Hello. I'm looking for a good read and was just curious if anyone had any suggestions? I'm not much for fiction (unless its by a well-established author -- a Shakespeare, a Moliere, a Hemingway, or so on) and I prefer books that deal with history, culture, and politics. I've just finished Gibbon's "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"; prior to that, I read Kissinger's "On China," just to give you an idea of the type of literature that I enjoy. Any suggestions would be appreciated, as my selecting abilities are experiencing a bit of a slump. Thanks in advance.
The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream by Jeremy Rifkin (an American professor) Plymouth, I'm sure you'll love it, since it deals with culture, history and politics (and it has loads of interesting trivia). Mr. Rifkin was even invited to speak in front of the European Parliament and is now an adviser for the European Commission. He also advise Mrs. Merkel, Mr. Sarkozy, Mr. Zapatero, Mr. Socrates, etc. Just check his Wikipedia page.
Documents for the study of the Gospels by David R. Cartlidge and David L. Dungan. Good read if you're into theolgoly.
If you're into China I'd recommend 'Mao, the Untold Story' by Jung Chang and 'The Rape of Nanking' by Iris Chang. If you like history with a bit of nail-biting adventure then I'd suggest 'Batavia's Graveyard' by Mike Dash.
Don't know if you're looking for a "guy" book or not....but my husband just finished, "Fighter Pilot" about Robin Olds. It was written by his daughter using his notes and is a true story. If you were in the military, you'll love it. He said it's the best book he's read in a long time. He's recommending it to everyone. Non-fiction. My book club just finished "The Help" and we loved it. It's now made in to a movie and the movie does the book justice and is excellent as well. Historical fiction.
If you like history I would suggest some of the works of Barbara Tuchman, e.g., The Guns of August or The March of Folly. If you can wait, Victor Davis Hanson has a new book coming out within a month called The End of Sparta that I'm looking forward to.
If you want a really good history read, read The Cambridge Medieval History in Five Volumes. If you have a Kindle or other e-reader, the five volumes are quite affordable. If not, expect to spend a lot of money. The five volumes begin with Roman history, work their way through the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Islam, and then go on to follow European history. If you are looking for something lighter, try William Manchester's, A World Lit only By Fire. It is a study in how Medieval Europeans were the heirs of Rome but were so intent on killing each other that they allowed the things the Romans created to fall into disrepair.
If you like that one (and I did) you might also like Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth - also a medieval book or Sarum by Edward Rutherford. All fiction but historical fiction.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm an atheist. It's not really that I'm into China so much as I feel I need to be educated on it (welcome to the rest of the world's perception of America, no? ). While Kissinger's book was interesting and enlightening to a degree, it didn't provide as in-depth of a look as I would have liked. I'll definitely look into your suggestions; 'The Rape of Nanking' looks especially interesting. Thanks! Thanks, but I'm not much into books that deal with the military or the domestic sphere. My girlfriend keeps trying to get me to go see The Help's movie version with her, so I'll probably end up experiencing that story, in one form or another, anyway. lol. I finished Kissinger's "Diplomacy" not too long ago, so I'm not sure I want to wade through another history of 20th century diplomacy at this particular moment, lol! I am, however, a massive Grecophile, so I've just reserved Hanson's book at my local library. Thanks. I'll definitely pick up Manchester's book, thanks. I'll look into the Cambridge History, although at first glance it looks rather, shall we say, hefty, not to mention a bit dry. Not that that's any particularly nasty impediment, but prior to "On China" I had just read "Empires of the World: A Language History of the World," so I'm not sure I want to delve into a longer, more in-depth history of that subject material right away. I'll keep it in the back of my head though. That looks like some fiction I might actually be able to get into. Who knew one could write fiction about architecture? Should be interesting; I've put a hold on it at the library. Thanks. Thanks a lot, everyone. I think I'm quite set for quite a while, and no doubt the municipal library will be making a pretty penny off all my inevitable late fees.
So am I. It is interseting to see how christianity spread early on, and how it was defended and attacked.
Hmm, well in that case I'll look into it. I must admit, for better or for worse I have a knee-jerk reaction to write off anything religious. However, if this book is about how early Christianity was portrayed, perceived, defended, attacked, and so on, that's something that I would be interested in. Thanks.
I just started it the other day, so I haven't gotten far. But yeah, it's a good read. So far hasn't said, anything bias.
