# reading recommendations (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 4 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover reading recommendations. Page: Feed: --- ## [Taiwan’s Whole-of-Society Exercise: What Han Kuang 42 Should Teach the Rest of Us](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/taiwans-whole-of-society-exercise) _2026-08-21 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ An exploration of the recent Han Kuang whole-of-society exercise in Taiwan, and why Western nations should be watching and learning. ## [Love, disease, and self-deception: the life of Typhoid Mary](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/book-about-typhoid-mary/) _2026-08-20 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Shortly after the 19th century turned into the 20th, a medical sleuth named George Soper, whom we would today call an epidemiologist, identified a young Irish immigrant cook in New York City as an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogen that causes typhoid fever. Her name was Mary Mallon, and we make her acquaintance in this \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [How the OSS saved the Parthenon and other Greek treasures](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/ww2-spies-in-greece/) _2026-08-19 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Most of what appears in print today about the OSS in World War II dwells on the heroic men and women it infiltrated into France to sabotage the Nazis or in the China-Burma-India theater. Of course, “Wild Bill” Donovan’s brief as head of the Office of Strategic Services was much broader than that. The agency \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [A complex and compelling detective novel set in inland Africa](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/thriller-about-the-diamond-trade/) _2026-08-18 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ With such sparse media coverage of events in Africa today, and the short shrift most Western history textbooks give the continent, it’s no wonder Americans have developed a stereotyped view of Africa and Africans. This flies in the face of reality. The continent is vast, encompassing 54 nations and over 1.5 billion genetically diverse people \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and… ## [Australia Side Steps Mobilisation Planning](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/australia-side-steps-mobilisation) _2026-08-18 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ My commentary on the recently announced national inquiry into national resilience, and why national mobilisation must be included in its terms of reference, published by News24. ## [Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind by Mike Jay](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/psychonauts-drugs-and-the-making) _2026-08-16 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ an historical account of theories of mind ## [Ukraine's Southern Offensive, What's Next for Putin & What If Mobilisation Fails to Help Russia in Ukraine? The Big Five 16 August edition](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraines-southern-offensive-whats) _2026-08-16 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ This week: Ukraine's southern offensive and what it means, long range strikes, Russia's military leadership reshuffle, Taiwan prepares for war, and my Big 5 reading recommendations ## [Trip to Buffalo, Olivier Assayas' Book Cases, White Shoes](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/trip-to-buffalo-olivier-assayas-book) _2026-08-13 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ Books to 'read around in' ## [The top mystery and thriller award winners](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/mystery-and-thriller-award-winners/) _2026-08-13 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Most citations of awards in the mystery, thriller, and suspense field mention the Edgar, Gold Dagger, Anthony, and International Thriller Writer Awards. But the categories used by these four awards don’t match. And as you’ll see, the awards themselves don’t often, either. For example, the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) grant Edgar Allen Poe Awards \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and… ## [Vladimir Putin, the KGB, and the restoration of Soviet Russia](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/book-about-vladimir-putin/) _2026-08-12 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ A review of The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin, by Masha Gessen. ★★★★☆. A critical biography of the three-term Russian President by a skilled Moscow reporter with personal knowledge of the people and events of the time since the fall of Communism. Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Your 24/7 AI Media Buyer (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/iQAb23LCte2l) _2026-08-12 · **Sponsored**_ Finds placement, geo, and funnel leaks and proposes fixes you approve ## [The first in a series of uniquely clever detective novels](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/odd-couple-detectives/) _2026-08-11 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Anthony Horowitz possesses one of the crime genre’s most original minds. He’s proved it over and over again in scores of novels and several long-running television series. But nowhere is his cunning intelligence more in evidence than in The Word is Murder. It’s the first of what are to date six mystery novels about the \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [The Adaptation War Deepens](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/the-adaptation-war-deepens) _2026-08-11 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ Authoritarian collaboration since