I recently read When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting that Changed History by Matthew Restall. It's a fantastic re-analysis of the Conquest of Mexico. So far it's my favorite take on that topic that I've read.

I recently came across the Siege of Changchun in Frank Dikötter's Tragedy of Liberation. He cites a figure of 160,000 people dying of starvation. To my shame, I had not even heard of this battle before. Any recommendations on further reading on it, either books or aarticles?

I don't have a 'field' and like reading things from varried places and perspective. How do I keep a nice 'too read' pile?

Do I browse the catalogues of publishers?

Hello! I'm looking for books on the various conflicts in Europe in the aftermath of WW1.

So far I'm looking at these two:

• Splintered Empires, by Prit Buttar
• Crucible: The Long End of the Great War and the Birth of a New World, 1917-1924, by Charles Emmerson

If there are other options I should consider, I'm all ears. Also, some comments on these works I mentioned would be welcome too.

For reference, I've just finished reading November 1918 by Robert Gerwarth, so I already have some knowledge on the German side.

Thanks!

Any recommendations for books about a waterway or body of water, such as the Nile, Suez canal, Erie Canal, great lakes, ect...

I've been reading Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch. It's over 1000 pages, but I'm finding it really fascinating. I was wondering if anyone was aware of anything "problematic" in the book. Does he take too many leaps (doesn't seem so, at least so far) or make faulty assumptions or anything else I should know. It wouldn't ruin my enjoyment of the book: I just like to be aware if there are problems I might not see on my own because I'm not an expert in the field.

I'm currently reading through John Julius Norwich's Absolute Monarchies, and while his ability to create a historical narrative and really get you into the topic is great, there seems to be a lot of bias and a lack of critique towards certain elements throughout history (such as harsh language reserved for orthodox priests when discussing their meetings and conflict with catholic ones). I'm aware of both his background as well as reviews for other works he's done which mark him as readable but uncritical, and I was wondering if any reviews or consensus had been reached on Absolute Monarchies, as it was completed far more recently than his other works such as those on Byzantium and as such maybe his writing style/the perception of his work has changed.

Any good books about general human history? (I really liked sapiens)

Hi, I'm looking for book recommendations about Hmong involvement in the Vietnam War.