This Week's Reading Assignment

When my Alabama grandparents watched TV, their programs of choice were Baptist preaching, the Weather Channel and movies about God. So, on those interminable Christmas visits, my sister and I watched "The Ten Commandments" over and over and over again.

Unfortunately for my grandparents, we liked the rich, fancy Egyptians much better than we liked preachy old Moses and the Israelites. We've both grown up with a soft spot for ancient Egyptian history, and we both adore Elizabeth Taylor's epic "Cleopatra." What's not to love about the character with the most costume changes in movie history?

So, I'm looking forward to this week's reading, Antony and Cleopatra, which tells the story of ancient Egypt's final collapse -- and depicts one of the world's great love stories. As always, we'll discuss the play starting at noon next Sunday. Enjoy!