The History Book Club discussion

Excuse me if I didn't post this in the right place. I am still fairly new here. Today I noticed two books listed as "Upcoming" with dates - a biography of Wilson and a Mideast memoir. They both look very interesting. Can someone explain to me the process by which they were chosen?

The History Book Club has a team of moderators who do the choosing some of the time. All of the Spotlighted books are nominated and voted upon and ultimately chosen by the group. Additionally time to time, we have other books offered by publishers which we offer. I think it is a little of all of the above.

Also, we polled the membership a long time ago and they voted on the presidents and the order in which they wanted them covered - so we have gone about reading about the presidents in that order. Wilson and Johnson were tied next and we will be reading about those presidents. Hopefully in our lifetime we will go through all of them (smile).

The other book is the first offering in the world history focus and is a memoir of a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who died on location while reporting (asthma attack). It is a tale of ancestry, renewal, life in Lebanon and the changing Middle East all rolled up into one book.

An event notification is sent out - one on each book - and only one and folks can decide what they would like to participate in or not.

Also, it is very time consuming to be fully democratic for each and every selection when running a volunteer group. We do as much as we can and in the most expedient way and with a lot of offerings - there is usually something of interest for everyone at one time or another.

Thanks to all the moderators for this. As someone who joined about a year ago, I am amazed at how much hard work you all do in pulling these discussions together. My problem as a non moderator is that now I have to choose between a president and a history of intellectual thought because I don't think I'll have the time (or stamina) to read them together! (I am hoping Eisenhower shows up as a read soon...). You folks do this to me all the time!!

Thanks for the information, Bentley. Like G, I am very grateful for all the work the moderators put into this site. Since the Jefferson book was finished, I have been looking forward to reading other books with this group. Both of those scheduled look great.

Ann, we enjoy all of your posts and contributions so whatever choice you make is fine with us. We love reading your posts.

You know Bentley,
I told myself I wasn't going to join more than one discussion at a time . . . but the Wilson book is giving me pause . . . especially since I just bought the audiobook version of it recently . . . related to the idea that it would be a goal to read at least 2 books on each of the presidents before I bite the dust ;-)

And the Romans and I are becoming better acquainted . . . so I don't feel so left out in the desert . . .

So I just might decide to join up with Wilson after all.

That would be great - Bryan Craig will be moderating the Wilson book and Jill is moderating the memoir. I think that the Roman set is easy reading and you get caught up early on. You have a lofty goal for the presidents - we just slog along and wonder when we will get through at least one of each president. But we are enjoying the journey and you cannot go wrong with Bryan moderating. All of the assisting moderators do a great job and they are all volunteers.

ANNOUNCEMENT: MOVES COMPLETED FOR "
Caesar (Masters of Rome, #5)" AND ""Caesar's Women (Masters of Rome #4)DISCUSSIONS

In the coming weeks, I will be moving some of the completed book discussions to other folders, etc. If you access the "read" books below on the main History Book Club thread, in each and every case, it will list the folder where you can access the completed discussions.

This evening - I archived both of these discussions.

They are located in the ROMAN EMPIRE -THE HISTORY... folder with other archived books which are about the Roman Empire or Roman characters.

Any group member can access all of these completed threads, still start and read any book and post about it. They are always open; just moved to another thread for storage purposes to make the readability of the site itself better.

Here is the link to the folder: (you will have to scroll down but all weekly threads and spoiler threads are there for the entire discussion)

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

both by Colleen McCullough

ANNOUNCEMENT: MOVE OF COMPLETED "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" DISCUSSION

In the coming weeks, I will be moving some of the completed book discussions to other folders, etc. If you access the "read" books below on the main History Book Club thread, in each and every case, it will list the folder where you can access the completed discussions.

This evening - I archived the A Tale of Two Cities book and discussion.

It is located in the Historical Fiction folder with other archived books which are "historical fiction".

Any group member can access all of these completed threads, still start and read any book and post about it. They are always open; just moved to another thread for storage purposes to make the readability of the site itself better.

