Thursday Reading and Recommendations is intended as bookish free-for-all, for the discussion and recommendation of all books historical, or tangentially so. Suggested topics include, but are by no means limited to:
Asking for book recommendations on specific topics or periods of history
Newly published books and articles you're dying to read
Recent book releases, old book reviews, reading recommendations, or just talking about what you're reading now
Historiographical discussions, debates, and disputes
...And so on!
Regular participants in the Thursday threads should just keep doing what they've been doing; newcomers should take notice that this thread is meant for open discussion of history and books, not just anything you like -- we'll have a thread on Friday for that, as usual.
I recently finished Serhii Plokhy's Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe, which came out a little earlier this year, and I really thought it was good. Most Chernobyl history books get tied up in nothing but technical details; Plokhy gives a much more comprehensive discussion of the plant and the context of the response to the accident, which has been generally lacking from other works on the subject. Recommended, though those wanting technical details (which are useful but not Plokhy's thing) would do well to keep a copy of Medvedev's The Legacy of Chernobyl at hand.
What’s a good book focused on the establishment of the United Baltic Duchy, the Baltische Landeswehr, and the German involvement in the post WWI Baltic conflicts
What would be a good historical book on the life and military career of Achilles? If such a book is even around?
Has anyone read Minawi's The Ottoman Scramble for Africa? I'm considering buying it, but want to make sure it's more than pop history.
Looking for a recommendation for a book on Roman religion during the Republic. Possibly something with both an overview and a look at its evolution.
I have recently acquired, translated, and read Antonio Grillone's “Iordanes: Getica.” Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2017. This is the latest text, complete with a Latin edition, for Jordanes' Getica, translated into Italian. I am posting this here because the text is so well researched and dutifully edited that, I think, it might finally overtake Mommsen's MGH 5,1 (Getica) edition written in 1877. No small feat, I assure. It's not a cheap book and it's quite difficult to get your hands on at the moment; but if you stumble over the subject of Jordanes and have access to it, grab it.
Anyone know a good book on Medieval Georgia? Academic and popular histories are both fine. I'm especially interested in the Georgian Golden Age/Tamar the Great's rule.
Thanks!