Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples Since 1500 (Peter H. Wilson)

History is often not as clean or easy as many who teach it or read about it want it to be. Peel away the outer layer of conventional wisdom and you often find conflicting views that challenge narratives and provide multiple perspectives. In regards to Germany’s history, the idea of a nation founded on militarism and military might is not as clean a narrative as once believed. Peter H. Wilson, an Oxford historian, offers a strong challenge to the conventional wisdom of Germany’s military past in Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples Since 1500.

It’s important to note that this history features more than the components of modern-day Germany, which was dominated by Prussia and Bavaria among a host of smaller kingdoms and feudal states. Before the German Empire was established in 1871, a series of confederations and the Holy Roman Empire preceded it. In Austria, The Habsburgs were in charge of a large multilingual empire that was dominated out of Vienna. Wilson talks about these smaller states, with Austria and Prussia vying to be the strongest voice within the German-speaking world, and how their own constituent armies varied in technology, strength, and military technique…and how they each helped innovate each other. Iron and Blood traces back to the Reformation and shows the slow, uneven evolution of Germany over centuries as these states gradually coalesced around the stronger Prussia as Austrian influence waned.

Wilson challenges some of the historical narratives of German military might, particularly around strategy and leadership. The author cites several examples of wasted resources in World War II by the German military and paramilitary within the Nazi regime as some very strong examples to this. However, one narrative Wilson hasn’t challenged has been modern-day Germany’s aversion to spending heavily on military in the wake of the country’s defeat in World War II.

Iron and Blood is a comprehensive and at times technical read. For military historians, it’s a great bit of research into one of Europe’s historical powers.

MY RATING - 4.5

My Darling Girl (Jennifer McMahon)

I belong to a "Spooky Book Club" group, and Jennifer McMahon is definitely an author who fits well in that group. McMahon's Island of Lost Girls was one of the very first books reviewed on this blog back in July 2009(!) -- she's an author I never miss. So I was really excited to get my hands on My Darling Girl, with a planned release in October (not surprising) of 2023.

I've read all of McMahon's books, and I "think" this is her first book about demonic possession. So if you're not into that, you may want to pass on this one! This is the story of Alison, who gets a call one day that her estranged mother is dying. Alison goes to see her, but her brother cannot forgive what their mother put them through as children. Her mother has one request -- to die in Alison's home. Admirably, (or stupidly?), she agrees. When her mother arrives, strange things start to occur - some even involving Alison's two children, who Alison will do anything to protect. 

I read this one before bed with the lights off, and it really scared me at times. While I didn't like it quite as much as her best (the aforementioned Island), this still has the classic slow-building creepiness that McMahon is known for. Can't wait for the next one!

MY RATING - 4

The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China (Christopher I. Beckwith)

Central Asia has been the home to some of history’s largest empires. You’re likely familiar with the Mongols, who dominated in the 13th Century. You may remember the Huns, who migrated west from Central Asia and dominated parts of Eastern Europe in the 4th and 5th Centuries. One group that is not as well known to history buffs is the Scythians, who dominated and influenced large swaths of Eastern Europe and Asia in the centuries before Alexander the Great and the Romans.

Christopher I Beckwith’s book The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China is a well-researched, highly detailed history of the Scythians and how they influenced philosophy, religion, politics, warfare, and culture. At the height of their power and influence, the Scythians influenced territory ranging from Mongolia and Manchuria in the East to the shores of the Black Sea in the West. Beckwith points out Scythian influence through the fact that three capital cities in very different parts of Asia all had the same name, Agamatana. Additionally, detailed research shows Scythian influence of language on Persian and Chinese.

The Scythian Empire is very detailed, perhaps at times too much so for those who aren’t experts in pre-Roman history. There was one chapter that I had to read at least a couple of times to understand better. However, Beckwith does a great job of highlighting the importance these early influencers had on world culture before the Romans or Alexander the Great came along…and the Scythians made their mark without a smartphone or an Instagram account to reach the masses.