Here is the link to the folder: (you will have to scroll down but all weekly threads and spoiler threads are there for the entire discussion)

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

by Charles Dickens

ANNOUNCEMENT: MOVE OF COMPLETED "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power" DISCUSSION

In the coming weeks, I will be moving some of the completed book discussions to other folders, etc. If you access the "read" books below on the main History Book Club thread, in each and every case, it will list the folder where you can access the completed discussions.

This evening - I archived the Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power book and discussion.

It is located in the Presidential Series folder with other archived books which are about our Presidents.

Any group member can access all of these completed threads, still start and read any book and post about it. They are always open; just moved to another thread for storage purposes to make the readability of the site itself better.

Here is the link to the folder: (you will have to scroll down but all weekly threads and spoiler threads are there for the entire discussion)

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

by Jon Meacham

ANNOUNCEMENT - NEW POLL - PRESIDENTIAL SERIES LIST

I decided that since the Presidential Poll was last done a couple of years ago and since there are many more new members who did not have a chance to vote in the original one; that we would shake things up a bit and give everybody a chance to vote anew. These votes will be added to the other votes from the previous poll and a new list will be put together. This list will include the Presidents that we voted for first. Their order will be determined by the number of votes they each received in either this poll and/or the previous one - added together.

However, we will ultimately (we hope) get through the entire list of Presidents at one time or another if there is reading material available on all of them which I believe there is. And of course if it is readily available to the public.

I am always amazed that when given the chance that some folks do not vote. Please make sure to vote because otherwise you might be disappointed that you never see your favorite president discussed until a very long time in the future. At least you have the ability to gain your choice one vote - yours.

Note: On polls, we never send out an event notification, we only send out ONE broadcast message to all members and there are never any other reminders. It is up to you to vote on the polls. If you miss the broadcast message, we are sorry but we only send one broadcast per poll because we do not like to be bombarded ourselves and do not allow spam of any kind or communications that can be misconstrued as such.

Here is the link to the current poll:

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/80...

Timeline for poll - Two weeks only so make sure to vote now - Start Date - March 7th - Ending Date March 21st

ANNOUNCEMENT - EVENT NOTIFICATION SENT OUT FOR UPCOMING BOOK DISCUSSION - WOODROW WILSON: A BIOGRAPHY - START DATE MARCH 25. 2013

by John Milton Cooper Jr.

Discussion led by Assisting Moderator - Bryan Craig

Syllabus:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Kickoff Thread:

To Be Added

Event Notification Link (check out which group members may be joining you):

http://www.goodreads.com/event/show/8...

Please join us and everybody is welcome. The threads will be open on March 25, 2013. This is a multi-month discussion which allows everyone to join in if they like and still have a very busy professional and family life. (smile)

Bentley

Note: The History Book Club only sends out ONE event notification per book even though we are asked countless times what books are we currently reading and what books are we slated to read. We believe that one notification is plenty and we do not allow spam so please make sure to keep posted and check the listings on the main page of the club site as well as your mail box. We limit any mailings to only the above from our group because we know that folks do not want to be bombarded. Sending an event notification and receiving a response assists the moderators with their planning and it allows everyone to see who else in the group will be joining in on the discussion.

Description:

At the top of the main History Book Club page is a descriptor which is updated frequently and gives the member a great deal of information. Here is what it looks like now:

Interested in history - then you have found the right group. This group's focus includes the following - autobiographies, military history, British history, World history, American history, SCOTUS, POTUS, ancient history, historical fiction and non-fiction books, current events, poetry, music, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Civil Rights, the American Civil War, all World Wars, 50 books and movie challenges, history of Africa, art and architecture, European History, Latin American history, history of religions, the Napoleonic Wars, naval history, Native American history, history of Asia and all other historical genres; but with a heavy focus on non fiction books.

The Spotlighted group discussion is focused on the Pulitzer prize winning book by: Daniel Walker Howe What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 (Oxford History of the United States #5)

In the historical fiction area, we have a great discussion which has just begun featuring The October Horse, #5 by Colleen McCullough. And, of course, our discussion of the Federalist Papers continues. We have a yearlong discussion taking place on The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy by Peter H. Wilson.

Upcoming

Houses of Stone: : A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid

Woodrow Wilson: A Biography by John Milton Cooper Jr.

