The History Book Club discussion

Hi.......My name is Harry.............I hope I am posting this message properly.(ie. in the right spot)I hav always been a history buff. As you may note from my book list I like automotive and Third Riech history; however, all types of history get my attention. Some few months ago I discovered the Goodreads site (by the way, I am somewhat new to computers) and decided to participate. I read not only books but magazines newspapers and other periodicals along with studying video and physical things related to my interest. I look foward to my association with this group.

Hi Harry, Good to see you join us. Below are some links that will help you navigate the History Book Club and what our requirements are:

Policies & Practices
(this one is helpful for when you want to add book covers and author's photo's/links)

and:

Orientation & Roadmap

I'm also interested in the history of the Third Reich so I will look forward to discussing a few good books with you in the miltary history thread.

Harry wrote: "Hi.......My name is Harry.............I hope I am posting this message properly.(ie. in the right spot)I hav always been a history buff. As you may note from my book list I like automotive and Thir..."

We are glad to have you with us Harry.

Just some housekeeping: 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 reply 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. This is how a book should look:

Joseph J. Ellis



If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings. We have an active military history folder; but we do not have an automotive history thread yet...but that doesn't mean we cannot have one...sounds interesting.

Bentley

Welcome, Harry, glad you could join us!

Welcome Harry! Glad you have joined the group. There are many topics neatly organized into discussion threads including some group reads. Lots to choose from so you are sure to find something that stimulates your interests. Jump in!

Automotive history, that sounds interesting. I'm no gearhead but I do love driving and the culture of the automobile is curious to me.

There is a lot to explore on the goodreads site generally and the history club section as well. Since you are new computers you will be relieved to know that the tools out here are easy to use. The sections noted by Bentley and Aussie Rick will be very helpful and are easy to understand.

Will see you out there in discussion threads no doubt. Good to have you here.

Welcome... different ideas... different ideas.. this is what history is about.. love a great debate!

Just wanted to introduce myself. This is my first group that I've joined on goodreads.

I have lived almost my entire life in Michigan and I am an Army Veteran, have earned an Associates Degree in Political Science and a Bachelors in Computer Science. History and Politics have always been a passionate interest of mine and I look forward to the conversations in this group.

Welcome, Rodney.

Check message #1012 from Bentley that gives you the basics.
I'm sure you will find something interesting here.

Welcome to the History Book Club Rodney. We are happy to have you with us.

You should feel right at home. Most folks in the group are passionate about history and politics at some level so you should fit right in.

All best,

Bentley

Harvey wrote: "Welcome... different ideas... different ideas.. this is what history is about.. love a great debate!"

Thanx for the welcoming messages.....after reading some of the resumes' of those associated with this group I feel a little intimidated.

Welcome to both Harry and Rodney, always glad to have some new people join our ranks.

Harry, no need to feel intimidated. Yes, some people have very impressive resumes. And some people make very insightful comments. And some people ask good questions. And sometimes those are all different groups of people. We're always glad to have people around, as long as you are friendly and have some of that history-bug that drives us all.

Hi Rodney, welcome to the group, I am sure you'll have a good time here discussing good books and great moments in history.

Harry wrote: "Harvey wrote: "Welcome... different ideas... different ideas.. this is what history is about.. love a great debate!"

Thanx for the welcoming messages.....after reading some of the resumes' of th..."

Hi Harry, I'm sure you'll fit in and have a great time talking about good books and pivotal moments in history. It's all good fun with some great people here so enjoy yourself.

Harry, Rodney and anyone else, I guess we all know something about somethings... however impressive or otherwise my (or anyone's) resume is, by questioning, debating, I learn more. Think it goes for all! Warm welcomes.

Hi everyone,

My name's Peter and I'm an amateur history buff with a particular interest in the Winter War. I've found some books on the subject to be a little dry, though I can highly recommend A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940. I'm hoping to connect with other folks who know something about this period of WWII or have an interest in it. If anyone speaks Finnish, I've got some questions for you! Thanks and I'm looking forward to being in the group.

-Peter

Welcome, Peter. Glad you could join us.

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 reply 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. This is how the books you've mentioned should look:

by William Trotter

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

Take a few moments to read our policies:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

and our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us moderators. I look forward to your postings.

Hi Bryan,

Thanks! Yeah, I'm still figuring out how to embed book info into my posts, though it looks simple. Also, I've got a big backlog of books to add to my list, so I'll be on Goodreads a while figuring it all out.

-Peter

Peter, welcome to the group. You will find a wide variety of discussion topic threads in our community so feel free to explore and dig in to the discussions. Imbedding book covers is fairly easy and the guidelines will give you helpful and important information which fosters the enjoyment of everyone in the group. Many ways to interact and enjoy, looking forward to your posts!

