Suggested reading for Russian culture?

[Scamilton]

It was suggested to me and my fellow SFAS classmates to begin reading on the culture of the AO we will be assigned to. I can only assume with my language being Russian, that China will also be a very important country to begin reading and understanding.

I have only started looking into Russia for now, and the book that piqued my interest due to it having been written rather recently, positive reviews, and the scope it covers is...

Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia by Orlando Figes

There were also a couple other books this cadre suggested to us and those are already on the way ("Leadership and Training For The Fight" by MSG Paul Howe and "Masters of Chaos" by Linda Robinson). Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.