The History Book Club discussion

by Leo McKinstry is my current read; wonderful book! McKinstry has really done his homework on the merits and demerits of the plane as well as researching into, at the time arguments on air war policy. Unlike by , my only qualm is that a cut-out illustration of the Lancaster and/or Manchester would hve been helpful. Otherwise, it is a Goodread!!!

Only hope he does a book on the Mosquito and the Hurricane.... with diagrams!

I am currently reading 'Born In Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry' by John J. Robinson. So far this is a great book. My family comes from Masonry and I'm thinking about joining. I'm not sure what it's about so I'm reading this to find some more insight. If anyone has a recommendation I'd love to hear it.

Joshua:

Freemasonry does have a long history.

Don't forget to use the add book/author feature when you cite a book. Here is your book:

by John J. Robinson

Here is the mechanics if you need help:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Thanks.

Hello Harvey,

If an author has a photo, this is the way the citation should look.

by Patrick Bishop

Hello Joshua,

Please read the guidelines (especially the part about citations):

We have to add the appropriate links otherwise the goodreads software does not populate the site correctly.

John J. Robinson

So sorry. And thanks.

Hi Harvey, I'd be interested to hear your views on Leo McKinstry's book on the Lancaster. I am very sorry to say that I have that book plus his Spitfire book sitting in my library somewhere waiting to be read!

and [image error] by Leo McKinstry

Maybe I might try and read at least one of them next!

Thanks to this group (but, alas, too late for your discussion), I am reading
by John Keegan. I am indebted to you all for leading me to this book, and I am dipping into your discussions as I go along.

For those who would like some WWI-related fiction, I recommend these current or recent reads:

First off. 2 mysteries, each of which has a detective who is a WWI veteran:
by Jacqueline Winspear features Maisie Dobbs, who served as a nurse in the war;
by Charles Todd has Ian Rutledge, an officer in the war, who as a police inspector is haunted by the memory of a corporal whom he ordered executed for refusal to follow orders. Both are well written.

A while back, with another GR group, I read
by Joseph Boyden. The novel begins as a Cree grandmother meets her grandson, recently returned from WWI to Canada, at the train depot. As they travel by canoe back to the home where they follow the traditional Cree life, her stories of his past alternate with his memories of the war and his work in a 2-man sniper team with his boyhood friend. This was not an easy read for me, because of its dark subject matter, but it is truly a haunting, powerful book.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi Harvey, I'd be interested to hear your views on Leo McKinstry's book on the Lancaster. I am very sorry to say that I have that book plus his Spitfire book sitting in my library somewhere waiting..."

I recommend both; when I have finished Leo McKinstry I will review it in more detail than above. So far I am perhaps biased in the Lancaster's favour as, no fault of its own, the Spitfire has hogged centre stage as a more 'glamorous' machine. McKinstry is highly readable and both stories are superb accounts of the respective aircraft and the fascinating stories of what went on behind the scenes, at the factories and also in the high command of the RAF and government.

Hi Harvey, I will look forward to your final review of the book. I pulled my copy out and nearly started but the attraction of "Our Friends Beneath The sands" got the better of me so I am now reading that.

[image error] by Martin Windrow
Publishers blurb:
Ever since the 1920s the popular legend of the French Foreign Legion has been formed by P.C. Wren's novel Beau Geste - a world of remote forts, warrior tribes, and desperate men of all nationalities enlisting under pseudonyms to fight and die under the desert sun. As with all cliches, the reality is far richer and more surprising than this. In this book Martin Windrow describes desert battles and famous last stands in gripping detail - but he also shows exactly what the Foreign Legion were doing in North Africa in the first place. He explains how French colonial methods there actually had their roots in the jungles of Vietnam, and how the political pressures that kept the empire expanding can be traced to battles on the streets of Paris itself. His description of the Berber tribesmen of Morocco also reveals some disturbing modern parallels: the formidable guerrillas of the 1920s were inspired by an Islamic fundamentalist who was adept at using the world's media to further his cause. Martin Windrow's previous book THE LAST VALLEY received fabulous reviews across the English-speaking world. As a follow-up this unique book, which is the first to examine the 'golden age' of the Foreign Legion in such detail, is bound to follow suit.

Mary Ellen wrote: "Thanks to this group (but, alas, too late for your discussion), I am reading
by John Keegan. I am indebted to you ..."

Mary Ellen, thank you for your terrific post and recommendations. Very well thought out and put together.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi Harvey, I will look forward to your final review of the book. I pulled my copy out and nearly started but the attraction of "Our Friends Beneath The sands" got the better of me so I am now readi..."

Sounds fascinating! Maybe some room for debate too, depending on how accurate the publisher's blurb is! LOL

Hi Harvey, I'll let you know, the author is a pretty decent writer and I loved his last book, "The Last Valley".

by Martin Windrow

Rick, sounds as horrible as it is great...
I just ordered
by Patrick Mercer
Patrick Mercer was a soldier himself (there is a nice interview on amazon uk) and his writing is very straight forward. He practically puts you there in the middle between the two murderous armies...

