Best of
War

2022

Half in Shadow


Gemma Liviero - 2022
    In German-occupied Belgium, a tragic loss forces Josephine Descharmes to navigate dangerous new territory. By day it’s compliance, serving German officers at the Hotel Métropole. By night it’s resistance, working with her brothers underground to help Allied soldiers and civilians cross the border into Holland. Both paths put her and her family at great risk.As Josephine struggles to keep her family safe, Arthur, a grief-stricken English soldier trapped behind enemy lines, finds purpose and hope with Josephine and her work. Meanwhile, Franz, a German officer remorseful for the casualties of war, offers her protection and opportunity. These two men from opposing sides will open her heart and test her loyalties.Amid the sorrows of war and threats of mortal danger and betrayal, Josephine must steer her own fate. In a country deprived of freedom, she will make an impossible choice—one that will forever impact the family she cherishes and the man she loves.

The Child Without a Home


Ann Bennett - 2022
    Breathtaking and unputdownable, this story of courage and survival is perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Sold on a Monday and The Orphan’s Tale.1944, East Prussia. When the war comes to twelve-year-old Agnes’ village, she finds herself stuck between two terrifying armies. Everyone in her town has been forced to fight for the Nazis, and as the Red Army approaches every innocent woman and child is made to leave their home. Then tragedy strikes and Agnes and her brother Dieter find themselves completely alone in a vast, isolated woodland. Though she is terrified, Agnes knows that she must protect her brother, no matter the cost…Cambridge, present day. When her beloved grandfather dies, Freya is distraught. Not only has she lost the man who helped raise her, but she knows the story of his time as a pilot in World War Two, and her family’s history, is gone forever. But then Freya meets her new next-door neighbour Agnes, whose accent is just like her grandfather’s. She has a framed picture of a snow-covered castle that looks strangely familiar, and a weather-beaten image of a little blonde boy in braces and boots.Agnes vowed never to tell the painful story of the young boy who risked everything for her, even if Freya believes Agnes may hold the key to unlocking her own family’s secrets. But what Freya doesn’t realise is that Agnes’ past has the power to change everything she ever thought she knew about her family…

How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them


Barbara F. Walter - 2022
    While violence has declined worldwide, civil wars have increased. This is a new phenomenon. With the exception of a handful of cases - the American and English civil wars, the French Revolution - historically it has been rare for people to organise and fight their governments. This has changed. Since 1946, over 250 armed conflicts have broken out around the world, a number that continues to rise. Major civil wars are now being fought in countries including Iraq, Syria and Libya. Smaller civil wars are being fought in Ukraine, India, and Malaysia. Even countries we thought could never experience another civil war - such as the USA, Sweden and Ireland - are showing signs of unrest.In How Civil Wars Start, acclaimed expert Barbara F. Walter, who has advised on political violence everywhere from the CIA to the U.S. Senate to the United Nations, explains the rise of civil war and the conditions that create it. As democracies across the world backslide and citizens become more polarised, civil wars will become even more widespread and last longer than they have in the past. This urgent and important book shows us a path back toward peace.

Under the Oak Tree: Season 1


Suji Kim - 2022
    As a consequence of the physical and mental trauma, she develops a crippling inferiority complex about both her stutter and her physical appearance as well as a general lack of self-respect.When Maxi’s father, Duke Croyso, receives a royal order from the King to fight the Red Dragon Sektor, he decides to marry his daughter off to Riftan Calypse, a peasant knight. Duke Croyso’s plan is to push off his martial responsibilities to his son-in-law. Maxi thus finds herself forced into a marriage with a man she barely knows. The newlyweds spend their first night together, but they become separated immediately as Riftan leaves for war early next morning.Fast forward three years later, and the couple reunites when Riftan comes back to the city to celebrate his victory in war. Although the two spent only one night together and Riftan is a stranger to Maxi, she is afraid that he might want to divorce her, for the divorce would mean a death sentence for the young woman.What are Riftan’s intentions? Will Maxi find the strength to overcome her trauma and lack of self-confidence? Will the couple survive and find love against all odds?This volume collects episodes 1–39 of the web novel Under the Oak Tree.

