The History Book Club discussion

Hello everyone,
My name is Angie and I live in Kansas City, Missouri. I have always found history enthralling and made it one of my majors in college. I love to travel and enjoy reading about the histories of the places I have been. I am looking forward to the discussions and getting to know you all.
Angie

We are glad to have you with us Angie.

Please welcome Rachel D to the group. Rachel when you have a moment, please find time to post a brief intro so that folks know who you are. Glad to have you with us as the newest addition to our group.

Ditto Paul; we are delighted to have you.

Bentley

Rachel D and Paul, I am not sure if you have found the intro thread yet; but one of our very few requirements is that you post a brief intro so that folks know who you are (whatever you feel comfortable in sharing); since we are a small private group, it makes everyone feel much more comfortable. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Bentley

Please welcome Laljit to the History Book Club. Laljit is our newest member.

Glad to have you with us Laljit.

Bentley

Laljit,

Thank you for posting your intro so quickly. It is great to have you with us. I always tell all prospective members that the group will only be as active as you are. So we hope to hear from you often. I live on the East Coast not far from one of the other moderators Oldesq, the third moderator likes in the UK; but like you have discovered a lot of the members are from around the world.

Your professional background sounds fascinating; what does a forensic psychologist do? I am curious as to why you find World War I more fascinating than World War II; I guess you shy away from autobiographies.

I don't think you have given us way too much information; folks are very interested in talking and discussing with others so feel free. It sounds like you have lived in a few places in the US and like California a lot. California is one of my favorite states and if I was not on the East Coast; I most likely would be on the other one.

Glad to have you and please just jump right in on any of the discussions or threads.

Welcome,

Bentley

Laljit,

That is very interesting; I imagine you really meet some very complex personalities. Regarding the Second World War, Winston Churchill was a fairly interesting communicator; you might try some of his writings on the subject.

Glad to have you with us for the reading of From Dawn to Decadence; good for you for jumping right in. I got a notice that you had posted on the Common Sense thread but when I went to look I did not see the post; don't be shy, we welcome all opinions and we love a good friendly respectful debate too. So do not be deterred.

Glad that we have spurred you on to reading Barzun's book; hard to believe the man is 102 and published the book when he was 92 years old. What a life.

Bentley

Dear All,

Please welcome Kelly Leonard to the group. Kelly, when you get an opportunity, please post a brief intro about yourself.

We are glad to have you as our newest member.

Bentley

Hello group,
My name is Rachel. I have a BA in History and a avid reader of history books. Right now I am reading a book about Henry VIII and the reformation by Bernard.
A slow red, but very interesting. The I will start the current group read (I own it).
I am a librarian in a public library in New York.

Rachel D.

Glad you have the current book Rachel and welcome. What a wonderful job to find yourself surrounded by books all day.

All best,

Bentley

Hello All,

I thank you all for welcoming words and I apologize for not introducing myself earlier this week. My name is Paul, I'm 34 years old and I work as an import buyer for a medical supply company. I've always enjoyed reading especially books on History and I particuarily like the Middle Ages. I also enjoy reading classic fiction and some science fiction. My other hobbies include music, writing, and spending time with my family. I hope my contributions will be welcome.
Thanks, Paul

Paul, we are glad to have you and welcome. It sounds like you have a very interesting career. If you would like to recommend some books on the Middle Ages that we might enjoy reading, please drop me a note and I will place them on our potential reading list. I noticed that your hobbies include writing, have you published any work yet or do you write just for relaxation. We look forward to your posts.

Bentley

Thanks so much Bentley for the opportunity to participate.

Thanks, All, for welcoming me to the group as well. My name is Kelly, I live in Northern Westchester Co. NY and work in book publishing in NYC (Online Marketing). I'm a mom of a teen-ager who just finished his junior year of HS and is prep'g for college app process.

In addition to reading and book discussion, my other interests are equestrian related. I have an American Quarter Horse and ride every opportunity I get, weather permitting. I also have a Wheaten Terrier mix pooch we adopted 8 yrs ago from North Shore Animal League out on Long Island.

Looking forward to chatting with you soon.

Thanks Kelly for posting your intro and welcome. Isn't that terrific that you are able to have your own Quarter Horse and ride at any time.

Since I am a lover of dogs, say hello to your Wheaten Terrier mix pooch for me (lol)

We look forward to your joining in any of the discussions or threads that are of interest to you.

All best,

Bentley

Please welcome Biggie as our newest member of the group. Biggie, please post something about yourself when you get a chance.

Welcome,

Bentley

Please welcome Jason to the group. When you get an opportunity Jason, could you please introduce yourself to the group members.