MY RATING - 4.5

How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between (Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner)

Large-scale projects such as airport terminals, power plants, stadiums, and performing arts venues often cost more than what’s advertised and very often don’t deliver what is promised by public officials when they announce their big project. There are a lot of reasons for why big things come in over budget and often later than promised.  Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner uncover some of the secrets to how successful projects can be executed on time and within budget in their entertaining book How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, From Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between.

This book dives into what drives the success and ability of the project to be completed on time. According to the authors, less than one half of one percent of major projects are completed on time and within budget. Based on this statistic, it’s pretty easy to see that failure to plan properly and account for a slew of potential factors is planning to fail.

The authors offer eleven rules of thumb at the end of the book to help in decision making. The most important rules include asking “why” and ensuring that the team of people involved in a major project is right. The best projects have well-functioning teams that can work through disputes and perform to goals and standards. Teamwork and proper planning go a long way and How Big Things Get Done offers plenty of sound advice for projects of all sizes.

MY RATING - 4.5

Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House (Alex Prud'homme)

Alex Prud’homme is a culinary historian, authoring several books about Julia Child. His love of storytelling on the importance of cooking in culture shows up in Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House. This book is a chronology of over two dozen administrations and how they used food to entertain and guide policy, and how the subtle (and not-so-subtle) remarks that a President made had national repercussions. 

Prud’homme draws on the remarks Anthony Bourdain made in 2016, stating “there’s nothing more political than food” as inspiration for the book’s material. Taking us back to the 1790’s, the author talks about how a number of the nation’s most consequential decisions were decided over dinners or were food-based in nature. In addition to these, you learn about the tastes of many of the nation’s presidents, like John Adams preferring hard cider every morning and George H.W. Bush making his distaste for broccoli known. With the latter, the nation’s broccoli farmers had a harsh response to his feelings on their crop.

The highlight of Dinner with the President is the recipes at the end, like Dwight Eisenhower’s steak and Lady Bird Johnson’s Texas chili. The book reads part chronology, part cookbook, and part a series of short stories about how our country has used food to entertain, to politicize, and make important decisions. While the author’s politics sometimes seep through into his writing, this book is a worthy look at our country’s culinary path interwoven through the nation’s highest political office.

MY RATING: 3.5

Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants (James Vincent)

Measuring out ingredients for cooking or distances to travel is something we generally take for granted. Most of the world uses metric measurements, with England using a hybrid of Imperial (miles, pounds, and inches) and metric, and the United States and a few others holding onto the Imperial system of measurement. How did these measurements come about and how did the world drift mostly towards one system while a couple of countries held fast to tradition? James Vincent answers those questions in Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants.

Vincent charts the origins and evolution of how humans measure everything, including day length and years. The evolution of the calendar to the current system, an attempt by the French to change the calendar completely on its ear, and why we have 24 hours and 60 minutes is discussed in detail. Ever wondered how the kilogram is calculated or how a meter is measured? This book will answer those questions and more.

Beyond Measure occasionally wades into the torrent of politics, sometimes a bit too far from a balanced perspective where the author’s opinions take over the reader’s journey. However, his enthusiasm for explaining how measurements have been defined and evolved over time and some of the quirkier battles over how we measure, is very enjoyable. Beyond Measure ultimately measures up to provide a good understanding of how we quantify the world around us.

MY RATING - 4

It Happened Right Here: America's Pop Culture Landmarks (Chris Epting)

Like Chris Epting, I've always been interested in learning where a big event happened. There's just something about standing in the spot of a big cultural "happening" that is profound to me. I was a big fan of Epting's books in the early 2000s -- James Dean Died Here, Elvis Presley Passed Here, and Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here -- so I was happy to see that he finally came out with another book of this type, It Happened Right Here: America's Pop Culture Landmarks.

If you've ever wanted to find out exactly where big events in music, sports, history, etc. happened, this is your book. Want to know where the house made famous in the Brady Bunch is? Or the dorm room where Facebook was created? It's all in here. What's always most exciting about Epting's books for me is finding out things that happened where I lived. Who knew that I lived very close to where Babe Ruth might have hit baseball's longest ever home run?

If you're at all interested in pop culture, It Happened Right Here is a fascinating read. I strongly recommend any of Epting's books.

MY RATING - 4