The History Book Club discussion

Welcome to the group, Antonio--we are glad you found us. We have discussions on all aspects of history so please feel free to join in.

I suggest you check out our homepage and see what we have to offer. You can access it through this link:

History Book Club main 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 James Romm (no photo)

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

Hi! I'm Roni and I live in Israel. I'm looking forward to reading with you all. :)

Roni, a warm welcome to you from all of us at the History Book Club. We are happy that you joined us from Israel. We have many different topics and books being discussed here so please feel free to explore and jump in.

I suggest you check out our homepage and see what we have to offer. You can access it through this link:

History Book Club main 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 James Romm (no photo)

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 Everyone!

My name is Matt and I'm excited to be a new member of the History Book Club! I spent about twenty years teaching U.S. history, world history, economics, current events, and government at the high school level. I have recently left the classroom and I have learned that it has left a hole in my heart where teaching history used to be. I'm looking forward to reading new books, meeting new people, and learning new things. Now all I have to do is figure out how this club works and get down to reading.

Welcome Matt, we are happy that you have joined us in the History Book Club. Thank you for your interesting introduction and outlining your varied interests in history.

Based on your areas of interest, you may want to explore the following focus areas:

World History
American History
American Government
Economics/Finance/Trading
Political Science

There are many other folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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 an example of how books you mention should look:

by John M. Barry

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Hi everyone is is a true pleasure to find and join this Group! My name is John and I am 41 from Kentucky! I have loved history from a very young age. I have mild Cerebral Palsy(from birth). My intellect was affected in no way! After a time the holding of a book can become difficult, so the rise of Audiobooks has been a godsend for me! I try my best to be in the midst of a history book at all times(I just began "God's Shadow" by Alan Mikhail. About the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. Plus I am listening to a tremendous set of lectures about World War I from the Modern Scholar series! ....There may from time to time be typo's on my comments i fail to see, please do you best to look past them as typing is not my best skill by many miles!...Once again is is my honor to be among you and i look forward to many chats in the future!

Hi John,

Kate here. Thank you for giving me a tip about another way to engage my mind. I had never heard of the Modern Scholars series. As to typing errors, I keep making them as I never learned how to type properly, so no worries, I will be right next to you in sharing a passion while making typos. I also love Audiobooks, but they seem to go too fast for me to process and so I often find I keep “rewinding” to make sure I understand a point being made. Therefore, I purchase both the audio version and the e-book. The booksellers must love me.....Welcome!!!

A warm welcome John, we are happy that you have joined us in the History Book Club from the state of Kentucky. Thank you for your interesting introduction and outlining your current interests in history.

Based on your areas of interest, you may want to explore the following focus areas:

The First World War
The Second World War

There are many other folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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 an example of how book you mentioned should look:

by Alan Mikhail (no photo)

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Hello;
My name is Russ I'm 60 years old and I live in Ontario Canada.
I have always been a fan of history especially wars and political figures, prime ministers and US presidents. I just finished a biography on Herbert Hoover (written by a Canadian author curiously enough) which I found interesting as it put a whole different perspective on this much maligned politician.

Welcome Russ, we are happy that you have joined us in the History Book Club from Ontario, Canada. Thank you for your interesting introduction and outlining your varied interests in history. Please feel free to join in the many discussions.

Based on your areas of interest, you may want to explore the following focus areas:

British History
Europe - European History
American History
The First World War
The Second World War

There are many other folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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 an example of how books you mention should look:

by Ron Chernow

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Vicki wrote: "Hi, Kate. As far as knowing when a moderator has posted something, I'm not sure there's a way to get such a specific notice. Perhaps the group owner, Bentley, can answer that. I do hope you're enjo..."

Hello Kate,

Since we are ramping up - I felt reluctant to send out event notifications just yet again - but I alert everyone on the Moderator's Announcement thread - and you are right - new discussions are being started this week.

Hello Everyone,

I am Matt a current student at Tulane University who is studying psychology, and I was just interested in a book study with people from different age group. Excited to get started

Welcome to our group, Matt! We have many different topics and books being discussed here so please feel free to explore and jump in.

I suggest you check out our homepage and see what we have to offer. You can access it through this link:

History Book Club main 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 James Romm (no photo)

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

Hello Everyone!
I'm Priyansha from India. I'm studying Data Science.
History has always fascinated me although I never had enough time for it. But I do now!
I'm a novice when it comes to history. So, feel free to send me book recommendations. I'll be glad to connect as well !

A warm welcome Priyansha, from all of us in the History Book Club. We are happy that you have joined us from India. Thank you for your nice introduction and sharing your interests in history. Please feel free to join in the many discussions.