Thanks and Welcome,

Bentley

Please welcome Laura to the group. Laura, when you get an opportunity, please post a brief intro so we will get to know you.

Glad to have you.

Bentley

All, there seems to have been a log jam in the numbers of folks who have requested to be members of the club. I believe that I have addressed all of it by the end of day today.

So please welcome the following new members, Sharon, Christian, Nathaniel, KW Estes, Foash, and Chaz. If I have missed anyone, I apologize in advance; being a volunteer because I love to read does have its limitations (the real world has its obligations :-)

When all of you get acclimated to the site and find the introduction thread, please post an intro so we can get to know all of you.

Welcome.

Bentley

Hello Everyone,

My name is Biggie, not my given name of course, but a long time nickname. I am currently a graduate student at IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis) getting my Masters degree in Public History. For anyone who does not know, Public History is basically anytime anyone presents history to the general public. Most Public Historians work in museums, National Parks, archives, historic presses, and many other institutions where history is interpreted for the public.

I love history, always have and I am glad to join this active book club. Other than history, I like gardening, hiking, fishing, sci-fi/fantasy books, and basically anything that "geeks" might enjoy. I enjoy reading history books that balance scholarship with accessibility, which is why I went into Public History - to make complex histories accessible to everyone through writing and exhibits.

Thanks for letting me join, and I am getting caught up on some the current readings as we type.

Biggie

Hi, I'm Laura from the Chicago area, married mother of 3 kids in college. I'm a geriatric social worker...I'm not geriatric, my clients are! My favorite historical periods are medieval England, U.S. Civil War, and WWII, and I love to travel to historical sites that highlight these periods. Looking forward to getting some good tips about history books, non-fiction and historical fiction. I'm very new to Goodreads, so I'm still trying to figure out how everything works.
Laura

Biggie and Laura, glad you found the introductions thread and glad you are part of the reading group.

Biggie, you will probably find your fair share of "geeks" among all of us; probably including myself. As I mentioned to you before, your Public History major seems like a great one to me; I am not much of a fisherman but I live near a body of water which is stocked for the fisherman in my area and you can see how peaceful a sport it really is. Please post frequently; and join in as many of the open discussions as you have time. There are threads on many different aspects of history and historical writing available for discussion and there is always the Community Room (the Off Topic Cafe) for conversation.

Laura, so you are from President Obama's neck of the woods. Having three kids in college must be a handful right now in this economy; it is a lot to deal with at any time. What a fulfilling occupation you have too. We have not read much literature in the way of medieval England (Barzun in the current spotlighted book From Dawn to Decadence does discuss that period in terms of culture); but it does not mean that you shouldn't recommend some books for us to take a look at; but we have discussed the U.S Civil War and the book that I am reading currently called Time of Trial actually takes place during that time period (what the freedmen went through at the time of the Roanoke Freedmen's Colony). As a group, we have read Second World War (The Gathering Storm) by Winston Churchill and I enjoyed that group book tremendously.

Have you visited such places as Gettysbury (Civil War) or Normandy?

In this group, we are focused on mainly non-fiction and other historical books; but when you read through some of the threads, you will get many good recommendations from all of the group members. There is no rush in getting acquainted with everything right away; you can take your time and explore as much as you like.

Biggie and Laura...enjoy goodreads and this group.

Bentley

Thanks for the welcome!
All of Chicago is very proud of our Obama connection...my DH, son and I were among the throngs of cheering supporters who were at Grant Park on election night....talk about being part of history!!! Yes, I have seen the beaches at Normandy--the Nazi bunkers are still there, looking very scary even today. As for the civil war sites, we were lucky enough to live in Williamsburg, VA for several years and we enjoyed attending civil war reenactments nearby--very cool--and of course we took in all the colonial and revolutionary sites, too.

I just bought Danziger's 1215: The Year of the Magna Carta, so I'll review it as soon as I'm finished. Umm, where would I do that?
Thanks,
Laura




Bentley wrote: "Biggie and Laura, glad you found the introductions thread and glad you are part of the reading group.

Biggie, you will probably find your fair share of "geeks" among all of us; probably includin..."

Laura wrote: "Hi, I'm Laura from the Chicago area, married mother of 3 kids in college. I'm a geriatric social worker...I'm not geriatric, my clients are! My favorite historical periods are medieval England, U...."

Hello Laura,

I hope you are finding everything on the site. So you were at Grant Park; how exciting!

Living in Williamsburg must have been very cool and very informative. Having visited Normandy must have been a bitter sweet experience. Folks who have visited there have always come back with very mixed and powerful emotions.

