The History Book Club discussion

Michele,, this is your thread for 2020. I have included the link to the required format thread and an example. If you had a 2019 thread - it will be archived so when you get the opportunity move over your completed books and formats to the 2020 thread - but we will allow time for you to do that.

Please follow the standard required format below - I hope you enjoy your reading in 2020. Here is also a link for assistance with the required guidelines:

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

Our Required Format:

JANUARY

1. by Winston S. Churchill
Finish date: January 2020
Genre: (whatever genre the book happens to be)
Rating: A
Review: You can add text from a review you have written but no links to any review elsewhere even goodreads. And that is about it. Just make sure to number consecutively and just add the months.

IMPORTANT - THE REVIEW SHOULD BE SHORT AND SWEET - THERE ARE NO LINKS OF ANY KIND IN THE BODY OF THE REVIEW ALLOWED. NONE. DO NOT REFER TO ANY OTHER BOOK IN YOUR BRIEF REVIEW. THE ONLY BOOK CITED IN YOUR REVIEW IS THE ONE YOU ARE REVIEWING - NO OTHERS. ALL LINKS TO OTHER THREADS OR REVIEWS ARE DELETED IMMEDIATELY - THERE WILL BE NO WARNING. WE CONSIDER THIS SELF PROMOTION AND IT IS NOT ALLOWED AND IS IN VIOLATION OF OUR RULES AND GUIDELINES

Michele, you are ready to go for 2020. We now have a special perk where we can list the books we want to read for the 50 Books Read in 2020. You also now have a Personal Reading List thread where you can keep track of what you want to read; and/or what you have completed etc for the challenge. These of course can be carried over to the next year's personal reading list if you do not complete your 2020 To Be Read list. You would simply do an edit, copy and paste.

Have fun with your two threads. Sample formats are included; but there is room for some personal preferences on the Personal Reading Lists. Have fun.

Hello Michele,

There are now two threads set up for you in the 50 Books Read in 2020.

The first is the normal 50 Books Read in 2020 thread which you are readily familiar with and you can just jump into that quickly.

And the second thread is your Personal Reading List/Tracker thread for the books that are on your to be read list for 2020. You can add to the list during the year, checkmark off the books that you have completed or you have a choice to do a strikethrough. You make a list for the books that you are planning to read for the year - order is not important - you can skip around. You can number them or not; you can checkmark them when done or you can do strikethroughs to show the ones that you have completed before adding the reviews to your normal 50 Books Read in 2020 thread.

I have provided the sample format with choices. You list the book with numbers or not - but you must skip one line after listing the title of book and the author and you then must add just the citation with bookcover, author's photo and author's link but the other choices are up to you. That helps the goodreads software create a linkable list of books and authors on the right hand white space of your tracker thread.

Your Personal Reading List - To Be Read thread is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Your new 50 Books Read in 2020 thread is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The Introduction Thread is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The 50 Books Read in 2020 - How To's Thread is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The thread with the special instructions and explanations for the 50 Books Read in 2020 Personal Reading Lists is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hope you enjoy!
Bentley

JANUARY

1. by Amanda H. Podany (no photo)
Finish date: January 2020
Genre: ancient history
Rating: A
Review: This is a very short introduction to the Ancient Near East. Begins around 3600 BCE and ends around 539 BCE. Along this journey though time, we can learn enough to want to get into this history further. Well done.

2. by Karen Radner (no photo)
Finish date: January 2020
Genre: ancient history
Rating: B+
Review: This is a very short history of Assyria from city state to empire, from the early 2nd millennium BCE to the end of the 7th century BCE. Enough to get the basics down.

3. by Joseph Campbell
Finish date: January 2020
Genre: mythology
Rating: A
Review: Campbell extends his ideas captured in his other works. In this book the emphasis is on the personal experience from understanding the symbols of myth.

4. by Guy de la Bédoyère
Finish date: January 2020
Genre: history, roman history
Rating: B+
Review: In studying history, I always wondered how, in the Roman Empire, the Praetorian Guard got so powerful and corrupt. Killing or helping to kill Emperors and choosing new ones. Thanks to De La Bedoyere, I know why.

5. by Lucia Peters (no photo)
Finish date: January 2020
Genre: non-fiction, occult
Rating: A
Review: This a good overview of those Games in the Dark. I like the brief history of each and games from different cultures. I was pleased to find some that I had played. Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, really does work. Bloody Mary, not so much. But then she probable didn't want to deal with giggling pre-teen girls either. Some games, such as Answer Man, are new, only showing up around 2011. Overall it is a good collection, but if you think you want to play any of these games, think again.