There are many folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well so please feel free to explore our many diverse threads. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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 an example of how the books you mention should look:

by Erik Larson

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Hello my name is Justin and I am from Detroit, Michigan. My love for history began in high school when I randomly took AP world history, junior year. Since then my love for history has only grown. Being that I am only 21 years of age, it can be quite difficult to find peers who don't find the subject boring or totally irrelevant. Hence why I am interested in joining this group.

This is my first time joining a book club so if anyone could explain the workings of the club that would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to being apart of this group and can't wait to see all the history I'll discover.

Welcome Justin, we are happy that you have joined us in the History Book from Detroit, Michigan. Thank you for your introduction. We look forward to your participation.

There are many folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well so please feel free to explore our many diverse threads. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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 an example of how the books you mention should look:

by Barack Obama

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Lorna wrote: "Welcome Justin, we are happy that you have joined us in the History Book from Detroit, Michigan. Thank you for your introduction. We look forward to your participation.

There are many folders wher..."
Thank you Lorna for welcoming me, I am still a little confused about the workings of the club. Are there a list of books that members are currently reading and you choose one? Or is there another way? Sorry about the lack of understanding but once again thank you for the welcome.

Justin, I have attached a link to the History Book Club Home Page for your convenience. There you will find a list of books that are currently being read or are coming up. Books currently being read are to the left of the masthead, while upcoming books are on the right.

That link is as follows: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Please let us know if you have additional questions. We look forward to your participation.

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

Anusha, a warm welcome to you from all of us at the History Book Club. We are happy that you joined us from India. Thank you too for your very interesting introduction.

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

Medieval England
History of Southern Asia

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

History Book Club main 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 James Romm (no photo)

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

The Lost Pianos of Siberia

Hi Vicki, I am also new here and I was reading your above post. I am blind and using disability speech software. I would like to be able to add the book links and information in the way that you recommend, but have no idea if I can make it look right. I would like to have a go here please and would appreciate it if you could tell me if I've done it right or give suggestions if I've got it wrong.
So, say I wanted to point people to the book
Sophy Roberts -The Lost Pianos of Siberia The Lost Pianos of Siberia, is it enough to paste this link, can people then click on this to take them to the book? Any help appreciated thank you.

A warm welcome Shell, from all of us in the History Book Club. We are happy that you have joined us. Thank you for your nice introduction. I will try to answer your questions and give you an example how to post the links for the book you mentioned. I am not sure whether you are able to access the add book/ author just above the comment box. Perhaps Bentley may be able to give a little more guidance.

There are many folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well so please feel free to explore our many diverse threads. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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 an example of how the book you mentioned should look:

by Sophy Roberts (no photo)

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Anusha wrote: "Hello!

I'm Anusha, I'm 18 and from India. My love for history and politics began at a very young age, when I was 11 or 12 and my love for it has only grown since then.

In my opinion, understandi..."

Welcome to the group Anusha. It's really heartwarming to see young Indians taking interest in reading and that too in history. Many of the young people I know abhor history. Our history in the education system is messed up as we give more importance to invaders than the true Indian empires. Hence I feel itsnecessary for us to buy books on our own and read about the lesser-known but important periods of our past.

As you can see this club is huge with lots of members and topics, I am listing some topics where you might like to write.

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

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

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

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

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

Hi, my name’s Sara. I’m a Data Scientist in Illinois, holding a master’s both in Computer Science and also in Music Education. I’m a former powerlifter, but my joints won’t let me do that anymore, so I’m here to find great things to read and learn more about history, which is a topic I always find fascinating.

Welcome, Sara! You’ve certainly come to the right place if you’re interested in history.
Regards,
Andrea

Welcome to our group, Sara! We have many different topics and books being discussed here so please feel free to explore and jump in.

I suggest you check out our homepage and see what we have to offer. You can access it through this link:

History Book Club main 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 James Romm (no photo)

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

Hello, I am a Canadian of Burmese descent. I'm interested in Asian history, ancient history, and world history in general. I do read other non-fiction books, most recently those in the fields of neuropsychology, economics and business. I just saw "groups" for the first time ever, and thought I'd explore it for a bit.

Welcome to the group, Naung--we are glad you found us. We have discussions on all aspects of history so please feel free to join in.

Based on your post, you may find something to interest you in this topic:

Ancient history

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

History Book Club main 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 James Romm (no photo)

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

Shell wrote: "The Lost Pianos of Siberia

Hi Vicki, I am also new here and I was reading your above post. I am blind and using disability speech software. I would like to be able to add the book ..."

Welcome Shell, just do the best you can. We can try to backfill the citations for you. What we normally do is add the book cover, then a space, then the word by, then a space, then the author's photo and then the author's name in linkable text. But I am not sure what you are able to do from your perspective and software given your unique situation. We will backfill your posts along the way so that the links are in accordance with the standards. So just do whatever you can.