Sisters of Night and Fog: A WWII Novel


Erika Robuck - 2022
    In a world newly burning with war, and in spite of her American family’s wishes, Virginia decides to stay in occupied France with her French husband. She’s sure that if they keep their heads down they’ll make it through. But as the call to resist the enemy grows around her, Virginia must decide if she's willing to risk everything to help those in need.Nineteen-year-old Violette is a crack shot with an unquenchable spirit of adventure, and she's desperate to fight the Nazis however she can. When her mother sends her to find an exiled soldier, Violette meets the man who will change her life. Then tragedy strikes, and Britain’s clandestine war organization—the Special Operations Executive—learns of Violette’s dual citizenship and adept firearm handling and starts to recruit her. But Violette is no stranger to loss and must decide whether the cost of defiance is too great a price to pay.Set across the European theater of WWII, Sisters of Night and Fog tells the story of two women whose clandestine deeds come to a staggering halt when they are brought together at Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Angels of the Pacific: A Novel of World War II


Elise Hooper - 2022
    Tess Abbott, an American Army nurse, has fled the hardships of the Great Depression at home for the glamour and adventure of Manila, one of the most desirable postings in the world, but everything changes when the Japanese Imperial Army invades with lightning speed and devastating results. Tess and her band of nurses serve on the front lines until captured as prisoners of war and held behind the high stone walls of Manila's Santo Tomas Internment Camp for four long years.As the Japanese occupation of her beloved homeland commences, Flor Dalisay, a Filipina university student, will be drawn into the underground network of resistance and discover reserves of courage, resilience, and leadership she never knew she possessed.The war and its aftermath will lead Tess and Flor to find each other to uncover secrets and reveal relationships they would never have predicted, as they work together to defeat the Japanese.

When The War Came Home


Lesley Parr - 2022
    Huw can't forget the terrible things he's seen, but Johnny doesn't even remember who he is.As Natty tries to keep a secret and unravel a mystery, she finds her own way to fight for what she believes in – and learns that some things should never be forgotten …This mesmerising historical mystery includes an interactive clue so readers can unravel the mystery alongside the characters.

The Man in the Bunker (Tom Wilde #6)


Rory Clements - 2022
    But exactly who is the man in the bunker?'MASTER OF THE WARTIME SPY THRILLER' - FINANCIAL TIMES________________Germany, late summer 1945 - The war is over but the country is in ruins. Millions of refugees and holocaust survivors strive to rebuild their lives in displaced persons camps. Millions of German soldiers and SS men are held captive in primitive conditions in open-air detention centres. Everywhere, civilians are desperate for food and shelter. No one admits to having voted Nazi, yet many are unrepentant.Adolf Hitler is said to have killed himself in his Berlin bunker. But no body was found - and many people believe he is alive. Newspapers are full of stories reporting sightings and theories. Even Stalin, whose own troops captured the bunker, has told President Truman he believes the former Führer is not dead. Day by day, American and British intelligence officers subject senior members of the Nazi regime to gruelling interrogation in their quest for their truth.Enter Tom Wilde - the Cambridge professor and spy sent in to find out the truth...Dramatic, intelligent, and brilliantly compelling, THE MAN IN THE BUNKER is Rory's best WWII thriller yet - perfect for readers of Robert Harris, C J Sansom and Joseph Kanon.

Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire


Jonathan M. Katz - 2022
    a compelling and insightful meditation on the trauma people still feel as a result of Butler’s career and the American ambitions it represented."—The Washington PostSmedley Butler was the most celebrated warfighter of his time. Bestselling books were written about him. Hollywood adored him. Wherever the flag went, “The Fighting Quaker” went—serving in nearly every major overseas conflict from the Spanish War of 1898 until the eve of World War II. From his first days as a 16-year-old recruit at the newly seized Guantánamo Bay, he blazed a path for empire: helping annex the Philippines and the land for the Panama Canal, leading troops in China (twice), and helping invade and occupy Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Mexico, and more. Yet in retirement, Butler turned into a warrior against war, imperialism, and big business, declaring: “I was a racketeer for capitalism." Award-winning author Jonathan Myerson Katz traveled across the world—from China to Guantánamo, the mountains of Haiti to the Panama Canal—and pored over the personal letters of Butler, his fellow Marines, and his Quaker family on Philadelphia's Main Line. Along the way, Katz shows how the consequences of the Marines' actions are still very much alive: talking politics with a Sandinista commander in Nicaragua, getting a martial arts lesson from a devotee of the Boxer Rebellion in China, and getting cast as a P.O.W. extra in a Filipino movie about their American War. Tracing a path from the first wave of U.S. overseas expansionism to the rise of fascism in the 1930s to the crises of democracy in our own time, Gangsters of Capitalism tells an urgent story about a formative era most Americans have never learned about, but that the rest of the world cannot forget.