The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand - 04/22/13

Roosevelt's Centurions: FDR & the Commanders He Led to Victory in World War II by Joseph E. Persico - 05/28/13

All are welcome; but we do have rules and guidelines for the group.

MAIN PAGE OF SITE:

This is the main page of the History Book Club site. At the top we frequently change the masthead and the avatar to reflect books that we are discussing at the time.

Further down on the left hand side, you will see videos added of historical importance related to topics we are discussing; and a list of current book discussions and upcoming ones, challenges, etc.

If you scroll further down the page, you will find folders alphabetized and at the bottom you will find ongoing polls.

Main Page Link:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/8...

MIDDLE EAST THREADS:

Folks, we are developing the Middle East threads so if you do not want to read these threads until they are all set up - just mark them as read when you check in. When you do want to read them, then they will be there waiting for you . But in the meantime we are setting them up for the challenge but also for a future Middle East folder.

BROADCAST MESSAGES

I just wanted to post a note about the recent broadcast message because it created some confusion for some folks.

A broadcast message here at goodreads is something like a tweet. At the History Book Club we use them sparingly because we do not like spam. At goodreads, moderators can send one broadcast per day. We never do.

Broadcasts are sent for the following reasons:

a) Announcement of a poll which is open for voting
b) Free Book Offers
c) Author of Spotlighted Book is answering Q&A
d) Important timely group information

Broadcast messages arrive as a PM and that is where some folks got confused and thought that this message was a personal one. In the future, I will at the top of the message indicate that this is a broadcast message.

We have been deluged with new members who either do not speak English as their native language, or are unfamiliar with how goodreads works or do not know what to do first once they have joined.

When we were a small, private group, we would not allow any member to join until we could ascertain whether they understood our rules and guidelines and would post a welcome and would respond to event notifications and vote in the polls. We found that those who contributed more also got the most from the group. And our base group all knew each other from years of conversing on line.

Now that we are a public site and dramatically larger in size, we want to keep our site personal, engaging, civil, respectful and with a community like atmosphere where you know the folks who you are conversing with because at the very least they introduced themselves before posting for the first time or commenting on your post. We want to make sure that these folks are all interested in the same thing - high quality discussions of great books within a civil atmosphere. That is what we try to strive for here at the History Book Club.

So when we broadcasted our request to make sure you have posted your introduction we were simply asking you as a community member to do the neighborly thing and say hello. You cannot expect a quick response to requests for information on books or personal posts or queries if you have not taken the time to get to know the group and at the very least say hello and follow the very basic rule and guideline.

We have had thousands join and many of them are from around the world so that broadcast was simply an offer of a helping hand to say - make sure to do this first because then we can begin assisting you because we know you are here. Also, any free book offers only go to someone who has at the very least introduced themselves here on our site.

So you may get a broadcast message tweet in the future but rest assured - these just convey helpful group information or group requests and they are not a "personal request". We are trying to offer assistance. And of course if you have already posted an intro then we are deeply grateful for your involvement and participation and you can of course disregard the broadcast tweet. If however, you just procrastinated as we all sometimes do and/or you did not know that you had to do a brief intro - then just visit the intro thread and briefly say "hello" and tell us a bit about your love of history and we will give you a warm welcome back.

All best,

Bentley

Note: I realize that many of you have sent me personal messages and I am always interested to hear from all of you. I will get back to you as soon as I am able.

All,

Since Sandy my family and I have had a difficult time which we have had to sort through and I have been absent a great deal since mid October trying to sort through things and get some additional help. My home was severely damaged in the storm.

Hopefully things will be smoothed out soon but I will try to get back full time in the coming weeks to get things going again. And I so appreciate the help of the mods who kept things going in my absence.

I will be adding the upcoming books shortly.

We have a upcoming book discussion:

The Last Days of the Incas

It will start April 7, 2014 and run through July 20, 2014.

Please join us.

Here is the link:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

by Kim MacQuarrie

Upcoming Book Discussion

Just as an FYI:

The masthead and inset photos are always updated in advance of our new book discussions. They always have some relationship to an upcoming book selection.