Thank you Bentley. I have had some help and have learned a bit, so will do my best. Thank you for still making me welcome. I'm very excited to be part of the group.

We are very happy to have you Shell.

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

Based on your post, you may find something to interest you in this topic:

Explorers and Exploration

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

History Book Club main 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 Hampton Sides

And authors:

Bill Bryson
Paul Watson (no photo)

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

Hello everybody, my name is Ben, originally from near Bath in England but currently studying for an MA in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies at various colleges in the University of London. Although my studies (and thus most of my current reading) centres around the late classical/early medieval Mediterranean, my interest in history is broad and stretches from Egypt through to the last century.

I am nearing that terrifying decision of whether to continue my journey into academia or jump headlong into the 'real world', though in the meantime it will be nice to have a place to discuss history where I don't have to worry too much about being marked!

I will say in advance that it is a pleasure to meet you all and look forward to our future discussions.

Welcome Ben, we are happy that you have joined us in the History Book Club from Bath in England. Thank you for your interesting introduction and outlining your varied interests in history. We wish you well with your upcoming decisions. Please feel free to join in the many discussions.

Based on your areas of interest, you may want to explore the following focus areas:

Ancient History
Medieval History
British History
Europe - European History

There are many other folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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 an example of how books you mention should look:

by Erik Larson

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Hello, my name is Kyle Winward. I'm from the midwestern USA; I have resided in Iowa for a total of 15 years. Where I currently live is the longest I have resided anywhere, as I'm a former U.S. Army and overseas "Brat". I'm an academic librarian.

There is obviously much history at and around military installations. My dad was stationed in what was West Germany for six years in the 1980s. As an American living in Europe during the last full decade of the Cold War, I developed a fascination with Cold War and U.S. presidential history. I also enjoy reading about inventors and inventions. For a number of reasons, I'm fascinated with the history of World's Fairs.

For a handful of winters I have enjoyed reading books about arctic and polar exploration. Sir Franklin's lost expedition is a fascinating subject as are other historical attempts to discover and navigate the Northwest Passage. I enjoy reading about explorers and exploration in general. In general, I primarily enjoy reading about 19th and 20th Century history.

Have blessed Holidays!

Welcome Kyle, thank you for your interesting introduction outlining your varied interests in history. We are happy that you have joined us in the History Book Club from Iowa. We look forward to your participation in book discussions.

Based on some of your areas of interest, you may want to explore the following threads:

European History
American History
Presidential Series

There are many folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well so please feel free to explore our many diverse threads. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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 an example of how the books you mention should look:

by Ralph Louis Ketcham (no photo)

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Hi everyone! My name is Amy. I am an engineer working in the medical device field. My passion has always been more science based. However, I think my original lack of interest in history is largely due to how we were taught it in school, rather than the topic itself. Recently, I've been trying to read as much history and non-fiction as I can and am loving it. Excited to continue reading more to learn about the past!

Welcome to the group, Amy--we are glad you found us. We have discussions on all aspects of history so please feel free to join in.

I suggest you check out our homepage and see what we have to offer. You can access it through this link:

History Book Club main 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 James Romm (no photo)

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

Hello, my name is Sher and I'm from Canada. I teach 20th C political history and would love to join in on history discussion on a wide variety of topics. I'm really looking forward to reading Madame Fourcade's Secret War. When it indicates "upcoming", does that mean the discussion does not begin until that date?

Sher.....Welcome to the place for all things history. There is much here that will meet your reading preferences.

As far as Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler, Bentley will be sending out emails announcing the start of the discussion, probably a few days before 12/21. We'll be setting up the main topic and threads for discussion soon after.

I suggest you check out our homepage and see what we have to offer. You can access it through this link:

History Book Club main 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 Lynne Olson

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

Hello to you all

I am Wim from Antwerp. Everything history related interests me. No particular preferred period.

I must say that I am quite impressed and overwhelmed by this reading club: so many interesting subjects and threads. I see that there are always several book of the months ongoing but can someone explain or refer to an introduction message so I see the overall structure and how best to navigate?

Wim.....Welcome to the place for all things history. There is much here that will meet your reading preferences.

You should read our How to Get Started thread here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I suggest you check out our homepage and see what we have to offer. You can access it through this link:

History Book Club main 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 James Romm (no photo)

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

Dear Wim,

I am so excited to have the opportunity to discuss books with other history aficionados like you and was so happy to see in your post I am not the only one who would like info on how to navigate through the discussions.

I have read the info on the home page the moderator refers to, but I am still confused.

So I keep scanning the emails you should be receiving on posted discussions and I go online on the Goodreads page to check out the history group to try to find posts for books I am interested in.

I would find helpful a step-by-step step checklist to tell us how to find a discussion for a specific book and how to specifically reply to and engage in the discussion.