As far as your review of Danzinger's 1215: The Year of the Magna Carta; we have a Community Room in the folder Coffee, Tea and Conversation which is an open forum to discuss almost anything including the sharing of books. Please let us know what you think of it and be sure to add the cover link to your post so that everyone can check the book out.

Additionally, please join in on any of the on going conversations, we would love to have you join in and that invitation also includes Biggie too.

Welcome again to both of you.

Bentley

Welcome Megan (Megerz's); when you get an opportunity please post a brief intro so that we can say hello.

Bentley

Hi, for purposes of this site, my name is Sera. I am a 41 year old, new mom of a 5-month old, and I live in Eastern PA, about an hour north of Philly.

I am a practicing lawyer for a Fortune 100 company in the NE. I also have two Masters in business. I was a history major in college with a double minor in English and Political Science. I've been a member of GR for almost 2 years now.

I usually have one fiction and one non-fiction read going at any given moment. I also enjoy reading biographies, and I intend to start reading one about Andrew Jackson in the next week or so. But basically, I read most anything except for sci fi, fantasy, graphic novels, and romance. I even enjoy a good horror novel now and then. I also consistently read Time, Entertainment Weekly, and a couple of parenting magazines a month.

I'm a part-time political junkie who spends much time watching news shows. I look forward to being a member of this group, which looks to be very interesting.

Welcome Sera,

I like your photo; I am a dog person myself. We are glad to have you as a member of the group.

Congrats on your new baby; I bet you have your hands full. Sometimes it probably seems you are busier now than you ever have been.

You should enjoy the group; please join in on any of the threads and discussions; you are most welcome.

We read one spotlighted book which is voted upon by the group and a variety of other selections per month. Currently we are reading Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence, Common Sense by Thomas Paine and other charter documents.

We also have an off-topic cafe/community room where discussions on any topic can take place.

Sera, I hope you will enjoy the group and the upcoming selections.

Bentley

Thank you so much. I love the photo of your dog, too!

I'm sure that I will enjoy this group very much.

Please welcome Ryan as the newest member of the History Book Club. Ryan, when you get an opportunity, please post a brief intro.

I hope you will enjoy the group and the upcoming selections.

All Best,

Bentley

Please welcome Eddie to the group. Eddie whenever you get an opportunity, please post a brief intro.

Thanks and welcome,

Bentley

Greetings everyone!

My name is Mary and I am a graduate student working towards my Master's in History. I have loved history since I was literally 5 years old and my earliest memories are of my father taking me to historical landmarks and presidents' grave sites. I know I am coming into this in the middle of book, but I am going to take advantage of summer vacation and try to catch up as quickly as I can. I look forward to the lively discussion we are sure to have!

Hello Mary,

Welcome to the History Book Club. Sorry for the delay in welcoming you; I have been away on vacation but have now finally returned. I love History myself and we have had some very good discussions and recommendations for books to read.

The current spotlighted book is always a good place to start because it is a gradual transition into what the group is reading as a whole, it is always easy to catch up and you can post right along in the appropriate weekly thread while you get current. There are also usually two or three other ancillary book or selection discussions going on at the same time and there are current event threads and an Off Topic Cafe.

There is something for everyone. You will always get a response to every post.

We look forward to having you.

Bentley

Thanks for the warm welcome, Bently!!!!!

Glad to have you with us and you are most welcome.

Welcome Ranjit,

We are glad to have you as part of the group. You will find an interesting non fiction reading list that you can peruse, a spotlighted book discussion with a selection voted upon by the membership, a current events folder, and many other ancillary discussions about other books, charters and documents. Please feel free to post on any thread and jump into any discussion at any time. We also have an Off Topic Cafe where other discussions and postings can take place.

Ranjit, your background is very interesting and we have members in the group from around the globe.

I am sure that you will get as much out of the group as you have time for and if you have any questions about the group, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for posting your introduction so that folks will know who you are.

Bentley

Bentley/Oldesq - et al,
I almost feel like I need to start over and introduce myself - I have been absent from the reading and discussions for a while now. Being in the finance industry, things have been tough lately to find much spare time. And strangely, the firewall at work suddenly blocked access to this site several months ago.


Anyway, hope to get back into things here...

Hey Sid...welcome back...everyone understands life gets in the way sometimes; the economy has not been cooperating.

Just jump in and post on the current events threads, off topic cafe, any of the ancillary discussions until you get back in the swing of things.

It is odd that the firewall at work acted strangely with the goodreads site; glad you posted to let us know. We understand but thanks for giving us a heads up.

Bentley

Good for you Tracey for ordering From Dawn to Decadence; I find the book very informative, very dense; but you will find yourself feeling compelled to read all of Barzun's citations.

Reading this book is like taking a course from a renowned cultural historian. I don't always agree with Barzun; but he is the type of erudite scholar that you cannot help but learn a great deal from.