The Naked Don't Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees


Matthieu Aikins - 2022
    He is one of millions of refugees who leave their homes that year.Matthieu Aikins, a journalist living in Kabul, decides to follow his friend. In order to do so, he must leave his own passport and identity behind to go underground on the refugee trail with Omar. Their odyssey across land and sea from Afghanistan to Europe brings them face to face with the people at heart of the migration crisis: smugglers, cops, activists, and the men, women and children fleeing war in search of a better life. As setbacks and dangers mount for the two friends, Matthieu is also drawn into the escape plans of Omar's entire family, including Maryam, the matriarch who has fought ferociously for her children's survival.Harrowing yet hopeful, this exceptional work brings into sharp focus one of the most contentious issues of our times. The Naked Don't Fear the Water is a tale of love and friendship across borders, and an inquiry into our shared journey in a divided world.

Always Remember Your Name: A True Story of Family and Survival in Auschwitz


Andra Bucci - 2022
    Along with their mother, Mira, their aunt, and cousin Sergio, they were deported to Auschwitz. Over 230,000 children were deported to the camp, where Josef Mengele, the Angel of Death, performed deadly experiments on them. Only a few dozen children survived, Tati and Andra among them. Tati, Andra, and Sergio were separated from their mothers upon arrival. But Mira was determined to keep track of her girls. After being tattooed with their inmate numbers, she made them memorize her number and told them to “always remember your name.” In keeping this promise to their mother, the sisters were able to be reunited with their parents when WWII ended. An unforgettable narrative of the power of sisterhood in the most extreme circumstances, and of how a mother’s love can overcome the most impossible odds, the Bucci sisters' memoir is a timely reminder that separating families is an inexcusable evil.

The Viennese Dressmaker: A Haunting Story of Wartime Vienna


Kathryn Gauci - 2022
    The gay Vienna of her youth had disappeared – vanished as utterly as if it had never existed.”Vienna 1938: Austria’s leading couturier, Christina Lehmann, sits at the pinnacle of Viennese society. Her lover, the renowned painter, Max Hauser, is at the height of his career. But Max harbours a secret, and it is only a matter of time before the Gestapo finds out. The situation takes a dramatic turn on Kristallnacht, when the pogrom against the Austrian Jews escalates and one of Christina’s Jewish seamstresses is brutally murdered.In order to protect both Max and her couture house, Christina begins a double life, plunging her into the shadowy world of Nazi oppression, fear, and mistrust fuelled by ancient hatreds.As Vienna descends into chaos, hunger and disillusionment, will her deception be enough to save Max – or will it end in tragedy?Based on actual events, this is an epic story of courage and resilience. It is the kind of book that wraps around your soul and leaves an impression.“Brilliant and moving, The Viennese Dressmaker is a compelling and vivid portrait of wartime Vienna; a story of human relationships, and the will to survive under the shadow of the most evil power the world has ever known.” –JJ Toner, author of The Black Orchestra"Filled with suspense from the first chapter to last, The Viennese Dressmaker is a nail-biting story masterfully crafted to show the oppressive reality of life in Vienna during the dark days of WWII. I feared for Christina at every turn as she confronted threats and dangers lurking in every corner to help the victims and those she loved. For WWII resistance fiction fans, Gauci never disappoints.” — Alexa Kang, USA Today bestselling author of the Rose of Anzio series.“Triumphs, defeats, and loss. Kathryn Gauci’s characters bleed from the pages in this perfectly paced novel set in Vienna. This great historical novel transported me to Austria and allowed me to see, smell and feel the streets beneath my feet as I walked alongside the characters.” – Jana Petken, the #I bestselling author of “The German Half-Bloods Trilogy.”“With The Viennese Dressmaker, Kathryn has once again created a page-turning story based on well-researched historical detail. Searing and heart-breaking, Christina’s story will stay with you long after you finish the final page. I loved it.” – Eoin Dempsey, bestselling author of White Rose, Black Forest and The Longest Echo.“The Viennese Dressmaker is a WWII novel in all the best traditions of the genre. Deeply touching and captivating, this is a power tale of courage and self-sacrifice under the pressure of unrelenting terror. The brilliantly portrayed characters, breathtaking twists of fate, and a surprise ending will take you on a journey you won’t soon forget.” – Marina Osipova, multi-award-winning historical fiction author of How Dare the Birds Sing.

