The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum by Margalit Fox (2024)

This captivating, concise, and well-crafted tale follows a crime boss "fence" who ruled the redistribution of stolen goods during the wild, violent 19th century in the USA. The characters burst with color and intrigue, drawing the reader into vivid slices of life across New York's diverse social classes. This historical fiction echoes Amor Towles' style, brimming with authentic dialogue and era-specific slang. 4/5 stars.

The Lessons of History by Will & Arielle Durant (1997)

This extremely dense collection of aphorisms and pearls of wisdom is a very thin shell of the 11 volume The Story of Civilization that won the Durants so many accolades and awards.  My buddy Senthil recommended it so I picked it up.  It is so dense and profound, the reader must constantly pause and ponder.  Now I am curious about Will Durant's magnum opus. 4/5 Stars.

The Pope at War by David I Kertzer (2024)

Drawing on new materials from the Vatican released in 2022, the author addresses myths about Pope Pius XII. The book details how Pius XII supported the Axis powers and helped send all of the Italian Jews to death camps. It also notes his lack of support for Polish Catholics and other Catholic clergy in countries occupied by Germany during WWII. I found the book depressing. 3/5 Stars.

Reentry by Eric Berger (2024)

I read Eric's articles and weekly column in Ars Technica. So I had low expectations that much new material would be in his book.  I was therefore thrilled that everything in the book was never published before.  The details of the people and events at SpaceX (not Elon), at Nasa, Spaceforce, and US regulatory bureaucracies are exciting and enlightening.  There are many deep biographical sketches of the real heroes behind the company and their successes. The book is gripping, well-written, extremely interesting for any space nerd, and highly recommended. 5/5 Stars.

Deception - The Great Covid Cover-Up by Rand Paul (2023)

The Wuhan Lab's "gain of function," including cover-ups, deception, and the people behind the odd lockdown policies are brightly illuminated in this interesting book.  The silly politics are distracting and boring, but the information about the corruption, censorship, and the conflicts of interest within government funding agencies and EcoHealth Alliance are very good.  4/5 Stars.

SPQR by Mary Beard (2015)

Another birthday present that sat on my stack for 4 months. This book is the foundation of amateur and professional understanding of the early roman empire. Mary Beard uses wonderful examples and anecdotes to illuminate the complex ideas, opinions, and daily lives of the people of ancient Rome, their moires, customs, social interactions, and international relations.  The book explains in wonderful prose the evolving attitudes of the ancient people in all stations of life, from the starving slaves to the elite nobles. One must read it slowly to ponder the depth of the revelations and refer back to the maps and photos scattered throughout the book.  5/5 Stars.

Forgotten Ally by Rana Mitter (2013)

Great history book that fills in many gaps of what most of us outside of China were never taught about the Japanese invasion and 8-year war in China during the second world war.  The tragedies, suffering, devastation, and depravity of all of the leaders during that era in that theater of the war are eye-opening. There were no "good guys" in that conflict.  5/5 Stars.

There's a story about that

David has finally put his money where his mouth is. Well, actually, he put his time and effort where his writer's pen is.  The TASAT (there's a story about that) organization is now up and running and is associated with the Arthur C Clark Center for Human Imagination at UC San Diego.  I joined, of course.  It sounds like fun!

Imperial Twilight by Stephen R. Platt (2018)

I really appreciated the style of this book.  The story-telling and drama kept my attention through the tedious details of the myriad names, dates, events, and dry, academic historiography, where conflicting historical evidence is analyzed. The interesting origins of the Opium War and the deep insights from each main character's point of view are very interesting. 4/5 Stars.

Die Heilung der Welt von Ronald Gerste (2021)

Jemand schlug mir vor, „Wie Krankheiten Geschichte machen" zu lesen. Als ich nach diesem Titel suchte, fand ich in der Bibliothek dieses Buch desselben Autors. Es ist interessant und gut geschrieben. Wie Wladimir Lenin zum Thema politische Geschichte sagte: „Es gibt Jahrzehnte, in denen nichts passiert; und es gibt Wochen, in denen Jahrzehnte passieren." Das gilt auch für die Geschichte der Medizin. Es gab Jahrhunderte, in denen keine Welt verändernde Entdeckungen oder Technologien entdeckt oder angewendet wurden, und es gab Jahrzehnte, die die Gesundheit und das Wohlergehen der Menschen mehrfach völlig veränderten. In diesem Buch geht es um die medizinischen Revolutionen, die die moderne Welt von 1840 bis 1870 prägten, es enthält jedoch eine kürzere Berichterstattung über die Ursprünge der medizinischen Wissenschaft in den 1790er Jahren und die Ergebnisse bis in die 1920er Jahre. Das Buch ist manchmal etwas zu explizit und ekelerregend, aber insgesamt lohnt es sich. 4/5 Sterne.

