Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans by T. R. Fehrenbach
About 80% of the 40 hour book covers the period 1820-1880. Huge amounts of detail during then but skips over the rest quickly. Great stories though. 8/10
That’s Not English – Britishisms, Americanisms, and What Our English Says About Us by Erin Moore
A series of short chapters (usually one per word) about how the English language is used differently in England from the US. Fun light read. 7/10
The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream by Tyler Cowen
How American culture (and I’d extend that to countries like NZ) has stopped innovating and gone the safe route in most areas. Main thesis is that pressure is building up and things may break hard. Interesting 8/10
A History of Britain, Volume 2 : The British Wars 1603 – 1776 by Simon Schama
Covering the Civil War, Glorious Revolution and bits of the early empire and American revolution. A nice overview. 7/10
I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing: Star Wars and the Triumph of Geek Culture by A. D. Jameson
A personal account of the author’s journey though Geekdom (mainly of the Sci-Fi sort) mixed in with a bit of analysis of how the material is deeper than critics usually credit. 7/10
