I enjoyed this one. I knew that the drawdown of American forces after World War II was extreme but not this extreme. Also; what was MacArthur thinking in allowing forces to go up to the Yalu?!
Book completed: Leviathan Falls
Tiamat’s Wrath
Just finished Tiamat’s Wrath by James S. A. Corey.
On to Leviathan Falls and the end of the series.
Here’s the list of books that I have read as part of my goal to read 52 books in a year.
Can I read 52 books in 52 weeks?
My goal is to read 52 books this year. I have a nice head start because of my vacation (see list here). Some of these are fast reads others…not so much. Regardless I have a goal!
Also; the links below are to Amazon but they are not affiliate links so you can’t make me rich this way.
- The Last Citadel: Petersburg, June 1864 – April 1865, Author: Noah Andre Trudeau
- Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War, Author: Charles Bracelen Flood
- The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- Death Without Company (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- Kindness Goes Unpunished (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, Author: Robert L. O’Connell
- Cibola Burn (The Expanse Book 4), Author: James S. A. Corey
- Nemesis Games (The Expanse Book 5), Author: James S. A. Corey
- Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse Book 6), Author: James S. A. Corey
- Persepolis Rising (The Expanse Book 7), Author: James S. A. Corey
- Another Man’s Moccasins (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse Book 8), Author: James S. A. Corey – 1/26/2025
- Leviathan Falls (The Expanse Book 9), Author: James S. A. Corey – 2/16/2025
- Night of the Grizzlies, Author: Jack Olsen
- The Storyteller, Author: Dave Grohl – 2/22/2025
- The Memoirs of W. T. Sherman, Author: William T. Sherman – 3/15/2025
- General Lee, A biography of Robert E. Lee, Author: Fitzhugh Lee – Reading…
- The Generalship Of Ulysses S. Grant, Author: J.F.C. Fuller (paperback) – Reading
- Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila, Author: James M. Scott – 3/22/2025
- Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette and the Age of Revolution, Author: Mike Duncan – 4/6/2025
- The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness, Author: Harlow Giles Unger – 4/15/2025…
- The Darkest Summer: Pusan and Inchon 1950: The Battles That Saved South Korea–and the Marines–from Extinction , Author: Bill Sloan – 5/5/2025
- Abundance, Authors: Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson
Books to read: 2025
A nice list from Ryan Holiday (the list is from the newsletter but posted here). Sign up of the newsletter here.
A few of these I have read, a few of these are not my ‘style’ but.. that’s the point. Get out of your comfort zone.
Here is the list + my additions:
- Slow Productivity: The lost art of accomplishment with Burnout, Author: Cal Newport
- Don’t Just March, Run for Something: A real-talk guide to fixing the system yourself
- The Choice: Embrace the Possible, Author: Dr. Edith Eva Eger
- Montaigne, Author: Stefan Zweig
- A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World’s Sacred Texts
- Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything
- The Children, Author: David Halberstam, Author Julia Baird
- Parting the Waters: America in the King years 1954-63, Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-1965, At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King years 1965-68, Author: Taylor Branch
- Same as Ever: A guide to what never changes, Author: Morgan Housel
- The 48 Laws of Power, Author: Robert Greene
- It Can’t Happen Here, Author: SInclair Lewis
- Address Unknown, Author: Kathrine Kressman Taylor
- The Expanding Circle, Author: Peter Singer
- Atomic Habits, Author: James Clear
- Bushido: The Samurai Code of Japan, Author: Inazo Nitobe
- How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World
- Meditations, Author: Marcus Aurelius
- Junkyard Dogs (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- The Dark Horse (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- Public Enemies, Author: Bryan Burroughs.
Naturally, I’ll read other books but this is a good starting point.
Vacation Reading – Late 2024, Early 2025
I went on vacation from 12/30 to 1/14/2025. I read a few books. They are listed below. I set a goal of reading 52 books for 2025 and I think I got a good head start on that goal. I don’t have a affiliate relationship with Amazon but did link to the books.
- The Last Citadel: Petersburg, June 1864 – April 1865, Author: Noah Andre Trudeau
- Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War, Author: Charles Bracelen Flood
- The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- Death Without Company (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- Kindness Goes Unpunished (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
- Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, Author: Robert L. O’Connell
- Cibola Burn (The Expanse Book 4), Author: James S. A. Corey
- Nemesis Games (The Expanse Book 5), Author: James S. A. Corey
- Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse Book 6), Author: James S. A. Corey
- Persepolis Rising (The Expanse Book 7), Author: James S. A. Corey
- Another Man’s Moccasins (Walt Longmire Mysteries), Author: Craig Johnson
I’ve been on a Civil War kick of late (which started again with ‘Fighting for the Confederacy, The personal recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander and ‘Longstreet: The Confederate General Who defied the South), started the ‘Walt Longmire’ stories because of the TV Show and wanted to finish the ‘The Expanse’ series after finishing the TV show.
A Book: The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization
My wife and I went on vacation last week and I took a few books along (via my Kindle). One of them was ‘The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization’. Quite good and a bit scary. I had no idea that the use of sand was so critical to so many things. Well, I knew about concrete, asphalt and silicone but damn…
Read this on Kottke today
This is from Ethan Hawke’s Rules for a Knight:
One time, on a sweltering August night, Grandfather and I made camp down by the ocean. He said, “While I teach you about the ways of war, I want you to know that the real struggle is between the two wolves that live inside each of us.”
“Two wolves?” I asked, seated on an old log near the fire. My eyes were transfixed by the flames twisting uncomfortably in the night air.
“One wolf is evil,” he continued. “It is anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, deceit, false pride.” He paused, poking at the embers of our fire with a long stick he’d been carving.
“The other is good. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, humility, loving-kindness, forgiveness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, faith.”
I considered that for a minute, then tentatively asked, “Which wolf will win?”
Sparks danced towards the stars as the old man stared into the glare of the flames and replied, “Whichever one you feed.”
If you like the quote hit this link (Kottke.org) and then the Amazon link in the first paragraph.
Good Book: The Tiger – A true story of vengeance and survival
I read this book, ‘The Tiger‘, a while ago and was reminded of it today. Fantastic story. I did not know it was made in to a movie.
Reading 100 years of best selling books
Cool idea.
See the post here.