In this case the book is Hanns and Rudolf by Thomas Harding. The masthead is from the Hall of Names in the Holocaust Museum and the inset photo is of the author himself who will be joining us.

Thomas Harding

Yad Vashem (meaning name)

http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/about/...

The discussion will start May 12th, 2014 and run through August 12th, 2014.

The discussion will be led by Bentley

We do hope you can join us.

For those of you who are interested in more information about the masthead photo - the link is also:

http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/about/...

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - UK OFFER

OK, good news for the UK members - Hanns and Rudolf is published by Random House in the UK (Windmill books channel) and they would like to offer UK residents the same opportunity that US residents had from Simon and Schuster.

This is great news if you live in the UK and are a History Book Club member. They will offer the book free to lucky recipients and will ship it to you free as well in the UK. So this offer is only for UK residents.

So if you are interested - please post on this thread.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

1. You must be living in the UK
2. You must post on this thread (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) - that you agree with all of the t's and c's and will read, post on the Hanns and Rudolf threads and actively participate in the discussion, will post questions on the Q&A thread to the author and will at the end of the discussion post a Review on the Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts threads.
3. After posting on this thread (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) that you will abide by the t's and c's - you must sent me (Bentley) a PM with all of your UK address details which I will give to the publisher so that the book can be mailed to you. Be sure to include your full name (first and last), your full street address, your city, town, village location in the UK along with all mailing codes - just as if you were getting mail from another country. We want to make sure you get your book.
4. Once you post on this thread (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) that you abide by the t's and c's - if you are not a friend of mine - then I will send you a friend invite - accept it and you will then be able to send me your address details. Once I get the complete list together - then I will post the lucky UK recipients.

Good luck,

Bentley

a) Here is a helpful thread which provides a roadmap for you when you want to participate in the discussions:

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

b) Here are the Table of Contents and the Syllabus:

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

c) Here is the Introduction thread where you must post first that you agree to the t's and c's so that you will be considered:

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

d) Here is the Q&A thread where you can ask questions of the author - Thomas Harding:

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

e) Here is the Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts thread where you can post your final review:

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

f) You should send your full name and full address details to Bentley:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...

by Thomas Harding

For all recipients of the free book offer of Hanns and Rudolf:

These are the threads that you should have posted on at least once since the discussion started as part of the t's and c's.

Week One:

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

Week Two:

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

Week Three: (just opened)

There will be a weekly non spoiler thread for another seven weeks. Please post at least once on these threads as part of the t's and c's.

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

Q&A with Thomas

Please post a question or two on this thread:

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

Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts:

Please post your review - no links or mention of any other review posting on goodreads or anywhere else. You can post elsewhere separately.

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

Check for future week threads in this folder:

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

Remember you are responsible for following the t's and c's and participating in the discussion.

Here is a roadmap about participation in the book discussion:

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

ANNOUNCEMENT - EVENT NOTIFICATION SENT OUT FOR UPCOMING BOOK DISCUSSION - THE DAY OF THE SCORPION - SECOND BOOK OF THE RAJ QUARTET STARTING JUNE 16TH

NEW DISCUSSION TO BEGIN!

by Paul Scott

Discussion led by Assisting Moderator - Jill Hutchinson

Syllabus:

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

Kickoff Thread:

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

Introduction Thread for The Day of the Scorpion:

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

Introduction Thread for The Raj Quartet (The Day of the Scopion is the second book in the series):

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

Bibliography Thread for the series:

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

Glossary Thread for the series:

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

Event Notification Link (check out which group members may be joining you):

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

And there was a duplicate but not the official event notification but I will add that also:

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

Please join us and everybody is welcome. The threads will be open on either June 15th or June 16th, 2014 (Sometimes we open them up on the Sunday before.

This is a multi-month discussion which allows everyone to join in if they like and still have a very busy professional and family life. (smile).

Additionally all of these books stand alone in the series and you can start anywhere - but the discussions for The Jewel in the Crown are in the same folder and you can participate on that book as well and then catch up if you like. The threads are always open for posting.

This is a wonderful historical fiction series about India and the Raj. It does not get much better. So feel free to join Jill and the History Book Club on this adventure.

