Ancient Lands
Reading Oxford History of Biblical Lands but I have supplemented it with a fine volume (strange to call it thus when it is an ebook) on ancient Sumeria. Such scholarly texts are a relief from more ephemeral  fare.  They require concentration and thought. I am less pleased with the Biblical characters and society and more inclined to see the larger picture.  What defines the bible cast is a book of carefully crafted  propaganda, beautifully written about folk more legendary than real.