The History Book Club discussion

I read by Julia P. Gelardi and I loved it! Haven't come across the Romanov book yet, but I will. Her books are an easy read for me.

I purchased a copy of; "Napoleon's Doctors" by Martin Howard, it looks pretty good and covers a little know Napoleonic subject.


by Martin Howard

whem adding a photo if the author has one then you also add the link text like i did above.

Patrick......I have read the Einstein book:
by Walter Isaacson
I found it quite interesting and learned a lot about Einstein the man, but I still don't think I understand the theory of relativity!!!!

Close Patrick, very close. Just one step away, you need to also add the author hyperlinks for each. So for example . . .

Erik Larson

You are using the add book/author feature for all three, book cover (always) author photo (when available) and author link (always). If you amend your post above that would be terrific, and you would earn extra love from all the moderators! :-)

Great effort, one more step and you're there!!

I just bought by Caroll Spinney off e-bay. I'm really looking forward to reading it. Caroll Spinney is one amazing guy!

Krystal wrote: "whem adding a photo if the author has one then you also add the link text like i did above."

Krystal and Alisa - I have edited my post to include the author links. Hopefully I will remember how to do it from now on.

Jill - thanks I am hoping to learn more about the man. For a good description of the development of the theory of relativity and what I found to be a manageable explanation of the physics, I recommend by Peter Galison

Thank you Patrick. It is a fascinating subject.

byPeter Galison. This might have to go on my TBR list.

I've read an Einstein bio also - actually listened to it:
Walter Isaacson

Enjoyed it alot.

Just got a copy of
by Robert Young Pelton

Product Description
Robert Young Pelton first became aware of the phenomenon of hired guns in the War on Terror when he met a covert team of contractors on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border in the fall of 2003. Pelton soon embarked on a globe-spanning odyssey to penetrate and understand this shadowy world, ultimately delivering stunning insights into the way private soldiers are used.

Enter a blood-soaked world of South African mercenaries and tribal fighters backed by ruthless financiers. Drop into Baghdad’s Green Zone, strap on body armor, and take a daily high-speed ride with a doomed crew of security contractors who dodge car bombs and snipers just to get their charges to the airport. Share a drink in a chic hotel bar with wealthy owners of private armies who debate the best way to stay alive in war zones.

Licensed to Kill spans four continents and three years, taking us inside the CIA’s dirty wars; the brutal contractor murders in Fallujah and the Alamo-like sieges in Najaf and Al Kut; the Deep South contractor training camps where ex–Special Operations soldiers and even small town cops learn the ropes; the contractor conventions where macho attendees swap bullet-punctuated tales and discuss upcoming gigs; and the grim Central African prison where contractors turned failed mercenaries pay a steep price.

The United States has encouraged the use of the private sector in all facets of the War on Terror, placing contractors outside the bounds of functional legal constraints. With the shocking clarity that can come only from firsthand observation, Licensed to Kill painstakingly deconstructs the most controversial events and introduces the pivotal players. Most disturbingly, it shows that there are indeed thousands of contractors—with hundreds more being produced every month—who’ve been given a license to kill, their services available to the highest bidder.

Review
“An incredible look into the murky and virtually impenetrable world of private military contractors . . . Pelton may well have seen the future.” —Sebastian Junge., author of The Perfect Storm and A Death in Belmont

“Licensed to Kill is smart, funny, sometimes scary, and always interesting. Pelton truly captures the cast of characters that make up our new ‘coalition of the billing’ in the War on Terror.” —P. W. Singer, author of Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry

“A rollicking read that takes the reader inside the murky world of military contractors—from the craggy passes of the Afghan-Pakistan border, to the extreme danger of Baghdad’s airport road, to the diamond fields of Africa. Licensed to Kill is not only a great travelogue, it also has some important things to say about the brave new world of privatized violence that will increasingly be a feature of twenty-first-century wars.” —Peter Bergen, author of The Osama bin Laden I Know and Holy War, Inc.

“Robert Pelton enjoys the credibility not shared by many to comment on the world’s dark corners. Licensed to Kill sheds light on one of the corners—the world of private for-hire guns, mercenaries, and armies. It’s a reality; it’s a business; it’s lucrative . . . Consider Licensed to Kill a ‘safety brief,’ a military term for ‘pay attention.’ Read it . . . pay attention.” —James A. “Spider” Marks, Major General, United States Army (Ret.)

The highlighted review sold it for me.

Sounds good Michael, keep us posted on the book. I picked up the following books over the last few days:

by Phil Scearce

by Louis A. DiMarco

by John Freely

I made a nice little haul at the bookstore today!
by Graham Robb
by Jill Jonnes
by Morris Dickstein
by Michael Hiltzik
by Daniel Okrent

Nice shopping there Alisa

Alisa......let me know about
by Daniel Okrent. It has been on my shelf for a while but haven't had a chance to start on it yet.

I did a little shopping myself and picked up:

by Charles Glass (no photo). Looks interesting.

Michael wrote: "Just got a copy of
by Robert Young Pelton

Product Description
Robert Young Pelton first became aware of the phenomenon of hired guns in the War on Terror when he met a covert team of contr..."

Michael; the book cover did not show up in message 210. You may want to go back and edit the post. Thanks.

Nice job, Alisa :-)

A nice mixed bag of history books for me today at the Post Office Box:


by Anton I. Denikin

by Jean; Froissart, Jean; De Monstrelet, Enguerrand; Thompson, Peter (editor) Le Bel

by F. W. Longman (1905 edition)

byAnthony Cave Brown (no photo)

I just picked this up at a local thrift store and it looks interesting. Is anyone familiar with this book?

No but it has great reviews.