Six Days of War by Michael Oren (2002)

My work space at home is the bedroom of one of our older children who no longer lives here.  This book was on her shelf.  The book is fantastic and highly recommended. The reader is bluntly confronted by the terrible incompetence and tragic miscommunications of international politics & diplomacy.  The story unfolds with vivid clarity from the original records. Anyone curious about this conflict must read this book. 5/5 Stars.

The Blue Age by Gregg Easterbrook (2021)

Tuesday Morning Quarterback (TMQ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuesday_Morning_Quarterbackwas my favorite weekly column from 2000 until it ended in 2017.  Along with millions of other fans, I was sorely disappointed when Easterbrook stopped writing the column.  Longing for his wit, insights, and aphorisms,  I read two of Easterbrook's books, Sonic Boom and The Here and Now. I disliked both books.  Blue Age is much better!  I recommend this one.  4/5 Stars.

The Pursuit of Power by William H McNeill (1982))

I normally don't enjoy these dense, phonebook-long history textbooks with too many names, dates.  But this book is fantastic; there is never a dull moment.  It is deeply insightful and posits the author's theories of larger, sociological nation-state behaviors not only of the leaders but the populations.  5/5 Stars.  I am grateful someone at work recommended the book.

The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell

Another wonderfully entertaining book by a great story-teller.  I had seen the Fog of War documentary 20 years ago, and I remember Robert McNamara's comments about Curtis LeMay.  But I did not know about the effectiveness of the  Norden bombsight, or details of all the other characters in the story. Readers must remember that Gladwell is highly opinionated and uses loaded language with great story-telling to slant the facts.  So keep wikipedia handy. 4/5 Stars. The book is very entertaining.

Breaking History by Jared Kushner

Tight, well-written political history from an outsider brought into the inner-circle of the whitehouse during the dark times of the "Trump" years.  Fun details of the drama, power struggles, and "leaks" that politicians use to attack each other. The author appears to be a bright person who read a lot of political books to take on his role. This insider's account of the creation of the Abrahamic Accords is worthwhile. 4/5 Stars.

Power, Faith, & Fantasy, America in the Middle East 1776 - 2011 by Michael Oren

"I am not a great man. I am a failure, and you have made me one."  --Jimmy Carter to Yasir Arafat, July, 2000.

This well-researched and insightful history book fills in some important gaps that other historical fiction and history books I have read on this topic leave out. The book is long but still manages to omit an enormous amount of context and concurrent events to those described.  I wish professor Oren had added more references and made the book longer (it is very long, but still fantastic).  The main theme of misset expectations, culture clash, and lack of empathy among the leaders is well-presented.  If you are at all interested in America in the Middle East, I highly recommend the book, 5/5 Stars.

Iran: A Modern History by Abbas Amanat

I frequently lament my choices in books to read, especially history books. This thousand-page detailed account of the last 350 years of Iran's history falls squarely into that category.  Most of the last third of the book (mid 20th century to present) is interesting and valuable to understand the current politics and social dynamics of the region today.  The detailed history of poetry, literature, film, art, and culture surrounding the secular, religious, social, and political dynamics is just too much and I do *not* recommend the book for light reading.  I did learn a lot, though. The political and religious dynamics of the Khomeni reign of terror was particularly interesting and the 21st century (contemporary) details are fantastic background to understand the current revolution and why it will succeed. 2/5 Stars.

Gangsters vs Nazis by Michael Benson

Fun, interesting, well-researched history of a fascinating time in early to mid 20th century USA politics and social dynamics. It is unfortunately not well-written or edited and reads too much like a colorful textbook.  Despite the "Barbara Tuchman Telephone Book" style, I really enjoyed the anecdotes, stories, and commentary. 4/5 Stars.

The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre

The best of Macintyre's books yet.  Extremely interesting, informative, and entertaining. 5/5 Stars.

Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre

Another fun, interesting, true story by Ben Macintyre, recommended by the friend who told me to read Agent Sonya. I loved the hilarious twists and turns in the story and how truth is so much stranger than fiction. 5/5 Stars.