Bandoola: The Great Elephant Rescue


William Grill - 2022
    Working together on a teak plantation, the two develop a rare friendship, which even today set standards around elephant care and conservation.But when another war forces them to leave their home in the Burmese jungle, the two undertake a journey that will test their friendship, taking trust, understanding, and bravery to the very limit. Together, they lead a group of refugees and over 70 elephants to safety, scaling 5000 ft mountains as they cross the border from Burma into northern India.

The Drowned Village


Norma Curtis - 2022
    He’s not ready to let go.Sixty-five years ago. Pushing aside drooping hollyhocks, Elin Jenkins tosses back her dark hair and runs up the familiar path to the tiny village of Capel Celyn, past the mossy graveyard with its crumbling stones, towards the farm that’s been in her family for generations. Laughing, Al catches her around the waist, squeezing her tight. ‘Marry me,’ he whispers. ‘I’ll use my Navy liberty leave, we’ll go ask your parents. I don’t want this to end.’ Tears prick her eyes as she smiles up at him.Three days later, Al is on his ship back to Pennsylvania. And in the months that follow, Elin’s frantic telegrams to him go unanswered. Then she receives the wedding invitation. Scribbled on the back are three words: No hard feelings.Present day. Al Locke, retired Navy Captain, smooths his silver hair and finishes up with a spritz of aftershave. With a spring in his step he hasn’t had for decades, he sets off up the well-worn track through the valley. As he rounds the last bend, his heart begins to race. He has no doubt he will meet her in the village today. He will at last hear the horrible truth of what happened to Elin after he left, and he’ll confess why he couldn’t face coming back… until now.As Al crests the final, familiar hill, a startling brightness draws him in like a vision. Before him, a glittering lake fills the entire valley. The pretty stone village of Capel Celyn, and all trace of Elin, are gone…A beautiful and heartbreaking story about lost love, forgiveness and family secrets. Fans of Fiona Valpy, Kate Morton and Kathleen McGurl will love this book.

The Torqued Man


Peter Mann - 2022
    Two manuscripts are found in rubble, each one narrating conflicting versions of the life of an Irish spy during the war.One of them is the journal of a German military intelligence officer and an anti-Nazi cowed into silence named Adrian de Groot, charting his relationship with his agent, friend, and sometimes lover, an Irishman named Frank Pike. In De Groot's narrative, Pike is a charismatic IRA fighter sprung from prison in Spain to assist with the planned German invasion of Britain, but who never gets the chance to consummate his deal with the devil.Meanwhile, the other manuscript gives a very different account of the Irishman's doings in the Reich. Assuming the alter ego of the Celtic hero Finn McCool, Pike appears here as the ultimate Allied saboteur. His mission: an assassination campaign of high-ranking Nazi doctors, culminating in the killing of Hitler's personal physician.The two manuscripts spiral around each other, leaving only the reader to know the full truth of Pike and De Groot's relationship, their ultimate loyalties, and their efforts to resist the fascist reality in which they are caught.

Awakened by the Moon (Royal Shifters, #8)


L.P. Dover - 2022
    As Micah Lyall picks up their scent, he can't miss the intermingled smells of the Black Hills pack. At first glance, they seem to be living together peacefully. Raelynn is all smiles about her upcoming mating to alpha Soren Blackridge. Yet unease raises Micah’s hackles when he begins to sense a shadow of danger casting its evil gloom over the pack. He’s felt this darkness before, and it brings back memories he doesn’t even remember. To complicate matters further, mating signs are pointing him straight to Raelynn. It’s up to Micah to break the spell and make the beautiful royal see who she truly belongs with. But how can he take that risk knowing Soren’s pack surrounds them, and the vindictive alpha will never let Raelynn go without a fight? **This is the last installment in the Royal Shifters series.**

Out Front the Following Sea


Leah Angstman - 2022
    At the onset of King William’s War between French and English settlers in 1689 New England, Ruth Miner is accused of witchcraft for the murder of her parents and must flee the brutality of her town. She stows away on the ship of the only other person who knows her innocence: an audacious sailor — Owen — bound to her by years of attraction, friendship, and shared secrets. But when Owen’s French ancestry finds him at odds with a violent English commander, the turmoil becomes life-or-death for the sailor, the headstrong Ruth, and the cast of Quakers, Pequot Indians, soldiers, highwaymen, and townsfolk dragged into the fray. Now Ruth must choose between sending Owen to the gallows or keeping her own neck from the noose.Steeped in historical events and culminating in a little-known war on pre-American soil, Out Front the Following Sea is a story of early feminism, misogyny, arbitrary rulings, and the treatment of outcasts, with parallels still mirrored and echoed in today’s society.Taken from Author's Website

