I'm going to split up my submissions for the crowdsourced history reading list initiated by Chris into several topical lists (with cross references), beginning with the authors and book series I'm submitting in toto, as well as some basic reference material.  So:

ALL BOOKS BY ...
* Antonia Fraser (women's history, Tudors & Stuarts)
* Ian Mortimer (British history, particularly Middle Ages)
* Dan Jones (ditto)
* Stanley Wells (Shakespeare -- everything from biographies and history to criticism)
* John Julius Norwich (British and Mediterranean history)

* Christopher Hibbert (ditto)
* Jared Diamond (intersection of (world) history, geography, and sociology)

SERIES
* Will Durant, Ariel Durant: The Story of Civilization (11 volumes, Ancient Orient to Age of Napoleon)

* Various Authors: Fischer Weltgeschichte (published elsewhere as Weidenfeld & Nicolson Universal History / Siglo XXI Editores Historia Universal / Storia Universale Feltrinelli, and Bordas / Fayard Histoire Universelle, respectively) (36 vols., prehistory to present day)

BASIC REFERENCE
* Oxford Encyclopedia of World History
* Putzger Atlas der Weltgeschichte (unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge not translated into English -- but for my money, one of the best historical cartographical works in existence)

Author:  Yona Zeldis McDonough

Awards:N/A

Synopsis:A great read to enhance study of the Underground Railroad! Tells about the many different tools used by freedom-seeking slaves, such as quilts as maps, songs, and secret signs, and some of the people, black and white, who helped them on their way. There are 80 illustrations and a 16-page photo insert that bring the information to life.  A wonderful resource to have for the history buff!

Grade:  3-7

Genre:Non-Fiction, History

Citation:Goodreads

Resisting Alexandre is a fantastic contemporary romance by Carole Mortimer.  This is a fairly quick read, perfect for those with limited reading time.  Ms. Mortimer has delivered a well-written book loaded with outstanding characters.  Stazzi works at the Meyers Hotel and accidentally sent an email stating what a demanding pain in the butt Prince Alexandre was being about his upcoming trip.  Alexandre has wanted Stazzi since he saw a photo of her on the hotel website.  Alexandre and Stazzi's story is packed with drama, humor, sizzle and a little suspense.  I enjoyed reading Resisting Alexandre and look forward to reading more from Carole Mortimer in the future.  Resisting Alexandre is book 0.5 of the Knight Security Series but can be read as a standalone.  This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

It serves me right really as I thought that I'd really enjoy this novel by John Mortimer as the Rumpole stories were quite fun. It is however a product of its times, written in the 1980s, when novels about the foibles of the middle classes were popular and abundant. It is dated and rarely amusing as we discover the lives of Simeon, a left-wing country parson and his family and their story from the 1950s to the 1980s and their impact on the other people in their circle. There's plenty of adultery and plotting, political manipulation and legal wrangles. Disappointing.