The History Book Club discussion

Tanya, here is your new thread in 2015. Happy reading in the new year.

Our Required Format:

JANUARY

1. by Winston S. Churchill
Finish date: January 2015
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.

JANUARY

1. by Ransom Riggs
Finish date: January 2015
Genre: (Fantasy)
Rating: A
Review: I really enjoyed the book. It is a sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I really enjoy the photographs that really give another dimension to the story. I can't wait for the next one.

Excellent Tanya

The series looks to be very interesting. I may have to look the books up at the local book store!

Thanks. I'm enjoying the series. I didn't realize there was a third book until I got to the end of this one. Very creative concept.

Haven't yet read but fell in love with at first sight and then later read. :)

Hi Samanta remember full citations

both by Ransom Riggs

Yeah, sorry about that. I've figured everything I have to do when updating my reading challenge but this still eludes me :D

Just try and do the edit and check out the Mechanics of the Board thread in the Help Desk folder.

2. by Ilyasah Shabazz
Finish date: January 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A
Review: This is a novel about Malcolm X during his youth. It is written by one of his daughters and is a very interesting read. I've seen the movie X but this really examines his youth, and what he did when he was Malcolm Little. Although its historical fiction it follows his life according to his relatives. His daughter writes it in a story format and takes creative license in the story. Overall a good, easy read.

Might have to add this one, great job, Tanya.

FEBRUARY

3. by Cheryl Strayed
Finish date: February 2015
Genre: nonfiction
Rating: A
Review: This is a story about a woman that hikes the Pacific Crest Trail to find herself. I really enjoyed the book and how it showed how far people have to go to find themselves. She was very brave to do what she did.

Good job

Bentley wrote: "Good job"
Thank you!

4. by Shannon Hale
Finish date: February 2015
Genre: Children's fantasy
Rating: A
Review: My daughter wanted to read this so I was previewing it. It's a pretty good book. The overall theme of the book is choice and free will. I also like the story of the children of traditional fairy tale characters, and the consequences of their parents' actions. It's a good story for young kids. Also it's a series so the end isn't really an end.

Tanya you have the month in message 12 and you have it bolded but it must also be in caps. FEBRUARY

5. by Bill O'Reilly
Finish date: February 2015
Genre: History
Rating: A
Review: This is the first book of Bill O'Reilly's that I have read. I enjoyed reading all of the history of World War II and the Battle of the Bulge. I was teaching World War II as I read this so it was nice to have some random facts to throw at my kids.

I haven't seen reviews of this book but I do know that other books of his have gotten panned for getting a lot of facts wrong.

Thanks, I appreciate the information. I did question some of the info but since I read it for pleasure I wasn't too concerned about it.

Somebody said that the title is misleading since he finds nothing that proves Patton was killed. But if you liked it Tanya, that is the important part.

by Bill O'Reilly

Even Patton's family thinks that it is bogus. But then again I might pick it up myself to hear his arguments. And I am glad that you liked it Tanya - that is what is important.

My dad was in Germany at the time Patton died, and he told me that a lot of soldiers thought he was killed, but it was mostly speculation among the troops.

Really - wow - that is awful if that was the case but it seems that the family discounted it but who knows. Personally I am not one for the conspiracy theories but there doesn't mean we have 100% proof that they don't exist.

Given the circumstances of his death I find any conspiracy theory unlikely. Well, at least you liked it, Tanya.

My take on the book was that there is a possibility of conspiracies. I did like the book, but I think I would it have been just as good if he ended it with Patton died in a car crash, the end.

MARCH
6. by Brian Kilmeade
Finish date: March 2015
Genre: History
Rating: A
Review: This book is about George Washington's spy ring during the American Revolution. I really enjoyed this book because I very rarely read American Revolution books, since I don't teach it. Also there is a TV show on AMC about this story, but so far it is very different from the real history. Good book if you like reading about this time period.

It is March and you are already on your way.

I may get this for my sister, she's very interested in tales of the Revolution. Thanks!

This one will definitely go on my list, Tanya. I have been disappointed in the TV special. It just didn't hold my interest even though the revolutionary war period is a favorite topic of my reading.

7. by Joseph J. Ellis
Finish date: March 2015
Genre: History
Rating:B
Review: This book tells stories of a few of the Founding Fathers after the Revolutionary War. I liked the book, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who doesn't like history or the time period. If you want to learn more about these men and the time period, then I would recommend it.

MAY
8. by Tim Townsend
Finish date: May 2015
Genre: History
Rating: A
Review: This book is about the Army chaplain that ministered to the Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg after World War II. I enjoyed the history of the book and appreciated the difficulty of someone who tried to minister to some of the "worst criminals" in history. I can only image how difficult it would be to look those men in the eye and try to find redemption for them, knowing the atrocities many of them committed. It is also deep with religious information both in the explanations of the actions of the chaplain and just plain religious information. It also explains what the chaplain did after the trials and his continued religious work after the trials. It started slow with descriptions of his parents and their back story and then his personal story that led him to be an army chaplain. When the book starts talking about his experiences in the war it picks up, in my opinion.

