2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Civilizations by Laurent Binet.

Pages: 384 pages

Length: 1 month (August)

Participants: Jen, Missy

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

Hello, I managed to find the audiobook for this. Looking forward to joining you. Haven't heard of either title or author before.

I read a good review of this in Foreign Affairs magazine and my library had a copy in English.

What do you think of alternative histories? I love to play what if games, and I think I drove one history professor crazy in college because I used to go to his office hours and ask these kinds of questions.

I like them if done in an interesting way. There's a Japanese light novel series (To Every You I've Loved Before and To Me, The One Who Loved You) where his life differs depending on which parent he chooses after the divorce; the movies are on Crunchyroll. That's funny about the professor lol

I like the transmigration/reincarnation/time travel books where the character gets sent somewhere to prevent their death or others, sometimes screwing the plot or timeline up.

Exs.Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 1, Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs (Light Novel) Vol. 1, Steins; Gate 1

Which civilization are you up to now? In part 1, the Norsemen introduce horses, metal and disease immunity to the Americas. How do you think that sets up the alternative history narrative?

I must say that as I was reading, it didn't really occur to me that this was happening or the effects it would have later on in the narrative.

I’m listening now (part 3 just started). Part 1 was interesting with the Norsemen and how they named Greenland, played soccer with an ancient civilization and the lady was their leader. Part 2 started out decent but Columbus’ entries annoyed me the more it went on.

I read the reviews that explained the alternates. I was wondering what was different but remembered that Columbus doesn’t actually get trapped. Part 1 seemed so believable not knowing the actual history so that stinks. Part 3 is going in one ear and out the other right now (chapter 4), might have to relisten

It’s interesting that Columbus got mentioned in part 3 from a different perspective

Some parts of it are true, the vikings did set up an overwintering and ship repair station in Newfoundland, 500 years before Columbus, but they abandoned it. What I didn't realize as I was reading this book is that in this alternate history, they also give the indigenous peoples they encounter horses and metal, and accidentally give them disease immunity.

This sets them up to repel colonization by Columbus in part 2, because they can meet him on an equal war footing and they aren't immediately decimated by measles and smallpox. So once I realized that it became a fun what if narrative for me.

It’s somewhat nice that they’re questioning the oddities between religions. I’m at 74%. The Inca way makes sense

That was a sudden ending. Decent book. (view spoiler)[I wonder if he’d still end up writing Don Quixote in the new timeline? (hide spoiler)] Part 1 was good and then 3&4 were interesting once the shift fully happened. Part 2 was the only annoyance. Thanks for recommending!