Hi Peter, welcome. Don't know much about that war, though it does seem a fascinating topic. It is a very friendly group and the moderators are helpful too. Will be interested to see your book list! Cheers!

Thank you Peter for your intro. Things look better and welcome to the group. For sure, I don't speak Finnish; but someone else might since this a global group.

Bentley

Hello, everyone!

*My name is Patrick.
*I am nearly 33 years old.
*I live in a suburb of Birmingham, AL.
*I am married to a wonderful person and we have an infant son that we worked very hard to have.
*I work in state government, which is ethical but not lucrative.
*I have a BA in history from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I minored in fine art, with emphasis on painting and printmaking.
*I've continued my relationship with history since graduation and am considering going back to get a master's degree.
*I read every day, alternating between history and fiction - which I feel my education was deficient in. I average about a book a week or so, but will speed up and slow down depending on work and baby.

*I used to play music part time as a hobby, but the baby has changed that a lot. I still have the discipline needed to manage a show here and there, when my bandmates need me. But that's less frequent than it used to be, since life catches up with everyone. Mostly, I have a basement full of dusty drums, amps, and instruments in cases and voice in my head that nags me to go down and do something with them.

*I am excited about joining this group because American Sphynx is a great book (Joseph Ellis is one of my favorite biographers). I have been looking for something like GoodReads for a long time and am surprised it can be so finely tuned to include a group devoted solely to history. I've found that, since leaving school, no one wants to talk about the election of 1800 or things like that. People prefer American Idol.
*I have great hopes for this group and hope to expand my point of view and pick up some good recommendations.

*My areas of interest are early American history (revolution through Jackson) and the 20th century. I am open to nearly any era of American history, though. I admit my knowledge of the 19th century is lacking, which I should remedy in preparation for the sesquicentennial of the Civil War next year.
*I also like 20th century Russian history, owing to the bisecting points during the Cold War where understanding Soviet communism is essential to understanding the subject.
*As an Alabamian, I am also very interested in the Civil Rights movement.

*There's more, but I hope there's time for that later. Again, I have great hopes for this group. Thank you all very much for making it available to join so easily!

Hi Peter & Patrick,

Welcome to the group and I am sure you will both have a fun time here discussing great books with the rest of the group.

Hi Patrick:

Welcome. Look at the above message #1024 for guidelines and glad you found us.

Patrick, that is one robust introduction and big list of interests. You have found the right group, at least I am sure we all think so. :-) Glad to have you and look forward to your discussion posts. There are many topic threads, group reads, etc in which to participate so poke around and make yourself at home. I think you will find the memembership to be very welcoming and all interested in engaging in discussions about history.

One important guideline we adhere to is posting the cover and author pic of any books referenced in your discussion posts. It is easy to do, there is a function link in the upper right corner of the comment box that is fairly intuitive. Using it is important as it allows the goodreads software to track related discussions etc to the correct book. You'll get the hang of it quickly.

Nice to have you here. Welcome.

Hello Patrick,

We are of course glad to have you. We add book covers and author's link like this when citing them;

Joseph J. Ellis

Please when you get a chance by all means jump into the Sphinx conversation. You certainly have told us a lot about you which is great because we will be able to point you to the right interest areas.

Look over all of the threads and I am sure you will find something of interest.

Bentley

Hello, Peter, and welcome to the group. My mother lived in Finland for 2 1/2 years and spoke Finnish fluently, but she passed away a couple of years ago. She raised us kids to love Finland. I'm sorry she isn't around to help you!

And welcome to Patrick, too. There is always lots of fun stuff going on. Hope you both find some good reads and discussions to jump in on.

Hi,
I'm Judy and I'm an avid reader of not only history books, but also history journals, blogs, etc. History-focused podcasts are also a favorite on my mp3 playlists.

I work as a public librarian assistant in a rural area of western Wyoming, and I find that my reader's advisory skills have improved since I joined Goodreads, not to mention my TBR pile on the nightstand. I'm a recent empty-nester and I'm looking forward to more time to read now.

My most recent interest is Russian & East European topics, especially social and cultural history throughout the First and Second World Wars.

Looking forward to the discussion on this group. I've been so impressed with the helpfulness and resources available here. THANKS!

Judy

Hi Judy, Good to see you join us. Below are some links that will help you navigate the History Book Club and what our requirements are:

Policies & Practices
(this one is helpful for when you want to add book covers and author's photo's/links)

and:

Orientation & Roadmap

I will look forward to discussing a few good books with you in the various history threads and I am sure you will have a good time here with the many interesting members.

Hi Judy! ~ Welcome to the group. We are glad to have you and look forward to your posts. Soooo much out here to choose from, am sure you will find much to stimulate your interests.

