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:
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.
What is a good book about the Western/Avignon Schism of the Catholic Church? Particularly something that also touches on the background that lead up to it and the after effects on the Church and its popular perception as well if possible.
I love books like People of the Abyss by Jack London, Road to Wigan Pier by Orwell, Nickel and Dimed or the Time traveller's guide to.....
Books that give me an insight into the regular life of people that is often not visible to folks in our circumstance, whether due to chronological, sociological, cultural or financial reasons.
Request any and all recommendations that may be in a similar vein.
What is your favourite oral history book? I don't mean books about oral history as an academic field but books with people's stories about their experiences. The era or geographic location don't matter.
Are there any recently (last 3-5 years) academic books about consumption? It's not my field but I'd like to get updated with the state of the art
Any books that document the life of Jie of Xia?