The History Book Club discussion

We are so glad you have joined us Robin, Caitlin, Sharon, Aaron and Sam. You will find much to see and do here and we hope that you will actively participate.

A warm welcome to all new members and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.

Hello all. Tim Martin here hailing form central Kansas. The early to mid 1900s is my historical focus mostly, with an emphasis on WWI, 1929s-30s gangsters, and WWII. Cheers.

Salam (peace upon you)
My name is Ahmad Akl, a Palestinian refugee from Lebanon, I am new to the "world of books" especially the books that are written in English language, and "goodreads" community...
I am Interested in history, especially the topics that are related to wars like WW2, Arab-Israeli conflict... etc
Hence my language is Arabic, I prefer to suggest for me some topics that help in understanding history in general...
Thank you and sorry if my English language is poor!

Samanta wrote: "Hello, Sharon. Welcome to the History book club!

You have come to the right place. I doesn't matter that you are new to history because nobody will judge here and we will all jump in to help if yo..."

Thank you, Samanta for the helpful tips!

Hello,
I am a new member and I have some unique perspectives from which I look forward to participating:

1. Theodore Roosevelt (I am president of the New England chapter, event chair of the WA State chapter, and on the Board of Trustees of the Theodore Roosevelt Association. I have published about TR, organized symposia and given several historical lectures about TR)

2. Ronald Reagan (I just gave a lecture at the Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library about Eisenhower and Reagan)

3. Dwight Eisenhower (see above)

4. Robert F. Kennedy (I have written about RFK as an inspiration to Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal as well as about RFK and Ronald Reagan)

5. The Holocaust and Jewish Partisans and Resistance (I have organized lectures and spoken about the leader of the revolt at the Sobibor Death camp, Toivi Blatt; the Japanese consul who stamped visas to save over 2,000 lives, Chiune Sugihara; and I organized a reunion of Jewish partisans)

Thank you!
Gene

Welcome Gene

Hello! My name is Jane. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina, and have recently retired. I just took a modern European history course at North Carolina State--beginning what may be a serious educational venture (making up for some things I missed). My professional work involved learning a great deal about two major topics -- environmental issues (and ways to solve them through markets) and higher education (how to improve it).

My interest in history reflects an interest in problem-solving. What was done right in the past, what was wrong, and what lessons might we learn? I realize that it may be impossible to learn the right lessons -- history suggests that it's hard apply the past to the present -- but I'd like to try. It's part of my later-in-life effort to make sense of the world I live in.

Right now, I am interested in modern European history (especially of France). The world wars fascinate me -- not so much the battles as the political decisions that got us into them. I'm also interested in the history of modern languages. For example, why are French and Spanish, both Romance languages, still quite different?

My interests will probably change over the next year or so.

Hi I am Amanda. I'm Scottish and I live in the Netherlands. History was one of my favourite subjects at school. I am very interested in the First World War. I went on a trip to the battlefields in France when I was 15 and it left a big impression. I love the 1920s and the 1950s. History is prevalent in my choices of films, TV, books. I am open to all periods. If something sparks an interest, then I want to learn about it. I think this group will enlighten me on periods I don't know so much about. It sounds good to me!

Amanda wrote: "Hi I am Amanda. I'm Scottish and I live in the Netherlands. History was one of my favourite subjects at school. I am very interested in the First World War. I went on a trip to the battlefields in ..."

How about The American Civil War?

Hi Don,

I don't know so much about it but I do find it interesting. Have you any books to recommend?

Amanda wrote: "Hi Don,

I don't know so much about it but I do find it interesting. Have you any books to recommend?"

Do you like biographies or Historical Fiction that is grounded in real history?

Don wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Hi Don,

I don't know so much about it but I do find it interesting. Have you any books to recommend?"

Do you like biographies or Historical Fiction that is grounded in real history?"
If you like biographies you can check out my bookshelf. It has a solid list. If you like Historical Fiction, my latest book "I Didn't Sign Up For This " is a good story. Although the central character is fictional the cultural and historical background is highly accurate. Please let me know if you have any more questions. I love talking about this stuff. Thank You so much.

