Waffle House Reviews

I guess I read for a lot of reasons. Short reviews are just my opinion, man. Also on mastodon:

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Women & Power - Mary Beard
Entertaining and enlightening look at the portrayals & roles of Women through ancient history and how those perceptions persist to the modern day. Particularly interesting is the analysis of Medusa. pp. 128 ★★★★★

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Pompeii - Robert Harris
Enjoyable romp through the ancient disaster story, brings to life Vesuvio and the surrounding area, well-known settlements populated with figures from history and his own inventions alike. pp.350 ★★★★☆

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Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age - Tom Holland.
Covering Nero to Hadrian, the siege of Jerusalem, Pompeii. A great read, tears along at tremendous pace but never feels rushed, a historical page-turner. pp.360 ★★★★★

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To Hell and Back - Ian Kershaw.
Bird's eye view of European history covering the two world wars and pretty much everything else in that period - necessarily high level and sometimes lacking in detail, but rattles along at pace, very clear and readable. pp.550 ★★★★☆

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Masquerade: The Amazing Camouflage Deceptions of World War II - Seymour Reit. Compelling insight into camouflage and deception techniques used by both sides during WWII, complete with index, glossary and photographs, it's one I will return to. pp.250 ★★★★★

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The Shortest History of Germany - James Hawes. Enlightening outlines German history from Roman times to the present day (2017). Small criticism is it could've done with some more readable maps, but diagrams illustrate points and events in a very digestible way. pp.240 ★★★★☆

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The Normans and Their Myth - R. H. C. Davis. Fascinating little book describing the Normans and their culture. Well illustrated with photos and illuminations. Particularly interesting is the final chapter on the English conquest providing an alternative perspective ★★★★★

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One Second After - William R. Forstchen. Superb read, covering a chillingly plausible event - a series of EMP bursts over the US. Balances a logistical look at society breaking down with strong, likeable characters, a great story that rattles along, a real page-turner ★★★★★

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Darth Plagueis - James Luceno : Brilliant backstory to The Phantom Menace profiling Palpatine's dark side scheming to form the Empire (90)

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Lord Hornblower - C.S. Forester : Mutineers, politics and guerrilla warfare. An altogether darker episode with a melancholy finale (85)

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Tarkin - James Luceno : At times daft, entertaining insight in to the making of Governor Tarkin preceding his Death Star involvement (64)

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The Commodore - C.S. Forester : A return to sea and more action packed encounters as Hornblower commands a squadron in the Baltic (87)

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The Shaping of North America - Isaac Asimov : Beginning with prehistoric times leading up to British domination and the Treaty of Paris (80)

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Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein : Musings on society and personal philosophy set against the backdrop of a science fiction war (26)

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Flying Colours - C.S. Forester : Land based adventures continue on from A Ship of the Line, and a romantic interlude for Hornblower (85)

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The Shepherd - Frederick Forsyth : Benevolent ghost story about a pilot's fraught flight home on Christmas Eve 1957 (85)

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Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel - James Luceno : The Empire schemes in this tale of intrigue as Galen researches the new Death Star weapon (73)

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Consciousness and the Brain - Stanislas Dehaene : Lively and readable study of current thinking around how the brain works (90)

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Apocalypse: A History of the End of Time - John Michael Greer : Playful look at religion & apocalyptic scenarios, with a western focus (65)

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A Ship of the Line - C.S. Forester : Hornblower finds his sealegs, action packed episodic Napoleonic battles around the Spanish coast (85)