The History Book Club discussion

by This is a short simple book that I’m listening to when I have divided attention (e.g. usually at work.) The book challenges the reader to realize that every decision is based upon what we know. One of the key take aways so far is that we usually evaluate our decision-making in hindsight of success/failure. We evaluate a decision as good, if the result was positive. We evaluate the decision as bad, if the result was bad. Duke challenges this perspective by pointing out that we should think about our decision making process in view of the process not the results. Duke, a world champion poker player with a doctoral level education in psychology, compares our decision making process to poker. A person plays 8-9 suited and wins a big hand and concludes that 8-9 suited is a better hand than pocket aces may be making a decisions based upon results rather than on sound decision making processes.

by David W. Blight (no photo) This is a much larger audio book—about 36 hours long that I listen to when I’m doing mindless or repetitive work or commuting. This book, which was released last month, is a major biography on one of the greatest black leaders in American history. I’m about half way through with this book and really enjoying it.

by This is a large book that I tackle piecemeal. The book is really good at giving American history from a contrarian point of view. It does not provide American history from the traditional point of view and somebody attempting to get a solid foundation on American history would be disappointed. This book is good for the person who has a fundamental understanding of history and wants an understanding of what mainstream historians omit. (And I don’t use that term nefariously, but rather that historians have to make decisions all the time on what they will include in their books. Zinn is a contra-historian.) The book is organized thematically. I find his strength to be when he talks about established history. When he starts talking about more recent history (the past 50 years), I can’t help but think that he hasn’t met a conspiracy theory he doesn’t like.

by Russell A. McClintock Eric Foner wrote that in studying the Civil War, there are two key questions 1) Why did the South Secede? And 2) Why did the North feel compelled to force them to stay. I just finished Egerton’s “Year of Meteors”. That book does a great job in talking about how forces in the South worked towards secession behind the scenes. By the time the 1860 election occurred, secession was a guaranteed thing. This book APPEARS to focus on why the North decided that they couldn’t let the South leave, why did the North go to war? (I’m only 10% into the book.)



by Craig Nelson (no photo) This is a book that covers this start of the War in the Pacific. The book is pretty interesting so far.

edited by Ted Widmer (editor) (no photo) This is an anthology of short 3-5 page long blog posts made by various historians and vetted by the New York Times. He advantage of this book is that it has 106 different posts on divergent subjects---often issues that don’t rise to the level of importance to be included in a normal book. The disadvantage---see the advantage. Some of the articles are better/worse written more/less interesting than others.”

I know its not perfect but it's 2:30 am... I'll try to fix it tomorrow.

EDIT: Hopefully I took care of the issues I had.

Reading by Alexander A. Bove Jr.Esq. (no photo), a detailed discussion on how to create these instruments. It'll be my last library book for a while, as I have several books that I own that I haven't read. After December 31 I must renew my library card.

Right now I am reading an obscure book about an obscure event.

by Frederick G. Heymann (no photo).

The Hussite Revolution is a fascinating event, and I'm enjoying the book so far. The text is more readable than I expected, even considering the rigorous analysis and academic nature. Not for everyone, but if you want to learn something new you might want to check it out!

Thank you Elliott. Good work on your citations.

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

I'm reading two fiction works at once, which I don't normally do.
by Charles Dickens
by José Saramago

They are different enough that I don't get the plots and characters mixed up. My goal for the rest of this year and next is to read as much Dickens as I can and read all of Saramago.

Reading The State of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence by Martin Meredith. I had very little knowledge of the region before. It’s fascinating.

Reading (1888) by Henry Bradley, FBA (Fellowship of the British Academy) (1845-1923) (no photo)

I've been reading In Desert and Wilderness by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It is a novel about two children trying to survive after being kidnapped in Africa, set during the Mahdist War. It was written during Colonial times, so some of its treatment of African natives would be problematic today. Other than that, so far it has been a good yarn.

Adam wrote: "Reading The State of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence by Martin Meredith. I had very little knowledge of the region before. It’s fascinating."

Thank you Adam. This does sound interesting. The citation for your book should look like so:


by [author:Martin Meredith|78674

Thank you.
Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - Civil Rights and Supreme Court

Curtis wrote: "I've been reading In Desert and Wilderness by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It is a novel about two children trying to survive after being kidnapped in Africa, set during the Mahdist War. It was written duri..."

