What Non-Fiction Book have you just finished?

[death tribble]

The Concise Pepys by Samuel Pepys. This is his diary from 1659 to 1669 which he kept until his failing eyesight persuaded him to give it up. The diary covers the restoration of Charles II, the plague of 1665 to 66 and the Great Fire of 1666. Fascinating and insightful but it is a big read. 

[Cygnia]

The Man from the Train

from Bill James & Rachel McCarthy James.  A hypothetical on who may have been responsible for the Villasca Axe Murders in Iowa back 1912, as well as a bunch of other unsolved cases of mass murder.  I just found it very dry and condescending in places (a similar reaction I had to James' "Popular Crime" a few years back).

[csyphrett]

Save the cat writes a novel by Brody is a how to writing book that shows the beginning writer how to break things down into pieces for whatever story they are writing

CES 

[death tribble]

The Official History of the Tour de France by various.This is the updated book of the Tour de France going from its beginnings until the end of the 2019 race. It goes into how it started and who were the winners not only of the race but also the King of the Mountains and the Green Points jersey. This is the first cycling book I have gotten my hands on and it wont be the last 

[Cygnia]

"Grunt" by Mary Roach

 

Quote

Grunt tackles the science behind some of a soldier's most challenging adversaries—panic, exhaustion, heat, flies, noise—and introduces us to the scientists who seek to conquer them. Roach visits a repurposed movie studio where amputee actors help prepare Marine Corps medics for the shock and gore of combat wounds. At Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti, in east Africa, she discovers that diarrhea can be a threat to national security. Back in the US, fashion designers at U.S. Army Natick Labs explain why a zipper is a problem for a sniper. Roach samples caffeinated meat, sniffs an archival sample of a World War II stink bomb, and stays up all night with the crew tending the missiles on the nuclear submarine USS Tennessee. She answers questions not found in any other book on the military: Why is DARPA interested in ducks? How is a wedding gown like a bomb suit? Why are shrimp more dangerous to sailors than sharks? Take a tour of duty with Roach, and you’ll never see our nation’s defenders in the same way again.

 

[Old Man]

Zero Trust Networks: Building Secure Systems in Untrusted Networks by Gilman and Barth. In which the authors, by describing a general methodology for achieving a reasonable degree of cyber security on the modern internet, only highlight the inadequacy of tools and organizational willpower to achieve anything close to it. 

[Cancer]

A Game of Birds and Wolves: ((Two different teaser lines follow that, depending on whether you ahve the UK edition or the US edition)) by Simon Parkin

tl;dr version of this review:  Wargamers won the Battle of the Atlantic!  Women wargamers!!

When the Nazis unleashed the U-boats in WW2, there were very few U-boats, but they were very well led, on both the single-ship level and the grand command level.  Doenitz was convinced, almost correctly, that correct submarine tactics would sink cargo vessels faster than the Allies could build new ones, and strangle Britain economically into ineffectiveness if not submission.  His invention was the Rudeltaktik, wolf pack, where significant groups of U-boats would deploy in a widely spaced line athwart the expected route of a convoy, and converge on the convoy and attack.  But there was more to the tactic, and that was Otto Kretschmer's decision to attack ships at night, from very close range and on the surface, within the convoy itself. This would allow the U-boat to score sinkings reliably, and if escort vessels threatened, the submarine would  submerge, go deep, and wait there until the escorts gave up.  In fact, Kretschmer preferred to approach and penetrate convoys on the surface at night, when the surface speed of the U-boat was higher than that of the cargo ships; the U-boat's small profile meant an excellent chance to get among the targets without being seen.  The results were spectacular, with appalling losses among the convoyed merchantmen and few U-boats lost; in 1940, the U-boats sank almost 2.2 million tons (G.R.T.) of shipping while losing 23 submarines.  From June until October, 270 merchant ships were sunk.

 

Then all that changed in May 1943.  That month, in the Atlantic the Allies lost 34 merchant ships, totalling 134,000 tons.  The Germans lost 34 U-boats in the same space and time, plus another 9 lost in other waters.  43 U-boats lost was a quarter of the U-bootwaffe's operational strength.  Doenitz was obliged to withdraw his submarines from the Atlantic convoy zones.

