Here I am !!!
I have been back and forth here...and the Haditha thread.
Until I started reading mystery novels about 10 years ago...historical novels were my passion.
I have to admit that a lot of what I know about the Middle East is from reading Leon Uris books...I have kept everyone of them...
I read them too, and I like them still!
You might like reading James Michenor's The Source...as usual, excellently researched historical fiction like all his books.
Every one of his books has a typical recipe in it, too. Kind of a neat piece of trivia.