Thank you Curtis for bringing our attention to this interesting book. To comply with our guidelines, this is an example of how your citation should look:

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

Thank you.
Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - Civil Rights and Supreme Court

Thank you Lorna for helping out here.

Just finished 'England in the Age of Shakespeare' by Jeremy Black. Jeremy shows England as Shakespeare envisaged it. The raw daily grind and realities of living in Elizabethan and Jacobean England which audiences would have been familiar with in Shakespeare's plays. A really enjoyable read.

Thanks, Allegria, for letting us know about this book, sounds really good. Here's our standard format for citing books -

by Jeremy Black

Interesting selections.

Currently reading 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List by Tom Moon; and The Beach Boys FAQ by Jon Stebbins. Because my only internet access is my Android phone, I cannot post covers or links.

All Quiet on the Western Front. So striking. It starts with the sounds of the distant front drowned out by a passing bumble bee.

by Erich Maria Remarque

A classic Jeff - please enjoy. Although it is a hard wrenching story but powerful it is.

Vicki, Thank you. And thank you, Allegra, Because I am now reading this delightful book. Jeremy Black knows Shakespeare like the back of his hand.
Regards,
Andrea

by Jeremy Black

Thank you Andrea.

I'm only 8% of the way through this book. As expected it's incredibly detailed and I think it will be a task to get through.

by Steve Coll

Have just finished Anna Karinea. Now ready to start 'Dunstan' by Conn Iggulden, always look forward to his books.

An interesting look at Achilles and Patroclus before and during the Trojan War. I think it bears knowing that this is not the typical book for me to read. Yet even so this is in my mind a terrific book. I'm not done yet with the book but I will say this, if you read and liked Miller's "Circe" my opinion is that you will like this book as well.

by Madeline Miller

Pauline, could you please add the required citation. When you do that the goodreads software populates the thread and site with your recommendation and your post is not lost in the shuffle. Anna Karenina is one of my most favorite books that I have ever read. Love Tolstoy. Please add the correct citations using our format below - we appreciate your following the group standards.

by Leo Tolstoy

by Conn Iggulden

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

If you live or ever lived in Philadelphia then you might find this book interesting. I find it interesting mainly because of the historical tidbits and locations discussed by the author in the book than because of any supposed ghost sightings. I think that the book appears to be lacking in some points. I think that is mainly because much of the material regarding "ghosts" just can’t be proven in concrete terms. I'd probably only recommend this book if you have some familiarity with locations in the city of Philadelphia.

by Darcy Oordt

Jeff, your post was quite informative - thank you. But you need to also cite the Miller book. Please also add the Miller citation under the one you so aptly posted. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

by Madeline Miller

Jeff, don’t you just love site-specific books! When ever I read a book located in London or Paris, or some place far away like that, it’s as good as a plane ticket and a hotel room!
Regards,
Andrea

by Henri Loyrette

Sounds like a great book Jeff - you might want to edit your citation.

by Darcy Oordt (no photo)

When there is no author's photo, simply add bookcover, then the author's link solely after the word by - and then add (no photo) at the end.

Just an FYI for the books the group is reading and discussing right now:

Group Book Read/Discussions going on right now:

Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir by Madeleine Albright
Link to BOTM Discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Madeleine K. Albright

This is a "Book of the Month Discussion" - it is never too late to join any discussion; simply go to the thread - sign in and post and say where you are reading from - general area - city and state or city/town/village and country since we are a global community and why you are interested in reading and discussing the book - keep it brief - then just post as often as you wish or once a week - we set up recommended topics and questions which we hope you will dive into or you can come up with your own topics about the book itself.

This is a single thread discussion so if you keep up - no spoiler html needed- if you go ahead - you must use the spoiler html. A recommended reading syllabus is found on the discussion thread.

You can jump in and sign up at any time!

The British are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775 - 1777 by Rick Atkinson
Link to Discussion Folder: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

by Rick Atkinson

This is a "multi - thread spotlighted discussion".

It is never too late to join any discussion; simply go to the thread - sign in and post and say where you are reading from - general area - city and state or city/town/village and country since we are a global community; and why you are interested in reading and discussing the book - keep it brief - then just post as often as you wish or once a week - we set up recommended topics and questions which we hope you will dive into or you can come up with your own topics about the book itself.