That said, as I scan the other posts, they are rich with content, thoughtful and erudite in the ideas presented. I hope you find them to be enjoyable and informative as they allow we citizens of the world to engage.

Kate, thank you for your welcome to Wim. I am sorry to hear that you are still having difficulty in figuring what books are being currently read.

Once you are on the History Book Club Home Page, on the masthead to the left you will see the books that are currently being read as well as a link to view activity. When you click on that link, it will take you directly to the discussion of the book where you can scroll to view previous comments. As far as your engagement in the discussion, you may add your comments and post as you have done here.

For the upcoming books, if you look to the right of the home page, you will see the schedule of the upcoming books. And as you say, broadcast notifications will also keep you up-to-date.

If you are still having difficulty or have specific questions, please post your questions on the Ask a Mod link to preserve this thread for new members to post their introductions and the subsequent welcomes. For your convenience, I have attached the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thank you.

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

Thanks for your welcome Kate!

Vicky & Lorna, I understand the standard reference to home page and making comments to books of the month to read.
My remark as to navigation transparency is more related to every other category. For example I am interested in ancient history. There is a category about that subject with lots of threads and I am interested in finding comments related to Philo f. Ex. How to find back that easily or start a discussion around books of Philo?

Welcome Wim, we are happy to have you in the History Book Club.

As far as specific categories, the main categories are all in alphabetical order with subcategories contained within those threads. As you referenced an interest in Ancient History, after going to that main category, within that thread are all of the subcategories such as Ancient South Asia History, Pre-Colombian Americas, Classical Antiquity, etc. Within each of those subcategories, you will find additional threads.

Basically, it requires some exploration and as you access more of the threads, you will have a better idea of what is offered. If you still have additional questions, may I suggest that you post them on the Ask A Mod thread where they can be specifically addressed. The link is as follows: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thank you.

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

I am Kaniraj from India with nearly three-fourth century of history in me. I was an engineering academic by profession until five years ago. Geotechnical engineering is my specialization. History in school was dull, a chore, having to remember a series of events, names and dates. Mathematics can be taught using a blackboard. Can history be?

I developed interest in WW-II history in the college. It was a hot topic then. I got a hang of things mostly through fiction and movies. For example, the book Exodus by Leon Uris and the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai. But they were mostly of entertainment value. I developed a deep interest in history a decade ago after reading City of Djinns by William Dalrymple. My younger son presented the book to me. I have lived in Delhi for two and a half decades, but it was Dalrymple, who wrote that book after just a yearlong stay with his young wife in Delhi, who enlightened me about Delhi's history. I have read the book three times so far.

In my opinion history writings fall into four categories. One, fiction. For example Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Two, nonfiction by history writers. For example, The Anarchy by William Dalrymple. These authors present or describe historical facts in an interesting way. Three, nonfiction by academic historians. For example, The Penguin History of Early India: From Origins to 1300 by Romila Thapar which I am reading now. Here the authors scientifically interpret things from evidences and emphasize on the tentativeness and uncertainty in understanding human history. Four, pre-human history. For example, Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. These authors are mostly scientists in their fields.

By joining the History Book Group I hope to experience how other readers tend to view the books they are reading. I don't read many books a year, a dozen or so perhaps. I am amazed at the ability of some readers here to read that many and more every month! That's a long introduction from me.

by

by

Amy wrote: "...My passion has always been more science based. However, I think my original lack of interest in history largely due to how we were taught it in school, rather than the topic itself."

Hi Amy, I'm also new to the club. Your sentence about lack of interest in history struck a chord in me. As far as I can remember, history has always been fascinating to me, but in school I had the impression that history and other subject areas were linear and contained. For example, I thought that the U.S. entered WWI solely because of the sinking of the Lusitania. I couldn't quite comprehend or appreciate how multi-faceted history is. Reading books about history as an adult has been such an eye-opening and horizon- broadening experience for me.

A warm welcome Kaniraj, we are happy that you have joined us in the History Book Club from India. Thank you for your very interesting introduction and outlining your current interests in history.

Based on your areas of interest, you may want to explore the following focus areas:

The Second World War
History of Southern Asia

There are many other folders where you can discuss topics that may interest you as well. Here is a list of focus areas:

History Book Club's Focus Areas

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.

You did a great job on your book citations. Just remember to also post the author's link after the photo. This is an example of how the books you mentioned should look:

by William Dalrymple
by Romila Thapar
by Leon Uris
by Charles Darwin

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 the moderators. We look forward to your participation.

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

Hi!!! My name is Amber. I was born and raised in Central New York, and continue to reside in the area. I have always been fascinated by history and am looking forward to reading more historical books and discussing them. I have a degree in Public Relations from SUNY Plattsburg. Thank you!