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Book Review: Empire of the Summer Moon

I recently completed Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne.   This isn't a new work, originally published back in 2011 by Scribner, but it was a new to me book. One of the great things about history is that if well done, they generally have a pretty good shelf life.      And this one is well done. Gwynne is known to be one of the best popular or narrative history writers, and I enjoyed his treatment of the Commanche's and their conflicts with the European powers and the encroaching settlers immensely.   This is a compelling read that is fast moving, and sucks you in as well as any novel.      The work covers the historic rise of the Comanche's, their origins, their move into buffalo country and adoption of a militaristic horse culture, as well as their conflicts with the Spanish and French.       The history of the ...
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Book Review: Endurance, Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

I recently read Endurance by Alfred Lansing. And to be honest, I was under the impression that I was the only one not to have read this famous account of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914–1917 (disastrous) Imperial Trans‑Antarctic Expedition. But I have since learned there are many people who haven't picked this one up, and if you are one of those people who have not read Endurance then you definitely should.        A couple of things I would mention before getting into this review.  First, the book was originally published in 1959. And if you are worried that the language might be old timey or stuffy or whatever, don't be too concerned. This one is extremely well written and reads like it could be written this year. So definitely not old timey.       Second, Lansing was close enough to events to have had the chance to talk and discuss the events with at least some of the crew. I can't remember now if he talked to all of them or not. An...
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My Thoughts on The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Spoiler Free)

I finally read a Cormac McCarthy novel. I was at the library looking for books with my 14 year old daughter, primarily books for her.  The library is one of the main theatres of battle in my ongoing military campaign to keep her from spending all of her time on screens.  Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Patton?  They have no idea.  Anyway, I have always seen book readers discuss and recommend Cormac McCarthy novels and The Road was on the shelf, which surprised me somewhat. Our small branch library usually has few good books, since most people generally rely on holds to get what they want. So, I grabbed the copy for myself.  Since this was my first (and so far only) McCarthy read, I was surprised how short the book was and how sparse was the writing style. I really had no expectations going into this, and I generally start with the assumption that I am getting into the next War and Peace.  But The Road is nothing like that at all. I struggled with the minimal...
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