Bentley

Note: The History Book Club only sends out ONE event notification per book even though we are asked countless times what books are we currently reading and what books are we slated to read. We believe that one notification is plenty and we do not allow spam so please make sure to keep posted and check the listings on the main page of the club site as well as your mail box. We limit any mailings to only the above from our group because we know that folks do not want to be bombarded. Sending an event notification and receiving a response assists the moderators with their planning and it allows everyone to see who else in the group will be joining in on the discussion.

NOTE: Check for future week threads in this folder:

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

Folks - The Day of the Scorpion has opened.

This is the second book in the Raj Quartet - a misnomer since there are actually five books.

And you can read and contribute to any one of these without having read the one before - and then you can go back and read the first one when you have time. We have the threads always available and open and you can post in the first books threads and we will always answer and respond.

Attention - all members:

Thanksgiving and Friday following - November 27th and November 28th:

Group Members - all of our threads are always open day or night, 24 by 7 all around the world - however the threads are moderated by real folks who volunteer their time. At this time of year in the United States we have some holiday celebrations and religious holidays coming up. The first one is next Thursday which is celebrated in the United States - it is called Thanksgiving.

Please note that we will have minimal staff checking in and will be enjoying the holidays with our families and friends. We hope that you also enjoy the holiday with your family. The threads are always open but be patient in terms of waiting for responses from our moderators who are taking some well deserved time off.

I know that we have two ongoing discussions going on right now - Vicki is leading Rubicon and Bryan is leading Last Call and of course they will try to check in briefly if able and will keep things going on those threads - but be mindful that things will not pick up until Saturday - November 29th when the volunteer staff will be logging in.

I want all of you to have a well deserved rest and relaxation with your family, friends or whomever you want to spend the holiday with. I am not a Black Friday enthusiast - but if that is your thing - do that too and shop away or better still read a good book and talk about it here (smile) - We will be back to pat you on the back and spur you on to your next great read.

This is a major holiday in the United States. So be patient.

So in advance - Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for all of your participation and great posts on behalf of The History Book Club.

by Tom Holland

by Daniel Okrent

Group Members:

There are three great discussions going on right now.

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

by Tom Holland

This discussion is being led by Vicki and it is never too late to join in.

Here are the links to the folder for that discussion:

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

Second, there is the buddy read being led by Bryan Craig: Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent

by Daniel Okrent

Here is the link to that discussion:

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

Third, there is the spotlighted book which was our book offer from Random House which dovetails quite nicely for those folks interested in our Presidential Series. This book is a new offering by Jonathan Darman which is titled: Landslide: LBJ and Ronald Reagan at the Dawn of a New America.

by Jonathan Darman (no photo)

This discussion is being led by Bentley.

Here is the folder where the threads for this discussion are located:

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

We do hope that you can jump in to one of these great discussions. The author Jonathan Darman will be joining us.

Bentley

Folks - today Jonathan Darman joined the Landslide discussion and has begun answering questions on the Q&A thread set up for him. Please feel free to go over to the Q&A thread and ask the author questions about the book Landslide which our group has spotlighted. He will be popping in to answer questions on that thread:

All, the author Jonathan Darman is on the threads live as we speak.

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

He is answering questions right now - please keep posting your questions as you read Landslide on the thread above for Jonathan.

The author is in the house.

by Jonathan Darman (no photo)

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and all of the other wonderful holidays of December and the New Year



To all those who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas!! For all of you that do not, happy holidays!

The History Book Club moderators will be back up posting soon after the holiday break of Christmas and New Years, they will just be taking a little winter break with their families. I am sure that some will be peeking in now and again but be assured that we wish you the very best no matter which holiday you are celebrating or where you are in world. We love all of you as members and enjoy the global camaraderie. We know you will miss us for just a wee bit. But there is a lot of great discussions going on. I will be out of town between December 26th and January 8th and I don’t know how busy our assisting moderators will be with their holiday celebrations and family gatherings, but cheers to all. We will be peeking in now and again but if your post does not get responded to right away realize that one of us will respond as soon as we are able.

Cheers to all for a wonderful holiday season.

