On Reading Montaigne

I really enjoyed reading On Books by Montaigne. There were several funny spots and interesting tidbits of information that made his essay enjoyable to read, unlike some of the works that he discusses. One of the points that Montaigne made that I agree with, and I think makes the difference between good writing and okay writing is,"I would rather choose to know truly the conversation he [Brutus] held in his tent with some of his intimate friends on the eve of the battle than the speech he made the next day to his army; and what he was doing in his study and his chamber than what he was doing in the public square and in the Senate." (52). I really like the way that Montaigne talks about books also. He treats them with reverence, and bestows favor on specific ones almost like he cares for them as people. However, he doesn't get all melodramatic and sappy about it.
Of A Monstrous Child was a disturbing essay. The subject matter is so gnarly that it takes away from the writing and writer. The description is very lifelike, almost too much. It evokes sympathy for the child and the deformed man.