Annie's nonfiction: 2011 edition

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Annie's nonfiction: 2011 edition

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1AnnieMod
Editado: mayo 6, 2011, 4:46 pm

My 100 Books in 2011 thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/105896 and technically I am posting all that I read there. When I get around to it - I am ~2 months behind (although I work on the missed books from both ends ). Slowly :)

The non-fiction so far:

1. The Tudors for Dummies -full review

2. Elizabethan House of Commons by J. E. Neale - still need to do the review. Good thing I posted this here -- I had forgotten I never got around to that.

3. A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen by Richard Jenkyns - review here

4. Jane Austen: a Life by shieldscarol::Carol Shields (Review here)

5. Talking About Detective Fiction by jamespd::P. D. James (review here )

6. Anatomy of a Moment by Javier Cercas - review here

7. The World from Beginnings to 4000 BCE by Ian Tattersall - review

2qebo
mayo 7, 2011, 12:03 pm

Cool. Now we've got representation from 50 books, 75 books, 100 books folks. And already you've added to my wishlist -- Ian Tattersall is a name I recognize, but I have no books by him, a condition that must be remedied.

3AnnieMod
mayo 10, 2011, 7:26 pm

I haven't even heard of him before I got the book -- as mentioned in the review I had not read anything on the topic for a while. But I liked the style and I liked the topic - so I plan to read a few more books... from both :)

I tend to read a lot more Tudors (and Tudors related) history as non-fiction - I am trying to expand a bit...

4AnnieMod
Editado: mayo 11, 2011, 2:42 pm

8. The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution -- review here (warning - the review is kinda longish - I went from "and now how to review this" to "ok, I know what I want to say" while typing).

A book which is so outside of my usual reading patterns that I am surprised that I liked it. And I did like it. Thought-provoking (even when I disagree), written in a style that works for me. :)

5wildbill
mayo 24, 2011, 9:38 pm

I enjoyed the review of The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution It seems like an interesting topic and I generally like good comparative history. There were some things I didn't like about his first book and I have not read much by Fukuyama.
The bibliography is good evidence that the author did his research. I have an interest in Chinese history and I think I would like to see what he has to say about the development of Chinese civilization. Traditional Chinese civilization was very efficient. They were able to support a very high density population using a lot of foot power.

6qebo
mayo 25, 2011, 8:07 am

4: What an excellent review, AnnieMod! Combines a useful overview of the book itself with your personal reactions, which might not be everyone's reactions but give a sense of how to think your way through a book that isn't fully in your comfort zone.

7AnnieMod
Jun 17, 2011, 4:56 pm

Thanks guys :)

Reviewing non-fiction is sometimes easier -- no plots to hide and you can discuss pretty much anything.

I need to get some reviews done this weekend - had been hectic time and I am just adding books to the pile for review.

8qebo
Jun 17, 2011, 5:37 pm

7: Yeah, I find that on the one hand, reviewing non-fiction is harder because I want to be sure of getting the facts straight, but on the other hand, reviewing fiction is troublesome because of potential spoilers, so I have to figure out how to express an opinion without attaching it to information.

9AnnieMod
Jun 17, 2011, 6:27 pm

Exactly. And sometimes my main impression from a fiction book is because of something that will be a huge spoiler...

Not that non-fiction is a walk in the park but at least I am not worried about spoilers...

10AnnieMod
Jun 27, 2011, 3:08 am

Slowly making my way through writing reviews on what I read lately:

9. The Wars of the Roses: Politics and the Constitution in England, c.1437-1509 - not recommended unless if you actually know the periods (very well) and just want to see how things can be interpreted. When a scholar decides to dismiss the knowledge of all Tudors scholars about the first Tudor kings (or is really unaware of it...), things are really weird. And she had the chance to do what she started properly - because Henry VII is really someone that should be researched from both the medievalists and the Tudors historians. But not in this way. And not with following an agenda to prove that he is actually a bad king... The full review is in the work page and I actually spend way too much time working on what I want to say... without saying something really bad...

11qebo
Jun 27, 2011, 9:44 pm

10: Yay, a book that I _don't_ want to read! :-) Why are you interested in that period of history?

12fdholt
Jun 27, 2011, 9:54 pm

#10 I really would like to read a book on this period. This book does not sound like one I would enjoy or even understand. Any suggestions?

13AnnieMod
Jun 28, 2011, 12:55 am

>11 qebo:

I am a Tudor reader... The Wars of the Roses is one of the reasons for the way the Tudors shaped up so... it is kinda pre-history of my main period. If the question is why Tudors - I disliked them in high school (Shakespeare did not help:) ), then read a book years later that I found interesting and in the next few years I actually started liking the whole lot of them a lot more... and the period they lived in. Most people usually concentrate on Henry VIII or Elizabeth - I am in the Elizabeth camp but most of the people I really care to read about are not even royal... I am tracking down Household expenses from the period... that should tell you enough about how much I actually like digging in when I like something.

I am on a somewhat of a sabbatical from the Tudors at the moment as it looks like but I will pick it up again...

>12 fdholt:
For the Wars of the Roses? Not really I had read the usual basic stuff - I am still working on finding something a bit more... non-standard. Probably will try something later this year. And I will find my list of what I had read and liked for the period - it should be somewhere here.

14aulsmith
Jun 28, 2011, 10:12 am

12: I liked the Costain series: Three Edwards and The last plantagenets. But they're old and written for a popular audience, so I can't vouch for their place in current historiography.

15maggie1944
Jun 29, 2011, 6:59 pm

Thomas B. Costain was one of the first historical authors I tried when I was a youngster, if you can imagine. I was on a wheat farm in Idaho, with no near by neighbors, and no other kids. So, I read what was in the library! I loved it.