The History Book Club discussion

Roberto wrote: "Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America"

Thank you for the add Roberto. This is how the book you mentioned should look:
by David Hackett Fischer

David wrote: "Just started to read Ron Chernow's book on Grant this .morning."

David, this is on my list as well. This is how the book you mentioned should look:
by Ron Chernow

Currently reading: by Amy Harmon

Won the Kindle version from a Goodreads giveaway.

I'm reading, "A Prayer for Owen Meany." It's a very good book.

Clyde wrote: "I'm reading, "A Prayer for Owen Meany." It's a very good book."

Clyde that is one of my favorite books of all time. John Irving is such a great writer, and that one is a classic.
by John Irving

Recently finished up The Red Parts which was kind of a cross between true crime and memoir. So interesting!

Just started Into Thin Air. A little technical in parts but good so far. What books are other people starting off with in the New Year?

by Maggie Nelson
by Jon Krakauer

I've had this book on my to-read shelf for a long time. Finally decided to crack it open. Anyone else read it?
by Candice Millard

I read it last year. I loved that it focused on a lesser known (at least to me) aspect of his life. I have been meaning to pick up more of her books, as I appreciated the writing style.

Just started The Romanovs: 1613-1918 & The Illearth War

Leslie posted this on the suggestion box thread (incorrectly placed)

I've started a terrific book the group might enjoy. Check it out! Bananas!: How The United Fruit Company Shaped the World by Peter Chapman. Not sure where to post a recommendation.

by Peter Chapman (no photo)

John wrote: "Just started The Romanovs: 1613-1918 & The Illearth War"

John we require standard citations so that the goodreads software can populate the cite correctly and fill in the whitespace correctly on each thread.

Here are examples of how it should be done. If you go back to you post and edit it - that would be appreciated.

by Simon Sebag Montefiore

by Stephen R. Donaldson

Currently reading...

by Naomi Klein

I've been reading Idaho by Emily Ruskovich and listening to Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

Currently Listening To:

by George Saunders

Very good Lisa A.

Kirsten - this is how we do the citations - you did well with the covers and the author's links but missed the photos.

by Emily Ruskovich

by Jenny Offill

by Leo Tolstoy

by Jane Austen

Good choices Mahendra

Hello Cat - we request that all books follow our rules and guidelines and must be properly cited. We delete all such listings when the citations have at least not been attempted.

These are the books that Cat listed:

by Cassandra Clare

by Garth Nix

by Stendhal

If you look to the white space on the right - you will see a list of books and authors of all books properly cited - when properly cited - it allows the goodreads software to populate this group site as well as goodreads - so that your posts are shown and not forgotten. Anybody can access where the book was mentioned or the author, and where the book is being discussed. We are here to help you. You can check out the Mechanics of the Board thread for further help and any of the moderators are here to help you when you attempt to add the citations properly. We will give you helpful assistance and walk you through was is missing. In no time you will be a pro and we encourage everybody to try to do the citations and even if you need to practice we are right here to help every inch of the way.

Just starting this one ~
by Timothy Egan

Looks good Alisa

Tim Egan never disappoints.
Timothy Egan

Isabel Allende
Zorro

Hello Roberto - thank you so much for your post.

Here is how the book you mentioned should be cited using our required citation format. We use this format to take advantage of our powerful goodreads software. When you add the books to the site using the add book/author feature which you see above each comment box on the right - this will add the book and author to the white space to the right of each thread. That way any member will be able to see what books our group is reading and click on the links in the list or in the post - better still when you do it this way - it also populates across all of the threads on our site and goodreads. If you click on "others topics" - you will see a list where the book or author you cited is discussed and on what threads and posts. Very powerful.

This is how your book and author should look:

by Isabel Allende

All three elements were available on goodreads - your citation has the bookcover, a blank space, the word by, a blank space, the author's photo, and the author's link which is the author's name in linkable text.

Always try to get the citation right and we will help you along the way. We are very patient.

I'm reading The Summons by Peter Lovesey

Hello Kirsten thank you for posting what you are reading. Please look at post 2654 almost right above your post for some helpful hints.

We appreciate that you used the link for the book but we use the cover it stands out more and thank you for adding the authors link but we also use the author's photo if available as well and if it is missing - we add (no photo) at the end.

It is always a good idea to try to edit your post and try to get it to our standards and we will help you along the way.

by Peter Lovesey

I am reading 3 books at a time. Some say this is not a good idea to read multiple books at a time, but I have bo problems with it.

1)The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank

I have already read this book in 2016, but I am again reading it as I find it quite inspirational. When we look at the problems she faced when in hiding, our daily life problems seem nothing.

2) Why I am a Hindu

by Shashi Tharoor

It's interesting to see a left-liberal politician talking about being proud of his religion (Hinduism). In today's India when being a Hindu is equated to being communal, intolerant, right-wing extremist and politically incorrect, it is interesting to read Tharoor's view on his religion.

3)The Four Million

by O. Henry

O'Henry's short stories never get old. The Four Million contains O. Henry's best and most characteristic work:

You are very busy. I hope you enjoy all of the books although the diary is very sad reading but a classic of what happened.

Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II
I am reading Savage Continent by Keith Lowe. I know a fair amount about WWII, but I really don't know anything about what happened after it was over. If anyone has interest in this topic I highly recommend this book.

by Keith Lowe

Claire thank you so much for posting the book that you are reading. We encourage everyone to do so.

Bentley wrote: "Claire thank you so much for posting the book that you are reading. We encourage everyone to do so.

Could you please edit your post and add the citation so that our powerful goodreads software can..."