 

Discussions of the Battle of the Atlantic have come to agree that many factors converged to that the clear defeat of the U-boats came together suddenly.  Many of these are technological factors: weapons systems like Hedgehog; the "bases for destroyers" deal which sent fifty obsolescent US destroyers to the British in late 1940, and emergency production of small escort vessels, the Flower-class corvettes; repeated improvements in detection systems like radio direction finding and several generations of radar technology; more intelligent use of resources previously locked up by interservice jealousies, as when B-24s were released by Bomber Command to Coastal Command and used for air patrol, and yet more B-24s were transferred to the Atlantic from the Pacific by the Americans on a direct order by Roosevelt; introduction of the escort carriers with small numbers of aircraft which were disproportionately effective in killing submarines; and the improvements in signals intelligence on both sides: on the Allied side, breaking the early German naval Enigma encryption system, losing that intelligence when the Germans upgraded it, and regaining it again when that also was broken; the Germans broke the British Naval Cipher 3 in March 1942, which was only mitigated by the Allies when that code was finally replaced in June 1943.  And, for each technological improvement, there's a time lag between first availability and when enough ships have received the new equipment (or enough of the new ship and aircraft types are deployed) , or have finally learned how to use it correctly, that it starts making for real effects out on the ocean. Finally, in several of the books I have read, there have been vague statements made about "improved tactics" by the Royal Navy, without any clear discussion of what those were. This book provides some of those details -- maddeningly little for a real grognard like me, but more than nothing -- and explains how those were developed.

 

Early on, the Royal Navy did not have any coherent instructions for escort vessel captains when merchant ships started sinking.  Ships were on their own, without a doctrine for what to do, other than vague "find and attack" orders.  It was not recognized that the most devastating attacks on the merchant vessels were from submarines firing torpedoes from *inside the convoy*.

 

Gilbert Roberts was ordered -- allowed, really -- to form the Western Approaches Tactical Unit in January 1942 to develop tactics for the defense of the convoys.  Most of the staff were Wrens, Women's Royal Navy Service personnel.  And what they did was deduce the U-boats' penetrate-then-shoot tactics by the wolf pack submarines, invent a naval wargame that simulated the attack on a convoy by U-boats, "game out" tactics that would work against the wolf packs, encapsulate those tactics into a system that could be taught, and then train the escort ship commanders in those tactics so they could find and kill U-boats.  The first such tactic was code-named "Raspberry", putting the escorts on a search pattern largely behind the convoy, which was where more approaching U-boats would come from, and where the ones who had already attacked would be trying to hide silently after they had been spotted.

 

Much of the book is more human history than military-naval history, which is inevitable, given that the UK was particularly slow to declassify things after the war, which leads to grognard frustration as you wade through the personal gossip waiting for more good (military) stuff.  Still, a better insight into the development of those tactics than anything else I've read.

[Sociotard]

Invisible Women Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

[death tribble]

1915: The Death of Innocence by Lyn Macdonald

This book details what was happening on the Western Front for the British soldiers. So you have the battles of Neuve Chapelle and Loos. And then the mess that was Gallipoli. The sheer number of deaths day by day due to shell fire and snipers when the battles are not on is staggering. What it does show is that the Germans could be beaten even if there is a shortage of shells and things do not go well.

It is something you don't tend to hear about. The start of the war certainly and then the Somme in 1916 but 1915 does not get much coverage except Gallipoli. A great read for me. 

[death tribble]

Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger

This is the account of a German soldier Ernst Junger and his participation in the First World War from joining his unit in December 1914 until he was wounded and invalided out in August 1918. It brings home the grind of the war as snipers and shell fire exact a deadly toll on a regular basis. Ernst details what happens in a matter of fact way. It is a short book at around 288 pages but it is simply brilliant.

[Sociotard]

"You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington"

 

It was an interesting read! It wasn't a hatchet-job; the author was always ready to praise Washington for his courage, fiscal management, and humility. At the same time, the book dealt with Washington's slaves in a blunt way. It maintains that the word 'plantation' should always be read as 'forced labor camp', for example. Or, on the last page, it details how and where Washington and his family were buried, then immediately describes the field where Washington placed his slaves in unmarked graves.

[death tribble]

Two smaller books finished on the same day.

 

Achtung Panzer ! by Heinz Guderian.

