This stuffy old classic turned out to be a great story, and I considered indulging in my first Loeb Classic, but was already well along with Gutenberg so I just picked up the Classical Library Reader which is crammed with great stories and little filler. Aware of my acute ignorance of history, I turned to Winston Churchill and his History of the English-Speaking Peoples because the first two volumes were free on Prime. The Birth of Britain might have been subtitled How Kings Die with vivid (if poorly substantiated) accounts of assassinations and mishaps. The City & The City made for good vacation reading on the first beach visit in recent memory. It wasn't as bizarre and mysterious as the first time through, but I was able to enjoy how smoothly and gradually China Miéville works the gimmick into the narrative.