Event Notification sent out for Eisenhower in War and Peace

Folks, I hope you are only getting one event notification for Eisenhower in War and Peace. It appears that this feature is having issues with large groups. We used to send these out successfully before last fall - but as of late the feature was stalling and doing core dumps. Goodreads is working on this with us and we hope you understand as we try this feature out and test it.

Before the feature would only send one notification and once sent a message would show up by each individual's name - now it is supposed to be a group send but it is not sending out the way it should and we have had to do it iteratively.

Hopefully this feature will be working better soon. Our folks at Goodreads have been working on trying to fix this since mid November.

The book discussion for Eisenhower in War and Peace will be kicked off on February 2nd.

The discussion will go on to May 10th. We do hope that you can join in on the discussion.

Here is the folder where you can find all of the threads related to the discussion as it unfolds:

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

by Jean Edward Smith

Core dumps, eh?

Sounds like what coffee stimulates after eating a large dinner the night before.

Not exactly that kind Martin - but in code scrolling down your computer screen.

This kind:

A core dump is the printing or the copying to a more permanent medium (such as a hard disk ) the contents of random access memory ( RAM ) at one moment in time. One can think of it as a full-length "snapshot" of RAM. A core dump is taken mainly for the purpose of debugging a program.

To any moderator who might have an answer - I know that I've read posts, and posted myself on an automobile racing thread, I believe under sports history. Was it removed? Plus I'm really scratching my head because I went to look at the Folk thread under Music - and I can't find that anymore. Do I just have to accept the fact that my interests aren't mainstream and got bumped to make room for others?

They are there. Automobile is under Travel and Transportation and I see Folk under music. I'll post the links shortly.

Here you go:

Music - Folk
Automobiles
Car Racing (Like Nascar)

Dave wrote: "To any moderator who might have an answer - I know that I've read posts, and posted myself on an automobile racing thread, I believe under sports history. Was it removed? Plus I'm really scratching..."

Teri wrote: "Here you go:

Music - Folk
Automobiles
Car Racing (Like Nascar)

Dave wrote: "To any moderator who might have an answer - I know that I've read posts, and posted myself on an automobile racing thre..."

That's bizarre. When I click your link, there are many more topics than when I just go there on my own. I think it's a plot by my computer to make me crazy.

Thanks.

You always have to click on the carat at the top of the folder heading and then you will see tons more on all of the topics. It is a common mistake

Folks, I have been out of the country - back now. Will be posting the updates so that we can get things cranking for September.

Looks as if everyone has given up on Politics. Or am I looking in the wrong place? A tough subject and a tough read, so I wouldn't mind leaving it for a while.

Hi Nancy! Bentley has been the lead on this discussion. He occasionally has outages due to family health issues and work travel. I've not seen him on recently but expect him back anytime. As soon as he returns, I expect he'll give an update and get us back on schedule.

Nancy wrote: "Looks as if everyone has given up on Politics. Or am I looking in the wrong place? A tough subject and a tough read, so I wouldn't mind leaving it for a while."

Nancy I will be back on it this week and will update the syllabus - heavy travel.

All, the next Readathon will be starting on August 22nd.

The fourth 2015 Readathon will begin on August 22nd wherever you are at 8AM and will continue through 8AM on August 23rd wherever you are.

You can use your local time and dates. This is especially important for international locations that may be a day ahead of us (IN NEW YORK CITY) or hours ahead - you can use your own local time and date as long as it is "your August 22nd" and at least "your 8AM" on that date - then you can start and post - so get ready for August 22nd.

You must sign in for at least one check in (one 4 hour time slot) even if you only read for one hour and it is also mandatory to sign out on the Check Out thread.

If you would like to get credit for each four hour time slot and there will be six - you must simply sign in for each checkpoint using the CHECK IN TEMPLATE.

You must also sign out on the CHECK OUT - FINAL template with your totals and tallies utilizing the CHECK OUT TEMPLATE. The Check Out Template is the final mandatory tally.

There are only two templates and they are easy to use - one for the Check In threads (six time slots) and the second template for the Check Out - Final Tallies thread.