A Ballad of Love and Glory


Reyna Grande - 2022
    An unforgettable romance. The year is 1846. After the controversial annexation of Texas, the US Army marches south to provoke war with México over the disputed Río Grande boundary.​ Ximena Salomé is a gifted Mexican healer who dreams of building a family with the man she loves on the coveted land she calls home. But when Texas Rangers storm her ranch and shoot her husband dead, her dreams are burned to ashes. Vowing to honor her husband’s memory and defend her country, Ximena uses her healing skills as an army nurse on the frontlines of the ravaging war. Meanwhile, John Riley, an Irish immigrant in the Yankee army desperate to help his family escape the famine devastating his homeland, is sickened by the unjust war and the unspeakable atrocities against his countrymen by nativist officers. In a bold act of defiance, he swims across the Río Grande and joins the Mexican Army—a desertion punishable by execution. He forms the St. Patrick’s Battalion, a band of Irish soldiers willing to fight to the death for México’s freedom. When Ximena and John meet, a dangerous attraction blooms between them. As the war intensifies, so does their passion. Swept up by forces with the power to change history, they fight not only for the fate of a nation but for their future together. Heartbreaking and lyrical, Reyna Grande’s spellbinding saga, inspired by true events and historical figures, brings these two unforgettable characters to life and illuminates a largely forgotten moment in history that impacts the US-México border to this day. Will Ximena and John survive the chaos of this bitter war, or will their love be devoured along with the land they strive to defend?

The Secrets Act


Alison Weatherby - 2022
    Friend. Spy?Wartime.Pearl and Ellen work at top-secret codebreaking HQ, Bletchley Park.Pearl is the youngest. A messenger at sixteen, she’s untidy, lively, bright, and half in love with the wrong boy, Richard. Her circle of friends overlaps with his – the dashing young men on their motorcycles who courier the secrets that Bletchley deciphers.Ellen is a codebreaker. Reserved, analytical and beautiful. She never expected to get close to a girl like Pearl – or fall for a chap like Dennis.But when tragedy strikes, their logical world is upended, with both friends caught in a spy plot that rocks the very heart of the war effort. Who can they turn to now? Who can they trust? And above all, can they unmask the traitor in their midst before it’s too late?

Waves of Fate Complete Series Box Set


Kendall Talbot - 2022
    Powerless and desperate, the eleven hundred passengers and crew must face their new reality: No one is coming to save them.The First Mate. The EMP destroys the captain’s pacemaker, killing him in a heartbeat and Gunner McCrae is thrust into the top position. But no amount of training could prepare him for the savagery of desperate humans and an unforgiving ocean.The Anchor-woman. Gabrielle Kinsella is known for bringing shocking stories to the world. She should be reporting on the headline of the century. Instead she’s fighting for her children’s lives.The Acrobat. Held captive by a predator as a child, Madeline Jewel found freedom as the ship’s acrobatic dancer. But being trapped in an elevator brings her worst fears back to life.The Gambler. With the ship’s security system obliterated, notorious gator hunter, Zon Woodrow, turns his attention to the casino’s vault. But that’s not all he’s planning to attack.Prepare for an EMP disaster survival thriller of epic proportions!Waves of Fate Box Set contains the complete series – First Fate, Feral Fate and Final Fate.Download today and settle in for a long night reading.

The Silver Wolf


J.C. Harvey - 2022
    As he grows to manhood will he be able to unravel the mystery of his father’s death? Or will his father’s killers find him first?The Silver Wolf is a tale of secrets and treachery and the relentlessness of fate – but it is also a story of courage and compassion, of love and loyalty and ultimately of salvation too.Book One of Fiskardo’s War marks the start of a series of unforgettable, epic historical fiction for readers of Ken Follett and Kate Mosse.'This is superb storytelling. Harvey handles a huge cast of characters and a mountain of research with enviable confidence, and gives us a gift of a hero. I am completely invested in Jack Fiskardo now, and will eagerly follow him through many more battles and beds, murders and mayhem, to reach his nemesis. Readers everywhere are in for a treat!' - Tracy Chevalier, bestselling author of Girl With A Peal Earring'Outstanding' - S.W. Perry, author of The Jackdaw Mysteries series‘A powerfully impressive debut. Multi-layered, compelling and intriguing, The Silver Wolf draws us into the murky underbelly of Europe’s Thirty Years’ War. Gripping stuff!’ – Minette Walters, bestselling author of The Last Hours and The Swift and the Harrier

