Book cover of A Gentle Empire

Book description

1914. When Percy Soul joins the Australian Imperial Force, he believes he’s about to embark on a grand adventure. War has broken out in Europe, and this is his chance to prove himself while fighting for a noble cause. His only concerns: looking after the reckless younger brother who’s enlisted…


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Why read it?

1 author picked A Gentle Empire as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I read this book because I knew and respected the author for his academic work on the Crusader States. WWI had never been a topic that particularly grabbed my interest and Australia is a country I've never visited and whose people I don't know. So I was sceptical -- and all the more delighted to be drawn into a world I had not known and to be carried along on a story that I had not chosen but which held my interest because of the power of the author's voice. This is an intelligent, sensitive, and at times lyrical exploration…

If you love A Gentle Empire...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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