Hi Andre, it sounds like it will be a pretty good read, let me know what you think once you have finished it.

I have a couple of new books I'm working on and am enjoying them all, so far.


by Dava Sobel

by Geoffrey Hindley

by Albert Hourani


I always enjoy learning about the peoples which make up different cultural groups and am really liking the Sobel book.

I've had the Longitude book on my list for a while. Another one that I know will be good, I just have to get around to it!

by Dava Sobel

Elizabeth S wrote: "I've had the Longitude book on my list for a while. Another one that I know will be good, I just have to get around to it!

[bookcover:Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the G..."

I really enjoyed it.

Just starting Stephen Tanner I borrowed this from my nephew who bought it during his second tour in Iraq.

I'm presently reading Riders of the Steppes: The Complete Cossack Adventures, Volume Three by Harold Lamb and The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. Both are history related, in that Lamb's stories are adventure historical fiction set in central asia circa 1609 c.e. and of course, Vowell's book is a take on the Massachusetts Bay colony. These are both two different types of books and authors, but I highly recommend each to anyone who loves history.

Lamb's work is very well researched and interesting, making me want to learn more about an area of the world and and an era that I have to admit I knew little about.

Vowell is a modern day treasure, one of the best, funniest, and most thought provoking authors in the world today as far as I'm concerned. I urge anyone who hasn't read her or Lamb to give each one a try.

Steven wrote: "I'm presently reading Riders of the Steppes: The Complete Cossack Adventures, Volume Three by Harold Lamb and The Wordy Shipmates by [author:Sarah Vowel..."

Sorry, just figured out how to add covers and pictures...

Good job, Steven. Thanks for putting the time in to figure it out!

Next time, if there isn't a picture for the author, it is better to just add the link. Actually, it is good to have the link either way, and use the author's photo as well in available. Like this:

by Sarah Vowell
by Harold Lamb

Actually, there is a picture for Harold Lamb. Don't know why it didn't show up for you. Strange.

Thank you Elizabeth for helping Steven. Steven, yes we have a requirement of the bookcover always being added (it usually always is available but if not in the case of very old books - you must insert the fact that no cover is available), then you add the photo of the author when available (many times the author's photo is not available - but when it is it is required) and then finally you must "always" also add the author's link which is the author's name written out in text.

For additional directions which may help you, we have a thread called Mechanics of the Board where we have an extremely detailed version of how to do this and a short summary version.

Either one of these will help I am sure. Thank you Elizabeth for helping out here so that the goodreads software can correctly populate our site.

Steven, here is the link to the Mechanics of the Board thread:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

I hope all of the above is of assistance as well as Elizabeth's helpful post.

If you have any additional problems, please do not hesitate to ask one of the assisting moderators for help or I would be very willing to help if asked.

Bentley

I'm now reading Jim Baggott This deals with the science and personalities of the developers of these weapons. I'm about 2/3 through and find it quite readable.

Interesting Patricrk. Were the developers of these weapons tormented by the results of their use at any time or did they see the development as more positive in that it saved the lives of their fellow men.

Bentley wrote: "Interesting Patricrk. Were the developers of these weapons tormented by the results of their use at any time or did they see the development as more positive in that it saved the lives of their fel..."
It was a large team and there was a whole range of reactions. There were several petitions by the scientific teams not to use the bomb. But they were not signed by all the members and the political leaders had the final decision. I think most of them went on with their lives after the program and didn't let their participation haunt them.

I really wonder about that. Not questioning the author but you have to wonder.

Bentley wrote: "Thank you Elizabeth for helping Steven. Steven, yes we have a requirement of the bookcover always being added (it usually always is available but if not in the case of very old books - you must in..."

Thanks Elizabeth and Bentley! I'll make a point of adding the requisite pics, links and info in future posts.
Elizabeth, regarding Harold Lamb's picture, I think it didn't show originally because I had to add it to his link. Should show up now.

Thanks again.

by Gary Williams

Just started reading by Timothy Egan and can already tell I am really going to enjoy this.

review from our friends at Publishers Weekly
Egan, National Book Award winner for The Worst Hard Time , spins a tremendous tale of Progressive-era America out of the 1910 blaze that burned across Montana, Idaho and Washington and put the fledgling U.S. Forest Service through a veritable trial by fire. Underfunded, understaffed, unsupported by Congress and President Taft and challenged by the robber barons that Taft's predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, had worked so hard to oppose, the Forest Service was caught unprepared for the immense challenge. Egan shuttles back and forth between the national stage of politics and the conflicting visions of the nation's future, and the personal stories of the men and women who fought and died in the fire: rangers, soldiers, immigrant miners imported from all over the country to help the firefighting effort, prostitutes, railroad engineers and dozens others whose stories are painstakingly recreated from scraps of letters, newspaper articles, firsthand testimony, and Forest Service records. Egan brings a touching humanity to this story of valor and cowardice in the face of a national catastrophe, paying respectful attention to Roosevelt's great dream of conservation and of an America “for the little man.”