November 2025, and why Western strategists must urgently build and execute a strategy to confront it. ## [Missile Barrages Against Ukraine, Switching Off Crimea, Russia’s Military Reshuffle and Preparing for War in Taiwan. The Big Five, 9 August edition](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/missile-barrages-against-ukraine) _2026-08-09 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ This week: Ukrainian long range strikes, Russia's deadly missile barrages, Russia's military leadership reshuffle, Taiwan prepares for war, and my Big 5 reading recommendations. ## [The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout:](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/the-things-we-never-say-by-elizabeth) _2026-08-08 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid ## [All great civilizations fall. This fascinating book explores why.](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/learning-from-history/) _2026-08-05 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Some of us, schooled in idealized portraits of ancient civilizations such as Rome and Greece and China, jump to conclusions about how history is repeating itself when we see superficial similarities to what we think took place thousands of years ago. Of course, we do know that history doesn’t repeat. But perhaps Mark Twain was \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis tackle an “unsolvable” cold case](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/unsolvable-cold-case/) _2026-08-04 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Milo Sturgis is not your cookie-cutter homicide detective. He’s gay, for one thing. But there’s more. A lieutenant with the LAPD’s highest close rate, he’s claimed a privileged existence largely insulated from demands by his superiors. Except that this time around an assistant chief is insisting that he take on a 36-year-old cold case because \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and… ## [Ukraine's Long-Range Strike Command: Institutionalising Deep Strike](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraines-long-range-strike-command) _2026-08-03 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ After years of technical and tactical innovation, as well collaboration between Ukrainian organisations and foreign agencies, Ukraine takes the next step in its long-range strike endeavours. ## [July Diet](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/july-diet-d6b) _2026-07-31 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ high summer eating, watching, wearing, reading ## [Many write about Donald Trump. These authors really know.](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/trumps-second-term/) _2026-07-29 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Obviously, I’m some kind of masochist. To date I’ve read and reviewed 25 books about Donald Trump. I’d sworn off subjecting myself to any others until Maggie Haberman’s account of Trump’s first year back in office. She’s been on point on Donald Trump for the New York Times for more than a decade. Her reporting \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Murder at the top of Indian society. Literally.](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/indian-crime-thriller/) _2026-07-28 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ A decade ago Anglo-Indian author Abir Mukherjee broke into a second career as a crime novelist after 20 years working as an accountant. His first effort, A Rising Man, appeared in 2016. An historical detective novel featuring a pair of Calcutta cops shortly after World War I, it won a coveted literary award soon after \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Know before it drops (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/F8lDNthUrB96) _2026-07-28 · **Sponsored**_ Follow a show, artist, genre or rocket and get notified before release ## [First Blood: How the Battle of Milne Bay Broke the Spell of Japanese Invincibility](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/first-blood-how-the-battle-of-milne) _2026-07-28 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ What a battle on the eastern tip of New Guinea can teach today's military leaders about intelligence, air-land integration, and the discipline of Commanders holding their nerve under a pressure. ## [What We Talk About When We Talk About Reading](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-32f) _2026-07-27 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ is reading dead? and should we care? ## [Deepening Dilemmas: Ukraine's New Commands, Drapatyi's Priorities, Long Range Strike & Russia's War Math. The Big Five, 26 July.](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/deepening-dilemmas-ukraines-new-commands) _2026-07-26 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ This week: The new Ukrainian military leadership, Drapatyi's priorities, Ukraine's new military commands, Russia's deepening dilemma in its war against Ukraine, and my Big 5 reading recommendations. ## [Why do some novels win literary awards?](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/literary-awards/) _2026-07-23 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Let’s see if we can figure out why this paper-thin work of fiction won wide recognition and a literary award for its author. Snow Hunters introduces . . . let’s count them: eight characters in 226 pages: A few others make brief appearances from time to time, but this is the cast of principal characters. \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Watermelon Pool, Odyssey Dressing](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/watermelon-pool-odyssey-dressing) _2026-07-23 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ summer beauty! summer accessories! ## [A view from the American trenches in the