• The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain - Maria Rosa Menocal

There were parts of this book that I really loved and then parts that seemed somewhat unorganized. However, the last 2 chapters of the book are wonderful and make the entire thing worth reading. I especially enjoyed the theories of what made this tolerant culture turn on its citizens and create a culture of terror during the inquisition. I also loved hearing her relate Cervantes' Don Quixote to the events in Medieval Spain that led to this distrust of all things "un-Christian."

• The Arabian Nights, Volume II, More Marvels and Wonders of the Thousand and One Nights

While most of these stories are religious in nature, it seems like the second volume is overwhelmingly more focused on the religious parable than the first. There are some great stories in this volume, but if you only have time to read one I recommend the first volume. These stories seem much more repetitive than the first as well. However, I really enjoyed the fables at the end of the story.

• Arabian Nights: Volume I, The Marvels and Wonders of the Thousand and One Nights

I really enjoyed this book. Most of the stories were really interesting. It was great to be able to read the original versions of Sinbad, Ali Baba and the Forty Theives, Aladin and other tales that you've heard in various terms over the years. I thought about just reading a day at a time, but the days are so short that you can't really get into the stories without just continuing on with the tale. There should be something to interest everyone in this book. You can tell that it's been inspired by oral traditions and epics, but it doesn't drone on with lists like epics do.

• Renaissance Europe: Age of Recovery and Reconciliation

I read most of this in my Renaissance course in college. (Apparently I read more of it than I thought I had so there was only a little that I hadn't read before). Anyway, after re-reading...

It's a good "text" book. It covers most things and goes a little more indepth than a survey text. However, there are a lot of places that read like a survey. While I prefere books that focus on one or two specific events or people, this one's not bad. It provides a lot of books for suggested reading which I really like.