David McCullough Readalong Announcement & Book Giveaway

[@tahlia__nerds_out]

New to your channel… I’ve come here from the @BookZealots channel! I have several of McCullough’s books, but haven’t started any yet. I’m waiting for “The Johnstown Flood” to come in from eBay, so I can get started. I probably won’t be able to keep up with the pace (since I’m reading a lot of other books too), but I’ll do my best to at least somewhat read along

[@Eldertalk]

Welcome! Read at your own pace. There are catch-up months for slow readers like me.

[@billruttenberg]

Hey Linda! This is a great idea for a read along. I have been doing a bit of it myself on my own. So I have some of these already read but I want to read along for a few of them that I haven’t read. I would like to be put in the drawing for the book on the Brooklyn Bridge. Thanks for doing this.

[@Eldertalk]

I would love for you to read some of the books with us. Maybe we'll get some good history insights from you!

[@billruttenberg]

@@Eldertalk Thanks Linda. I plan on joining. As a matter of fact, I bought the book on the Brooklyn Bridge this week at Half Price Books. So I am ready to go for the read-a-thon! Have you decided on a Voxer or Discord??

[@Eldertalk]

@@billruttenberg ... it will be Voxer. If you have the bridge book already should I drop you from the giveaway drawing?

[@billruttenberg]

@@Eldertalk Yes, Linda, take my name out of the drawing. I didn't have it at the time I put in for the drawing, but I don't need it now. Thank you.

[@Eden-Restored]

Sounds like a great project. I hope it goes well for you. I didn’t know you had a blog. 😊

[@Eldertalk]

Yes, I've been blogging a long time - about 24 years now! Long story there. I could write a memoir just about blogging!

[@Eden-Restored]

@@Eldertalk it’s something I’ve just become interested in lately. 😊

[@Eldertalk]

"My Life as a Blogger, 2000-20??" - sound like a good title? Well, maybe a working title. But first I have to write a memoir about my forest fire experience.

[@Eden-Restored]

@@Eldertalk yep good title 👍

[@Littlebiglibrary]

I've always wanted to start a journal or a blog. I keep thinking that I'm too old to start but I keep getting older as I debate it. I remember starting a journal on my 22nd birthday but stopped after a few days. I wished I had kept doing it. Ahhh, regrets of my Life

[@user-iz6cc6lz3j-Vickie]

Fantastic read along. I have 4 of his books. I haven’t started any yet. I will be on the hunt for the rest. I would love to be put in the drawing for the book. It’s one that I don’t have.

[@Eldertalk]

Wonderful, so glad to have you reading with us. Good luck on the drawing. I think I'll wait at least a week, maybe two, until the drawing.

[@BookZealots]

Thank you for asking me to cohost Linda. I'm super excited about this readalong. Do you think Voxer would be a good place to have book discussions?

[@Eldertalk]

Yes, I like Voxer. It is all one fluid conversation without archives. That's fine with me. If we want anything kept for posterity we can make videos about it. I'm not as fond of Discord because of the silly creatures!! And I'm only now trying to get used to using it.

[@BookZealots]

@@Eldertalk I feel the same about discord. Plus, I always have technical problems with that platform. I don't know why. I like the recording aspect of voxer too for people who prefer to record their message.

[@Eldertalk]

@@BookZealots Okay then, Voxer it is. A lot of people don't like Goodreads as much as I do, and there's no voice messaging there.

[@BookZealots]

@@Eldertalk I wonder if they don't like Goodreads because it's owned by amazon?

[@Eldertalk]

@@BookZealots Please send me your Voxer username so I can start the group. If you want privacy here is my email address: [e-mail]

[@windowinthesky88]

I might not be able to read all these books due to my reading schedule that I have planned, but it is so exciting you have put together this read-along of one of my favorite authors. I have only read 4 of his books, but once I read “John Adams”and “1776” I knew he was a favorite. “John Adams” is a great biography. I have read it twice. I will say it probably by chance, but reading John Adams in September/October 2025 is perfect for his birthday is in October. Happy Reading.

[@PrevailingFreedom]

I’ve read McCullough’s book “Pioneers” and thought it was really well done. So the other day I bought Truman and The Wright Brothers. Besides those and 1776 which I’ve been meaning to read for a while, I’d love to read about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge! Architectural masonry is one of my favorite topics. I’d love to be included in the giveaway if still possible. Thanks and God bless!

[@Eldertalk]

Great - I'll be doing the drawing in a few days!

[@EFergDindrane]

Fascinating! I'm in!

[@Eldertalk]

Great, I look forward to reading with you!

[@angieandthegreatworld]

I’ve wanted to read David McCullough but haven’t yet. I’d like to join you for at least a couple of reads.

[@Eldertalk]

I hope you'll read some books with us. He's a good historian and I've been amazed at how much I didn't know before - especially in reading 1776!

[@JamesRuchala]

Sounds like fun. I might join for some of them. John Adams is tempting

[@Eldertalk]

Erion really liked that John Adams book. I just want to read them all. So far I've read The Pioneers, The Johnstown Flood, and 1776.

[@kwonset]

i'm going to do my best to read along with you!! if you haven't finished the giveaway, please include me.

[@Eldertalk]

Wonderful, I'm glad you'll be reading with us and I'll add you to the drawing for the book.

[@faithbooks7906]

I would like to join in with the books I have not read yet (though I would like to read 1776 which was the first book I ever read by him and have been wanting to revisit it). For The Great Bridge, I probably won't be able to start reading until the end of September but maybe I can just read more intensely in October. I am going to go over and look at your blog. This is a great read along idea! And I would like to enter for the giveaway!

[@Eldertalk]

That would be great for you to read along with all the books you haven't read yet - that's the most I could expect anyhow... and we just had a good buddy read of the Johnstown Flood book last year. I think I'll reread parts of it in August; just like visiting an old friend I guess... though it is a traumatizing topic! About the giveaway, I'll wait a week or two then have a drawing during a video.

[@Littlebiglibrary]

This is a great idea. But I might participate in certain reads but I know I won't be able to complete the whole series. That being said Please enter my name for the giveaway. A really nice video. Thank you -James

[@Eldertalk]

I know most people won't want to read all the books, but feel free to join in with whatever books are calling to you, when we get to them. And I know you just read 1776!

[@Littlebiglibrary]

I also would love to read the one on the Panama Canal. My wife bought me a pack of photos from an auction and it has original pictures of the marking of the Panama Canal. It shows them removing graves from a cemetery

[@Eldertalk]

Wow, they robbed graves and photographed it? Well, just goes to show how strange some people are. I've never been in favor of moving graves, but that's another long involved story, maybe for another time.

[@Littlebiglibrary]

I believe that they were relocating the graves to another cemetery. The graves were probably in the direct path of the area where the canal was to dug. Funny thing is that the graves were of Chinese people. I wonder what Chinese people were doing in that area so many years ago?

[@Eldertalk]

@@Littlebiglibrary - That surprises me, that they were Chinese people! Not because they were there (they've been in California since the Gold Rush or earlier) but because they left graves there! When I first moved to the small mountain town I live in here in California near the Oregon border, I knew there had been a large Chinese population in this town at one time. They moved out around 1910-1920. I asked someone where the Chinese cemetery was and learned that they had the habit of digging up the bones and transporting them back to China for reburial in their native land!