North America

Alex Worthy · Post by **Alex Worthy** » Tue September 23rd, 2008, 9:17 pm

[quote=""Leyland""]Here's a link to Jimmy Carter's Revolutionary era novel The Hornet's Nest. I still have it on my TBR shelf, so I can't really recommend it or not to anyone at this time. http://www.amazon.com/Hornets-Nest-Nove ... 841&sr=1-5

I noticed a lack of customer reviews, so maybe no one else has read it![/quote]

I couldn't finish it. Very dull writing.

Cornwell's Starbuck series (Civil war) is good. At least the first two books I read were.

Billy Gadache by Loren Estleman is good
Little Big Man (previously mentioned) is excellent
Lonesome Dove by McMurty (though I didn't like the others in the series)

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Sun December 7th, 2008, 7:13 pm

I am starting up a non fiction history that might intrigue people, esp if you are interested in pre-columbian America. Painter in a Savage Land is about Jacques de Moyne de Morgues, the first European artist to reach the New World (in Florida). I read about him in Tony Horwitz's fantastic book A Voyage Long and STrange, and glad I will be able to read more about him. The illustrations of this mans work are worth the book itself.

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MrsMorland · Post by **MrsMorland** » Sun December 7th, 2008, 9:14 pm

My all time favorite is Massachusetts by Nancy Zaroulis. It's a family saga that starts with the settlement of Plymouth and follows one family all the way through the 1970's. I have not read it in a few years, so maybe I'll dust it off soon!
http://www.amazon.com/Massachusetts-Nan ... 362&sr=1-1

princess garnet · Post by **princess garnet** » Tue December 9th, 2008, 12:29 am

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote a Civil War trilogy and another novel about Pearl Harbor.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Tue December 9th, 2008, 6:39 am

Gingrich had a co-author. I was more impressed before I found that out. Gettysburg got good reviews, though I haven't read it yet.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Tue December 9th, 2008, 1:21 pm

You mean a ghost writer? That seems to happen more often than not these days.

BTW does anyone know if Obama had a ghost writer for his books? I heard this and it sounds plausible, but he is such a good speech writer I really doubt it. Any good links?

Ludmilla · Post by **Ludmilla** » Tue December 9th, 2008, 5:08 pm

I don't think you'd call the co-author of Gingrich's book a ghost writer. He's given credit on the front cover of the book (William Forstchen). It's actually alternate history that imagines what would have happened if the Confederates had won at Gettysburg. I haven't read it, though.

Don't know about Obama's book. It wouldn't surprise me if he'd had a ghost writer (and I don't mean that negatively; it's not an uncommon practice for those types of books, I presume).

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Tue December 9th, 2008, 8:26 pm

No, Obama did not have a ghost writer. He wrote Dreams from my Father before he was ever a household name or had any money to speak of to pay a ghost writer. If you've read it - it's obvious he didn't need one!

I'm not sure if Forstchen was credited on the first edition of Gettysburg, but he's getting full credit now for all the novels he and Gingrich co-wrote, so he would be a co-author, not a ghost writer.

Ariadne · Post by **Ariadne** » Tue December 9th, 2008, 10:24 pm

In many of the novels that Gingrich/Forstchen co-wrote, Albert S. Hanser is listed as a contributing editor on the title page, though not on the front cover. It's interesting to see how many people played a part in writing those books!

love_uk · Post by **love_uk** » Wed September 30th, 2009, 6:22 am

James Michener's Centennial

all of Jeff & Michael Shaara's books