First Officer's Log No 25: Let It Snow... History, All Flavors Thereof

History, as any regular reader knows, is a subject near and dear to my heart. Since deciding that my efforts to understand World War I may be futile, at least in my attempt at a two - three week crash course, I've decided that moving onto other military histories might create better understanding. Also, a flawed plan, but, hey, at least I'm learning. I figure, anyone who wants to learn anything about the current world would do themselves a favor by reading history, any history they can get their hands on. It's worked for me.

So, for the fans of history on your list, may I present a few of my picks that should appeal to just about anyone.

** For the US History Fan...

You can't go wrong with Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. Even if you don't agree with Zinn's politics, his writing is fascinating.

Anything David McCullough has written, particularly interesting are his biographies of two presidents, Harry Truman and John Adams. Highly recommended.

** For the Military History Fan...

Well, there's plenty to pick from here. If World War I is your interest, then John Keegan's book The First World War is a good introduction. For World War II buffs, Stephen Ambrose's works, including Band of Brothers, are excellent choices.

** For European History Fans...

Check out anything on famous world leaders, such as Napoleon or Winston Churchill. Reading up on men like these two helps readers understand the contemporary world more, especially considering the world when they were alive. Anything on famous revolutions - Russian and French come to mind - are also excellent choices.

There's so much history to choose from right now, and so much to learn, that it often feels like there's not enough time to read it all in order to understand it better. I fully confess that I've only scratched the surface of the history that interests me, but if you stop by the shop, maybe I can help you out with finding that perfect historical period that fascinates you.

Until next week, fellow bibliophiles.