The Book Thread

[3rdcoast_slope]

I just read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry for the first time. It quickly became one of my favorites and I picked up the sequel Streets of Laredo. Being from South Texas, visiting, and living near some of the towns in the books added to the enjoyment. I have also bought some of his other books and looking forward to seeing how they are.

[Mark Rippetoe]

There has never been a better western than Lonesome Dove. One of the best novels I've ever read.

[Noah Ebner]

There has never been a better western than Lonesome Dove. One of the best novels I've ever read.

The same can also be said of the miniseries with Robert Duvall. It is, by far, the best western drama ever captured on celluloid.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Absolutely. Best western ever filmed, and it proved to value of longer-form film projects.

[Mark E. Hurling]

In a bit of irony, I'm reading L'Mour's Lonesome Gods just now. The characters are a bit cardboardy, a la Ayn Rand, but it's an interesting read about pre-Civil War California. Good, but not as good as Lonesome Dove.

[hill.1338@osu.edu]

I decided, during these trying times, to start with the Revolutionary War and work forward in history via presidential biographies. Trying to stick to older publications (pre-2010 and preferably pre-2000) as some of the publications today are more concerned with asserting something than the actual history.

Angel in the Whirlwind - Benson Bobrick

George Washington: A Biography - Washington Irving (this is an abridged version of Irving’s 5 volume bio published in the 1850s)

John Adams - David McCullough

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson - Joseph Ellis

I am not done with the last book yet on Jefferson. I am disappointed it is less of a history and more of a character study, but it’s still a great book. Good biographies of Jefferson are hard to find as many aspects of his life are controversial. The volumed biography Jefferson and His Time by Malone (published 1950s-1980s) is what I’ll go to when I come back to read about items I feel weren’t covered as much as I’d like.

Does anybody have any recommendation on books about:

War of 1812
Mexican American War
Abraham Lincoln
Civil War
Any other book about historic events between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War that are a good read

You can get lost in the books to read about these subjects (look up how many biographies there are George Washington for example). Any recommendations are much appreciated.

[OldDog]

Two recent reads:

Hillbilly Elegy - J.D. Vance - I purchased this book recently based on the recommendation of a colleague. It's a captivating and moving memoir of Vance's struggles growing up in coal country Kentucky and Ohio. Here's a link to the back cover. It summarizes it much better than I can.

Deep Survival:Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why - Laurence Gonzales - The subtitle says it all. Gonzales looks at several survival stories and mines them for the physical, psychological and physiological factors contributing to both the disaster and the survival. The principles are applicable to many aspects of life so this one will get a slower, more thoughtful reread. It also will be a gift to all my adult progeny for Father's day.

As a footnote, just learned today that in his June newsletter Tom Givens included Deep Survival in his recommended list. He summed it up this way "...a vital description of the mental, emotional and character issues involved in surviving catastrophy[sic], whether natural or man-made."

[J. Killmond]

Does anybody have any recommendation on books about:

War of 1812
Mexican American War
Abraham Lincoln
Civil War
Any other book about historic events between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War that are a good read

You can get lost in the books to read about these subjects (look up how many biographies there are George Washington for example). Any recommendations are much appreciated.

Civil War books--as you say, you can get lost. For my own reading, I've tried to limit myself to some of the top works.

Personal Memoirs, by U.S. Grant (audiobook read by Robin Field)

It's a classic, and a good perspective on the war.

Two prominent trilogies are:

The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote (audiobook read by Grover Gardner)

The Coming Fury/Terrible Swift Sword/Never Call Retreat by Bruce Catton (audiobooks read by Nelson Runger)

Another acclaimed work, which I haven't yet gotten to (but is probably the next Civil War work that I'll do), is:

Battle Cry of Freedom, by James McPherson

Another from the era (highly recommended):

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (audiobook read by Mark Deakins)

[OldDog]

Does anybody have any recommendation on books about:

War of 1812
Mexican American War
Abraham Lincoln
Civil War
Any other book about historic events between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War that are a good read

You can get lost in the books to read about these subjects (look up how many biographies there are George Washington for example). Any recommendations are much appreciated.

You're absolutely right on the volume of material. Enjoy the search and journey!

Here's what I can offer:

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West - Stephen E Ambrose

Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from Slavery - Anne Farrow, Joel Lang, and Jenifer Frank

Rebels from West Point: The 306 US Military Academy Graduates Who Fought for the Confederacy - Gerard A Patterson

The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War - Thomas J DiLorenzo

Lincoln Unmasked: What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe - Thomas J DiLorenzo

Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men: A History of the American Civil War - Jeffrey Rogers Hummel

When in the Course of Human Events: Arguing the Case for Southern Secession - Charles Adams

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era - James M McPherson

[Gerald Boggs]

You can get lost in the books to read about these subjects

Indeed, inside UVA's library, there are 1000's of books about the Civil War.