The Way Forward: Master Life's Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy


Robert O'Neill - 2022
    But beyond their actions and courage in combat, O’Neill and Meyer also have much in common in civilian life: they are both sought-after public speakers, advocates for veterans, and share a non-PC sense of humor. Combining the best of military memoirs and straight-talking self-help, The Way Forward alternates between O’Neill’s and Meyer’s perspectives, looking back with humor at even the darkest war stories, and sharing lessons they learned along the way.The Way Forward presents O’Neill and Meyer’s philosophy in combat and life. This isn’t a book about the glory of war and combat, but one about facing your enemies, some who are flesh and blood and some that are not: Your thoughts. Your doubts. Your boredom and your regrets. From Rob’s dogged repetition at the free throw line of his childhood basketball court to Dakota’s pursuit of EMT and firefighter credentials to aid accident victims, these two American heroes turn their experiences into valuable lessons for every reader.Gritty and down-to-earth, O’Neill and Meyer tell their stories with candor and vulnerability to help readers handle stress, tackle their biggest obstacles, and exceed their expectations of themselves, while keeping life’s battles in perspective with a sense of humor.

Immortal Valor: The Black Medal of Honor Winners Of World War II


Robert Child - 2022
    In 1945, when Congress began reviewing the record of the most conspicuous acts of courage by American soldiers during World War II, they recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 recipients. Despite the fact that more than one million African-Americans served, not a single Black soldier received the Medal of Honor. The omission remained on the record for over four decades.But recent historical investigations have brought to light some of the extraordinary acts of valor performed by black soldiers during the war. Men like Vernon Baker, who single-handedly eliminated three enemy machineguns, an observation post, and a German dugout. Or Sergeant Reuben Rivers, who spearhead his tank unit's advance against fierce German resistance for three days despite being grievously wounded. Meanwhile Lieutenant Charles Thomas led his platoon to capture a strategically vital village on the Siegfried Line in 1944 despite losing half his men and suffering a number of wounds himself.Ultimately, in 1993 a US Army commission determined that seven men, including Baker, Rivers and Thomas, had been denied the Army's highest award simply due to racial discrimination. In 1997, more than 50 years after the war, President Clinton finally awarded the Medal of Honor to these seven heroes, sadly all but one of them posthumously. These are their stories.

Sheilas: Badass Women of Australian History


Eliza Reilly - 2022
    Whoops! To rectify this situation, Eliza Reilly is setting out to revive the forgotten stories of the badass Sheilas of Australian history.Chain yourself to pub counters with the determined Merle Thornton, fight for Indigenous rights alongside Faith Bandler, and lure forlorn sailors with swimmer-slash-mermaid Annette Kellerman. Deceive cranky soldiers with bushranger Mary Ann Bugg, infiltrate Nazi strongholds on the back of Nancy Wake's bike - and much, much more.Cracking with satirical wit and whole-hearted admiration, Sheilas is a cheeky, funny, inspirational celebration of the tough-titted ladies who hiked up their petticoats and fly-kicked down the doors of opportunity for modern Australia.Praise for Sheilas:'A welcome and witty contribution towards redressing the balance - a must-read.' - Noni Hazlehurst'If Kathy Lette and Monty Python had a love child, that freak would be Eliza Reilly. Lush, loose and liberated from academic orthodoxy, Reilly has the labia majoras to ask the simple but earth-quaking question: what were the women doing? As it happens: Plenty! Sheilas is a glorious romp through the Australian history you didn't learn at school. Funny and fearless, this is the book you'll want your daughters to read and your sons to worship.' - Clare Wright'Eliza highlights an array of awesome, innovative, determined and defiant Australian women with meticulous research and a wicked sense of humour. This is the history book I've been hanging out for.' - Jane Kennedy

Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II


Alex Kershaw - 2022
    Maurice "Footsie" Britt, a former professional football player, became the very first American to receive every award for valor in a single war. Michael Daly was a West Point dropout who risked his neck over and over to keep his men alive. Keith Ware would one day become the first and only draftee in history to attain the rank of general before serving in Vietnam. In WWII, Ware owed his life to the finest soldier he ever commanded, a baby-faced Texan named Audie Murphy. In the campaign to liberate Europe, each would gain the ultimate accolade, the Congressional Medal of Honor.Tapping into personal interviews and a wealth of primary source material, Alex Kershaw has delivered his most gripping account yet of American courage, spanning more than six hundred days of increasingly merciless combat, from the deserts of North Africa to the dark heart of Nazi Germany. Once the guns fell silent, these four exceptional warriors would discover just how heavy the Medal of Honor could be--and how great the expectations associated with it. Having survived against all odds, who among them would finally find peace?