Welcome to our group, Gene! You certainly have a detailed background in history.

Based upon your post, you may find something to interest you in these topics:

Presidential Series
The Holocaust

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Adrian Goldsworthy

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Vicki
Assisting Moderator – Ancient Roman History

Welcome to our group, David! We have a ton of different topics being discussed here so please feel free to explore and jump in.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Adrian Goldsworthy

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Vicki
Assisting Moderator – Ancient Roman History

What a nice introduction, Jane. We welcome you to The History Book Club. We have a variety of folders which may interest you. We have many topics for you to peruse and we have discussions on lots of different books. Hope you can join in.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Adrian Goldsworthy

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Vicki
Assisting Moderator – Ancient Roman History

Greetings, Amanda. We have an extensive section on
World War I. Check it out.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Adrian Goldsworthy

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Vicki
Assisting Moderator – Ancient Roman History

Ahmad......we are so glad you joined us here at the place for the history lover. No need to apologize for your English since we are an international book club and English is a second language for many members. We hope you enjoy participating in the activities here.

You may want to browse this thread.

World War II

There are many other folders where you can discuss topics that interest you.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Jon Meacham

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask our moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Jill
Assisting Moderator
Military Hist L/Eur/Brit/Music.

Hello,

I'm Jacqueline, and I'm from the United States. You can say that Voltaire's sage counsel of, " History never repeats itself. Man always does" has brought me here. I realize that I have much to learn, and I believe this group will serve as a stepping stone to much needed insight about the past. I have strong interests in Irish, British, African/Af-Am History and the history of colonialism and imperialism. However, I want to expose myself to histories of other cultures, nations, etc.

I look forward to embarking on this adventure with you all!

Happy holidays!

Best,
Jacqueline

Welcome Jacqueline

Jacqueline wrote: "Hello,

I'm Jacqueline, and I'm from the United States. You can say that Voltaire's sage counsel of, " History never repeats itself. Man always does" has brought me here. I realize that I have muc..."

Hi Jacqueline,
You have a lot of great books on your shelves. I am going to be reading The Odyssey in January would you like to join me? I have at least two other friends that are going to read it also. I and another friend will be reading jt because we are going to be reading Ulysses by James Joyce starting January and going to June. You are welcome to join that as well if it interest you.

welcome jacqueline , welcome everyone

Welcome Jacqueline

Hello, Jacqueline. Welcome to the History book club!

You have so many interests that I do not know where to start with recommendations. :)

Based on your introduction, I suggest you check out these threads:

Europe - European history (you will find threads both for UK and Ireland here),
British history,
Military Iraq/Afganistan

And since you want to expose yourself to other interesting topics, I suggest you check out our homepage and see what else we have to offer. You can access the main page through this link:

HBC mainpage

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books and authors that you mention should look:

Voltaire

by Voltaire

More information:
Mechanics of the board

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
How to get started

And our guidelines:
Guidelines

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Samanta
HBC Administration - Croatia - Art, Architecture and Culture - Ancient and Medieval History

Hello, Timur. Welcome to the History book club!

With so many interests, you will be a great contributor to this group. Also, I share the love for all the genres you mentioned in your introduction.

Based on your introduction, I suggest you check out these threads:

The First world war,
The Second world war,
American history and
Russia

I suggest you also check out our homepage and see what else we have to offer. You can access the main page through this link:

HBC mainpage

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books and authors that you mention should look:

by Art Spiegelman

More information:
Mechanics of the board

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
How to get started

And our guidelines:
Guidelines

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Samanta
HBC Administration - Croatia - Art, Architecture and Culture - Ancient and Medieval History

Hello,

I'm Nadine, and I am interested in ancient history, as well as modern British and American history. I have a particular interest in 20th Century American Jewish history.

