History: Actual, Fictional and Legendary discussion
Getting Started: Introduce Yourself
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Jocelin
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Sep 12, 2010 11:47PM
Hello Everyone, my name is Jocelin and I do love books about history. My most recent history read was Revolutionary Characters. A fascinating looking at some of the early American Leaders. I look forward to discussing and receiving great book suggestions.
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Welcome Jocelin,
We are currently discussing the Napoleonic Wars. Please chime in when you feel like it.
I like the concept of this site and agree that period fiction can accentuate a history book. I enjoyed Follett's Pillars a lot, even though it was a bit long, and perhaps he took a lot of license. Overall, however, there was a lot of great period info there and, of course, story. I also write historical fiction which fits this category. I'm currently reading A Danger to the State, by Philip Trower.Best!
Hi! I'm Kara, and I'm new to this group! Like you all - I'm an avid historian in the making and absolutely crave new books to discover and read over any time in history. My favorite time periods particularly are the Renaissance & Reformation, Ancient History (Especially regarding the Greek and Romans), and modern history. I'm especially into Ancient Rome, and you'll find that one of my role models (with some exceptions, of course ) in history is Julius Caesar. I've read nearly every Plutarch, Suetonious, and ancient and modern accounts I've been able to pry my hands on about him.
There really aren't any books I particularly dislike, but I do like historical fiction such as Margaret George's Memoirs of Cleopatra. She's definitely one of the best writers I've come across as of late. Historian wise, though, I'd have to commend Antonia Frasier, Carolly Erickson, and Adrian Goldsworthy for interesting history reads. I think anything by any of the above authors, or quite possibly others (there are so many!) would be awesome, but I do think historical fiction sometimes puts into account a better feel of the time than a straightforward non-fiction book does sometimes.
Looking forward to discussing and reading with everyone here!
Mod
"For the Love of Anne", a historical novel set in the 1880's, in Chicago, Illinois has b..."
Tika,
We have an "Author's Corner" for authors to talk about their books and summarize them for potential readers. I've moved your post there.
Mod
Like you all - I'm an avid historian in the making and absolutely crave new books to discover and read over any time in history. My favorite time periods ..."
Hi Kara, Welcome!
You didn't mention Colleen McCullough who wrote an eight book series covering the end of the Roman Republic, focused on specific historical figures such as Marius, Sulla, Julius Caesar, Pompey, The Great, etc. Does a good job of intimating and describing the tremendous influence women had, from Julia, Marius' wife, through Cleopatra and her assignation with Marc Antony.
If you ever become interested in the Napoleonic Wars, you will want to read the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. Perhaps one of the best historical fiction series ever written.
Ed wrote: "Kara wrote: "Hi! I'm Kara, and I'm new to this group! i
Like you all - I'm an avid historian in the making and absolutely crave new books to discover and read over any time in history. My favorite ..."
Oh wow, I can't believe I forgot her. She is a gifted writer and Ive read her Rome series. Its very extensive, and amazing, in my opinion. I shall look into the suggested book as soon as possible, thank you!
Hi everyone :) I'm Tika Newman. I'm the author of The Eyes of Innocence series and my latest release For the Love of Anne, which is a historical novel set in Chicago, in the late 1880's.
I also own Thistlewood Publishing. We'll celebrate our second anniversary in November :)
HiMy name is Anne and I live in Durban, South Africa. I particularly enjoy (fiction) set during the Napoleonic wars and particularly like Bernard Cornwell and C S Forrester. Whilst I read for pleasure/entertainment I find myself googling to see what the fiction is largely based on i.e. checking up various characters, incidents etc. especially in Wikipedia. I also love alternate history and am a big fan of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series.
I am new to good reads in general. I am a 28 soon to be 29 yr old male. I have been reading since the age of 12, but just recently got in to history books. I have mainly read autobiographies on presidents. I have read about Richard Nixon and JFK. I have also read an interesting book about native americans titled Chief Joseph.
A great book about FDR is No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I loved this one.A book I have on my tbr pile about Native Americans is Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides. It comes highly recommended to me by a Goodreads friend whose opinion I respect. I actually have the book on my bookcase & plan/hope to get to it this winter after I've read the stack earmarked for this fall.
Welcome to our group!!
Thanks for the suggestion Martha. I went ahead and added Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West to my to read list. I also added the civil war volumes by Shelby Foote
Joe, I haven't read Shelby Foote's mammoth volumes on The Civil War yet either, but would like to read those as well this winter. I saw him on Book TV several years ago. Really enjoyed his interview and it's always nice to hear a southern accent ... sounds like home. We're hoping to make it to Gettysburg next year.
Now that would be an amazing trip. If you go I need a report.
OK. I'm looking forward to the trip. It will be either spring or fall of next year, hopefully.
Mod
Welcome, Joe,
I would suggest a great book on the Nez Perce flight from the U.S. Army titled I Will Fight No More Forever: Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War by Merrill D. Beal also Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown about the Sioux and Chief Sitting Bull.
