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Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > Civil War Book Talk > Review It! > What are you reading these days? |
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Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > Civil War Book Talk > Review It! > What are you reading these days? |
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| What are you reading these days? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sun Nov 12th, 2006 04:22 pm |
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1st Post |
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Widow Member
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Most of us are avid readers. No, not avid. Addicted readers. Some are so hopeless that they actually WRITE books, as if we don't have enough out there already. You know who you are. This topic isn't necessarily a request for book reviews. Rather, Mrs. Nosybody here just wants to see what you have stacked up on the bedside table, on the floor beside the living room chair, on the dining table, in the car...well, you know where you stash your stuff. And your paraphernalia: maps, reference books, other books on same subject. I'll start off. For Cause and for Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hll and the Battle of Franklin, Eric A. Jacobson and co-author Richard A. Rupp. Franklin, TN, O'More Publishing, 2006. Autographed paperback 519 pages including Confederate and Federal orders of battle, bibliography, and index. Finished it a few days ago, in preparation for the January book chat in Shotgun's chatroom and the June muster in Franklin. Will have to refresh my memory just before then, which of course is part of the fun. Founding Mothers: The Women who Raised our Nation, Cokie Roberts. Harper Collins, 2004. Paperback 359 pages including cast of characters, recipes, notes, and index. This is a Christmas present, so I had to read it before wrapping it, didn't I? I finished it last night. The History Channel had a program based on her book. The Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-6, 1865, Gordon C. Rhea. Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University Press, 1994. Paperback 512 pages including order of battle, bibliography, and index. The first of Rhea's quadrilogy on the Overland Campaign. I got hooked when I read the fourth of the series, and decided to go back and get the first three. Started it last night. And of course, bookshelves of stuff to re-read. With my greater knowledge after each new book and greater understanding after each battlefield hike, I just have to go back and reabsorb. As usual, the more I learn, the more I want to learn. So many books, so little shelf space. Patty
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| Posted: Mon Nov 13th, 2006 12:57 am |
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2nd Post |
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Vickie Member 
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Havent decided what book to start next so Iv been looking through my Atlas of the CW Vickie
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| Posted: Mon Nov 13th, 2006 02:01 am |
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3rd Post |
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Sarah Elizabeth Member
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Patty, I can well appreciate your comment about books stacked up on the bedside table, the floor beside the living room chair, etc! That's pretty much the story of my life...and the picture of my house right now, too! Reading is my passion and I have several books which I've recently picked up. The one I'm reading right now is "The Belle of Washington" by Eleanor Harper Shumaker. It's about the life of Kate Chase Sprague. It's one of those books that draws the reader into the story from the first page. If you want to know what life was like in Washington D.C. during the Civil War, I highly recommend this book. My list of recent arrivals includes: "Civil War Stories" by Catherine Clinton "Voices From The House Divided" by Glenn Linden & Thomas Pressly "Co. Aytch" by Sam R. Watkins "Marriage and Morals Among the Victorians" by Gertrude Himmelfarb "Hard Tack and Coffee" by John D. Billings "Dixie Betrayed" by David J. Eicher "The Victorian Celebration of Death" by James Stevens Curl As you can see, I have plenty of "good reads" to keep me busy. Along with the Civil War, I'm fascinated by the entire Victorian era. My library contains many, many volumes about 19th century history. I can also relate to "so many books, so little shelf space!" My seventh book case has just been filled! My goal for the winter months is to organize all of my books by topic...My goals are frequently unfulfilled!  This is a subject near and dear to my heart. Thanks for starting a new post about it! Regards, Sarah
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| Posted: Mon Nov 13th, 2006 03:35 am |
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4th Post |
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ole Member 
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Where to start? I have the senior form of attention deficit. My end table in the living room is stacked with Sherman/Atlanta/March material. Haven't touched one of them in weeks. Need to start prepping for Chattanooga, but I've downloaded so many really great articles and lectures cited on this and other boards that I'm converting to word processing (if I'm going to read them, then I might as well prepare to print them out and read and convert at the same time) that picking up a book is a sometime thing. Right now, I'm reading a charming little book by Frederick Law Olmstead: The Slave States before the Civil War. I'll move on to his Cotton Kingdom next. Then I'll have to see where the winds of whatsup take me. (But I still need to get back into Chattanooga. Ole 
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 01:42 pm |
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5th Post |
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sjh Member
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Currently reading "Vicksburg" by Michael Ballard as I am trying to shift my focus, at least temporarily from the east to the west, but sometimes find it hard to do. The four Rhea books are about the best thing I have ever read and I hope that he will follow up with number 5 soon. SJH
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 07:54 pm |
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6th Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum 
