1. The Iron Jackal, by Chris Wooding.
This is the third installment in the tales of the airship Ketty Jay and her crew. While the first two books in this story arc have been good, this one is better--better writing, better character development, better storyline. If you haven't tried these books, I would highly recommend them. I'm currently re-reading Retribution Falls, the first book.
2. Crimea, by Trevor Royle.
This looks like a stodgy, stuffy history book. But you know what they say about judging a book by it's cover. It is actually a very entertaining, well-written book about the Crimean War, which may be one of history's more overlooked conflicts. It wasn't a large-scale war, at least not compared with many other conflicts of the 19th and 20th centuries; it was more a series of disjointed battles that didn't seem to accomplish much on the surface, but which had far reaching consequences on future military clashes--specifically the American Civil War and World War One.
3. No Shortcuts to the Top, by Ed Viesturs.
This is a mountaineering memoir written by Viesturs, the first American to climb all the world's 8,000+ meter peaks without supplemental oxygen (pretty much all of which are in the Karakoram and Himalaya ranges in India, Nepal, and Pakistan). This accomplishment took him several years to reach, and on more than one occasion he was forced to back off certain mountains and try them again a few years later. He isn't a great writer, but the subject matter makes up for it. In between stories about conquering the peaks, he weaves in anecdotes about being a professional mountain climber, and how he funds his passion. He also shares his thoughts on some bad accidents in the mountaineering community, such as the fateful day on Everest in May 1996 when eight climbers lost their lives (Viesturs was on the mountain that day, and participated in the rescue efforts). His motto: "Getting to the top is optional; getting down is mandatory."
4. Sabbat Martyr, by Dan Abnett.
This is one of the "Gaunt's Ghosts" stories, a series of books set in the Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe. It is dark, gothic, grim military sci-fi in the very far future. Dan Abnett writes fairly well, and I have really enjoyed the Gaunt's Ghosts stories thus far. The Ghosts are the men of the Tanith First-and-Only, so named because they were the only Imperial Guard regiment raised from their home world of Tanith before it was completely destroyed by the forces of Chaos. The men call themselves Ghosts, as they are the only survivors of a planet that no longer exists, and their regimental commander is Colonel Ibram Gaunt--hence Gaunt's Ghosts. They excel at reconnaissance and infiltration work, which lands them on the front lines of some of the Imperium's hottest combat zones. This particular story tells the story of the Ghosts' participation in the siege of the Shrineworld Heredor. If none of that makes sense, don't worry--it will if you read the books. But if you do, start at the beginning with First and Only.
5. The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, by Lt. Colonel John Patterson.
This is the incredible true story behind the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness". I think we may have covered it on the blog before. Amazing that two lions could wreak so much havoc. The book isn't as dramatic as the movie, but it is still a chilling read.
There you have them--my good reads from 2012. Feel free to check them out, and please share with us some of your favorites from this past year!
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