6. by Amor Towles
Finish date: January 2020
Genre; fiction, historical fiction
Rating: B
Review: Beautifully written, we follow Count Alexander Rostov's years of house arrest in the Hotel Metropol. The story slowly unwinds and I have to say, if you lack patience, this story is not for you. If you do have the patience for a story to move along, then I think you should read this.

7. by Ellis Peters
Finish date: January 2020
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
Rating: B
Review: A good reread, this one is more suspense than mystery as Cadfael follows the tangled threads of a villein pursued by a ruthless lord, a young boy newly orphaned and his acquisitive grandmother, a mysterious hermit and an equally mysterious abbey visitor.

FEBRUARY

8. by Malcolm Gladwell
Finish date: February 2020
Genre: non-fiction, sociology
Reting: B
Review: Galdwell always has a way to make you think. You many not agree with all of his conclusions, but he will get you thinking. This book has got me thinking. I now have insight into problems with police, how Bernie Madoff got away with his ponzi scheme for so long, why the Italian police kept going after Amanda Knox, even though there was no hard evidence to back up their claims and so on.

9. by Brian M. Fagan
Finish date: February 2020
Genre: microhistory
Rating: B
Review: Beds. The history, evolution, types of, what they were and are used for (certainly not just sleeping apparently), attitudes to them, beds as status symbols, what is actually meant by the word bed everything you never knew you needed to know is contained in this study of beds and bedrooms.

10. by Ellis Peters
Finish date: February 2020
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
Rating: B
Review: Another reread: In this one, a young man seeks sanctuary at the monastery as he is being pursued by a violent crowd who are accusing him of theft and murder even though he is innocent of both and has done nothing wrong. Tthe abbot grants him sanctuary for 40 days, as was customary in that time period. Fortunately, that is enough time for Brother Cadfael to find the true culprit.

11. by Ellis Peters
Finish date: February 2020
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
Rating: B
Review: A reread: A loved parish priest has died and the replacement, Father Ailnoth, who was bought back by Abbot Radulfus, is a bad fit. He is too strict and severe. Sure enough, Father Ailnoth ends up dead. Its up to Brother Cadfael to make sure the blame doesn't fall on a innocent person.

Michele you are fast - and so many wonderful books and reviews. I can't wait to read through your choices.

12. by Ellis Peters
Finish date: February 2020
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
Rating: B
Review: A reread: Brother Cadfael is called to Bromfield Priory to care for a visiting brother, victim of a brutal attack by a band of marauders roaming the countryside. He also seeks the whereabouts of a sister and brother of noble birth who fled their village to find refuge in Shrewsbury, but never arrived. When Cadfael finds the body of a young woman frozen in the ice at the edge of a stream, it's the beginning of an investigation that will force him (and Hugh Beringar) out in the dead of winter to track the murderer and find the missing children.

13. by Ellis Peters
Finish date: February 2020
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
Rating: B
Review: A reread: Loved it! Three short stories, one of which, is how Brother Cadfael became a brother.

14. by Ellis Peters
Finish date: February 2020
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
Rating: B
Review: A reread: Murder, star-crossed lovers, battles, international politics, and mystery: who could ask for more? Brother Cadfael travels into his native Wales on an errand of mercy that goes hopelessly wrong.

MARCH

15. by Linda S. Godfrey
Finish date: March 2020
Genre: paranormal, non-fiction
Rating: B
Review: A whole book of mysterious creature sightings? Oh yes! Nice book of eyewitness accounts of cryptid and monster sightings.

16. by Agatha Christie
Finish date: March 2020
Genre: fiction, mystery
Rating: B
Review: Second time reading this, the famous Hercule Poirot was enjoying a relaxing holiday on a steamer heading up the Nile. Soon enough, some strange goings on among a few of the passengers has him on edge. Then a terrible crime will turn Poirot's exotic Egyptian vacation into an investigation.

17. by Joseph Campbell
Finish date: March 2020
Genre: mythology
Rating: A-
Review: Myths of Light is a compilation of articles and lectures given over the years by Joseph Campbell. The topics explored in these pieces are quite varied. However, the main theme that ties these works together is that they all explore aspects of Eastern belief, mythology, iconography, and symbolism.

18. by Julie Rasmussen (no photo)
Finish date: March 2020
Genre: spirituality
Rating: B-
Review: I received this book as a Goodreads Giveway. I don't know that this book contributed any towards my spiritual awakening. I enjoyed the author's personality and sense of humor though.

19. by Richard Rohr
Finish date: March 2020
Genre: spirituality, religion
Rating: B
Review: A topical look at Christian contemplation and mysticism ideally suited for bit-sized daily readings.

Wow - great adds.

