Reading Elsewhen

With the current state of the world so depressing, I find myself turning in my reading to other times.

Geoffrey Chaucer of England takes me back to the 14th century--when England was bustling and the English language was coming into being. The opening chapters paint a delightfully detailed picture of the life of the times, before getting into Chaucer's various works. Probably a book only an English major would enjoy--and I do. I take it in small doses along with my breakfast coffee.

Vanity Fair, set in England during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, is an old favorite of mine and I recently treated myself to the almost 30 hour audio book wonderfully narrated by Frederick Davidson. I listen to this while I'm waiting to pick up Josie and in bed at night.

And, getting closer to this century, I just read a PDF copy of an as yet unpublished book, set in NC just after the Civil War.

And you know what? No matter the time or place, there were reminders of today--from the governmental corruption and mismanagement of Chaucer's London to the money-ruled society of Regency England to the bitterly divided, openly racist folks of the postbellum South.

The more things change . . .