Eh-hum # 161

Took a break from reading (and buying) Neil Gaiman books.

After my Saturday Nihongo lessons, I visited what I refer to as my favorite bookstore in Kobe: Random Walk in Motomachi (a.k.a. the Foreign Bookstore in my earlier posts). Though a small bookstore, the shop offers a variety books and magazines in English and other foreign languages. However, it also includes a significant collection of titles on Japanese history and culture. I own a point card; and for my twelfth and final stamp, I bought this one (picture from Wikipedia):

I first heard about the book when a Filipina writer and columnist mentioned it in her blog. Since she has good taste in books (I believe so, anyway) and learning that Robert Harris is a bestselling author (Pompeii, Fatherland among others), I went to Random Walk to see if they have a copy. Initially, they didn't; hence I ended up buying Mr Gaiman's novels (again, not disappointed, as I have five of them already). The moment it became available on their shelves, I set aside some dough for it (damn you bills! sigh, they always comes first).

A historical fiction, the book is about the Roman orator, philosopher and senator, Cicero, his early career and later on, his election as consul. The events are told through first-person narration by his secretary, Tiro. So far, I am still on the second chapter, but I sense that this will be an interesting read. Moreover, I really like the title; imperium can be translated as "power". Ancient power politics, now there's something that feeds the henyo mind. Eh-hum...will update this post as soon as I'm finished reading it. ;)