World since Fifteen Hundred: A Global History - Leften Stavros Stavrianos - Paperback - 5th ed Book

Have you ever woken up and said to yourself, "Boy oh boy, I want to read a 300-page book about 18th century Mexican nuns?" Neither did I, but I found this book and figured I'd give it a shot.

The book has a basic structure - the beginning provides the background, a small overview, and some of the key themes, and the rest of the book follows a largely narrative structure of just examining the events and documentation. Every few pages there is a small section where the author provides context or further explanation, but in general the focus is on the written documents.

The book isn't bad - I was especially drawn in to the fascinating descriptions of how monastic life evolved over the course of the 17th to 19th centuries - but it was a little long. I gave this book a 3 because there were a lot of times when I wished it picked up the pace - it would have been much more enjoyable if it was 100 pages shorter.

If you are really interested in the history of monastic life, then sure, give it a shot. But if the title doesn't wow you, then the book probably won't win you over.