Tag Archives: WW2

The Day of Battle

Posted on September 29, 2025 by smellincoffee

Although I’ve been reading about World War 2 for most of my life at this point, beginning in middle school, the scope of my reading has never broached the Italian campaign. This is probably due to the huge role D-Day … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday, Operation Husky Edition

Posted on September 16, 2025 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is….books that inspire candle scents? I got nothing, so here’s some historical gore instead. “Harris dashed forward only to have another mine shred his abdomen and legs; after flicking grenades into a line of pillboxes, he sprinkled sulfa … Continue reading →

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Acts of War

Posted on August 28, 2025 by smellincoffee

The King is dead. God save the Queen! When the RAF accidentally killed Hitler during a night-bombing and Himmler negotiated an armistice, many thought that was the war done. Tough luck for the Poles, but worse things happen at sea, … Continue reading →

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Operation Underworld

Posted on August 25, 2025 by smellincoffee

In New York harbor,  one of the largest and fastest passenger ships ever built lies on its side, a victim of fire. French-built, the United States seized the Normandie after France fell to Hitler and renamed it the Lafayette, intending … Continue reading →

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Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light

Posted on February 20, 2025 by smellincoffee

Lisbon is a history of how Portugal’s president-dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar carefully navigated between his own Scylla and Charybdis, attempting to keep Portugal out of the Second World War despite its longstanding alliance with England, and the fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bloodlands

Posted on February 7, 2025 by smellincoffee

On a scale of 1 to 10, how demoralized, depressed, and soul-dead do you want to be? Ten? Well, have I got a book for you! Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin examines the grim fate of Eastern Europe from … Continue reading →

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Goodbye, Darkness

Posted on January 24, 2025 by smellincoffee

Haunted by disturbing dreams that evoke the bloody days of his youth, William Manchester decided to confront his memories directly. Retracing his steps in the Pacific War, returning again to the jungle-covered rocks wherin he suffered, and where so many … Continue reading →

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A Prophet Without Honor

Posted on September 30, 2024 by smellincoffee

A Prophet Without Honor without a doubt one of the more interesting alt-history novels I have ever read, in part because it is told not through a straight narrative, but via a collection of excerpts from letters, journals, telegrams, and … Continue reading →

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A Nation Interrupted

Posted on September 23, 2024 by smellincoffee

September 1862: Confederate scouts notice a Union courier riding at high speed. Taking their shot, they drop the rider and investigate as to what’s so important. Turns out that General Lee’s orders for a drive toward Washington via Maryland have … Continue reading →

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The Book Thief

Posted on September 12, 2024 by smellincoffee

Ever read a book narrated by Death? I have, sort of, only Death didn’t know he was Death. He accidentally walked into the job, but that’s another story. But this is a book narrated about Death proper, and he’ll have … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments