MY 2024 READING HIGHLIGHTS: NON-FICTION

Some of my reading highlights from 2024. I've read as much non-fiction as fiction this year.

Anyway, plenty of military history, mostly continuing my fascination with the Pacific War. 'Band of Brothers' (European theatre of war) and 'With the Old Breed' (US Marines in the Pacific Islands) were exceptional and left me feeling a bit spent, in awe of the civilian soldiers of that generation, but also immensely grateful for having 1969 as my birth year.

With the West currently under immense pressure from within and without, I read more current affairs than usual in '24. One of the greatest advantages of the West is its flexibility, but it is also fragile and I think that every adult should read 'Putin's People' by Catherine Belton, to really get a sense of what is being undermined and what we're up against. I read this on my Kindle. I love big, controversial positions from engaging essayists and few match Douglas Murray.

And more Classical literature for me too this year, which I find more absorbing as I get older. My reading included the works of two Roman emperors. Caesar's 'The Conquest of Gaul' has been on my shelves for years, but even to a modern ear, it's an absolute page-turner.

The Stoic and emperor, Marcus Aurelius, has been a great comfort. I've come across quotes from his writings for decades but finally read all of 'Meditations' slowly and carefully. Though these journals were never written for an audience - they were his private thoughts and musings - they truly carry the wisdom of the ages. The later books in 'Meditations' contained my favourite passages.

Other highlights are in the stack.