Become a "Rocking Chair Historian!"

Continuing in the education vein, I had planned on posting a picture of a book that I had read in college:
Recipes From America's Restored Villages by Jean Anderson
I normally enjoy reading cookbooks, but it got me thinking of why I really read it in the first place - it was for a 2 credit directed reading with one of my professors, Jay Anderson (I've heard he's considered the "father of living history" and is quite the pioneer!). I wanted to study about living history museums and so he required me to read one book that he suggested and then I could choose 6 other books myself, the above book was one of them.

As I was trucking along in this vein of thought, it occurred to me that there are a lot of others out there, moms especially, who aren't able to go to school at this stage in their life like me, but who still really enjoy studying history. I realized that I could create some "directed readings" for you readers out there along different historical topics of my particular interest.

If you have a particular history passion, I'd love to get a list from you of books you'd recommend for a directed reading for others to read. The only requirements are that the books chosen need to be easy to obtain through the local library or that it be available for purchase online for a reasonable sum. (No $50 books here! We're not really in school after all.) Also, the books should be of good reading quality, be well-researched, and that they are mostly non-fiction. A brief description of the book and why you liked it for that particular study would be great too.

I know I don't have that many readers, but if you even have friends who are history fans and love reading, send along this post!

Lastly, why do I use the newly-minted term "rocking chair historian"? Well, the term "armchair historian" really makes reference to a retired man sittin' in his well-worn armchair turning pages of a dusty book on Revolutionary War battle strategy, doesn't it? Since I'm aiming for the audience of women and stay-at-home-moms for this project I thought it would be fun to have a more appropriate term. I love rocking our kids in our rocking chair, so why not?

Anyway, look for the new tab at the top titled "Directed Readings".

Have a wonderful and Happy New Year!