John Marchetti

Book #27 - another great selection of short stories from Stephen King. Highly recommend.

Book #25. Good overview of the life of Emory Upton. Includes a look at Upton’s service in the Civil War through his post war service and his efforts to reform the US Army.

Book #24. Thought Maier’s book was better but even at over 100 years old, still a good study of the Declaration.

Book #23. Ferling looks at the role three of the founders played in the Revolution: Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. Jefferson comes off the worst of the three - after helping to write the Declaration, Jefferson performs poorly as governor of VA. Nice to see Adams role highlighted. Good read.

Book #22. Interesting comparison of military leadership. The book highlights Alexander the Great, Wellington, Grant and Hitler. It’s a little dated now, but a good read and puts into focus the changing dynamics of military leadership.

Book #21. Even though the series is dated, it is still a great introduction to the material. This volume covers the siege of Petersburg through the winter of 1864-5. Great illustrations and maps.

#20 for 2025. The second of three books on Byzantium. It’s a good read, covering through the disaster at Manzikert in 1071. For a general audience, there’s no footnotes and a short bibliography. It’s a good introduction to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Book #19. 1914 is a great introduction to the campaigns of the BEF in the opening days of WWI. Consisting mainly of first hand accounts of soldiers and civilians, it doesn’t bog down in heavy military actions or jargon. It’s a fantastic read, and highly recommend to general readers.

Book #18. Detailed look at the reigns of Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth I. The Oxford Histories and great - but highly detailed. Wouldn’t recommend for a general reader but if you have a strong interest in the period, it’s worth the read.

Book #17 for the year. A little horror to start the summer off. Great read, Moreno is a fantastic writer. If you love supernatural horror, you’ll enjoy this read.

This seems bad. Really bad.

#16 for the year. Another break from history with a fun read. Not as good as his first two, and easier to figure out the big mystery. But Brown still makes it an entertaining ride.

This doesn’t sound good…

Book #15. Almost through the series. Almost. The title for this one is a little misleading as the book also covers Hood’s Tennessee campaign. But like the rest of the series, good overview of the material.

Book #14. Decent bio on Constantine. Considered the first Christian emperor he at least helped create tolerance for the religion. Grant also points out that many of Constantine’s decisions probably hastened the fall of the Empire. Good book, but sometimes not easiest of reads.

Book 13 of 2025. Catton’s centennial history is a MUCH better read than Foote. The first volume covers starts with the election of 1860 and ends with the Battle of Bull Run. Incredibly readable, would recommend it to anyone.

President of the US celebrates victory in Europe with a picture of Iwo Jima memorial. Only 6000 miles off, and ignoring the Pacific War. Because that’s where we are now.

'All-out assault': Trump proposes largest cuts in National Park Service history The Trump administration wants to cut almost 40% of funding for the National Park Service.

Don’t close your eyes to what is happening

www.sfgate.com/national-par...

You’d think it’d be tough to fit this much stupid into a single tweet but the President continues to exceed expectations.

Book #12 for the year. A little Roman philosophy. The Meditations are a collection of Aurelius’ thoughts over his life. The 12 books are sometimes repetitive but they provide an interesting look at the ideas of the Philosopher Caesar.

Book #11. Great summary of the war in the west from Bragg’s invasion of Kentucky through the Battle of Stones River. Well written - it gives a military and political overview of this period of the war. Highly recommend for anyone interested in these battles.

Book #10. Good biography on a relatively little known Rebel general. It gives a decent insight into the war in the West through the Battle of Atlanta where Walker was killed. If you have a strong interest in those campaigns it’s worth reading.

Book #9. A collection of Chamberlain’s post-war writings. A little repetitive and sometime over the top Victorian language. Not terrible, but bios like In the Hands Of Providence are a better look at the man.

Book #8. Interesting look at how two imperialist nations turned defeats into eventual victory. Engaging and introduced me to some subjects I haven’t read much about. Great read.

Book #7 for the year. Even though it may be a little dated and has some problems with the reliance on the data used, it’s still a great introduction to the nexus of power, politics, class and religion. Important book, and a good read.

Great, if slightly terrifying read, made worse by what we’ve experienced this last month. Our democracy is just as fragile as any other - and may be irreparably damaged. @dziblatt.bsky.social

Book #5 for 2025. Sill have a couple more of these volumes to get through. But almost 40 years old and they still are pretty good, especially for people new to the Civil War.

Book #4 for the year. Great look at the war from D-Day to surrender. Fantastic read, even at over 600 pages. Highly recommend

Feels like this is going to be useful to explaining things to people in the next couple weeks..

Book #3 for the year. Important look at Washington’s presidency. MCDonald makes a good case for how important Washington was a symbol - and how relatively unimportant he was in his own administration. Good read, even 50 years after it was published.