History is Not Boring discussion
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Susanna - Censored by GoodReads, Crazy Cat Lady
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Jun 04, 2014 08:36PM
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Started The House by the Dvina this morning about a girl growing up in pre Revolution Russia. Particularly interesting for me as the author is a relative of my wife !! Nice when history is so close to home.
Hello Everyone,I am new to this group. I've really enjoyed a lot of books about Rome, Middle Ages and Dark Ages.
Anyone got a suggestion for something about ancient Persia?
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Hello!I'm new to the group as well, and right now I'm a college student (though I'm out for the summer). I've always done best in History classes throughout high school. In college, I've so far studied Art History, American History, Old Testament History. But outside of school, I enjoy watching historical documentaries and movies or just researching history on my own. My hope is to major in a field of History and would love to work as a historian or for a museum/history park, such as my state's Bentonville Battlefield, Fort Macon, and the North Carolina Museum of History. I love to study the Early Greeks, The Renaissance, The Tudor family history, American Revolution era, Civil War era, WW2, the 40s and 50s, and the Vietnam era.
Hi everyone,Another college student here! I am majoring in English literature, but I hope to do a master's degree in American Studies. I think my love for history started with my childhood fascination with WWII and being taken to a lot of museums and castles while vacationing in France. These days some of my favorite topics include Georgian England, US history (especially the Old South and the Civil War), European Colonialism, the Boer wars, and Dutch history (especially that of Amsterdam), but I'm up for practically anything of I find a well-written book on it. I've been on Goodreads for a few years now but this is the first group I've joined so I look forward to finding out how it works and what it has to offer!
Hi! Im still in school but love reading and am thinking about majoring in history or litrature of some sort.
Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "There's Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West. Not sure that's what you're looking for, though."thank you!
@Renee: Hello! I would love to visit the French castles! What ones have you visited?@Natasha: Hello to you as well! What are your favorite books to read and what are your favorite time periods in history?
Bailey wrote: "@Renee: Hello! I would love to visit the French castles! What ones have you visited?Hi Bailey! Unfortunately, most of these castles kind of run together in my memory because I was very young, but some of the ones I have visited in recent years are the Château de Menthon near Annecy, and the Château de Sully-sur-Loire. Have you ever been to France, or somewhere else in Europe?
Hey there everyone!! I am Patty from
Walterboro, South Carolina. I am looking forward to being a part of this group. I have a thirst for knowledge and a lot of time on my hands since it's just me and my husband now and he is gone the better part of the day sometimes overnight since he is a truck driver. I love history textbooks!! I actually study them like I am in college, taking notes and the tests.
I have many more interests and I am trying to add all of my books but it is going to be a long process.
Right now what I am especially looking for is any South Carolina history textbooks. If anyone can help me out it would deeply appreciate.
Hope everyone has a great night (11pm here)and can't wait to get started.
Walterboro, South Carolina. I am looking forward to being a part of this group. I have a thirst for knowledge and a lot of time on my hands since it's just me and my husband now and he is gone the better part of the day sometimes overnight since he is a truck driver. I love history textbooks!! I actually study them like I am in college, taking notes and the tests.
I have many more interests and I am trying to add all of my books but it is going to be a long process.
Right now what I am especially looking for is any South Carolina history textbooks. If anyone can help me out it would deeply appreciate.
Hope everyone has a great night (11pm here)and can't wait to get started.
Unfortunately Renee, I haven't. I would love to visit France, England, and Italy one day though. When I have the money :) I watch so many travel shows about Europe and New Zealand. That's another place I love. New Zealand is just so beautiful to me.And hello Patty!!!
Hi Bailey! I forgot to add, I also have 1000s of books in all formats that I wouldn't mind sharing. I hope I'm not breaking any rules.
I just stumbled into your group and just had to join. My name is Cindy and I live in western New York State. I'm the Assistant Wyoming County Historian. So it goes without saying that I research and write a lot of local history. Course I try to pick the cool topics like prohibition, spiritualism, crime. Love historical crime, especially murders. Nothing quite like researching criminals.My favorite era is late 1800s to early 1900s, I guess the Second Industirial Revolution time frame. So much going on! Although here in Wyomig County we are an ag community, and we boast we have more cows than people. :) I look forward to participating in your group.
thank you Susanna, I have been looking for that one but I can't find it
@Patty: I don't think you will be if you want to share your books.@Cindy: Can you describe a little bit more in detail of the work you do as an assistant historian? I'm interested in a position like that for a career. Also what did you have to study for it?