Hi Judy, welcome to the group.

Welcome, Judy. Glad to have you around. You are at a wonderful time in your life, i.e. the "looking forward to more time to read now" part. Enjoy!

Judy wrote: "Hi,
I'm Judy and I'm an avid reader of not only history books, but also history journals, blogs, etc. History-focused podcasts are also a favorite on my mp3 playlists.

I work as a public librarian..."

Welcome Judy...I can see that most of the assisting moderators beat me to it. We have a good group and I think you will enjoy it.

Bentley

Hi,
My name is Eliza. I read constantly and am looking foward to joining in on the discussions here. Historical non-fiction is a relatively new reading path for me, but I am eager to learn new things and to discuss them with others.

I'm from Pennsylvania. I work with horses full time and as a tax preparer during tax season.
Thanks
Eliza

Hello Eliza,

Welcome to the History Book Club.

We are glad to have you with us. This group reads non fiction books and we also have an historical fiction area as well. Elizabeth S is the assisting moderator for that section.

All best,

Bentley

Welcome Eliza. Happy Easter to you. Never worry about being new to a genre. Here is a nice haven of good friends and non-fiction can be as exciting as anyone's imagination could possibly be. It is my personal view, but the examination of history is as forensic as Sherlock Holms! Have fun!

Eliza, welcome to the group. There is no shortage of discussion topics going on at any given time so insert yourself wherever you please. You might want to take a look at our club guidelines for how to insert a book cover etc. Simple and straightforward to understand and user-friendly, it makes it a more robust experience for all. These links will get you started ~

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...
(this one is helpful for when you want to add book covers and author's photo's/links)

and:

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

Again, welcome!

Welcome Eliza, glad you joined us.

Welcome, Eliza. I hope you enjoy jumping in with some of our reads and discussions. Horses and tax preparation--what an interesting combination! :)

And another welcome Eliza, I hope you have a great time here discussing lots of good books.

Hi, my name is Nina. I have a degree in History and just short of a degree in Polical Science. I love friendly discussion of current events and believe knowledge of the past is very important for future. My hobby is quilting, though I haven't done any for a few months. It seems life is very busy right now just living. I am looking for friendly discuss of the about what I love - history and my country.

Welcome Nina to the History Book Club,

Below are some links that will help you navigate the History Book Club and what our requirements are:

Guidelines

and

Orientation

It sounds like you have come to the right place and you should find friendly discussion on the threads here.

All best,

Bentley

Welcome Nina, glad you joined us. This club prides itself on respectful substantive discussions about all aspects of history so I am sure you will feel right at home.

thank you for the welcome. I look forward to the discussions!

Hello everybody,

My name is A.J. and I've been interested in history for almost as long as I can remember. Seriously, when I was 3 I asked my Mom if she voted for Hitler. I graduated with a major in history and political science and I'm currently a law student, which I enjoy much less than I enjoyed being a history student. My favorite history book are the Lyndon Johnson biographies by Robert Caro.

I'm very exited I stumbled onto this group. I've been wanting to read Gibbon for a couple of years, and I'm glad to have to opportunity to read it with a group. I've read American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson and The First World War in the past, and I have exams coming up, so I probably won't jump actively into the discussion until May, but I'm looking forward to it.

Welcome, Nina. I'm glad you found us here. I hope you enjoy the discussions.

Welcome to the History Book Club A.J. -

Below are some links that will help you navigate the History Book Club and what our requirements are:

Guidelines

and

Orientation

Your mother must have stated a resounding no after she got over the shock of your question (lol).

Do you or your family have anything to do with the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa...I noticed that you were from that area and awhile ago I had visited the campus for some business reasons and was impressed with the campus itself.

Law school is an entirely different animal than simply studying history or having a love of history itself. There are a few legal eagles in this group.

Thank you for adding the author link for Caro and the book links for Sphinx and Keegan's book. However, we have a rule that we add book covers with the author's photo (if available) and the author's link like you did already for Caro.

So for example, for Caro's books, the add would look like -

Robert A. Caro

Keegan's citation like this:

John Keegan

The Ellis citation would like like this:

Joseph J. Ellis

Hope this helps get you started off on the right foot and see you in May.

Bentley

Welcome, A.J. I'm glad you have some motivation to read Gibbon. I'm sure you will find many discussions here that interest you.

Welcome Nina and A.J. I look forward to discussing some good books with you both soon.

Welcome Nina, you did not say what your country was; I am sure it is great wherever it may be. The discipline of study is great and the the friendship in the group is also something wonderful, however many miles some of us are apart. We are together in a passion. Welcome again!

Thanks Bentley, sorry for the wrong formatting. I go to Alabama's law school, but we don't really have a lot of contact with the main campus.