To participate you can read for one hour to twenty-four hours - whatever you have time for - we are delighted to have you participate. Reading for one hour is the minimum participation.

If you have participated before, we are using the same procedures and you are already enrolled for any and all readathons in 2015.

However, if you are not enrolled already and have not participated before - you must sign up before the Readathon to take part and that is easy to do and can be done at any time. When you sign up you have the opportunity to take part in all of the 2015 Readathons without having to sign up again.

Here is where you sign up and some things to look out for when signing up:

In order to sign up - just go to the thread (link below) and scroll down to the bottom of the readathon text: (there is a section where you can join and there is a place where you are asked to put in the number of books you plan to read for the 2015 readathons. You are also asked to set up your shelf name right there) - If you have done this correctly, you will then see your own avatar in the list of folks signed up - you will also see the number of folks signed up increased by one (you will be that one) - if you need more assistance - just let Bentley know.

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow August 22nd or if you are in Asia, New Zealand, the Far East or Australia during your local timezone.

Date - September 5, 2015

Free Book Offer - One Man Against the World: The Tragic History of Richard Nixon - This particular offer is only available to US addresses.

by Tim Weiner

Go here for details: - INTRODUCTION THREAD FOR ONE MAN AGAINST THE WORLD

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

Selection Criteria - Sign up now and get timestamped to throw your hat into the ring. Post that you agree to the usual t's and c's - read, discuss, post, review and ask the author a couple of questions and just follow the rules and guidelines of the group. Also send me via PM your full name and full address and then you will be considered. Here is the selection criteria we use - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Depending upon the number of folks who throw their hat into the ring - your odds go up if there are fewer folks interested. Your odds go down if there are a lot of people wanting the same book.

I'm confused by the dates listed for the event of reading All the Light We Cannot See. It begins on October 5th 2015 and ends on November 1st 2015 and the RSVP by is November 15th 2015, which seems to be after this event is over. That does not make sense.
I'm new to the group and totally unfamiliar with how this all works. Please help!

Rich........where did you see the RSVP date?

Rich for the event notifications we give folks an opportunity to respond even up to the very last day or beyond. We want folks to participate and we do not want to cut off their ability to do so. Some folks get started late and that is fine becaue we keep the threads open even though as a group we have moved on to another book.

I am sure that the RSVP was erroneously dated later than November 1st but that is OK.

For example - let us say the start date on a book is November 1st and the end date is November 30th - we would allow the RSVP date to be as late as the last date of the formal read - November 30th and folks could still post and we would respond - they would be rather behind for a group read but we encourage everybody to participate.

The History Book Club’s - Readathon Five - October 24th is today - in the USA it kicks off on the East Coast at 8AM.

Try to join in and have a great time while making a dent in your reading pile.

Check it out!

Regards,

Bentley

Some FAQs

How To Join In:
Click on the title at the top - The History Book Club Readathons and this should take you to the next Readathon screen. Please then join by simply signing in at the bottom of the readathon verbiage and enter how many books you plan to read for one or more of the readathon dates - there will be six readathon dates throughout the year; then create your own personal shelf to add the books which you would like to tackle during one readathon or more readathons. Save what you have entered. That is all there is to it and goodreads will keep track. Become your own marathoner in reading books on the readathon dates and we will keep track of your progress in terms of titles of books, number of books, number of pages, and different genres. Give it a whirl and see how much reading you can get done and take a stab at that big "to be read" pile of books that we all have.

Note: Don't forget to set up your shelf first and then add the name of that shelf here when setting up the challenge for your readathon.

And here are some links to the Readathon folder which will be updated:

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

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

CHECK-IN MANDATORY - ALL AND/OR ANY OF THE CHECK-IN TIMES - AT LEAST ONE CHECK-IN TIME MUST BE DONE

NOTE: Make sure to check in on any thread which coincides with the times you are reading - so you could check in multiple times if you are reading during those time slots or just once if you are only reading during one. We hope you check in to many but at least one check in is mandatory and you must Check Out.

