Popular European Historical Books

Find historical books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (123)

11.

An Inland Voyage by Robert Louis Stevenson EN

Rating: 3 (1 vote)
Description:
Robert Louis Stevenson was not only a gifted writer, he was also an indefatigable traveller. An Inland Voyage, first published in 1878, is Stevenson's earliest book. It describes a voyage undertaken with this Scottish friend Sir Walter Grindlay Simpson, mostly along the Oise River from Belgium through France, in the autumn of 1876. Stevenson and Simpson each had a wooden canoe rigged with a sail, propelled with double-bladed paddles, a style that had recently become popular. An Inland Voyage paints a delightful picture of Europe in a more innocent time, with quirky innkeepers, travelling enter... continue

12.

An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan by Elliott, Jason EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Description:
"Aware of the risks involved, but determined to explore what he could of the Afghan people and culture, Elliot leaves the relative security of the capital, Kabul.


14.

Babette's Feast by Karen Blixen EN

0 Ratings
Country: Europe / Denmark flag Denmark
Description:
These five rich, witty and magical stories from the author of Out of Africa include one of her most well known tales, ‘Babette’s Feast’, which was made into the classic film. It tells the story of a French cook working in a puritanical Norwegian community, who treats her employers to the decadent feast of a lifetime. There is also a real-life Prospero and his Ariel in ‘Tempests’, a mysterious pearl-fisher in ‘The Diver’ and a brief, tragic encounter in ‘The Ring’. All the stories have a mystic, fairy-tale quality, linked by themes of angels, the sea, dreams and fate. They were among the last t... continue

15.

Bolla by Pajtim Statovci EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Country: Europe / Kosovo flag Kosovo
Description:
From the author of National Book Award finalist Crossing comes an unlikely love story in Kosovo with unpredictable consequences that reverberates throughout a young man's life—a dazzling tale full of fury, tenderness, longing, and lust. “Devastating in the most beautiful ways. From the first pages you realize that you are in the hands of an absolute artist.” —Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, Baby April 1995. Arsim is a twenty-four-year-old, recently married student at the University of Pristina, in Kosovo, keeping his head down to gain a university degree in a time and place deeply hosti... continue

16.

Brittle with Relics : A History of Wales, 1962-97 by Richard King EN

0 Ratings
Description:
Brittle with Relics is a landmark history of the people ofWales during a period of great national change.

17.

Broken April by Ismail Kadare EN

Rating: 3 (3 votes)
Country: Europe / Albania flag Albania
Description:
Gjorg is a young mountaineer who (much against his will) has just killed a man in order to avenge the death of his older brother, and who expects to be killed himself in accordance with the Code that regulates life in the Albanian highlands. A young couple on their honeymoon has come to this place to study its age-old customs-including the blood feud. In Broken April, Ismail Kadare intersects the fates of both Gjorg and the young couple with visions of an unending cycle of obligatory murder and the horrifying effects it has on their respective lives. "Dostoevskian in its dark vision."--Kirkus ... continue

18.

Café Europa Revisited : How to Survive Post-Communism by Slavenka Drakulić EN

0 Ratings
Country: Europe / Croatia flag Croatia
Description:
"Drakulić’s composite portrait provides a clear-eyed look at European values, and what they really amount to." —The New Yorker An evocative and timely collection of essays that paints a portrait of Eastern Europe thirty years after the end of communism. An immigrant with a parrot in Stockholm, a photo of a girl in Lviv, a sculpture of Alexander the Great in Skopje, a memorial ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the Soviet led army invasion of Prague: these are a few glimpses of life in Eastern Europe today. Three decades after the Velvet Revolution, Slavenka Drakulic, the author of Cafe Europ... continue

19.

Chronicle in Stone by Ismail Kadare EN

0 Ratings
Country: Europe / Albania flag Albania
Description:
Masterful in its simplicity, Chronicle in Stone is a touching coming-of-age story and a testament to the perseverance of the human spirit. Surrounded by the magic of beautiful women and literature, a boy must endure the deprivations of war as he suffers the hardships of growing up. His sleepy country has just thrown off centuries of tyranny, but new waves of domination inundate his city. Through the boy’s eyes, we see the terrors of World War II as he witnesses fascist invasions, allied bombings, partisan infighting, and the many faces of human cruelty—as well as the simple pleasures of life. ... continue