All of the previous spotlighted book's threads are always kept open through the completion of the following book; so you have ample time to start your reading. We look forward to reading your posts.

Thank you for posting in the introduction thread and we are of course thrilled to have you as a member of the group.

Bentley

Norma,

Welcome, but we do not allow promotional posts here.

Bentley

Hello, I'm Nick. I've always got a few books on the go, and one of them is always some sort of history. I'm currently re-reading 'War and Peace' (which I would recommend to all lovers of fiction, history or philosophy, or any combination of those!) so I don't think I'll be joining in for the Barzun book, although it looks great. I'll definitely be joining in for 'The Federalist Papers' though.
I wanted to join this group because some of your chosen books I've already read (I loved 'My Early Life' and can recommend Roy Jenkin's Churchill as a great biography, and Churchill's own A History of the English Speaking Peoples) and the others all look like books I'd enjoy. I like all kinds of histories from all sorts of periods, but as a British person living in New York I've been reading a lot of US history over the last few years. The best of these was David Halberstam's The Coldest Winter America and the Korean War.

Hello Nick,

There is a pile of books on the desk right now; so I understand what you mean by having a few books on the go.

I reread War and Peace a few years ago; and I think I gained more out of it then because I actually read and discussed it this time with a friend. There is so much in that book; Russian history, Tolstoy's view on the rights of man, farming techniques, view of war, etc. that it takes a few rereadings or at least one very careful read to digest most of it. However, having done that; I have to say that Tolstoy is one of my favorite authors; absolutely loved Anna Karenina.

We will be glad to have you in the Federalist Papers discussion. And there are quite a few threads where you can still contribute before then; there is a Community Room, a thread to discuss your current reading, current events threads, etc. And if you do not see what you are looking for, we also have a suggestions thread so that we can make this group better.

I have actually started A History of the English Speaking People but have not completed it as yet; but loved My Early Life as you did. As a group, we also read Second World War - Volume I by Churchill and that was good too with the usual Churchill style.

The other moderator who helps in the background (Simon) is a Brit too but lives in the UK. We are trying to read a variety of books with different cultural subject matter and we open up the choices to a vote from the group membership. I also read Halberstam's last book.

We hope you will find discussions that you can participate in and we look forward to your posts.

Welcome again,

Bentley

my name is Sam and i like military history. I'm currently reading the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell which are set in the Napoleonic wars.

Hello Sam,

That sounds like an interesting series; let us know how you like it. You may want to add a brief synopsis on the What are you reading now thread.

We have quite a few folks from the UK or who were from the UK at one time as members. Glad to have you as a new member and we look forward to reading your posts.

Bentley

Welcome Michelle..glad to have you as part of the group. If you need any guidance about the site, please feel free to send me a PM.

I am also an amateur genealogist (just an interest and hobby only); and I find you understand a lot about the present when you take a stroll into your past. Wish I had more time to do more.

Toronto is a great city. Understand your dilemma about bookstores; but since you can download books on line..I find that I am never quite safe (lol).

You will find that there are quite a few threads where you can participate right away and we are always open to new ideas and suggestions. All of the spotlighted books were voted for by the group's members.

Currently we are reading Jacque Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence; feel free to jump right in on any of the threads..look forward to your posts.

Bentley

Hello everyone,
I'm Brooke from Amelia Island, Florida. I'm a single mom to a five year boy who will hopefully love reading as much as I do. I'm currently in college pursuing a degree in history. This will be the perfect group to round out my studies.

Brooke, welcome. We are happy to have you with us; please feel free to jump in on any of the threads.

Let me know if there are any books that you would like to add to the potential reading list. There are also threads where you can discuss what you are reading currently.

The spotlighted book is Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence. I bet you have your hands full with college and your little boy.

Bentley

Thank you! I have Dawn to Decadence ordered and on the way. I somehow still find plenty of time to read extra goodies :) I'm looking forward to participating in all the discussions

That is great Brooke; we are so glad to have you with us.

Hello:
Pleased to meet all of you. I am a Roads Scholar (sic), a traveling Chautauquan performer on the national scene, who is engaged in on-going historical research.

I live in NYC and am a working actor, working on stage and (small) screen.

I hope to meet some of you in the NYC area. Please feel free to visit my website, http://www.chazmena.com/

Best,
Chaz Mena

Glad to have you with us Chaz. It sounds like you have been quite busy lately with your acting career. We look forward to your posts; your website looks good and I can see why you have said that you have gotten behind in your reading. Traveling as much as you do must be exciting but challenging in terms of your free time.

We look forward to reading your posts regarding any of the spotlighted books.

Bentley