Wholesome History Reads Group discussion

Welcome!
This is the perfect place to ask for suggestions on books you're trying to find, help with remembering the title of a book you read a while ago, or helping other members with what they need. Enjoy!

Does any one know a good ww1 book that features the campaign in the western desert?

Hi Seth, here are two newer titles that I am aware of but have not read that may be of interest:

The First World War in the Middle East by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East by Eugene Rogan

I also have this book but have not read it yet:

The Battle for Palestine 1917 by John D. Grainger

Thank you all of the books you recamended look good.

Hi Seth, Not wholly on the campaign but this has some very interesting coverage:

The World's War by David Olusoga

Hello Abel! Thanks for posting in the group! I can't think of any off the top of my head but maybe the others might be able to help you more. Hope you find a great history read!

Abel, I have read numerous in the category of your interest.

In a Dark Wood Wandering: A Novel of the Middle Ages by Hella S. Haasse, Anita Miller (Translator) is one of the best.

There are some excellent fiction books, as well, researched and deep in details. There is one in particular that has stuck with me for a long period of time that occurs in the area that used to be titled Lapland. I'll list it in a further/ later post.

Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekback

That last is fiction and later period but these people live exactly as they did 1000 years before their era.

Also a non-fiction that is excellent and Dark Ages:

Long Ships: A Saga of the Viking Age by Frans G. Bengstsson

This is slightly after the era you are looking for, but it is one of most readable of the daily life in the middle ages type books



This is about daily life in 14th century England, very good and very readable



He also has one on Elizabethan England and quite frankly the lives that were led were very similar.

Abel wrote: "Hello there! I'm looking for some excellent non-fiction books on life as it was in pre-enlightened Europe (the Dark Ages). I'm not interested in treaties and dates, but in daily life: mariage, sex,..."

You could try "Montaillou" by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie. It has exactly the material you're looking for; also "The Poor in the Middle Ages" by Michel Mollat is another good one. Both volumes of "Feudal Society" by Marc Bloch are also good, but dense reading.

Abel wrote: "Hello there! I'm looking for some excellent non-fiction books on life as it was in pre-enlightened Europe (the Dark Ages). I'm not interested in treaties and dates, but in daily life: mariage, sex,..."

Hi Abel,
I'd suggest these for you:

Life in a Medieval Village

Life in a Medieval Castle

Life in a Medieval City

all by Frances Gies

by The Black Death by Philip Ziegler

Everyday Life in Medieval London: From the Anglo-Saxons to the Tudors by Toni Mount

And finally Britain After Rome: The Fall and Rise, 400 to 1070 by Robin Fleming

Fleming's and Ziegler's books I read and enjoyed greatly, the others are on my to read list; Happy's recommendation by Ian Mortimer is also an excellent one.

And just found this one too:

Medieval Women: A Social History of Women in England 450-1500 by Henrietta Leyser

Hi everyone! :)

If I am interested in knowing more about the history of Rome's military campaigns/wars/battles and the biographies of some of the more prominent Roman figures, which book/books should I start reading first? Oh and should I read up these things in a chronological order?

Some of the books that I am considering are "The Rise of The Roman Empire by Polybius", "The Annuals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus" and "The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius".

Thanks in advance :)

@ZX Hi there, and welcome to the group! It's great to have you with us.

As far as Roman history books go, I haven't read all that many myself so I wouldn't be able to accurately suggest a good title. Although, with that said, I have heard good reviews about by Mary Beard. (I can't personally recommend it as I haven't read it myself yet lol!) I know you're looking for books more about the Roman wars, but the above may be a good start.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you more but someone else in the group very well may be able to. Please let me know what you come up with!

Cheers,
Ethan

SPQR is definitely worth reading, even if it doesn't give you everything you need. More about the 'ordinary' people of Rome than the military campaigns. Focuses on the real and mythical growth of the Roman Empire, as seen by the people. Also tries to draw out references to modern empires, and is associated with a TV series in the UK.

ZX wrote: "Hi everyone! :)

If I am interested in knowing more about the history of Rome's military campaigns/wars/battles and the biographies of some of the more prominent Roman figures, which book/books sho..."

Hi ZX, Tacitus is a good read as is Juluis Caesar's books on the campaign in Gaul and the Civil War. I would recommend any Roman history books by Adrian Goldsworthy or Tom Holland. I'm just going to bed over in Australia but tomorrow morning I will check my library and find a few more recommendations for you.