APRIL

20. by Steven Waldman (no photo)
Finish date: April 2020
Genre: history usa, religion
Rating: B+
Review: Reading for the second time: A solid, evenhanded treatment of five of the Founding Fathers and how their ideas about religion influenced the Constitution and the early Republic. Waldman tries to dispel conservative and liberal myths about the First Amendment and in the process shows that the Founding Fathers disagreed among themselves about the role of religion in public life and government.

MAY

21. by Susan Moon (no photo)
Finish date: May 2020
Genre: zen, memoir, buddhism
Rating: A-
Review: This was a Christmas gift from my Wish List on Amazon. Having reached my middle 50's I really enjoy this look at getting old and ways to adjust the attitude on getting old.

Michele, that book on Founding Faith by Steven Waldman sounds intriguing. Why didn’t you give it an A, if I may ask?
Regards,
Andrea

by Steven Waldman (no photo)

Very few books reach perfect level, for me. I did enjoy the book and it was very informative.

Super reviews Michelle

Michele, in that case, I’m adding it to my TBR List. Thanks a bunch!
Regards,
Andrea

22. by Jean Shinoda Bolen
Finish date: May 2020
Genre: non-fiction, spirituality, goddess
Rating: A
Review: Second read: I would recommend reading "Goddesses in Everywoman" first to understand the premise and how the archetype plays out over the lifespan before reading "Goddesses in Older Women". As a woman over 50 I feel that this book gives a context to aging and paves the way for a richer life and a better understanding of the self.

I never find it does. Thank you for your cooperation

23. by Bart D. Ehrman
Finish date: May 2020
Genre: non-fiction, spirituality religion
Rating: A-/B+
Review: A readable account of how our ‘ideas’ of heaven and hell were built up from various Akkadian, Greek, Roman, Israelite, and Christian contributions (actually his question is when the idea of an afterlife got invented ). It is mostly a traditional cultural and intellectual history but done in an informal and reader-friendly way. If you’re interested in the history of the afterlife, you will enjoy and appreciate it

Michele, Thank you! Bart D. Ehrman is such a lucid writer; I’ll add this to my TBR List.
Regards,
Andrea

24. by Nicholas Cresswell (no photo)
Finish date: May 2020
Genre: autobiography, history USA
Rating: B
Review:Nicholas Cresswell was a young British man who came to Colonial America in 1774 looking for land to farm. He left in 1777 not having found his farm. Along the way he gives us a glimpse into that time period when rebellion was brewing.

25. by Delia Owens
Finish date: May 2020
Genre: fiction, historical fiction, mystery
Rating: B+
Review: This is a beautifully written story of a girl surviving in her natural world of the swamp, shunned by most.

26. by Marie Kondō
Finish date: May 2020
Genre: self-help, psychology
Rating: B+
Review: Spark Joy is author Marie Kondō's follow up to her internationally best-selling title, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.

Marie Kondo is not for everyone — some of her ideas are very different ,like treating your possessions as if they have spirits of their own and sorting items by smell.

I do like her and I think it's because she is very passionate about what she teaches. Her excitement seems to leak from the pages of her books.

I have never read any of her books - did you find that it makes you tidy up with a new sense of self - maybe all of us have too many belongings.

I found that it does inspire me to tidy up and purge some things.

That is always good but never books right (smile).

I have gotten rid of some book that I just don't want anymore.

27. by Michael Taft ( no photo)
Finish date: May 2020
Genre: mythology
Rating: C+
Review: A very basic look at the Greek God and Goddesses.

JUNE

28. by Stephen Fry
Finish date: June 2020
Genre: mythology
Rating: A
Review: This book is a charming and readable modern version of the Greek myths. Don't skip the footnotes--they are informative and often entertaining, and there are not so many as to detract from reading the text.

Looks good Michele.

29. by Alex S. Vitale (no photo)
Finish date: June 2020
Genre: culture, USA, Police
Rating: A-
Review: The most basic problem with policing is policing, according to Vitale. This book describes very clearly how the police have intruded into all areas of our society. Vitale then describes the various ways we have tried to mitigate this and how those ways have failed. At the end of each chapter, he then offers possible better paths to take.

I think everyone needs to read this book. Its an eye opener.

JULY

30. by Erik Larson
Finish date: July 2020
Genre: WWII, history, British history
Rating:
Review:

Thank you for your cooperation.

31. by Natalie Jenner
Finish date: July 2020
Genre: historical fiction
Rating: A-
Review: A charming book set in a real location, just after WWII, with fictional characters.

32. by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Finish date: July 2020
Genre: physics, astrophysics
Rating: A-
Review: Written in an understandable way, though the topic is tough for the rest of us.

Good progress.