I finally finished
Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebig Montefiore last night. By no means a slog; it's actually very good and I would argue, a MUST read for students of the Bible and prophecy. This is not popular history, but a very in-depth account of all the main events in the city from the time of King David to the Six Day War.
Many preconceived notions about the history of the city are easily dismissed by the erudite scholarship on display. I highly recommend it. The author is directly related to the Montefiores who were involved, along with the Rothchilds in bringing about the revitalization of the Jewish Quarter in the late 1800's.
Below is an interview with the author (I haven't watched it for content, so viewer beware).
After finishing it last night, I started reading
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan. It's another in a long line of attempts to discover a so-called "historical Jesus" apart from the Gospels, or at least, with some of the Gospels and other New Testament narratives being held up as authentic while casting aside many of the other parts.
We shall see how it goes...