Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie

From the Timely and Timeless book discussion group on November 26, 2013.

Though the turnout included only six of us for last week's meeting, the discussion of Catherine the Great was good. This book proved to be a worthwhile challenge. The ratings were very positive with a 4.5 out of 5 rating. We found the unfamiliar Russian names to be difficult. Reading this book also benefited from investing some time with resource materials. Unfortunately, the geography, both physical and political, was not familiar to many of us. But the reward was an intriguing look into a fascinating life and the world and times she occupied. Robert Massie has spent a good bit of his career as a biographer looking at the most renowned historical figures of Russian history. See the library catalogs for further reading. This is the kind of literature that we should hope our leaders in Washington will embrace to be better informed about both allies and/or enemies. The relationship between the US and Russia has had many twists and turns - including over the past 100 years - from allies in the World Wars, to the dark days of the Cold War, to cooperation in scientific research on the MIR space station.

COMING UP

Annual Planning Meeting - December 10, 2013 at noon at the Brownstone in South Whitley

At last week's meeting, we discussed several book suggestions for next year. We are hoping for two or three titles from each member. I know some of you already have some picks in mind. We should be prepared to have a brief synopsis of the choices with a nod to your favorite. As I recall, last year several of us were considering the same books, making the job easier.

--Susan

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