Book

Missive #786 Published 5 Sep 2026

Sharpe has been sent by Wellington on a mission to Cadiz, now the capital of Spain, to rescue the British ambassador — who happens to be Wellington's brother — from a spot of undiplomatic trouble. The city has been blockaded by the French but is supported by the British from the sea. It contains a rare mix of pro- and anti-British citizens, diplomats, courtiers, adventurers, and spies. Sharpe's mission — complicated, undercover, and political — turns out to be completely different from the one on which he was sent. It brings him through the besieging enemy army to triumph in the Battle of Barrosa, where the British, deserted by their allies, defeat an overwhelmingly stronger French force.

Missive #784 Published 3 Sep 2026

This book was published in 2016 the election year for Trump 1.0 and before Vance was elected as Senator from Ohio in 2023. If the book had been published after he was elected as Senator and certainly after he became Vice President it would not have been as well received as it was in 2016.

Missive #783 Published 31 Aug 2026

This is the second book in a trilogy with an author that is a cultural critic, historian and professor of English and American Studies. So, what you get is an academic's book written in the academic style with a profusion of quotes making it a long read. I read the last one in the series when I get around to it since the first two have been interesting although not easy reads.

Missive #779 Published 24 Aug 2026

Despite the book’s immensity, Mumford’s discussion of actual cities is restricted to a rather narrow range. He concentrates on the ancient (mostly Mediterranean) world and then on Europe. He mentions that “I have confined myself as far as possible to cities and regions I am acquainted with at first hand, and to data in which I have long been immersed.” This is his preferred method, which obviously has its pluses and minuses; it does diminish the most obvious drawback of an enormous survey work by a single author, namely the attempt to cover subjects of which one’s knowledge is hazy or speculative in the interests of completeness. It’s somewhat surprising, though, that this lifelong New Yorker says relatively little about New York, or about American cities generally.

Missive #776 Published 17 Aug 2026

Master Hugh won the Black Prince's favour when he helped to ease the Prince's illness.
Now, in the autumn of 1372, the prince is suffering a relapse and sends to Bampton for Master Hugh to attend him. While at dinner in Kennington Palace, Sir Giles, the knight who escorted Hugh to London, is stricken and dies. Poison!
Despite caring little for Sir Giles, Master Hugh must once again place himself in jeopardy and seek to uncover the perpetrator of the crime...

Missive #773 Published 13 Aug 2026

Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.
Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

Missive #772 Published 11 Aug 2026

When twenty-eight-year-old Joji first lays eyes upon the teenage waitress Naomi, he is instantly smitten by her exotic, almost Western appearance. Determined to transform her into the perfect wife and to whisk her away from the seamy underbelly of post-World War I Tokyo, Joji adopts and ultimately marries Naomi, paying for English and music lessons that promise to mold her into his ideal companion.

Missive #771 Published 10 Aug 2026

If you are Woke then this book is probably not something that you want to read. If your a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) then you probably will also want to avoid this book like a vampire avoids garlic. For everyone else I recommend it.

Missive #769 Published 8 Aug 2026

Can Bili's warriors stand alone against the deadly menace of the Witchmen and the mountain savages? Which is mightier—science or the sword? Stranded in a land peopled by wild cannibal tribes and monstrous half-humans, Bili of Morguhn and his small band of warriors have sworn to aid the mysterious Prince Byruhn of Kuhmbuhluhn in his war against these savages. But even as they train for battle, another force is on the move—the Witchmen, evil scientists led by Dr. Erica Arenstein and armed with weapons far more lethal than any known to the men of the Horseclans. Bent on recovering a twentieth-century technological treasure trove, the Witchmen will destroy anything that stands between them and their goal. And, if Dr. Arenstein can join the power of the Witchmen with fighting prowess of the cannibalistic Ganik tribes, even Bili's proven warriors may not long survive…