Hi! I’m on a medieval kick, and if there are any reads you especially recommend with a religion angle, I’d be very interested to hear. Subjects of particular interest to me:

• Religion and the problem of evil in the time of the Great Mortality
• Religion and magic (necromancy, the occult, conjury, astral magic, etc)
• Religion, politics and warfare (particularly the relationships clerical leaders had with political and military leaders)
• What the lives of nuns and monks were like during the Middle Ages
• What “church” looked like in villages versus cities, and what the relationships between the clergy who resided in these places was like
• the relationships between religion and warrior orders like the templars, paladins, etc

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Been on a French Revolution kick recently.

Any recommended books on Marquis de Lafayette? I just read The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered but came away underwhelmed with its depth. Made a bit more sense when I realized the author was an art historian-- she seemed much more interested in random portraits and possessions than relationships. At one point it effectively time jumps forward 15 years, skipping the Napoleonic Wars and cursorily glossing over the death of Lafayette's wife.

Also just completed A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution and enjoyed it. A little dry and relatively high level, but as an American who knew very little about the French Revolution, it educated me quite a lot and was a great French Revolution 101 for me.

Hey guys, I didn’t want to make a post about this so I guess I got lucky on what day it was! This is US history specifically. Is there a best book out there analyzing George W Bush’s presidency? I have his autobiography, but I want something more analytical and in-depth.

I'm looking for good history books on the formations of states in early human history. Essentially why states formed from smaller communities and what caused them to form where they did. I am aware of the works of James C. Scott but I hear he is controversial in his arguments.

Hi, i am looking for books on the legal or political development of Meiji, Taisho and Showa-Japan (primarily pre-war, but good books on post-war showa are welcome). Books on the same topic for Manchukuo would also be great. There were some relevant books in the wiki, but suggestions seemed kind of sparse on the whole period, especially these topics.

Primarily i am interested how the political system developed, how the interactions between civil and military institutions worked and the legal framework that was in place. But all general suggestions of books on politics, law, economics or culture in this timeframe are appreciated.

Hello, I am looking for an English language book about the life of Jeanne d'Arc/Joan of Arc, does anyone have good recommendations?

Hello I am looking for book recommendations on mexica/atzecs, in depth or introductory, all will be appreciated!

This might be a bit late, but I’ve been reading a bit about the recent killing of Azerbaijani crime boss Nadir Salifov and I’m fascinated by the Soviet/post-Soviet criminal underworld and the network of воры в законе. For example, I still can’t wrap my head around how Russian vegetable markets can be so profitable as to be the object of bloody mafia feuds. Does anyone have reading suggestions on this topic in English or Russian? Thanks!

Looking for good books on the history of South Africa, particularly the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.

WHAT IS A GOOD CONTEMPORARY TEXT ON THE JACOBITES? Hi guys, I love anything 18th century, especially the Jacobites. However, given a cursory glance, there seems to be a good few texts on the subject. What is a good, recent text that's a good in depth intro to the subject?