This is a multi thread spotlighted discussion; so just post on the correct weekly thread for the pages you are commenting on - if you go ahead - you must post on one of the spoiler threads like the glossary.

There is a Table of Contents and Syllabus thread with a schedule of weekly recommended reading.

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz by Eric Larson
Link to Discussion Thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Erik Larson

This is a "Buddy Read discussion".

It is never too late to join any discussion; simply go to the thread - sign in and post and say where you are reading from - general area - city and state or city/town/village and country since we are a global community and why you are interested in reading and discussing the book - keep it brief - then just post as often as you wish or once a week - we set up recommended topics and questions which we hope you will dive into or you can come up with your own topics about the book itself.

This is a single thread discussion so if you keep up - no spoiler html needed- if you go ahead - you must use the spoiler html. We also have a recommended syllabus with weekly assigned reading.

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism
Link to Free Read Discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Robin DiAngelo

This is a "Free Read discussion".

There is no schedule, syllabus, formal beginning or end date.

You just want to read along or start reading whenever you would like. It is never too late to join any free read discussion; simply go to the thread - sign in and post and say where you are reading from - general area - city and state or city/town/village and country since we are a global community and why you are interested in reading and discussing the book - keep it brief - then just post as often as you wish or once a week when you are reading the book - the thread is a spoiler thread to begin with.

This type of read discussion is very much open ended. This is a single thread discussion which is open to spoilers, etc. - no spoiler html needed- you just post as you are reading. There is no recommended syllabus or schedule although if I am free reading the book - I will tell you my schedule but you do not need one to post and start. Everybody is welcome.

The Federalist Papers - This is a long term discussion:
Link to Folder: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

by Alexander Hamilton

This is a long term open discussion - so just come on by and sign up. Just post on one of the threads and join in. We will ultimately be discussing all of the Federalist Papers.

The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump by Andrew McCabe
Link to Free Read Discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Andrew G. McCabe

This is a "Free Read discussion".

There is no schedule, syllabus, formal beginning or end date. You just want to read along or start reading whenever you would like. It is never too late to join any free read discussion; simply go to the thread - sign in and post and say where you are reading from - general area - city and state or city/town/village and country since we are a global community and why you are interested in reading and discussing the book - keep it brief - then just post as often as you wish or once a week when you are reading the book - the thread is a spoiler thread and we usually set up an accompanying glossary thread.

This type of free read discussion is very much open ended. This is a single thread discussion which is open to spoilers, etc. - no spoiler html needed- you just post as you are reading. There is no recommended syllabus or schedule although if I am free reading the book - I will tell you my schedule but you do not need one to post and start. Everybody is welcome.

Salt: A World History
Link to Free Read Discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Mark Kurlansky

This is a "Free Read Discussion".

There is no schedule, syllabus, formal beginning or end date. You just want to read along or start reading whenever you would like. It is never too late to join any free read discussion; simply go to the thread - sign in and post and say where you are reading from - general area - city and state or city/town/village and country since we are a global community and why you are interested in reading and discussing the book - keep it brief - then just post as often as you wish or once a week when you are reading the book - the thread is a spoiler thread and we usually set up an accompanying glossary thread.

This type of read discussion is very much open ended. This is a single thread discussion which is open to spoilers, etc. - no spoiler html needed- you just post as you are reading. There is no recommended syllabus or schedule although if I am free reading the book - I will tell you my schedule; but you do not need one to post and start. Everybody is welcome.

The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir by John R. Bolton - kicking off June 29th
Link to Buddy Read discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by John R. Bolton

This is a "Buddy Read Discussion".

It is never too late to join any discussion; simply go to the thread - sign in and post and say where you are reading from - general area - city and state or city/town/village and country since we are a global community and why you are interested in reading and discussing the book - keep it brief - then just post as often as you wish or once a week - we set up recommended topics and questions which we hope you will dive into or you can come up with your own topics about the book itself.

This is a single thread discussion so if you keep up - no spoiler html needed- if you go ahead - you must use the spoiler html. We also have a recommended syllabus with weekly assigned reading. And there is a Glossary Thread.

