What are you reading?

I was thinking of renting some Edgar Allan Poe books, there are alot of books that have alot of Poes poems and books, do you have any suggestions for me?

Les Miserables is a very important book.I was very facinated. It's the representator of the romantic ecole so sometimes V. Hugo tells about something needlessly long. For example: Jean Valjean escapes with Maris on his back through a sewer system. While telling this, Hugo talks about the history of the sewer system and criticise that we don't use human sh*t as a fertilizer, because its the best fertilizer on the world! This takes about 10-15 pages!!! 

Les Miserables was pretty concise compared to some books by Balzac or Dickens

Anyway, I'm reading the Far Pavillions by M.M. Kaye. It's about 1850s to 1880s India. I find it very good, although I'd like the opinion of an Indian on how it describes Indian society. If it's accurate, then I would highly recommend the book.

I'm also reading a bunch of other books in parallel. "1919" by Margaret Macmillan, "A world lit only by fire" by William Manchester, "History of Religions" by Mircea Eliade, "China's Golden age: the T'ang Dynasty" (forgot the author's name), Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" and finally "A guide for the Perplexed" by Maimonides.

   Re:  "Les Miserables"   -sewers etc.  

VH was making a point. He was very dramatic because he wanted to affect (effect?) social change. and tell the unique history of French revolution.

I personally liked the way he told his story, but I liked Herodotus too (talk about a rambler!)  

 Also Hugo may have been simply (drastically)setting the stage. 

Was he also trying to throw you off by putting you smack in the midst of what would become key to the entire story? (lame?).

OK How bout this: Upper and lower class is literal here.

  For anthropology enthusiasts: Do you find it odd both these social classes produced descendants into the present century?

 My fav books have always been encyclopedias, limited or rare geographies & histories. Oh! and biographies.

And God bless me some zone outs:

John Grisham

 Patricia Cornwell ("The Body Farm")

 & video cheat mags!!