I've read a number of Livy's books, they are fun reads but you have to take a few things with a grain of salt. For a good look at the Roman army I could suggest this book:

The Roman Army: A History 753 BC Ad 476 by Patricia Southern

Or:

Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Imperial Roman Legion by Stephen Dando-Collins

This older book provides some details on the workings of the Roman army under Caesar:

Caesar: A History of the Art of War Among the Romans Down to the End of the Roman Empire, With a Detailed Account of the Campaigns of Caius Julius Caesar by Theodore Ayrault Dodge

Thanks for the help and suggestions! Much appreciated :)

Hi guys,,,
I'm looking for English short stories that help me improve my reading skills... I'm Egyptian
but I also hope they 'd be interesting and useful
Thanks!

do want to be history or will fiction short stories do?

History. please

You might try



It a series of short chapters on well known events in English history

My current read also is broken up into short (1-7 page) sections

Thanks alot...

Welcome!

Oh, I forgot to mention the Great Tales is a three volume set

Wow
ok Thx again

Hi - I am looking for suggestions on books related to the Vietnam War. I just saw the play Vietgone by Qui Nguyen and am particularly interested in books that come from another perspective besides the typical side I hear about in America which is apologist and a mistake point of view. Thanks!

Still looking for a suggestion on the above if anyone has one....thanks!

We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam. I haven't read the book. But the movie based on the books was good.


Here's a link to a site with books about the vietnam war
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/vietn...

Thank you, Luci!

You're welcome :) hope you'll find some good books on that site :)

Lisa wrote: "Hi - I am looking for suggestions on books related to the Vietnam War. I just saw the play Vietgone by Qui Nguyen and am particularly interested in books that come from another perspective besides ..."

Here are a few more books but from a different perspective on the Vietnam War:

The Twenty-five Year Century: A South Vietnamese General Remembers the Indochina War to the Fall of Saigon by Lam Quang Thi

Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN by Andrew Wiest

The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu And the French Defeat in Vietnam by Martin Windrow

Street Without Joy: The French Debacle in Indochina by Bernard B. Fall

Vietnam: The Australian War by Paul Ham

Luci......here is another one that covers the Tet Offensive and the Battle of Hue particularly. Powerful book.

Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam by Mark Bowden

I'm reading that book at the moment Jill, quite good so far.

Thank you Jill for the recommendation 😊 I'm sure I would like the book if I where interested in that time periode 😊 maybe it would be a good book for Lisa who is looking for books about the vietnam war 😊

Ooops, that message was for Lisa. I think I need new glasses!!!!

I think everyone of us has at one point in time done something similar 😊 I often confuse names 😊

Another couple of books on Viet Nam, Lewis Sorley

A bio of Westmoreland



Sorley doesn't like Westy AT ALL!

and



A look at the war post Westmoreland

I'm looking for books about the Hundred Years' War. I know there are a lot of them out there, but does anyone in the group have some favorites?

Depends how keen you are A.L. as it would be hard to go past Jonathan Sumption's four volume history of the Hundred Years War.

A more recent single volume account by a British military historian is this book:


A Great and Glorious Adventure: A History of the Hundred Years War and the Birth of Renaissance England by Gordon Corrigan

An older title that I also enjoyed was this book:

A Brief History of the Hundred Years War by Desmond Seward

Plus these are two pretty good books on this period as well:


Conquest: The English Kingdom of France, 1417-1450 by Juliet Barker

Agincourt: The King, The Campaign, The Battle by Juliet Barker

Final two recommendations. Strictly military history and a bit older titles which I have but am yet to read:

The Crecy War: A Military History of the Hundred Years War from 1337 to the Peace of Bretigny in 1360 by Alfred H Burne

The Agincourt War: A Military History of the Hundred Years War from 1369 to 1453 by Alfred H Burne

I'll second the recommendations for Ms Barkers books - they're excellent

Thanks for the suggestions, Aussie Rick and Happy!

Let me add my two cents worth, A.L. As the title suggests, it describes the effect of the war on society (at all levels) rather than battles, etc.

by David Green

This kind of goes along with Jill's suggestion,

John Keegan's The Face Of Battle: A Study Of Agincourt, Waterloo And The Somme

has a chapter on Agincourt - the book itself is a look at how war has changed over the centuries. He compares Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme and the effect it had on the people who fought them.

Excellent read. One really can't go wrong with Keegan.

One more book on the subject and this is one that I quite enjoyed (published in 1990) but has been re-released in a revised edition:

The Hundred Years War: Revised Edition by Robin Neillands

Thanks for the suggestions!

That Keegan book has been on my tbr for a really long time. :-)

Keegan's book is a classic, I'm sure you will enjoy it.