Tag Archives: Japan

Overlord | Victory in the Pacific

Posted on September 13, 2022 by smellincoffee

Many years ago when the world was new, the Twin Towers stood over Manhattan, and Europe was just starting to adopt the euro, I discovered a trilogy of books in my high school library about World War 2. They formed … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Shutting Out the Sun

Posted on August 29, 2019 by smellincoffee

Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation © 2006 Michael Zielenziger 352 pages Shutting Out the Sun introduces itself with what readers will assume is its subject: the plight of an increasing number of young people who, … Continue reading →

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China, Japan, and New Mexico

Posted on November 24, 2017 by smellincoffee

In the last couple of weeks I’ve finished some books  that haven’t gotten full reviews. Here are some quick shots! First up: New Mexico, A History. This is…exactly what it says it is, a history of New Mexico. Published to … Continue reading →

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Yokohama Print from Cultural History of Japan

Posted on July 17, 2017 by smellincoffee

In my “On the Horizon” post, I mentioned a print reproduced in  an art history of Japan which depicted a woman in traditional dress riding a bicycle. The book mentions it only as a Yokohama print, with Fuji in the … Continue reading →

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American Independence Wrapup & On the Horizon

Posted on July 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

Well, gentle readers,  July’s halfway marks the conclusion of my American Independence series, at least for another year. What ground did I cover this year? Revolutionary Summer, Joseph Ellis;  a history of the summer of 1776,  in which the States … Continue reading →

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When Tigers Fight

Posted on August 31, 2016 by smellincoffee

When Tigers Fight: The Story of the Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945© 1989 Dick Wilson269 pages “We Japanese cannot win here. We are trying to plow the ocean.” Before plunging into the abyss of hubris and attempting to claim the entire Pacific … Continue reading →

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Miracle at Midway

Posted on August 21, 2016 by smellincoffee

Miracle at Midway© 1983 Gordon Prange, Donald Goldstein and,Katherine Dillon,512 pages Miracle at Midway is a thorough history of the June 4-7 effort of the Japanese to simultaneously seize the most likely U.S. approaches to the Empire and lure the … Continue reading →

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Rising Sun

Posted on August 9, 2016 by smellincoffee

Rising Sun385 pages© 1992 Michael Crichton In downtown Los Angeles, in a gleaming tower of Japanese commercial success, a woman lies dead on a boardroom table.  The  grand opening of the Nakamoto Corporation’s downtown skyscraper attracted celebrities and politicians alike, … Continue reading →

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Forgotten Ally

Posted on December 19, 2015 by smellincoffee

Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II© 2013 Rana Mitter467 pages Two years before a mad painter’s schemes plunged the world into war, China was fighting for its life.  It began the 20th century at a crossroads; the old imperial order … Continue reading →

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Bataan: March of Death

Posted on December 10, 2015 by smellincoffee

Bataan: March of Death© 1962 Stanley J. Falk256 pages Japan’s strike at Pearl Harbor was not a solitary military move, but the opening play in a Pacific strategy. Having disabled the American Pacific Fleet,  Japanese forces would be free to … Continue reading →

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