9. by Steve Berry
Finish date: May 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A
Review: A novella involving Cotton Malone before Templar Legacy. Good short story about Cotton trying to find out what happened to his brother -in-law.
by Steve Berry

10. by Steve Berry
Finish date: May 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A
Review: Another Cotton Malone novella. It's a good story with an interesting premise about World War II.

11. by Steve Berry
Finish date: May 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A
Review: A Cotton Malone story. I enjoy Steve Berry's stories. In my opinion, he has a good mix of history with his stories. This story is about privateers that believe they should still have the protection of the U.S. Government. The privateers, who would arguably be called pirates, are trying to find the original Congressional record pages that prove that they have permission from the United States to commit acts against enemies of the United States. It also explains how this group had a role in previous presidential assassinations as well as an attempt on the current president, Danny Daniels, in the story. I would recommend if you have read any of his previous works and enjoyed them

12. by Anthony Doerr
Finish date: May 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A
Review: This novel is set during World War II. It follows various people throughout the war and what comes of them after the war. I enjoyed the book. It took a while to get into it because it goes back and forth between people and time periods. Once I got everyone clear I really liked it. Good read if you like the time period.

13. by Steve Berry
Finish date: June 2015
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: A
Review: This novel is another Cotton Malone story. This time he is going up against modern day privateers who believe they still have the protection of the government to break laws to benefit the country. I like the storyline and the history that's included in the novel.

14. by Daniel James Brown
Finish date: July 2015
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: A
Review: This book follows the rowing team from University of Washington to the Olympics in Berlin in 1936. It also describes what was going on in Berlin leading up to the Olympics. I enjoyed following the team through their various trials throughout the process and what was going on at the same time in Berlin. I recommend it to anyone who likes WWII books.

That book has consistently gotten good reviews, Tanya.....looks like I will have to read it. Thanks.

15. by H.W. Brands
Finish date: July 2015
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: A
Review: This is a good book if you are wanting an overview of the Texas Revolution. It describes the path many of the famous Texans took to get to Texas and how they became a part of the fight. I struggled to get through because I was trying to absorbed the information more than other books, and I had lots of distractions. I live in Texas but never studied this event, unless you count watching the Alamo. I wanted to have at least a basic understanding of the event. I definitely recommend if it's a subject you're interested in learning about..

16. by Steve Berry
Finish date: July 2015
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A
Review: Another good Cotton Malone novella. In this book Cotton is helping the British monarchy stop a plan to assassinate one of them. Its a great short story. I like how he changed the British monarchy to be a different family line.

17. by Steve Berry
Finish date: August 2015
Genre: International thriller
Rating: A+
Review:Another Steve Berry and Cotton Malone book. I really enjoy his combining of history and fiction. This novel follows Cotton through Venice and then Croatia. He is trying to stop a North Korean from exposing the fact that the 16th Amendment was not lawfully ratified, which would destroy the U. S's economy. It's an action packed novel full of historical fact and fiction. I also love how Steve Berry explains at the end of the book what is fact vs. fiction. Good thriller but as y'all know I'm a big fan of his. I have one more of his books to read and then I'll have read them all, until another one comes out. I highly recommend this book.

18. by Steve Berry
Finish date: September 2015
Genre:International Thriller
Rating: A
Review:Another Steve Berry novel. This one follows the premise that Christopher Columbus was a Jew who explored to find a safe haven for the Jews of Europe. Also on his journey he brought the lost Jewish Temple treasure to Jamaica and hid it. The book follows a man who is caught up in the search for the treasure. Good book but I love Steve Berry novels.

19. by Harper Lee
Finish date: September 2015
Genre: fiction
Rating: A
Review: I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. It follows Scout as an adult returning home to Alabama from NYC. I understand the complaints but I liked the moral of the story. We have to make our own decisions in life. It is reflective of the time period, I believe.

It certainly has had mixed reviews. Glad you liked it.

Jill wrote: "It certainly has had mixed reviews. Glad you liked it."

It has had mixed reviews. I agree the writing isn't as good as the previous book, but you have to consider the time period. I think it reflects the culture.

20. by Philippa Gregory
Finish date: September 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A
Review: This is another book in the Cousins' Wars Series. I listened to it on Audible so it took longer that expected. This story follows Jacquetta who eventually becomes the confidant of the Queen of England. The book tells about the beginning of the War of the Roses. I love how she intertwines the history with the fiction.

21. by Lois Lowry
Finish date: September 2015
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: A+
Review: This book follows the story of Jonas who seems to live in a perfect world. As the story goes you realize it's not perfect and Jonas tries to find a way out of his community. I really liked it, and it's an easy read.