on how the Greek names are pronounced in modern Greek (so that you can impress your Greek friends) please ask!"

Can you give an example of a name that sounds different now from the ancient version?

Vicki wrote: "Michael wrote: "And if anyone is interested on how the Greek names are pronounced in modern Greek (so that you can impress your Greek friends) please ask!"

Can you give an example of a name that s..."

I am sorry for the misunderstanding, I meant that some names sound different than the pronunciation note, par example Aegae is written Aigai (Αιγαί) in modern Greek and it is pronounced as "eh-YE" (hope it makes sense) as αι (ai) in modern Greek is pronounced "eh". It would be pronounced "eye" if it was written with a kind of umlaut over i, ie αϊ (a-i). Of course as I said scholars do not agree unanimously on classical greek pronunciation, I am just trying to convey how they sound in the modern language.

By the way please accept my congratulations on the fantastic organization and wealth of material in this discussion.

Thank you Michael - we hope you enjoy the discussion.

This is my first participation. So I am excited to participate. I think even more so since we are staying home more due to covid 19. It will be fun to interact with folks on line.
Let’s see quickly I am a widow, live in the Memphis, Tn area. I love history. I became fascinated with Alex the Great due to my reading of Bible history. I was fascinated how one not “called” by the Lord could be used for the Lord’s purposes. Plus to have conquered and done so much before his death at a young age, truly makes me curious to know him better. Thank you for inviting me to participate.

Lora - glad to have you join in from beautiful Memphis. You are most welcome. Vicki will be along to greet you herself. And what a lovely introduction!

You are on the introduction thread and now you can travel on over to the Week One discussion thread - here is the link:

Week One thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Lora wrote: "This is my first participation. So I am excited to participate. I think even more so since we are staying home more due to covid 19. It will be fun to interact with folks on line.
Let’s see quickly..."

Welcome, Lora. I hope you enjoy the book and the discussions here. It's true, during covid it's nice to have a place to talk to new people.