Hi! I would be very happy to get suggestions on a book on the history of Rome that gives a good picture of the life in Rome as well as it's conquests & failures that would be an entertaining read.
I'm not very well read on Rome....well....honestly, I'm not very well read period....I don't read a lot when it comes to books. I have tried reading the History of Rome by Livy and to be honest, I can't do it. It's took dry. I've attempted it twice and never get beyond the first part of the book.
So, if you have something you can suggest, that would be great.
Have you looked at the book list? There's a number of general histories of the period on there. Though Livy gets recommended quite a lot he's not a very good place to start if you're interested in actual history (although he's wonderful if you want literature, though his Latin is extremely complex so good translations are hard to find), since Livy's early books are pretty much mythical stuff.
I'm currently reading Tom Holland's Rubicon which is mostly about the fall of the Republic and doesn't cover the empire. But it does give you a bit of knowledge of the (largely mythical) foundations of Rome and certainly gives an insight into what life was like for the various sections of Roman society.
Worthwhile read but if you're interested in the Empire as well you'll have to follow it up with something else as I plan to do.