I've just started a new book on the Burma campaign; "Road of Bones: The Siege of Kohima 1944 - The Epic Story of the Last Great Stand of Empire" by Fergal Keane.

by Fergal Keane
Publishers blurb:
The epic story of one of the most savage battles of the Second World War.
Kohima. In this remote Indian village near the border with Burma, a tiny force of British and Indian troops faced the might of the Imperial Japanese Army. Outnumbered ten to one, the defenders fought the Japanese hand to hand in a battle that was amongst the most savage in modern warfare.
A garrison of no more than 1,500 fighting men, desperately short of water and with the wounded compelled to lie in the open, faced a force of 15,000 Japanese. They held the pass and prevented a Japanese victory that would have proved disastrous for the British. Another six weeks of bitter fighting followed as British and Indian reinforcements strove to drive the enemy out of India. When the battle was over, a Japanese army that had invaded India on a mission of imperial conquest had suffered the worst defeat in its history. Thousands of men lay dead on a devastated landscape, while tens of thousands more Japanese starved in a catastrophic retreat eastwards. They called the journey back to Burma the ‘Road of Bones’, as friends and comrades committed suicide or dropped dead from hunger along the jungle paths.

Alisa wrote: "Just started reading byTimothy Egan and can already tell I am really ..."

Alisa, I just picked this up on the Kindle. I think both you and Bryan have recommended this one so I thought I would try it out.

So far so good.

Bentley

Bentley, I heard him speak recently at a live interview about the book and he was great, very dynamic and engaging guy. Very interesting story and he did his homework. Will be interested to hear your review.

Of course, and I am enjoying it so far...it must have been great listening to him.

Wow, Rick, what a terrible story - but also a great and important book.
Just by reading your post I wonder how anybody could think hell to be somewhere else.

Hi Andre, I have a few books on the Burma campaign but this is actually the first one I have bothered to read. I am only up to page 36 but so far it has been good and I think it's going to be one of those great books that you don't forget, I'll let you know.

Thanks, Rick.

G.J. Meyer

Jacques Barzun

More like the history of food rather than salt but much of what we enjoy today would not be available but for the mighty one rock that we eat. Am onto the nordic and basque history at the moment so am craving pickled herring!
by Mark Kurlansky

Patricrk wrote: "Jacques Barzun"

Good for you Patricrk..it is a challenge, dense but I think worth the journey in the long run.

I am just about to finish "The K Boats" which covers the history and development of British steam-powered submarines during WW1, not a great success! I will be starting John Holland's new book "The Battle of Britain" first thing tomorrow morning.

by Don Everitt

by James Holland

Bentley wrote: "Patricrk wrote: "Jacques Barzun"

Good for you Patri..."

I don't know if I will get it finished. I can read on this for about 30 minutes before drifting off to sleep. We leave in three weeks for France (air strikes and volcanoes permitting) and it will have to go back to the library then. We still have to finish packing the house and getting everything in storage.

I know but it a few college courses rolled into one plus a lifetime of cultural history study by Barzun. Great learning experience if you can get through it.

How long are you going to be in France. Sounds like an extended stay.

We are planning for one year. We have a tiny apartment in Paris for two months and then a two bedroom apartment in Montpellier for 10 months. Maybe by the time we come home, the French will be able to understand me when I use my very limited French. This is our retirement celebration.

Good for you....I hope you enjoy it. Will you have wi fi?

Bentley wrote: "Good for you....I hope you enjoy it. Will you have wi fi?"

We are suppose to, it was one of the things we looked for in the apartment ads.

Patricrk, that's marvelous! I wish you a wonderful time!
André

Very envious of you Patricrk, sounds like you will have a wonderful year ahead of you!

by Paul 'Bommer' Grahame

by Lauren Oliver

Patricrk wrote: "Bentley wrote: "Good for you....I hope you enjoy it. Will you have wi fi?"

We are suppose to, it was one of the things we looked for in the apartment ads."

Hi Patricrk, not sure if your interested but I came across this book recently in my browsing that may fit in with your travel plans:


by Graham Robb
Publishers blurb:
No-one knows a city like the people who live there – so who better to relate the history of Paris than its inhabitants through the ages? Taking us from 1750 to the new millennium, Parisians introduces us to some of those inhabitants: we meet spies, soldiers, scientists and alchemists; police commissioners, photographers and philosophers; adulterers, murderers, prisoners and prostitutes. We encounter political and sexual intrigues, witness real and would-be revolutions, assassination attempts and several all too successful executions; we visit underground caverns and catacombs, enjoy the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower, are there for the opening of the Metro, accompany Hitler on a flying visit to the French capital – and much more besides.

Entertaining and illuminating, and written with Graham Robb’s customary attention to detail – and, indeed, the unusual – Parisians is both history and travel guide, yet also part memoir, part mystery. A book unlike any other, it is at once a book to read from cover to cover, to lose yourself in, to dip in and out of at leisure, and a book to return to again and again – rather like the city itself, in fact.

Or there is his other book:

by Graham Robb