A Cat Called Waverley


Debi Gliori - 2022
    When Donald is sent away to fight in a far-off war-zone, the cat waits for him to return, at Edinburgh's Waverley Station. And waits … Travelers and railway staff name him Waverley, and look after him. But he is waiting for Donald. Years go by, until one day at last he hears a voice he knows. Warfare has drastically changed Donald's life, but when the lonely cat and the forgotten man are reunited, their world suddenly seems a brighter and more hopeful place. This is a groundbreaking picture story that introduces important social issues of homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder, and underlines the value of pets.

Then Comes a Drifter


C.M. Banschbach - 2022
    And she won’t let anything stop her, even a fearsome warlord who wants her captive–or dead.A genius mechanic–and a rare descendant of the once-magical Itan–Laramie drifts from dusty town to dusty town in search of the family that was taken from her.But her rambling desert journey becomes a game of survival when Laramie crosses a ruthless warlord’s territory. Taken prisoner by one of the warlord’s biker gangs, she befriends a quiet, dangerous man named Gered. After surviving hellish circumstances Gered is tired of fighting for a better life.Laramie will always fight. And she’ll stop at nothing to win their freedom.Enjoy this pulse-pounding motorcycle adventure in a post-apocalyptic western setting with found family and being brave in brutal circumstances.

Those With Ears


Makenzie Gray - 2022
    When the government swiftly moves to cover up the Disappearing, she and her siblings grapple with the truth behind what happened. They've been government loyalists their whole lives, but a split in opinions threatens to upend their lives permanently.  And Takvi is trapped in a vacuum where no solution leaves her or her family unscathed, which is the one thing she can't bear. The illegal book their guardians left them has answers that agree with her siblings, but Takvi struggles to accept it. When the newly-formed government tightens its grip in eerie prophetic fashion, will she stand up or will she fold? Will any of it matter in the end of the world? A compelling apocalyptic story on redemption, sibling bonds, and seeking truth in a corrupt world, Those With Ears is the first novel in the Midnight Hour series.

The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium


Barry S. Strauss - 2022
    When Antony fell in love with the most powerful woman in the world, Egypt’s ruler Cleopatra, and thwarted Octavian’s ambition to rule the empire, another civil war broke out. In 31 BC one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships, almost 200,000 men, and one woman—the Battle of Actium. Octavian prevailed and subsequently defeated Antony and Cleopatra, who eventually committed suicide. The Battle of Actium had great consequences for the empire. Had Antony and Cleopatra won, the empire’s capital might have moved from Rome to Alexandria, Cleopatra’s capital, and Latin might have become the empire’s second language after Greek, which was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean, including Egypt. In this riveting and exciting history, Barry Strauss, ancient history authority, describes this consequential battle with the drama and expertise that it deserves. The War That Made the Roman Empire is essential history that features three of the greatest figures of the ancient world.

I Am Malala Yousafzai


Brad Meltzer - 2022
    She was an ordinary Muslim girl who wanted to attend school, and she refused to stop protesting for her rights even after being attacked by a powerful group in Pakistan who wanted women to remain in the shadows. She continues to fight for women's rights and free education for children all over the world.This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big. Included in each book are: - A timeline of key events in the hero's history - Photos that bring the story more fully to life - Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable - Childhood moments that influenced the hero - Facts that make great conversation-starters - A character trait that made the person heroic and that readers can aspire to You'll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!

The New Fire: War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI


Ben Buchanan - 2022
    Here's how democracies can come out on top.Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the modern world. It is ubiquitous--in our homes and offices, in the present and most certainly in the future. Today, we encounter AI as our distant ancestors once encountered fire. If we manage AI well, it will become a force for good, lighting the way to many transformative inventions. If we deploy it thoughtlessly, it will advance beyond our control. If we wield it for destruction, it will fan the flames of a new kind of war, one that holds democracy in the balance. As AI policy experts Ben Buchanan and Andrew Imbrie show in The New Fire, few choices are more urgent--or more fascinating--than how we harness this technology and for what purpose.The new fire has three sparks: data, algorithms, and computing power. These components fuel viral disinformation campaigns, new hacking tools, and military weapons that once seemed like science fiction. To autocrats, AI offers the prospect of centralized control at home and asymmetric advantages in combat. It is easy to assume that democracies, bound by ethical constraints and disjointed in their approach, will be unable to keep up. But such a dystopia is hardly preordained. Combining an incisive understanding of technology with shrewd geopolitical analysis, Buchanan and Imbrie show how AI can work for democracy. With the right approach, technology need not favor tyranny.