First World War](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/world-war-i-american-soldiers/) _2026-07-22 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ Twenty-nine-year-old Richard Newhall was teaching history at Harvard. Younger at 22, George Haydock, a Quaker, was a recent graduate, as was Alexander McKinlock a wealthy football hero. Younger still, William Morgan was an undergraduate there. By contrast, graduate George Redwood was a celerated journalist in Baltimore. And in 1917, these five Harvard men began their \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books:… ## [Ukraine’s New Military Command Team](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraines-new-military-command-team) _2026-07-22 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ My new piece for the Lowy Institute on the changes in military leadership in Ukraine. ## [The roots of this detective’s career lie in the Cultural Revolution](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/cultural-revolutions-impact/) _2026-07-21 · Mal Warwick · Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations_ For years, Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau had been widely celebrated as a “rising cadre” in the Communist Party. He was a man on his way up, rumored to soon be tapped as the Bureau’s Party Secretary. But his success has undone him. Chen has exposed too many influential men in \[…\] Mal Warwick on Books: Insightful Reviews and Recommendations ## [Doctorate Complete](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/doctorate-complete) _2026-07-20 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ After several years of research, writing (and editing), my PhD about the applications of historical military fiction for developing contemporary military leaders is complete. ## [Sacking the Reformer: Ukraine’s Civil-Military Crisis, Russia’s Widening Dilemma, and the Middle East on Edge. The Big Five, 19 July 2026](https://mickryan.substack.com/p/sacking-the-reformer-ukraines-civil) _2026-07-19 · Mick Ryan · Futura Doctrina_ This week: A new Ukrainian civil-military crisis, protestors of the streets, Russia's big strategic defence dilemmas, the impact of the new phase of the Iran War, and Chinese coercion in the Pacific. ## [International money transfers (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/g6qOWEF6y8gt) _2026-07-19 · **Sponsored**_ Send money to other countries and manage multi‑currency balances online. ## [What's So Great About the Great Books?](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/whats-so-great-about-the-great-books) _2026-07-13 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ Naomi Kanakia's defense ## [Ice Cream Postcard](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/ice-cream-postcard) _2026-07-09 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ summer's best accessory ## [June Diet](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/june-diet-61a) _2026-06-29 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ an escape from time and place, lilac sparkling water, fanny pack update etc. ## [A Romantically Adventurous State of Mind](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/a-romantically-adventurous-state) _2026-06-20 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ The Champagne of bubbles, the perfect white socks, books about walking, summer pudding basin ## [A Week of Getting Dressed](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/a-week-of-getting-dressed) _2026-06-11 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ what to wear on your period, peony dressing, a tip for getting out berry stains etc. ## [Puzzles and meanings](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/puzzles-and-meanings) _2026-06-08 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ Margaret Drabble’s The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaw Puzzles ## [You should read this!](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/you-should-read-this) _2026-06-03 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ an article about Disneyland and automata: A Whole New World by Madeleine Adams ## [May Diet](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/may-diet-670) _2026-05-31 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ a great cookbook, reading recommendations, napping pillow, day pajamas, the films of a legendary Hollywood duo etc. ## [The Book List I gave to my seminar students](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/the-book-list-i-gave-to-my-seminar) _2026-05-24 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ On the last day of my David Foster Wallace and Metaphilosophy seminar, I gave my students this list. ## [A thought experiment: Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/a-thought-experiment-ishiguros-never) _2026-05-17 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ Philosophy Als Ob ## [Spring Style Blog](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/spring-style-blog) _2026-05-17 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ True Blue Jeans, Straw Hats for Children, 'On Golden Pond' Style ## [Mother's Day Gift Guide](https://thankyouok.substack.com/p/mothers-day-gift-guide) _2026-05-06 · Katie Merchant · thank you, ok_ a list of my favourite things and suggestions ## [The Sea, the Sea: the Drama of the Past? Or maybe just a good read?](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/the-sea-the-sea-the-drama-of-the) _2026-03-29 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ I’ll admit it: I’ve been losing sleep over this entry. ## [My Annual Complaint about “Springing Ahead”](https://mariannejanack.substack.com/p/my-annual-complaint-about-springing) _2026-03-08 · Marianne Janack · Marianne Janack's reading recommendations & some philosophy_ And some Thoughts on Time