Note: Members, please note that on the Main Home Page for The History Book Club site - the goodreads site only allows us to show four (4) Books that we are currently discussing and two upcoming. So unfortunately we cannot list all on-going book discussions so some of the discussions did not stop or go away - we just could not list more than four. That is why I am putting together this note with links.

by Benjamin Franklin

Living in Philadelphia in the USA I felt imperative that I read Franklin's well known. The autobiography was written well over 200 years ago but I must say that I like Franklin's writing style. I'm sure that some of the language was cleaned up to make it easier for the modern reader to digest. Nevertheless, it reads well I'm currently reading the autobiography part of the book. It provides a look at Franklin's beginnings in Boston and his subsequent journey to Philadelphia as a young man. That's about where I am now. I look forward towards the rest of the autobiography and reading his writings as well.

Reading Pele negra, Máscaras brancas. I'm reading the portugueses version.

Sandra, thank you for your comment. However, to be consistent with our guidelines, your book citation should look like so:

by Frantz Fanon

Thank you,

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

Thank you everyone for your posts. Every member should post what they are reading as they start new books. We are all very interested.

Thank you Lorna for assisting Sandra and thank you Jeff.

I'm reading "The Turn of the Screw, The Aspern Papers, and Two Stories," by Henry James.

For my next book, I'm reading about the War in Afghanistan!

by Sean Parnell

Curtis wrote: "I'm reading "The Turn of the Screw, The Aspern Papers, and Two Stories," by Henry James."

Curtis, thank you for your comment about what you are reading. However, to be consistent with our guidelines for citing a book, this is an example of how your book should appear.

by Henry James

Thank you.

Currently about 1/3rd of the way through this 2,400-year-old, 600-page monster. Much of Herodotus's information is based on hearsay and vulnerable to bias and manipulation, but he sure makes it interesting!

by Herodotus

I am reading the translation by Tom Holland.

Tom Holland

We covered that book Douglass - it was our first group book read!

Lorna wrote: "Curtis wrote: "I'm reading "The Turn of the Screw, The Aspern Papers, and Two Stories," by Henry James."

Curtis, thank you for your comment about what you are reading. However, to be consistent wi..."

Thank you. I will try to remember next time.

I’ve been exploring Ancient Rome with the following:

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
by Tom Holland

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume I
by Edward Gibbon

Vindolanda
by Adrian Goldsworthy

The Histories
by Tacitus

Excellent set of books about Rome, Paul.

I'm currently reading :

The Count-Duke of Olivares: The Statesman in an Age of Decline
by J.H. Elliott

I'm still in its early chapters but was delighted to find out that the Count-Duke of Olivares was an avid bibliophile too. He particularly quite fond of the Tuscan books and dedicated a separate Tuscan bookshelves for his personal library.

What an excellent set of books - all.

All of your citations by the way are excellent too - and the goodreads software will be able to populate the site accurately. You are all adding an additional segment with the title in linkable text on top which is not part of our standard but you do have all of the other parts correct which are.

Thank you so much for posting what you are reading - it gives all of the members great ideas and they can just click on the the bookcover, the author's photos or even the author's name which are all linkable to the books and author's themselves (very helpful).

Bentley, in that spirit, I am reading (in addition to the History Club’s book reads):

by (no photo)

And:

by Layla F. Saad

Regards,
Andrea

Great adds; the first citation had a minor issue - here is what it should look like.

by Abbas Amanat (no photo)

Thank you for letting us know your other currently reading selections.

I am am both happy and unhappy to say that my journey through the presidents is about to unofficially come to an end, as I have 40 pages left in Jon Meacham's Destiny and Power, after which I will have read a biography of every deceased US president. I have plans to read something written by each of the living presidents, having already read An Hour Before Daylight, and GWB's bio of his father. I have also preordered Jonathan Alter's new biography of President Carter, due for release in September.

by Jon Meacham

by Jimmy Carter

by George W. Bush

by Jonathan Alter

That's quite an accomplishment, Jeff! Good luck with your living presidents challenge.

Good for you Jeff - maybe you might want to join us for some of the Presidential discussions coming up.

Wow! Jeff What an accomplishment! I need to follow in your footsteps!
Regards,
Andrea

Thanks all! Yes it's been a wonderful way to learn US history. I've come to amend that statement recently to "a great way to learn white, male, US history," but I still stand by my original statement. Obviously there have been remarkable women and non-whites along the way. I'll be exploring more of their stories soon.