Thanks for allowing me to join.

welcome nadine , here

I'm Steve Gorek, majored in History and have always found it interesting how our personal issues/porblems of today echo back through History even to the "Rich and Famous". I enjoy reading military History; Civil and WW II War especially with accent on the Pacific Theater/Naval Aviation. I do however read anything on key History people ( Katherine the Great) or events/philosophies ( Black Death/ Thomas Paine). All suggestions are welcome - Thanks

Bonjour Amigos! My name is David Gustafson.

I am a recreational poker player living in Las Vegas.

As a teenager I was a Civil War buff, but now my focus is primarily the classic Roman historians, the history of the Roman Empire and its confluence with the beginnings of the early Christian church and the Jewish culture in Jerusalem during the first three centuries.

I am also fascinated with early 20th century European culture with an emphasis on the creative energy and political confrontations during Germany's Weimar Republic.

I follow European current events in Swedish and German newspapers as well as with the on-demand HD, commercial free television both of those countries offer.

I thought there might be some interesting topics with this group during the upcoming American elections, but be forewarned! I despise both political franchises and virtually every American politician who has staggered across the stage since the tragic events of November 22, 1963. I take no prisoners.

Wow David, that is quite a list of interests! Poker is a new one on GR for me. What is the history of poker? Who invented the game and what century? I know it has been around a long time.

It sounds like you may speak other languages too? How many? If you do I envy you. It must be fabulous to watch foreign movies & read in the respective language.

Laureen wrote: "Wow David, that is quite a list of interests! Poker is a new one on GR for me. What is the history of poker? Who invented the game and what century? I know it has been around a long time.

It sound..."
The say poker originated in New Orleans around the 1820's and moved upstream from there!

I am fluent in Swedish and I understand spoken German rather well although it is a rather new acquisition and I probably could not carry on a very nuanced conversation.

Oh, I didn't know that about poker. I imagined it came from Europe.
Swedish is a very interesting language but I don't think I could ever get my tongue around it. I am Australian but my forebears came from Italy, France & The Netherlands.

However on my husband's side, his father's grandparents lived and were born in Finland and from his mother's side England.

Dutch is a very musical language. Finnish is unrelated to European languages. It is rather baffling, to say the least

While taking a summer Swedish language course in Lund, I noticed that many of the students were over 70. I found that puzzling. I began to suspect that God does not interrupt a language lesson so my ambition is to save Finnish and Mandarin Chinese for last and study them simultaneously!

Welcome to all our new members......we are so glad you have found the place for the history lover. Please join in the discussions and book recommendations. We look forward to it.

Hello Cosmic,

I accept your invitation! This will be my first time "reading with others" so I am not familiar with the etiquette involved.

Iwill send you a friend request, and I look forward to reading the Odyssey together.

Best,
Jacqueline

Welcome all new members! :)

Hi everyone,

I'm Ray from New York, USA. I'm a professor of management at the City Univ. of New York (CUNY). I have an abiding interest in all types of history, especially medieval, Renaissance, 19th century, World War I, China and the history of management.. I'd be very interested in any suggestions in these areas.

Hi, I'm Carlton and I live near Oxford in the UK.
In the last year or so I seem to have started reading more history books, having read mainly fiction (various genres) for the past 40 odd years. I seem in particular interested in Ancient History (Mesopotamia and archaeology) and finding The Making of the Middle Sea by Cyprian Broodbank a fascinating read.
As might be expected I am also interested in British/European history, mainly medieval, and recently enjoyed visiting The Celts exhibition at the British Museum, enjoying The Celts: A Very Short Introduction by Barry W. Cunliffe.

Hello everybody! I am Miguel and happy to learn from all of you. I join this group because I think we can become wiser if we learn from the history of others and of the world. I hope I can find good recommendations of books to read. I have a list of history books to-read, and perhaps some of your comments will enlighten me about them. I hope I can contribute too.

Hi, I'm Joshua from Maryland, USA. As you can tell from my shelves, I am interested in everything. It's taking a while to sort everything too.