This is the case for Blitzkreig by the German general who went on to implement it. It also very clearly states Germany lost because it cold not adapt to the tactics etc that the allies used. And bear in mind this is published in the 30s and circulated to German officers. Fascinating looking at events of the 1st World War from the opposition's viewpoint.

 

The Monuments The Grit and Glory of Cycling's Greatest One Day Races by Peter Cossins. This covers the five cycling classics called The Monuments from their founding to 2014. The five are Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Lombary, Milan-SanRemo and The Tour of Flanders. The book covers who won each year the races were contested and how the routes were changed.

 

Both books I got on the cheap so I think money well spent.

 

[Cancer]

Not books I have read ... yet ... this is copy-pasted from the journal Nature, five books for summer (or winter):

 

• Our pick of the best science and science-fiction books to read now (even if it’s winter — I see you, Southern Hemisphere):
• A history of the metaphors behind brain research faces a dark past and disquieting future in biologist and historian Matthew Cobb’s The Idea of the Brain.
• After a century of digging, archaeologists are still tantalized by the secrets of the 7,000-year-old city of Megiddo. Explore the archaeology of the place that gave rise to the word ‘Armageddon’ with Eric Cline in Digging Up Armageddon.
• From tobacco to food and fuels, industries use denial, deceit and doubt to corrupt. Epidemiologist and former safety regulator David Michaels explores the weaponization of uncertainty in his excoriating account of the corporate denial industry, The Triumph of Doubt.
• Astrophysicist Mario Livio’s Galileo and the Science Deniers places the original Renaissance man and his discoveries in modern scientific and social contexts. In particular, he argues, the charges of heresy that Galileo faced for his scientific claims in the seventeenth century have their counterparts in science deniers’ condemnations today.
• Historian Frank Snowden’s sweeping history Epidemics and Society charts the impact of infectious diseases from the Black Death to the present. Snowden’s broader thesis is that infectious diseases have shaped social evolution no less powerfully than have wars, revolutions and economic crises.

[DShomshak]

Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations, 5th ed. Superb, and has helped me clarify my thinking on politics as well as war.

 

In brief, an exploration and a defense of "Just War" theory. It necessarily discusses some alternative theories of war and the state of current international law. Even a summary would be very long. 5th edition introduction updates the discussion to the "War on Terror."

 

Gaming application: The discussion of attitudes and practices of war around the world and through the centuries could be used in designing cultures with conflicting attitudes, or war gods embodying different approaches to or aspects of war. Also, historical incidents that could be used just by filing off the names, such as the Athenian ultimatum to the people of Melos.

 

Dean Shomshak

[death tribble]

The Battle of Britain by James Holland

This takes as a hypothesis that the Battle started when war was declared and ended in October 1940 so it covers the Battle of France as well. It is an interesting point as both the Luftwaffe and the RAF lost pilots. Holland also posits that the convoy attacks by both Luftwaffe and the U-Boats affected the outcome. The strategy employed by the RAF and the faulty intelligence gathering by the Luftwaffe also play a part. It looks at the part that RAF bombing also played and concludes it was a factor. There are villains on the RAF side, Leigh Mallory and Sholto Douglas. The latter is forgotten. But Dowding and Park who worked on the strategy to defeat the Luftwaffe are deservedly heroes. A good read and to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the battle

[Warric01]

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It's about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the parallel events of the serial killer H. H. Holmes. It's a history book that doesn't read like a history book, and it's really good.

[Bazza]

Scientism and Secularism by J P Moreland.

TL;DR: When science is science, it is good. When science becomes scientism it is bad. It is not illegal to be a Christian yet.

Longer review: The Book presents a good argument against scientism. This argument builds logically through the chapters explain what scientism is; why it is self-refuting; why it is a philosophical statement and not a scientific statement; the limitations of science, and other disciplines that hold certain knowledge that can't be known through experiment: eg logic and mathematics (naming two from the book); and how science and Christianity can co-exist.   