Okay Bentley, Now I think I have it the correct way and I will do so in the future. Claire

Great job Claire and thank you so much

Finally picked this up and just started it yesterday. Can tell it is going to be an epic work.
by Dee Brown

An absolute must read for anyone interested in Russia:

by Masha Gessen

Currently reading several books:

by Anthony Trollope (1815-82). Anthony Trollope's 1875 satire of English nobility concerns a French swindler, a U.S.-Mexican railway that may or may not exist, several gullible people and romances. Excellent novel, a classic, by an author who is rarely studied in high school or college literature courses because his books are so long.

by Louis L'Amour (1908-88). This is a collection of short stories featuring Chick Bowdrie, Texas Ranger.

Edited to add that I had to go to work and am finishing now.

by Jonathan Franklin (no photo) The story of the Chilean miners in 2010.

by Stuart Nicholson (no photo) Does this go under jazz or rock?

In The Enemy's House by Robert Blum

Thank you for the add Phil. However, in order to be consistent with our guidelines, your book should look like this:

by Howard Blum

Lorna
Assisting Moderator (T) - Civil Rights and Supreme Court

Thank you Lorna

Ok, What am I working on:

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin ---An excellent book about the leadership styles of four pivotal presidents.

John Ehle --- I've been wanting to tackle something on the Trail of Tears, didn't realize that the book I would select tells the story predominantly from the Cherokee perspective. White men are supporting characters and provided to give historical context as to what is going on outside of the tribe.

Howard Zinn --I want to give this book more time than I have, so progress has been slow. It's a book presenting the history of the US from the point of view of the "losers". E.g. from the point of view of those whose story doesn't get shared as readily as it might otherwise.

Paul Finkelman ---This is an interesting but heavy read. The book was written by lawyers for legal conferences. Many of the articles were written for audiences who presumably already know the court cases, precedents, or legal treatises being discussed. It's still interesting, but it is slow going.

Ted Widmer This book is a collection of 106 Blog entries of notable Civil War scholars on various subjects. Some of the articles are on mundane issues that aren't notable enough in their own right to be included in a book, while others are on critical issues. There are 106 short 5 minute reads. Perfect for going to the bathroom, waiting for your spouse to go to the bathroom, waiting for one of your kids. Not a book to read straight through in a few sittings.

Neal Stephenson My wife's favorite author. Historical Fiction. Unfortunately, I'm not getting into it.

David M. Kennedy This is part of the Oxford History of the United States. That series is one of the best series I've seen and this book does not disappoint. Very worth the investment to garner what he has to say.

Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency Getting this book from the library tomorrow and will have 2 weeks to read the book as it has a huge wait list. Haven't started actually reading it, but we'll see.

Douglas R. Egerton I've heard good things about this book, but haven't gotten the chance to read too much more than the introduction/first chapter. Having said that, I can't wait to read this book.

Richard White A book on Native Americans... need to learn about them and how they affected American History.

Wow, that's quite a line-up! I read one book at a time so this is even more impressive. Great selection.

Alisa wrote: "Wow, that's quite a line-up! I read one book at a time so this is even more impressive. Great selection."

I'm usually working on 5-6 books at a time, but a bunch of books that I had on hold through the library came in at the same time... which is pushing that number up. (Next week by David W. Blight is going to be released.)

Two of the books are audio books that I listen to while doing other stuff and 2 are anthologies that I have that I read when I have a gap or want to read something short.

And the last 3 are "currently reading" but they are newly received from the library or one's that I had started, but have been pushed down due to other library books that I can't renew.

Last night I started by Mark Kurlansky.

Jim wrote: "Last night I started by Mark Kurlansky."

I'll have to check that one out. I really enjoyed both and both by Mark Kurlansky

Currently reading

Woodrow Wilson: A Biography

by John Milton Cooper Jr. [no photo]

While a few of the presidential biographies I've read have been hard to slog through because the subject's entire life was spent in politics, this one has started equally challenging because of Wilson's long career in academia. Cooper's detail has at times been over my head, but I appreciate it nonetheless. It bodes will for the remaining 400 pages I have to go in this one.

I was a bit concerned that 600-pages would do Wilson a disservice (other two-term presidents have had 700- to 900-page biographies, and even multi-volume sets written about them, but so far the details have been great, including a lot about Wilson's friends and family.

I like that I am reading this during the 100-year anniversary of the first world war. Also, all of my grandparents were born by the end of Wilson's time in office, so this biography really ties the history of the country together with life as I personally have known it. Fun!

I would recommend it to others, but there are certainly other quality bios of Wilson out there.

Wilson is one whim i need to read.... is there a bio in particular that you would recommend?

Porter wrote: "Wilson is one whim i need to read.... is there a bio in particular that you would recommend?"

This is my first, but a likely follow-up will be by Wilson's fellow Princeton alumnus, A. Scott Berg, Wilson.

by A. Scott Berg [no photo]

I'm finishing:
by Paul Christopher Anderson [no photo]
I thought this was a biography of General Turner Ashby, but it's more of a discussion about the lies that the southerners told themselves about Chivalry that Ashby became the embodiment of. Not quite what I was looking for.

I just started:
by Glenn Beck
This is a book that examines Progressivism from its roots to today's Progressives in both parties and the lies they tell us to get elected.

by Peter Guralnick
A biography of the Sun Records pioneer.

I'm reading Cassino Conquest of the Mountain by Michael Pawlowski. It is a book that follows the story of Bernard Pawlowski from the beginning of WW II until its end. It is an encompassing story incorporating the accounts of many people in Pawlowski's family and historical figures. I am about four fifths through the it, just now up to the battle for Monte Cassino.Cassino, Conquest of the Mountain

Orlando Figes History of the Russian Revolution