Michael D.

It is 58 BC, and the mighty Tenth Legion, camped in Northern Italy, prepare for the arrival of the most notorious general in Roman history: Julius Caesar. Marcus Falerius Fronto, commander of the Tenth, is a career soldier and long-time companion of Caesar's. Despite his desire for the simplicity of the military life, he cannot help but be drawn into intrigue and politics as Caesar engineers a motive to invade the lands of Gaul.

In Gladius, Guy de la Bedoyere takes us straight to the heart of what it meant to be a part of the Roman army. Rather than a history of the army itself, or a guide to military organization and fighting methods, this book is a ground-level recreation of what it was like to be a soldier in the army that made the empire. Surveying numerous aspects of life in the Roman army between 264 BCE and 337 CE, Gladius draws not only on the words of famed Roman historians, but also those of the soldiers themselves.

Set in Ireland, the upper-class courtship of Lord Ballantine for Fanny Windham and the lower-class romance between Martin Kelly and Ann Lynch meet with many obstacles.

One dog gets lost in the desert of New Mexico, and a frantic search goes on for more than a week. One old campaigner hunts the mountains of Southern Arizona like he's a bulletproof three-year-old again - right to the point of a 30-feet fall off a rock face. One old girl proves intelligence and desire can make up for lost youth. All these stories and more will get your heart pumping, your head nodding in agreement, and may even wet your eyes occasionally.

Prominent military historian Victor Davis Hanson explores the nature of leadership with his usual depth and vivid prose in The Savior Generals, a set of brilliantly executed pocket biographies of five generals (Themistocles, Belisarius, William Tecumseh Sherman, Matthew Ridgway, and David Petraeus) who single-handedly saved their nations from defeat in war. War is rarely a predictable enterprise - it is a mess of luck, chance, and incalculable variables. Today's sure winner can easily become tomorrow's doomed loser.

Summary: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson: An Antidote to Chaos (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.) Called “one of the most important thinkers to emerge on the world stage for many years,” by The Spectator, Jordan B. Peterson's 12 Rules for Life is a truly thought-provoking read. How should we live in the modern world? Peterson aims to answer this question using his unique blend of ancient traditions, religion and scientific research.