2015 - Readathon Five Date: October 24, 2015 - 8AM to Noon - Check-In - ONE
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

2015 - Readathon Five Date: October 24, 2015 - Noon to 4PM - Check-In - TWO
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

2015 - Readathon Five Date: October 24, 2015 - 4PM - 8PM - Check-In - THREE
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

2015 - Readathon Five Date: October 24, 2015 - 8PM until Midnight - Check-In - FOUR
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

2015 - Readathon Five Date: October 24, 2015 - Midnight until 4AM (October 25th) - Check-In - FIVE
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

2015 - Readathon Five Date: October 24, 2015 - 4AM until 8AM (October 25th) - FINISH TIME 8AM ON OCTOBER 25TH WHEREVER YOU ARE GLOBALLY) - Check-In - SIX
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

2015 - Readathon Five Date: CHECK OUT ON October 25th, 2015 - CHECK-OUT - MANDATORY - SEVEN
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

READATHON GUIDELINES AND FAQS
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

WHAT KIND OF SNACK FOOD IS GOOD FOR THE READATHON?
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

KICK-OFF READATHON FIVE - OCTOBER 24, 2015
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED AND WHERE WILL YOU BE DOING YOUR READING FOR THE READATHON?
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU GOING TO TACKLE FOR THE READATHON?
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

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

Make sure your Readathon Shelf reflects your completed books.

Apologies if this is not the appropriate group/place... I'm looking for a thread to ask for recommendations on particular subjects in history that I do not see on the "general" list -- is there a place to do that on this forum?

Hello, Erin! You can post your query here:

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

Thank you!!!

This event notification is for the November Book of the Month discussion of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner - titled Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People by Elizabeth A. Fenn.

This November Book of the Month selection is being led by Bentley and begins for the month of November on November 9th.

The discussion runs through December 16th.

Synopsis:

Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for History

Encounters at the Heart of the World concerns the Mandan Indians, iconic Plains people whose teeming, busy towns on the upper Missouri River were for centuries at the center of the North American universe. We know of them mostly because Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1804-1805 with them, but why don't we know more? Who were they really? In this extraordinary book, Elizabeth A. Fenn retrieves their history by piecing together important new discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, geology, climatology, epidemiology, and nutritional science. Her boldly original interpretation of these diverse research findings offers us a new perspective on early American history, a new interpretation of the American past.

About the Author:

Elizabeth A. Fenn is an associate professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she holds the Walter and Lucienne Driskill Chair in Western American History. She is the coauthor of Natives and Newcomers and the author of the award-winning Pox Americana (Hill & Wang, 2001). She lives in Longmont, Colorado.

We hope that you will join us for this discussion.

Praise:

Readers who follow her toward, but never quite into, the heart of the Mandans' world will be richer for the journey.”
—Daniel K. Richter, The Wall Street Journal

Bentley

by Elizabeth A. Fenn (no photo)

A Special Welcome to Newcomers who introduce themselves from all over the world. We are a large global group which specializes in all things historic. We are based in the United States but our moderators represent various locations in the world and within the US.

We are gearing up for a very special Thanksgiving holiday in the United States - today in preparations, tomorrow when we celebrate with our family and friends and Friday when we try to get over the celebrations, or are spending it with family that has flown or has driven to our various locations across the US.

Therefore if you do not get an immediate or even a delayed response from the US based moderators over the next three days - that is why.

We are preparing, cooking, eating, celebrating and having some family time.

We wish everybody across our country a very blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving where we can all be thankful for what we have no matter how big or how small - and give thanks to God for our health, our loved ones and our surroundings.

May we hope for peace around the world in the year to come and our thoughts and prayers go out to those in Paris and elsewhere who were taken from their families and loved ones too soon.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all of your wherever you call home from all of us at the HBC (The History Book Club).

Best Wishes,

Bentley

Hello Everyone and welcome to the History Book Club for 2016.

We are delighted to have you with us.

However, I want to let folks know not to worry - but that I have had some personal and professional things to take care of and will be taking care of these things through next week - but will be getting on to right the ship and get things going again for all of you right after that.

We have very dedicated assistant moderators but they also have had some personal responsibilities with family situations that were emergencies and have had to be addressed.

But things should get remedied soon and time will heal all other things.

So we are glad that you are with us and things will take off shortly.

Regards,

Bentley