Mod
Visiting Gettysburg is a heart rending and intensely moving but valuable experience. Buy one of the CD guide discs in the gift shop so you can go at your own pace.
I realized how destructive war is in a very personal way while there. War solves nothing!
Ed wrote: "Martha wrote: "Joe, I haven't read Shelby Foote's mammoth volumes on The Civil War yet either, but would like to read those as well this winter. I saw him on Book TV several years ago. Really enjoy..."Someone else suggested those as well & we definitely like to go on our own. We talked about a bus tour, but that's just not us. I research before we go somewhere & we decide what we really want to see most with the time we have. It's worked so far.
Mod
Well worth a trip.
I started reading history back in grade school when I fell in love with the sweep of invaders, empires, and maps changing from chapter to chapter. My tastes are more sophisticated now and include biography (which is personalized history) but no matter what the period--Ancient Rome, Victorian England--I need two things: a compelling narrative and a beautiful voice. I review and write full-time, have been for over twenty years, and am always thrilled to find great history.
Lev, that reminds me of this animation of who's been in control of the Middle East for the last five thousand years. Kindof a cool little thing.
For the readers interested in FDR and that era, let me recommend David Kennedy's "Freedom from Fear" about America during the Depression adn World War II. This book will also explain a lot about why America is the way it is today. FDR was foundational to the modern world of America. This is a good companion to Doris Kearns' book "No Ordinary Time."
Thanks, Paul. I'm adding it to my tbr list.
A must-read for anyone interested in the psychology of Nazism and Germany 1920s through 1945: "Did You Ever See Hitler?" You'll have to get it from your library or buy it used on-line, but it's a totally amazing series of interviews with about 300 Germans who saw Hitler and had a wide range of reactions. I just reviewed it here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lev-rap...
Mod
Paul,
I moved your blurb about your books to the Authors Corner. We are keeping this topic for personal revelations. The Authors' Corner is a place where authors and readers can discuss members' writings.
Wanted to say hi to all. I'm currently interested in Medieval and Elizabethan history, colonial history, and western (American) history. I divide my reading between literary and historicals. Used to read scifi when I was younger. I'm a busy guy these days, with a job and a commute, and doing some writing on the side. So I may not be able to join in some of the book discussions. But I will check in on occasion. Long live the book, in what ever form it takes!
Paul thank you for speaking of Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945. I have added it!
Hey Paul! I've spent the last six months or so in Medieval history, and am now on to the Renaissance and Elizabethan period. Just finished Don Quixote; the next book in this period will be Giordano Bruno: Philosopher/Heretic. Happy to hear any books in either age that you've been particularly excited about!
Mod
As Paul said "Long live the book, in what ever form it takes!"
Hi fellow history fans, ,my name is Stacey and I'm a Kiwi. I am a big fan of history, both ancient and modern. My background involves Classics, Social Anthropology, History and Contemporary Politics. I prefer ancient history involving the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Sumerians, Persians, Aztecs, Incas, Vikings, the Celts and getting into India and China. I am also a fan of medieval and more modern European history, particuarly the French Revolution, the Renaissance, The Plague eras, WW1 and WW2 from both sides.
I have a huge range as you can see, I read alot of historical fantasy, Juliet Mariller, Naomi Novak, Alice Borchardt, Sara Donati, Diana Gabaldon, Michelle Moran, Bernard Cornwell, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and Robert Harris are a few of the authors I like in this range. Some historical fiction and some historical fantasy.
Thrilling, though, isn't it? I'm always taken with the thought that there are enough books to last me the rest of my life. I'll have momentary flashes of embarrassment: "Jeez, really? You haven't read anything by Dostoevsky and you have no idea about Russian history?" - but it's followed by a surge of excitement, because it's all forthcoming.
...and hey Stacey! Do you have any recommendations for Aztec history? I've had sortof a hard time finding a book on that. For the Maya culture, I did Michael Coe's sometimes dense but always authoritative The Maya, 7th Edition, and for the Incas, I'm fond of Kim MacQuarrie's wonderfully readable The Last Days of the Incas, but I haven't found a compelling book about the Aztecs.
Hi Alex, thanks for the friendly welcome :).I haven't read those two, but I must look them up. I have only ever come across one book that featured the Aztes actually and then it featured the Olmecs as well, which is a lesser known group in that region.
It is a historical fantasy really, because it involves a fantasy element to do with the jaguar god and shapeshifters. But it was still an interesting book to read and was an old book, found it in a 2nd hand shop years ago, so I am unsure if you would be able to find it now. But it was called The Jaguar Princess by Clare Bell. There were other books of hers around too, not sure if they relate to the Aztecs, but can see the book list. I've never found any more of her books though.