Hello, everyone. I'm Chuck Stanley. I have an MA in international relations and am still interested in the topic, especially its history. I mostly read WWII and Revolutionary War stuff, but am open to anything . I worked on New York State's team that responded to the World trade Center attack, so I read everything that comes out on that as well.

A warm welcome, Chuck.....we are glad you decided to join us. There is much here for the history lover and thank you for your work on that most horrible of days, 9/11.

You may want to browse these threads.

World War II
American Revolution

There are many other folders where you can discuss topics that interest you.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Jon Meacham

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask our moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Jill
Assisting Moderator
Military Hist L/Global NF/Eur/Brit/Music.

So glad you joined us, Joshua..........this is the place to be for the history lover. Since you haven't decided what era of history might become your favorite, why not browse the home page at the link below for some ideas.

History Book Club Home Page

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Jon Meacham

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask our moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Jill
Assisting Moderator
Military Hist L/Global NF/Eur/Brit/Music.

Hi, my name is Victoria and I currently live in the Dallas-Ft Worth, TX area (USA). I have been reading mostly fiction the past few years and wanted to start reading non-fiction and history again. When I was in school, I enjoyed studying American wars (Civil, Independence) as well as Ancient Egypt and Rome, Medieval Europe, and Tudor England. I also did a big group project on World War I that I loved researching for. I would like to read and learn more about Russian history and about the Native American tribes in Central and South America. I remember not liking French history but if there are any books that you could suggest that could change that I would greatly appreciate it.

Hello Victoria and welcome to the place for the history lover. We have many topics that may be of interest to you, so I suggest you visit the link below to find something that catches your eye.

History Book Club Home Page

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Jon Meacham

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask our moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Jill
Assisting Moderator
Military Hist L/Global NF/Eur/Brit/Music.

Hi, I'm Denyse. I am 51, and live in rural Utah, USA. I joined this group becauseI get so excited when I read and grow, and want to share that excitement with others that understand it! History, biographies and historical fiction have always been my favorite genre. Growing up, when other kids were still checking out" picture books" on Library Day, I had my nose buried in the " Landmark" series, and still collect those today.
I mostly love U.S. history, but find just about everything of historical relevance fascinating

Hello, Ray! I'm glad you joined the History lover's haven. As you are so interested in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, we want to recommend our Medieval History folder and Renaissance thread:

Medieval History

Renaissance

Check out our folders as well if you want to search for any specific topic and discuss it with our fellow members. Feel free to contact any one of our assisting moderators for any assistance you might need. We are all here to help.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Chris Wickham

More information

Take a few moments to read the orientation

Our guidelines

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask one of the moderators. We look forward to reading your contributions - this is really a site for those who love history.

José
HBC Administration - Ancient and Medieval History

Hello, Carlton. Welcome to the History lover's group. Since you have such a great interest in Ancient and Medieval history - we would like to recommend our Ancient History and Medieval History folders:

Ancient History

Medieval History

Check out our folders as well if you want to search for any specific topic and discuss it with our fellow members. Feel free to contact any one of our assisting moderators for any assistance you might need. We are all here to help.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box.) It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Cyprian Broodbank (no photo)

by Barry W. Cunliffe (no photo)

More information

Take a few moments to read the orientation

Our guidelines

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask one of the moderators. We look forward to reading your contributions - this is really a site for those who love history.

José
HBC Administration - Ancient and Medieval History

So glad you joined us from Utah, Denyse......a beautiful state. You have come to the right place to find some topics that will pique your continuing interest in history. Let me suggest that you browse the home page to find something that appeals to you.

History Book Club Home Page

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. (There is a link on the top right of the comment box). It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the Goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them.

When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link at the very bottom of the post after your text. Because it is on the bottom, it calls the reader's attention to the book/author and increases the readability of your posts.

This is how books that you mention should look:

by Jon Meacham

More information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Take a few moments to read the orientation:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And our guidelines:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask our moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Jill
Assisting Moderator
Military Hist L/Global NF/Eur/Brit/Music.

wlecome all new members to great groupe the History lover's group..happy new year everyone