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Awhile ago I attended the "Body Worlds" exhibit at the LA science museum. I bought the book "Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds; The Anatomical Exhibit of Real Human Bodies" I recently dusted it off and have been facinated by it. I wouldn't suggest looking at it before you eat your lunch. Fuller
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 09:49 pm |
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7th Post |
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Doc C Member 
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Fuller Saw the BW exibit in Philadelphia this past spring. Incredible exibit. Wish it was around when I taking gross anatomy in medical school. Current Reads - Furgurson - Not War But Murder - Ray - Shock Troops of the Confederacy - Williams - Chicago Battery Boy's - Gottfried - Brigades of Gettysburg (nice reference) - Rhea - The Wilderness (just finished it, agree with widow's earlier post, a very good read, will get his other books) Doc C
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 10:34 pm |
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8th Post |
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Sarah Elizabeth Member
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Doc C, A bit off topic, but I took in the Body Worlds exhibit in Philadelphia, too. I also visited the Titanic Artifacts Exhibition 2 years ago when the Franklin Institute hosted that. What a moving experience it was! Can't wait for the opening of the King Tut exhibit next! Regards, Sarah *"On-topic" addition: I didn't include this on my list of books b/c I'm not reading any right now, but my very favorite Civil War books are the many volumes which were edited by Prof. Gary Gallagher. My favorite was "The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862"...The Shenandoah Valley is one of my frequent travel destinations. Last edited on Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 10:49 pm by Sarah Elizabeth |
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 10:48 pm |
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9th Post |
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Fuller E Pluribus Unum
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So Doc, you really are a doc? It was funny, when I saw the exhibit an actor from the tv show "ER" was there. Guess he needed some info for the show. I wish I could have spent the whole day there. It was neat that you were able to get so close to the dislpays. So did you sign your name to be a donor for the show?
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 11:22 pm |
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10th Post |
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Doc C Member
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Fuller Yep, really a doc (neonatologist, semi-retired). It's a moniker I got from a friend years ago. Have been an m.d. many years longer than E.R. (do think as med. shows go it's one of the better ones). Read House of God for a great ER book, many first year med students read it. Doc C Last edited on Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 11:30 pm by Doc C |
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| Posted: Thu Nov 23rd, 2006 04:20 am |
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11th Post |
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Basecat Member
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Just finished reading "High Tide At Gettysburg" by Glenn Tucker. Know it is an older book on Gettysburg, but for the most part it still stands up. In the book, he does say that Farnsworth killed himself after he was wounded, which to my knowledge did not happen. Next up here is Chamberlain's book, "The Passing of the Armies". Have been reading quite a bit on Gettysburg lately, and always glad to get back to the rest of the war when I can.  Happy Thanksgiving to all. Regards from the Garden State, Steve Basic
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| Posted: Thu Nov 23rd, 2006 07:52 am |
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12th Post |
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Widow Member
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Howdy from SW France, Steve, Glad to see that you found "High Tide at Gettysburg" a good read. Tucker contended that the Confederate high-water mark wasn't the stone wall on Cemetery Ridge, but the Confederate assault on Culp's Hill. I don't have the book with me to check the details. I'm still battling my way through the Wilderness, it's so gruesome and terrible that I can read only ten pages or so at a time. Gordon Rhea's commentaries on mistakes made -- on both sides -- help a great deal for me to grasp the significance of the events. A few weeks ago I marched around Culpeper County, VA, with my Bull Run RT. The briar patches on the banks of the Rappahannock were actually briar snakes that grab you and bite with foot-long fangs. In the Wilderness the briars and dense shrubs were much worse than what I saw. The jungle in the Venezuelan cloud forest is not nearly as bad as the Wilderness. The tall trees with huge leaves block the sunlight from reaching the ground, so it's always early dusk, and there isn't much undergrowth. In the Wilderness alll the big trees had been cut years before, so the new growth, coming up at the same time, competed for sunlight, sort of like a traffic jam of many cars trying to squeeze onto the same narrow street. I'll take the jungle any time. No briar snakes there! Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. It's 8:50 a.m. on Thursday morning, so this post should appear at 2:50 a.m. EST. Patty, aka the Widow Wheeler
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25th, 2006 08:58 am |
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13th Post |
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susansweet Member 
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Sarah a word of warning I wished someone had given me. Don't expect a lot of King Tut at the exhibit. I saw the King Tut exhibit the first time they brought it to the United States in the 70's . Gee was it that long ago? I loved it . We spent hours looking at everything. This exhibit is King Tut and friends . . . None of the real great King Tut pieces are there. only small ones. My friend that had not seen the first one enjoyed it but she expected to see the huge Mask and it wasn't there. Hope I haven't spoiled your trip to see the exhbit. It was interesting . Just not what I expected. Now to what am I reading. Black Flag: Guerrilla Warfare on the Western Border, 1861-1865: A Riveting Account of a Bloody Chapter in Civil War History Battle of Galveston by Cotham Just finished Embattled Courage. I am also reading Margaret Maron mystery .
