The occasional scrivener

A great book about the tragic and bloody end of World War 2. Hastings excels at switching from grand strategy to the viewpoints of individuals, soldiers, civilians, prisoners.

Way less dense than I remember his history of the battle of Crete. Maybe he’s become more fluent, or simply slid into the comfortable narrative style of retelling the “Greatest Generation’s” big battles. This is an ok story. The suffering of French civilians in Normandy is highlighted, which usually doesn’t happen.

Ebook maps suck.

Yet another US Marine Pacific War memoir. While Manchester has a great command of language, the combination with a travelogue doesn’t really work. I still think Sledge’s work is the best I’ve read in this genre so far.

An informative and entertaining account of British conflict with Vichy France. It’s a good overview of the history of that shameful part of French history.

An uneasy melange of Solaris and Herbert’s Destination: Void universe. Not my favorite Nagata novel.