Fascinating and awesomely detailed account of wartime deception. There is enough material here for twenty espionage novels."
--The New York Times Book Review

Also, it is a great find since it appears to be out of print.

I have heard about it Jill referred to in other books I have read and it sounds like an excellent read.

I picked this book up yesterday, something that may interest you Bentley after your recent trip:

by Roger Crowley

Yes, that does look interesting, I am going to add it to my to read list. Thanks.

Thanks, guys.....looks like I found a treasure at the thrift store!!!

Anthony Cave Brown

This book arraived today; "Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam" by Thomas P. McKenna.


by Thomas P. McKenna

Alisa wrote: "I made a nice little haul at the bookstore today!
by Graham Robb
[bookcover:Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where B..."

Some excellent books there Alisa, nice haul, well done :)

Aussie Rick, coming from you I take that as a huge compliment! :-)

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I purchased a copy of; "Napoleon's Doctors" by Martin Howard, it looks pretty good and covers a little know Napoleonic subject."


The companion 'Wellington's Doctors' was a good read.

(Slow reply, I know, but I've just got a copy of 'Nappy's Docs' too.)

and by Martin Howard

edited by Kenneth Gregory(no photo).
This is the first of a series of books which contain a collection of the most interesting letters to The London Times. I have read the others in the series (I think there are three).....some are thought provoking, some are humorous and some are just plain dotty. A great book to read when taking a break from a heavier read.

Jonathan wrote: "'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I purchased a copy of; "Napoleon's Doctors" by Martin Howard, it looks pretty good and covers a little know Napoleonic subject."


The companion 'Wellington's Doctors' was a g..."

Excellent purchase eh! :)

nice used book delivered in todays mail :)

(no cover) Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War by Saburo Hayashi

Gee those post offices are real good to both you and Aussie Rick.

Nice isn't it, very comforting to open the little PO Box door and seeing a parcel notification waiting for you :)

Living in a rural area, I have to go to the post office to pick up any parcels and I can't get there fast enough to see what is waiting for me.
Just got this book, which I should have read years ago but just didn't get around to it. Can't wait to get started.
by Barbara W. Tuchman

Post offices are getting a lot of good press these days (smile).

Too bad they appear to be facing serious cutbacks in the US. Already talking about discontinuing Saturday delivery.

i wish I got mail on Saturday's :) It would be very nice to get bills and other mail on Saturdays because I am anxiously waiting for a package from my college.

Just picked up a few books on one of my too rare visits to the only area used book store:


by Louise Collis

by Vicki León


Christopher Kelly

Jonathan Kozol

Looks like you have some good reads there Cheryl.

Picked up this book today, something a bit different; "Maximillian's Lieutenant: A Personal History of the Mexican Campaign, 1864-67" by Ernst Pitner.

by Ernst Pitner

These arrived this morning, two new books on two very interesting subjects:


by James Falkner

by Donald O'Reilly

In my travels today I came across a 1929 edition of; "Marshal Foch" by George Aston. I picked it up for $11.00, pretty neat eh!

by George Aston

Yes, for sure,

I've been so busy all summer I haven't commented much. But I have acquired some new books! These all come from various sources, including the Borders liquidation sale:

by Stephen E. Ambrose
by Edward Taylor Bollinger
by Michael Davis
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
by David McCullough
by Ishbel Ross
by William L. Shirer
and
by Cecil Woodham-Smith

Looks like you have your reading cut out for you.

by Cecil Woodham-Smith interests me and will go on my TBR list.

She also wrote one of my favorite books on the Crimean War:
Cecil Woodham-Smith. She (and she is a "she" despite the misleading first name) is an excellent historian. Happy reading!!!

Wow, Elizabeth, that is quite a haul! Nicely done, and a great mix.

Jill wrote: "...She (and she is a "she" despite the misleading first name) is an excellent historian...."

Good to know. I had no idea!

I guess it balances with Caroll Spinney who is a "he" despite the misleading first name.

That Borders liquidation sale is 'saving' me a lot of money. Today's haul:

by Dean Koontz
by James Lee Burke
by Margaret Truman
by Harlan Coben
by Pat Conroy
by Alan Furst
by Michael Connelly

Ironically, I am about to get really busy at work so I have no idea when I will read them. But they look good and they'll be there when I am ready! Yay!

Nicely done Alisa. I am not an American but i have been following Michelle Zink on her Facebook and her blog on her offical website keep in mind that even with a liquidation sale it's because thousands of people are losing there jobs. It is very sad that they are closing because now these people need to find work and it might be hard for them.I am not trying to critize you but with the American debut crisis right now I am a little scared to think of what the global economy is going to go through. and to think this even affects me because I have a disability and having a hard time finding a job. So even if u are getting great deals. Think of what a loss the whole chain of bookstore is losng and the people who lose their jobs.

Sorry for the rant but i had to say something.

Krystal I respect your opinion, thank you for voicing it. I very much feel for the people who are losing their jobs over this, it is not a good situation. To offer you some additional perspective however, many people are not so sad to see Borders go. They established business in many cities by opening up stores literally right next to the small independant bookstores and undercut their pricing so that the 'mom and pop' shops had a very hard time competing. It drove many of the small independants out of business because they did not have the resources to fight off the big box competition that came to town. I'm not taking a position on who is right in that battle, it's not for me to judge. Where I live, in Seattle, WA which is also the home of Amazon, an argument can be made that Amazon has squeezed the book sellers of all size. That is the nature of business competition, you have to stay relevant and offer value or you are out.

I am sorry you are having a hard time finding a job. The world economic climate the last two years has been very challenging for many people, and has done no one any favors. What goes down must come up. When is anyone's guess. We all have to do what we can to hang on.

we should take this to an IM.