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25th, 2006 08:58 am |
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14th Post |
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susansweet Member
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Sarah a word of warning I wished someone had given me. Don't expect a lot of King Tut at the exhibit. I saw the King Tut exhibit the first time they brought it to the United States in the 70's . Gee was it that long ago? I loved it . We spent hours looking at everything. This exhibit is King Tut and friends . . . None of the real great King Tut pieces are there. only small ones. My friend that had not seen the first one enjoyed it but she expected to see the huge Mask and it wasn't there. Hope I haven't spoiled your trip to see the exhbit. It was interesting . Just not what I expected. Now to what am I reading. Black Flag: Guerrilla Warfare on the Western Border, 1861-1865: A Riveting Account of a Bloody Chapter in Civil War History Battle of Galveston by Cotham Just finished Embattled Courage. I am also reading Margaret Maron mystery .
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25th, 2006 06:25 pm |
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15th Post |
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LTBunten Member 
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Hi all!! I am currently reading: Four Years with General Lee-- Walter Taylor With My Face to the Enemy: Perspectives on the Civil War-- Edited by Robert Cowley Where White Men Fear to Tread: The Autobiography of Russell Means (former leader of the American Indian Movement)-- with Marvin J. Wolf Hope all are well, Paula
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25th, 2006 09:21 pm |
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16th Post |
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Sarah Elizabeth Member
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susansweet, Thanks for the info about the King Tut exhibit. I saw the one that toured the U.S. in the 1970's, too. It was outstanding. My plan is to take in this new exhibit, but now I'll know what to expect and won't be disappointed. I see that you just finished "Embattled Courage." What did you think of it? I read it several years ago. When I saw it in the bookstore, I was quite interested. After reading it, I was disappointed. It was an interesting study and a worthy subject. However, I thought it was too broad in it's portrayal of the emotions of the soldiers. The author seemed to assume that ALL soldiers felt a certain way about things and they were all motivated by the same beliefs about courage and valor. I guess I was expecting more insight into the lives of those who fought. As I said, I do think the subject was worthy of research...I was just disappointed in the author's approach. Anyway, thanks again for the information about the Tut exhibit! Sarah
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| Posted: Sun Nov 26th, 2006 07:01 am |
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18th Post |
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susansweet Member
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Sarah first about King Tut. Here in L.A. they were billing it as King Tut large letters and in small letter and other Pharohs . Then they were using the picture of what looked like the Mask we saw in the orginal tour. It is actually the top of a 12 inch container for the liver of King Tut. Not fair. Embattled Courage our reading group at the Drum Barracks in Wilmington California decided it was an over long essay. Not a work of history . Very general. Represented the literate . We also felt that the literate wrote what they thought others might want to hear. Even in their journals they seemed to be writing for others. We all felt it was worth reading but not what we had expected. Next two books for our reading group are Jaffa's book on the Lincoln Douglas Debate and the brand new Biography of Varina Davis, Lincoln at Cooper Union and last book Craig Symonds Joe Johnston biography. This December we meet and share a review of a movie on the Civil War. Now I am talking related to the Civil War in any way at all. Realisitic , hokey, serious , what ever. The first year I shared Wicked Spring, Last year Johnny Shiloh , and this year I am sharing a tape of the made for tv movie from 1969 Journey to Shiloh. It is so bad it is good. We pop popcorn and have no more than ten minutes to share about the movie and show a clip. It is really a fun evening. I sometimes wonder what the former inhabitants of the Drum Barracks think of some of the movie clips. Enjoy the exhibit , just go not expecting King Tut. Let me know what you think when you are there.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 1st, 2006 03:32 pm |
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19th Post |
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calcav Member
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I started two books when I moved into the new house in Corinth. Personal Record of the Thirteenth Regiment, Tennessee Infantry, C.S.A. by Brig. Gen. A. J. Vaughan. My landlord loaned it to me. She is his great-great grand daughter and lives on the lot he purchased in Corinth. Recollections of Thomas D. Duncan: A Confederate Soldier. Duncan rode with Forrest and penned this memoir in the house I'm living in.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 1st, 2006 04:14 pm |
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20th Post |
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Widow Member
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Wow, Tom, you can't get any more local than that! My condo building, built in late 1970s, is on top of a Civil War campsite. With my luck, probably the horse corral or the sink. But you live in a Civil War-era house, next door to a direct descendant. I am impressed, sir. Patty
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