The Perdiccas Years, 323–320 BC: Alexander's Successors at War


Tristan Hughes - 2022
    He left one of the largest empires the world had seen, stretching from Greece to the Punjab.Surrounding the king’s deathbed were his highest subordinates: young, experienced and charismatic commanders – some of the greatest military minds of antiquity – each with their own insatiable ambitions for power, glory and legacy. Only recently these men had fought side-by-side on the battlefield, kept in line by Alexander’s overarching aura. But now, with Alexander dead and leaving no clear successor, many of these former brothers-in-arms quickly became fierce foes as they vied for dominance.What followed was an extraordinary time for military campaigns. Powerful warlords and warrior queens attempted to assert their authority throughout the length and breadth of Alexander the Great’s former empire; from Afghanistan to Athens, from Africa to Asia powerful armies decided matters by the spear. This first book covers the initial years of the conflict and several major campaigns that immediately seized the kingdom.

Of Memories and Mirages


Abu B. Rafique - 2022
    Aasiya slips away from watchful eyes to meet her lover at a teashop in the same city her grandparents, Suraiya and Iqbal, once moved to after meeting amid the bloodshed of the Partition. The owner of the teashop, Salim, also finds himself refuge from Afghanistan's war in the heat of Karachi. Meanwhile, a family nearby deals with the consequences of their son eagerly leaving the city and bearing firsthand witness to the horrors of the seemingly holy war.

The Sweetheart Locket


Jen Gilroy - 2022
    Torn between two countries, two men and living a life of lies working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Maggie's RAF sweetheart locket is part of who she is...and who she isn't.San Francisco, 2019Over twenty years after Maggie's death, her daughter Millie and granddaughter Willow take a DNA test that's supposed to be a bit of fun but instead yields unexpected results. Willow has always treasured her grandmother's sweetheart locket, both family heirloom and a symbol of her grandparents' love story. But now she doesn't know what to believe. She embarks on a search for the truth, one she doesn't know will reveal far more about herself...A gripping and heart-breaking dual timeline novel about love, loss and buried secrets, The Sweetheart Locket is perfect for fans of Lorna Cook, Rachel Hore and Suzanne Kelman.

King of All Things: A Guide to Man's Martial Purpose


Clark Savage - 2022
    

Only Birds Above


Portland Jones - 2022
    He returns without his horse, a man forever changed by what he has seen and suffered. Years later, Arthur’s children Ruth and Tom are still feeling the effects of the first war when Tom is sent by his father to work in Sumatra. Tom Watkins is there in 1942 when the Japanese invade and is taken prisoner. This is the story of two wars that divide and unite a father and son, and all the years that lie in between.

The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War


Nicholas Mulder - 2022
    . . offers many lessons for Western policy makers today.”—Paul Kennedy, Wall Street Journal   "The lessons are sobering.”—The Economist  “Original and persuasive. . . . For those who see economic sanctions as a relatively mild way of expressing displeasure at a country’s behavior, this book . . . will come as something of a revelation.”—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs   Economic sanctions dominate the landscape of world politics today. First developed in the early twentieth century as a way of exploiting the flows of globalization to defend liberal internationalism, their appeal is that they function as an alternative to war. This view, however, ignores the dark paradox at their core: designed to prevent war, economic sanctions are modeled on devastating techniques of warfare.     Tracing the use of economic sanctions from the blockades of World War I to the policing of colonial empires and the interwar confrontation with fascism, Nicholas Mulder uses extensive archival research in a political, economic, legal, and military history that reveals how a coercive wartime tool was adopted as an instrument of peacekeeping by the League of Nations. This timely study casts an overdue light on why sanctions are widely considered a form of war, and why their unintended consequences are so tremendous.

The Blood Years


Elana K. Arnold - 2022
    

The Distortions


Christopher Linforth - 2022
    Scarred by the last major war fought on European soil, the women and men of these stories question what such a violent past can mean in comfortable, capitalistic modern Europe. From London and Brooklyn and Norway, to the Blue Grotto of Biševo and the war-torn fields of Slavonia, this collection blends Yugoslavian and American stories of great emotional and geographical amplitude.