What Book Are You Currently Reading?

[Mopsus]

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville. I was hoping to compare what de Tocqueville had to write about early 19th-century American government and society with contemporary perceptions, but it unfortunately hasn't been as insightful as I had hoped. Before that, I read 1491, which argues that pre-Colombian American societies were far more developed than most believe.

[Mopsus]

I finished The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn yesterday. I had it in my head that it was a children's book (probably because I was a child when I first read it), but it turned out to be a quite enjoyable (and, at times, quite mature) novel. I was also thrilled to be able to familiarize myself with some authentic Missouri dialect.

[Mopsus]

1491 by Charles Mann

So good. Can't recommend it enough, even if you don't really care about pre-Columbian American history.

Bought that book on a whim last year. I echo your endorsement; very eye-opening.

[Mopsus]

So far, I've found "Book VII" of Paradise Lost to be the most enjoyable to read.

[Mopsus]

Candide

I feel that the novella suffered for its brevity, rather than benefited from it; the rapidity with which the central characters moved from tragedy to tragedy was sometimes too much to take. Still, I found the conclusion satisfying enough, and Martin did have some great lines.

[Mopsus]

I recently picked up a translation of P. Boissonnade's Life and Work in Medieval Europe from a Salvation Army store (it seemed interesting enough to invest $.65 in). Has anyone here read it?

[Mopsus]

Just finished reading Part One. All the stories were great (except The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim, which didn't seem quite up to the same level as the others), but I think that I liked The Lottery in Babylon the best.