Seeking Resources and Recommendations for History Enrichment

Hi everyone,
I’m a Year 12 student currently studying History, English Literature, and Economics, and I’m aiming to apply to Russell Group universities. However, I feel that I’m slightly behind on enrichment and extracurricular activities, especially in terms of developing strong references for my teachers.
As I’m hoping to pursue History at university, I would be incredibly grateful if anyone could share any books, resources, links, or courses that could help broaden my historical knowledge and strengthen my university reference. Specifically, I’m studying the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and the British Empire in History. Any recommendations related to these topics would be immensely helpful.
Thank you so much in advance for your support!

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, or Guns, Germs, Steel by Jared Diamond would give you a totally different perspective on history.
PS "I'm aiming to apply to Russell Group universities..." Presumably you don't feel your application is strong enough to apply to St Andrews, Lancaster, Royal Holloway etc??? 😁

Thank you so much, if you do have any other reading recommendations please let me know
Also, didnt understand your PS lol

Why The West Rules - For Now, by Ian Morris. Perhaps particularly relevant given the recent furore over Chinese AI capabilities.
What type of history are you interested in?
None of the unis I mentioned are in the RG, though all are "good" for history.

Sounds great, appreciated lots!
Mainly interested in legal systems placed in the centuries, how they differed etc. Also enjoy USSR, religion and willing to read outside my personal interests aswell.
Ah okay, ofcourse I'll apply uni's outside the RG, but wanted to have at least 2 RG unis to apply to lol

Hi everyone,
I’m a Year 12 student currently studying History, English Literature, and Economics, and I’m aiming to apply to Russell Group universities. However, I feel that I’m slightly behind on enrichment and extracurricular activities, especially in terms of developing strong references for my teachers.
As I’m hoping to pursue History at university, I would be incredibly grateful if anyone could share any books, resources, links, or courses that could help broaden my historical knowledge and strengthen my university reference. Specifically, I’m studying the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and the British Empire in History. Any recommendations related to these topics would be immensely helpful.
Thank you so much in advance for your support!