With Hue 1968, author Mark Bowden crafts a monumental novel about one of the seminal events in the Vietnam War. It is in turns a raw and violent account of the people on the ground, and a look at how American politics and policies in the region helped fuel such a devastating disaster as the Vietnam War ultimately became.
Imagine you're on a small, but luxurious boat in the Caribbean Sea. You have in your possession an ancient map discovered on one of the pages of the legendary Book of Kells...
The fascinating thing about history is how we absorb it, how the same event can have far different effects on each individual. When it comes to reading about history, our enjoyment of a particular subject is often contingent on our overall experience with it. Usually, something has led us to that moment where we pick... Continue Reading →
After a brief hiatus for real life, let’s get back to business with some other real life: non-fiction! Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is, as you may have guessed, an account of the settlers who crossed the Atlantic on a ship called the Mayflower. Often referred to as Pilgrims, these immigrants were not the first to... Continue Reading →
I’ve had an unlucky streak of reading several “meh” books lately. I don’t review books I didn’t like, but a couple of these weren’t bad. So, here’s the best of the “I liked it, but…” books. Just remember, it’s subjective. My like may be your love. I haven’t read Clive Cussler for years, and for... Continue Reading →
Winston Churchill, a name synonymous with World War II, cigars, and the occasional Doctor Who episode. I realized when I picked up this book that I didn't know much else about him. I've visited Westminster Abbey and seen the memorial stone (he’s buried elsewhere) and I've seen the statue in Parliament Square. But these sights... Continue Reading →
If there's anything we here at MojoFiction know about American history, it's that it happened sometime prior to today, probably in the past, where times were simpler yet somehow harder, you had to walk uphill both ways, and the East India Company's new batch of Chai Tea was so overly spiced and undrinkable that a... Continue Reading →
Astoria, by Peter Stark. Subtitle: Astor and Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire - A Tale of Ambition and Survival on the Early America Frontier. If there's anything a lengthy subtitle teaches us, it's that the book is probably non-fiction. Astoria is no exception. But I like history, and in this age of every American politician claiming to know... Continue Reading →
MojoFiction 