For anyone that wants something different to read, I would suggest Dead Mountain by Donnie Eicher. It's a historical true story mystery set in 1959 in the Russian Ural Mountains. It's about nine experienced hikers that hastily cut and fled their tents in various forms of undress,only to be found frozen to death with some having unexplained injurys. It's a good mystery of the how's and why's this could of happened. It's interesting throughout, well researched, complete with expert interviews and lots of photos.I came upon this disaster on the internet one day and wanted to to know more, this is a good account of the leadup and possible explainations of what happened.
We just celebrated the 70th anniversary of D-Day on June 6. On June 28 it will be 100 years since Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated, sparking the outbreak of World War 1, or the First World War. Next May 7, 2015, it will be 100 years since the Lusitania sank, the anniversary that means the most to me.I have a theory about World War 1. Does anybody else here share it? I don't think it's over it. Yes, that's right, I think of it as the 100 Years War. According to my view, World War 2 was the more minor war and part of the much longer conflict sparked during the Great War from 1914 to 1918. World War I was about world liberation, the spreading of democracy and capitalism throughout the globe. The Russian Revolution was part of it. So are the more contemporary conflicts in the Middle East.
That's why Lawrence of Arabia is one of the most influential figures of the Great War. His military tactics and ideas have been used recently by generals in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Linda Cargill
Hello there,I'm Hayden , a former English teacher and aspiring graphic novelist and photographer (when I have the time) from New Zealand. History has always fascinated me, but I am particularly intrigued by the early colonial and pre-colonial times in America, and the classical periods of Roman and Greek societies. I'm also most interested in the development and changes in art, transport and living arrangements that come with it all. That said, I'm pretty keen on just about every period from every country and culture. Currently I've not got any history books on the go, but Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides is my absolute favourite (apart from Asterix).
Hello, I am Erin and I have always had a strong passion for History(especially when I grew up around a very historic place). I have never been much of a reader about history, but now I am going to learn more about history than ever.
Hello Erin! And hello Hayden! I have a question for you, Hayden: What's New Zealand like? I mean, I can read and watch all I can on the country, but I want to know what it's like from someone who's actually from there. I ask because I would love to visit, maybe even live, in New Zealand one day. :)
Bailey wrote: "Hello Erin! And hello Hayden! I have a question for you, Hayden: What's New Zealand like? I mean, I can read and watch all I can on the country, but I want to know what it's like from someone who's..."Hello Bailey. New Zealand has its share of problems, and it's certainly not the '100% pure' our tourism marketing claims. Truly there are some absolutely remarkable places to visit, and the best part is that if you make time for it, the whole country is pretty accessible on even brief holidays. There's quite a lot of diversity in the landscapes - I'd say it's a great place if you like the outdoors. Longer term I think we're in a pretty okay state, too - buying things online is hideously expensive and there's a lot of cool things we can't get here, but overall there's enough to keep us happy. Unfortunately the pay rates aren't great (though at least we have a decent minimum wage) and it's really quite hard to get anywhere from here without some pretty expensive flights. I haven't travelled much - lived in Singapore, visited Bangkok and Melbourne - so it's hard for me to compare, but I couldn't much imagine living anywhere else so far.
Hi everyone! I'm Emily. I apologize I didn't read through all the posts here, but I'm sure I'll get to know you all before too long!I'm a huge history buff, obviously. My favorite era is the 1800s (which is rather broad, I know). I especially like Georgian and late Victorian (so basically omitting Charles Dickens time). I'm also a huge British history fan, despite the fact that I live in the United States. (I can name all the kings and queens in order, but only the first three presidents...) I'm also what I like to call an "everyday" history fan. I don't care for policies, wars, or even "big events." I like learning about how women did laundry in 1800, or what kind of schooling a rich boy would get in 1890, or what was for dinner and who cooked dinner for a middle class family in 1820. Stuff like that.
I'm glad I found this group and hope to have some great discussions!
