Best of lists and random rambling

Best Military Nerdism Book:   

Battleground The Greatest Tank Duels in History, editor Steven Zaloga 

Best TV Series:

Rome, both seasons

The Young Indiana Jones (perfect for nerdy boys)

Babylon 5

Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex Complete Series

Best Movies:

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Conan the Barbarian (the long version)


Best History (General) Books:

Europe by  Norman Davies



Best Colonial Books:

Small Wars by Colonel C. E. Callwell

Street Without Joy by Bernard Fall

Koevoet by Jim Hooper

Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by Walt and Mearshimer

Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran


Best Fiction Books:

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester


The Eden trilogy by Harry Harrison (the best alternative history)

The Hammer and the Cross trilogy by Harry Harrison (the best alternative history, tied)

The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

James White series: Sector General (if you like your sci fi without the easy to write constant, mindless violence, written by a Christian, a counter point to Raspail if you will).

Tactics of Mistake by Gordon R. Dickson



Best WW2 Books:

Nomonhan: Japanese-Soviet Tactical Combat, 1939 (the battle that decided WW2 for the non-historians among you).

Fighting in Hell: The German Ordeal on the Eastern Front edited by Peter G. Tsouras

Blood Tears and Folly by Len Deighton

Icrebreaker by Viktor Suvorov (nee Rezun)

Beyond the Beachhead by Joseph Balkoski


Best Books on Communism:

Liberators by Viktor Suvorov (nee Rezun - I lied, there are more translations)

Special Tasks by Pavel Sudoplatov

STASI by John Koehler

Red Horizons by on Mihai Pacepa

Kolyma by Robert  Conquest

Mitrokhin Archive by Major Vasili Mitrokhin (both books)

Best Alternative History Books:

The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes by Richard Firestone, Allen West, Simon Warwick-Smith

Ancient Egypt 39,000 BCE: The History, Technology, and Philosophy of Civilization X by Edward Malkowski

Advanced Civilizations of Prehistoric America by Frank Joseph

Catastrophe by David Keys

Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock

Underworld by Graham Hancock

Camp of the Saints by Jean Raspail

Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt by Christopher Dunn

 

Best climatology Books:

Plows , Plagues and Petroleum by William Ruddiam

Bonus 

Deep Thought of the Day:

The Native Americans gave a very hearty welcome to the alien race Pilgrims, fed them and rescued them from almost certain death - more, they taught them about which plants are good to eat, which are not, how to live off the land.

They were exterminated.

In the near future, the scenario (maybe not the exact scenario) depicted at the end of Camp of the Saints WILL happen.  Your children, or perhaps (ah, ever the optimist, me) your children's children are fucked.

Interestingly, when I googled "James White", James William White IV (a mediocre basketball player) was chosen for me by google, followed by more James William White IV on ALL the hits on the first search page.


Food for thought.