I was very pleased to look back and remember that 2019 has been a great year for books. So many excellent books in both the fiction and non-fiction genres. More importantly, I was very satisfied to break my previous record of reading 50 books in a year by reading 57...yup 57 books. I am one of those people that counts these things, yes, and it was awesome.
The full list is shown at the bottom of the post.
BUT, now it's time to make some tough decisions and choose the best non-fiction book of the year.
It was a tough pick, but the stand out book has to be
I have read several of Prof. McManus' other works and they are all excellent. Here he takes on a big chore, describing the role of the Army (and Army Air Force) in the Pacific Theater of WW2, an overwhelmingly naval theater. This particular volume focuses on the beginning of the war, from Pearl Harbor to the loss of the Philippines, to the initial campaigns of the Army in the South Pacific and Aleutians. It does a very comprehensive job of bringing the Army's role to light. A second volume should be even better as it covers the Army's role in the great island hopping campaigns and the retaking of the Philippines, an overwhelmingly Army show. My full NYJB review is here.
This is not a particularly new book, but with the new Midway movie this year, I dug it out and was very pleased I did. To call his the "untold story" is a gross underestimation. The authors take a total immersion into the Japanese side of the battle and break down a lot of myths and misconceptions by placing the battle into the context of Japanese naval culture, doctrine, ship design, and most importantly, air wing operations to show how the Japanese were able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at a battle that should have been an overwhelming Japanese victory.
So that's the non-fiction side. All of the books this year were highly educational and many completely changed how I viewed certain events and/or actions. Truly a worthwhile development in something I usually despise, revisionist history.
The full list is shown at the bottom of the post.
BUT, now it's time to make some tough decisions and choose the best non-fiction book of the year.
It was a tough pick, but the stand out book has to be
Mr. Caddick-Adams has written what should be the standard work on D-Day. Using new sources and a sharp writing style, it is the worthy successor to The Longest Day. It really stands out as the author devotes almost half the huge book (800+ pages) to the build-up, training, and preparation by both sides, something often lacking in other D-Day histories that just start on June 4 or 5. Well worth the investment of time.
I got a review copy from NYJB and my full review is here.
These are some worthy honorable mentions.
I have read several of Prof. McManus' other works and they are all excellent. Here he takes on a big chore, describing the role of the Army (and Army Air Force) in the Pacific Theater of WW2, an overwhelmingly naval theater. This particular volume focuses on the beginning of the war, from Pearl Harbor to the loss of the Philippines, to the initial campaigns of the Army in the South Pacific and Aleutians. It does a very comprehensive job of bringing the Army's role to light. A second volume should be even better as it covers the Army's role in the great island hopping campaigns and the retaking of the Philippines, an overwhelmingly Army show. My full NYJB review is here.
This is not a particularly new book, but with the new Midway movie this year, I dug it out and was very pleased I did. To call his the "untold story" is a gross underestimation. The authors take a total immersion into the Japanese side of the battle and break down a lot of myths and misconceptions by placing the battle into the context of Japanese naval culture, doctrine, ship design, and most importantly, air wing operations to show how the Japanese were able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at a battle that should have been an overwhelming Japanese victory.
So that's the non-fiction side. All of the books this year were highly educational and many completely changed how I viewed certain events and/or actions. Truly a worthwhile development in something I usually despise, revisionist history.
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