@Hayden: Yes, the landscapes is where I would probably spend most of my time if I visit. :) Thanks for telling me though if I ever visit I'll keep what you said in mind. Another thing I'm curious about is what kind of local food do you guys have?@Emily: I love learning the little or everyday things of history too. How and what people hand made for themselves and just how they had to live each day with what they had. Those little stories are pretty amazing to me.
Bailey wrote: "@Hayden: Yes, the landscapes is where I would probably spend most of my time if I visit. :) Thanks for telling me though if I ever visit I'll keep what you said in mind. Another thing I'm curious ..."The food's a bit of a funny one here - we have quite a history (ha) of very different migrants, perhaps because it's quite a 'new' country. We're heavily agricultural and horticultural so there is a pretty awesome range of fresh food available. Maori (native first peoples - always debated)have a thing called a hangi (huh-gnee) which is essentially an earth oven, and it's probably not too hard to have that arranged if you're visiting a marae (Maori meeting house/community centre). It's hard to describe, but damned tasty - usually pretty simple, as most things grown here at the time were root vegetables. There's of course plenty of takeaways and fast food joints, but we have a great cafe culture, particularly in my city Wellington - best coffee in the world. I gather from friends overseas that a lot of our food here tastes quite healthy because we use less fat, sugar and salt in cooking, but I don't know how true it is. We have a lot of Indian, Chinese, Korean, Malay, Japanese, Thai and other Asian foods as well.
It sounds pretty good :) I like food with more of a natural taste. And I've had Japanese food before and have tried some Thai food from an old friend of mine.
Hello All,I appreciate all your insights as we all have a great passion for History! I would appreciate any suggestions on US History "Civil War" era.
@Paul: I highly recommend the North and South trilogy by John Jakes. (Okay, so I haven't finished it yet, but the first two books are good!) It's an epic tale of two families, one Northern and one Southern, and their relationship to each other with the tension before, during, and after the Civil War. Entirely fiction, but a great read nonetheless :)
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For fiction, The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, is excellent.
I am English but one of my obsessions for decades has been the American Civil War because of the extraordinary drama at the heart of what is democracy, where the state fits in, and in America's case, the Sovereignty of the States versus the Federal government. The slavery issue was the catalyst and also the justification for the appalling loss of life, yet Britain ended slavery years earlier without any fighting whatever. The ideological divide about the size of government and its right to tax and spend remains at the heart of the US political argument to this day.I agree with Susanna that James McPherson, Shelby Foote, and Bruce Catton are among the gold standard Civil War writers.
I love the Civil War as well and agree that James McPherson, Shelby Foote, and Bruce Catton are some of the best. Some other books I suggest are: Chancellorsville 1863 The Souls of the Brave by Ernest B. Furgurson, Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam by Stephen W. Sears, and probably one of my favorites, The Sultana Tragedy: America's Greatest Maritime Disaster by Jerry Potter.
Hi Everyone,Just discovered your very interesting non-boring group and would like to introduce myself and my long time interest in history.
Back in the 80s, I worked as an archaeologist in Jordan, specialising in the Edomites (Old Testament, sons of Esau). Great fun but to count the available archaeology jobs at the time you needed to use imaginary numbers so I got a paid job in IT.
Still fascinated by history. American Civil War (I read Shelby Foote in a fit of enthusiasm); classical ancient history; Georgian England; anything really.
History is cool.
Bonjour! This looked like a fun group to join. I look forward to slowly making my way through the shelves and suggestions for gems to read.
My name's Kelli. I have an AA and an Associate in International Studies. I'm currently a junior working toward a Bachelor's in French, Bachelor's in Global & International Studies [GIS] with a core emphasis in PoliSci and a regional emphasis in the Middle East, and a minor in Arabic.
I'm a relative recent lover of history [within the past five years]. A certain high school AP history teacher drastically changed the way I see and think about the world. I'm pretty sure she's the one who kick started my interest in the world at large [past and present].
There is a really good ABOUT site that has many good articles (and a FaceBook page for added depth)- I am still looking for the BOOKS... My favorite one is this article about flags. History Channel had a great documentary about "Banners of Glory" and what the flags really mean (not just decoration)http://history1800s.about.com/od/civi...
Also, my PBS station has shown some great true stories from the Civil War lately. Try SCETV and NCETV websites for references.
