The History Book Club discussion

Sample Guide:

JANUARY

1. Winston S. Churchill
Finish date: March 2008
Rating: A
Review or a Few Words about book: 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.

Note: I will delete guide post once you get started.

January
1. Neil Gaiman
Finish date: Jan 1 2011
Rating: B+
Does fiction count? Eh, why not.

Yes in your personal list and thread.

JANUARY

2. Steven Johnson
Finish data: Jan 17 2011
Rating: A-
Johnson's account of the 1854 cholera outbreak in Victorian London is engaging, but the focus isn't so much cholera as the larger challenges of urban living. His descriptions of the city and its...um...untidiness are strong enough that you feel like you could be standing (and smelling) in the middle of Soho. He is able to balance his narrative elements against his description of the cholera virus and medical aspects of the story. Overall it is a good read, especially if you like medical histories.

You almost have everything in there but after the number, it should look like this but a great attempt:

You should have the number of the book, the bookcover, the author's photo if available, then the author's link in text. You seem to have everything else.

2. Steven Johnson

Check out the Mechanics of the Board thread for helpful details:

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

Thanks Lynda for fixing things up.

Good job Lynda and thanks for following the format and our guidelines.

February

3. John le Carré
Finish date: Feb 8, 2011
Rating: B+
Le Carre's latest novel takes on extraordinary rendition and the global "war on terror". The ending on this one is psychologically brutal, so be warned. In the classic Le Carre style the focus is more on the problems in the intelligence bureaucracy and the interactions between the American, British, and Germany intelligence services than the interactions or development of the main characters. Overall not his best ever, but a solid Le Carre spy story. Makes me want to read more of the older works again!

Bentley wrote: "Sample Guide:

JANUARY

1. Winston S. Churchill
Finish date: March 2008
Rating: A
Review or ..."

Glad to see you like this one as it is on my to read list.

FEBRUARY

4. Atul Gawande
Finish date: Feb 27, 2011
Rating: B+

I'm not really sure how to rate this one. It is an interesting read about a devilishly simple concept that has tremendous power, but as an entire book it feels a bit inflated. Gawande has great things to say about health care and improving care, but he says them best in the New Yorker.

MARCH

5. Simon Baker
Finish date: March 20, 2011
Rating: A

This easy introduction to Roman history is a companion work for a BBC docudrama with the same title. Each chapter is about a broad period in Roman history with an overarching theme of revolution and change. Baker begins with the founding of Rome and the Romulus and Remus story, moves through the republic, the empire, and the fall at a relatively quick pace. It isn’t detailed and some events, like the first Gallic invasion, aren’t even mentioned.

Nevertheless, the story itself is better served by the quick pace. Simon Baker who works for the BBC does an excellent job of making the historical figures seem real so that the chapters read like stories and not ‘History’. The section on the Gracchi brothers and later on Nero are riveting page-turners. My only criticism is that the later chapters on the fall of the empire seem a bit dry in comparison, but this is more a result of having such a great narrative earlier in the book. Baker also provides bibliographies for each chapter with a selection of both secondary and ancient sources.

Lynda, don't forget the month headers where appropriate. It's an easy piece to overlook.

You've got some great stuff on your list so far, and I am enjoying following your reviews. Hope you are having fun with it too.

Alisa wrote: "Lynda, don't forget the month headers where appropriate. It's an easy piece to overlook.

You've got some great stuff on your list so far, and I am enjoying following your reviews. Hope you are..."

Thanks for the tip. I am having fun with it. I've never tracked my reading before so it should be interesting to look back at the end of the year.

6. Michelle Moran
Finish date: March 27
Rating: A

Lynda wrote: "6. Michelle Moran
Finish date: March 27
Rating: A"


You are doing good Lynda. Do you want to add a few words about #6; you seemed to really like it. You are doing well.