I have come across a few books about Ananzi/Anazi too across my reading years. Those are the American Indians that built cities in those caves in New Mexico. They have been good, I'm keen to find more about them, cos they're fascinating. Probably the first civilization to cultivate corn I read somewhere. I have read the The Clan of the Cave Bear series as well, not bad.
I also like books that include the early migrations into the Americas as well, I haven't found any really good ones in years though.
Mod
I cannot recommend anything about Aztec History but for Aztec culture, there are three Historical Fiction books by Gary Jennings: Aztec, Aztec Autumn and Aztec Blood. IMHO "Aztec", was by far the best of the three but they were all interesting reading.
The only books I've found that treat the Aztecs before the arrival of Cortez and his band of thieves are written by anthropologists. You might want to google for more information.
i am more interested in political historical books such as the reason for some wars or why certain laws changed. i love reading ww1 and 2 material and the media representation of wars is my absolutely favourite topic.
i am very open to the discipline so i am willing to experiment with what i read.
i just finished reading " reading the holoucast " it was a pretty good read.
i am very open to the discipline so i am willing to experiment with what i read.
i just finished reading " reading the holoucast " it was a pretty good read.
Ed wrote: "Stop, please stop! I now have so many books on my TBR list that if I read 2 a week, I will be through the lot of them in 3797 days or sometime near my 84th birthday. Of course by then, I will hav..."Sad, isn't it? There's just not enough time to read all that we need/want to read. :-)
A store that could sell a little reading time along with their books would definitely get me as their customer.
I've done some hunting around; best I've been able to find is The Aztecs, which looks fine but maybe not great. And for the end, Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs gets good reviews.
Hello - glad to have found this group. I'm mostly interested in American history, with particular interest in the founding of the nation, American legal history, and the recent history of the 1960's/70's - so much happening then, given the race for outer space, the Civil Rights movement, Vietnam, politics . . . it's the era I grew up in and I guess I'm still trying to sort it all out!
Alex wrote: "I've done some hunting around; best I've been able to find is The Aztecs, which looks fine but maybe not great. And for the end, [book:Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and..."For the conquest of Mexico, I recommend Bernal Diaz del Castillo's memoir "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico." It is a superb first-person account of the conquest told by one of the Spanish sword-and-shield men. It is also one of the best infantry memoirs ever written.
Recommend for the Conquest of Mexico the infantry memoir by Bernal Diaz del Castillo "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico." It is a riveting first-person account of the conquest by one of Spain's sword-and-shield men. It is also one of the best infantry memoirs ever written. Castillo was very brave, very skillful, and a man of complete integrity. Paul A. Myers
Mod
If you ever get it sorted out please contact me. I was a pretend-adult in those days and I'm still confused. I did have a great time in San Francisco in the early 70's (details require parental approval) and I was very involved in the Civil Rights movement in the late 50's and early 60's.
I somehow missed the Vietnam War protests. Too busy working, I guess. There are certainly enough books out there on that whole era. But....
Hi,I am a new member to the group invited by Ed.
I read A LOT. Some of my favorite areas are speculative fiction (alternate history especially), history (real and fictional), and religious/cultural texts.
I have a huge collection of speculative fiction numbering around 3000 books that I have read. I generally read 2 books at a time, one fiction and one non-fiction depending on my mood. Most recently I have been reading what I call summer popcorn science fiction (simple characters, plot, etc) and books on the history/theology of Christian church in the 17th through 19th centuries.
My favorite historical eras are Ancient through Byzantine and again during the 18th and 19th century with the rise of the Industrial Era.
One area that I just fell into recently has been the historical detective mysteries about Didius Falco and Marcus Russo set in Ancient Rome.
Hi and welcome Chris. That series by Didius Falco sounds interesting, I am a Classics major and anything to do with ancient Greece and Rome are up my alley. I will look those up, are they a who done it sorta mystery and are they a good representation of ancient Rome at the time? If you like those try Robert Harris's Pompeii, not a bad book. About the lead up to the eruption of Versuvius looked at from various people in Pompeii including an enginner working on the aquaducts, an elderly scientist and a corrupt rich person. It is historical fiction but not a bad read. Also have you seen a tv series called Rome? that was brilliant, im very fussy when it comes to movies to do with Rome, but Rome wasn't too bad. Had a few flaws, but its worth a watch if you can sit through both series. It follows the timeline of the end of Ceaser's life through to Octavian/Augustus's take over.
Cobalt_Cin wrote: "Hi and welcome Chris. That series by Didius Falco sounds interesting, I am a Classics major and anything to do with ancient Greece and Rome are up my alley. I will look those up, are they a who don..."The Didius Falco series is by Lindsey Davis. It is set during the time of Vespasian. It uses some modern detective elements, but the setting and the culture seem pretty Roman. I recommend them if you enjoy books set in that period as historical fiction. Rome was a great series. I loved that they made the city look more lived in and down to earth.
On a more science fiction front, have you read Romanitas by Sophia McDougall. It is an interesting take on a modern Roman empire.
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