Deb
Mod
I haven't been here for a bit and have missed some new people. So hello and welcome Stephen, Kelli, and Joshua! :)
Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "It's very nice living in an area that gets two different PBS channels! (My father, lucky devil, gets three.)"Joshua wrote: "Hi everyone!
I'm Joshua. I'm 16, and I'm studying history, classical civilisations, German, and English literature in my A Levels, starting in September.
I have been studying history for three or..."
Joshua, check out "Russian Roulette" by Milton Giles. It talks about the British spies and Russia/USSR at the end of WW1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Hi, My name is Carrie and I've loved history since grade school (over 40 years ago). I also love doing genealogy and have found some interesting connections with historical events and persons, my knowledge of and memory for dates and places has really helped me during my research. Genealogy combines two things that are very important to me...history & family. I've gone through "phases" including ancient Greek and Egyptian, Russian, European and American history. Probably my "favorite" regions are Europe and America and my "favorite" century is the 20th, I've always been fascinated by World War 1, although I've become more interested in World War 2 the last few years.
I worked for my local PBS affiliate (KCPT) for over 11 years in fundraising and ALWAYS watch American Experience and the Ken Burns documentaries as well as many of the Masterpiece series, especially the historical ones. The recent program on The Dust Bowl was particularly riveting and started some interesting conversations.
Some of my favorite authors are David McCullough, Ben McIntyre and Joseph Ellis. I also really enjoy historical fiction, especially when the author really weaves history into the story and characters.
I'm looking forward to finding more books and authors on this group.
Hello Carrie and welcome! I too have a interest in genealogy. It's one of the career choices I'm interested in, but I hear it's hard to have a full time career in it. But a family member of mine did a genealogy book of my great grandmothers family, and it goes back to a bit before the Civil War. It's cool to see that I had two family members serve for North Carolina in the Civil War. And to see how many served in WW1 and WW2. Just to know the names of all these people that I'm connected to in the past is really fascinating to me.
I posted on a couple of other threads before realising I was supposed to introduce myself, so apologies for that. I'm an obsessive reader and get through quite a lot of historical non-fiction and fiction amongst other thing, as well as writing some of the latter in short form.I can get interested in anything historical, but I have particular weaknesses for Regency Britain, colonial Africa and Britain in the early 20th century.
>>>How much have your read about the Boer War?Thanks for the recommendation. I read Pakenham's 'The Scramble for Africa' and was very impressed, so I'll look that one up.
I'm a psychotic blood lust freak that enjoys sadistic and masochistic pleasures. Just kidding.... Testing the waters to really see if anyone is listening/reading this.. =8) Shoot me a reply if you are alive.... CHEERS!
I live in Austin, Texas. I moved here 25 years ago before it become hip. Previously, I lived in Tokyo and two stints on the East Coast, near Washington, D.C. and Boston. I majored in Humanitites--a mix of English, History, and Philosophy. Then went to graduate school in Human Development and Psychology.
Now I'm writing a novel set 4000 years ago on the Rio Grande.
I just finished a really interesting book about the early colonization of Virginia and the role Sir Walter Raleigh and others played in it. Big Chief Elizabeth by Greg Milton. Includes: the Lost Colony of Roanoke, Queen Elizabeth, King James, Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, as well as Pocahantas, John Rolf and Powhatan (ancestors of mine) and the role of tobacco. This book really fleshed out that time period and didn't romanticize things. Life for the colonists was absolutely brutal and most of the people involved were pretty clueless and did really stupid things.
Hello,My name is Charlie Smith. I'm an author from Negaunee, Michigan, and I could not agree more with this group's theme. History is not boring. Learning is not boring. Knowing is definitely not boring. I am most interested in the First World War, if I were to pick one particular historical subject.
hai.i'm Vandana. I belong to India.I am a junior lecturer. I always had a liking for anything related to history besides romance and classics.not much into sci-fi and investigative ones. looking forward to getting along with everyone and having good discussion ahead.
History is Not Boring
Books mentioned in this topic
We'll Go to Coney Island (other topics)Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (other topics)
The Killer Angels (other topics)
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (other topics)
South Carolina: A History (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Rod Martin Jr. (other topics)Jared Diamond (other topics)
James Burke (other topics)
Kevin Robert Ryan (other topics)
William E. Colby (other topics)
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