[death tribble]

Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare by Giles Milton

The people behind the weapons used in sabotage operations that helped cost Germany the war. They invented the limpets that were used in Operation Frankton (this was made into the film The Cockleshell heroes) but also covers the recruiting of people for Operation Chariot (the raid on the St Nazaire docks) and the attack itself and Operations Grouse< Freshman and Gunnerside which tll the tale of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage (many incidents in the film Heroes of Telemark actually happened). A fascinating read as the people involved lead to the creation of the OSS and thus the CIA

[death tribble]

Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for The Yorkshire Ripper by Michael Bilton

This book first published in 2003 is about the hunt for Peter Sutcliffe who is known as The Yorkshire Ripper. The book is the updated version from 2011 but does not contain the latest information circa 2016. Michael Bilton was one of the journalists who covered the investigation as a killer terrorised Yorkshire and the North of England in the latter half of the 70s. This was when I was growing up so this resonates. What the book details is how the police screwed up the investigation and why even when you consider the infamous hoax letters and tape. The police became convinced that letters and a tape were from the killer which was not true and took pressure off Sutcliffe. A review after Sutcliffe was captured which was quite by accident indicated all sorts of failings in the police which was kept out of the public eye for years. There was a failure of organisation and several missed opportunities to narrow down the search for Sutcliffe. The book also covers the unmasking of the infamous hoaxer who was caught and jailed in 2006. The author also makes a case that Sutcliffe was wrongly sent to a mental hospital which happened after his trial verdict sent him to prison. The author also makes a case that Sutcliffe may have killed two men before he started killing women.

There is a two page spread of photofits of people that the police wanted to interview after attacks and lastly one of Sutcliffe. The fact that the police did not compare some of these earlier was one of the major errors covered.

Bear in mind this is before computers became a fact of life.

[death tribble]

Metamorphoses by Ovid

The epic poem in 15 books covering the creation, then Greek myths including Troy and Aeneas coming to Italy, the founding of Rome and then Julius Caesar. It is very good and may be a wellspring for various ideas for dungeons etc

[death tribble]

The Story of the Tour de France: How a Newspaper Promotion became the Greatest Sporting event in the World Volume 1 1903-1964 by Bill and Carol McGann

 

This is a condensed snapshot of all the races from the inception to the 1964 race. That race was the fifth (and final) victory for Jacques Anquetil. It shows how the mountains were first added, how the route was first planned and how long the race used to be. And having multiple stages on the same day. I have become fascinated by the Tour so this is really good. And it was written for an American audience. This and part 2 were completed before Lance Armstrong was revealed to be a cheat so bear that in mind if you read both part 1 and 2. I really enjoyed this and look forward to part 2.

[death tribble]

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

 

This looks at roughly 1000 years of Roman history ending with the granting of Roman citizenship to all members of the empire in 212 AD. It was a little short on detail I felt for some of the events i.e. no mention of the year of the four emperors whilst also raising a point about whether there were 7 kings of Rome or if there were more. Maybe it was me but I felt it was missing something.

[death tribble]

The Travels by Marco Polo

Let me tell you that I have read this book. It follows Marco Polo and family and what the East is. The introduction includes the theory that Marco Polo never went to China and the rebuttals to that. It is fascinating.

[death tribble]

The Story of the Tour de France: How a Newspaper Promotion became the Greatest Sporting event in the World Volume 2 1965-2007 by Bill and Carol McGann

The second volume covers the years when the Tour was dominated by multiple wins by several racers (Merckx, Hinault, Indurain and Armstrong) and the tragedies of Tom Simpson and Fabio Casartelli who both died during the Tour. It also covers the doping problems and how the Festina team was caught in 1998. Then you have greater evidence of the police pursuing the drugs cheats. After Armstrong's last win and before his eventual unmasking you have Floyd Landis being unmasked as a cheat in 2006 and then in 2007 Contador's first Tour win. It gives a snapshot of each year with details on who won what. And at the end it gives the author's opinion on why it is a great race and who the greatest racer of them all was.  In the author's opinion this is Philippe Thys who won in 1913, 1914 and 1920. It is possible that he could have won more is the Great War had not intervened.

[death tribble]

Pedalare ! Pedalare ! by John Foot

This is a history of Italian cycling from the first Giro D'italia up to the centenary Giro of 2009 and like the Tour books predates Lance Armstrong's exposure as a cheat. It details the great Italian cyclists Coppi and Bartali and also the effect on Italy of the bicycle But it also looks at the decline of the bike as mopeds came in and also the rise of the motor car. John Foot is a professor of Italian History so he has a vested interest in the subject. If you are a cycling fan or interested in Italy then this book will be of interest to you.