This week, we feature a fascinating biography of an early military engineer, who stood up to a great empire, and an anticipatory children’s tale for the coming of spring.
Biography
‘The Man Who Stopped the Sultan: Gabriele Tadino & The Defence of Europe’
By Edoardo Albert
Gunpowder revolutionized warfare in the 16th century. Artillery toppled previously invulnerable high-walled medieval fortifications. The age of the military engineer had arrived. This book examines the era through the life of Gabriele Tadino, the foremost military engineer of that century. When Suleiman besieged Rhodes in 1522, the Knights of St. John fought the Ottomans to a standstill for six months due to Tadino’s skills in siege warfare. It is a fascinating examination of the 16th century.
Osprey Publishing, 2026, 304 pages
Nonfiction
‘Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion’
By Paul Bloom
Taking a stand against empathy, says Bloom, is like being against kittens. He then demonstrates how over-the-top sympathy for others’ plight too often puts reason on the back burner and leads to actions that harm both the perceived victims and public policy. It can also undermine personal relationships and morality. He instead recommends compassion undergirded by reason and common sense, with an eye toward long-term consequences. A timely book in an age when empathy overshadows most other virtues.
Ecco, 2018, 304 pages
Military History
‘Hannibal and Scipio: Parallel Lives’
By Simon Hornblower
The Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome during the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C. are full of some of history’s most dramatic, bloody, and militarily brilliant encounters. This work, focusing on the Second Punic War, highlights the lives of the era’s two greatest commanders: Hannibal Barca, of Carthage, and Publius Cornelius Scipio (famously known as Scipio Africanus), of Rome. Hornblower’s book is a thorough presentation of the times—politically, religiously, economically, and militarily.
Cambridge University Press, 2025, 528 pages
Science Fiction
By Christopher G. Nuttall
The parents of teenaged brothers Eric and John Crichton built a major interstellar shipping line, then disappeared in space. The boys start their own space line by converting two elderly starships into one functional freighter. Their legal guardian, older sister, Maryam, becomes the ship’s doctor. Hired to take a plague cure to a frontier planet, they discover it is a trap to let space pirates capture them. This sci-fi adventure is reminiscent of the 1950s stories of Robert Heinlein.
Raconteur Press, 2026, 144 pages
Classics
‘Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage’
By Alfred Lansing
Originally published in 1959, this narrative of 28 men and their Antarctica ordeal sold moderately well, but really took off in the 1990s. With their ship crushed by mountains of ice, the men set off by foot and by boat seeking safety and rescue, yet just when you think they find relief from the sub-zero temps, hunger, and lack of sleep, a new crisis unfolds. Lansing’s years of research, including interviews with some of Shackleton’s team and his artful blend of details, deserve two thumbs up.
Basic Books, 2015, 416 pages
For Kids
By Julie Fogliano and Erin E. Stead
Sweet and simple illustrations showcase the anticipation of the change of seasons and the familiar impatient wait through the last weeks of winter, when everything seems brown and cold and damp. Animals begin to awaken and then, finally, green! A nice addition to your read-aloud stack as winter lingers and the hope of spring beckons.
Roaring Brook Press, 2012, 32 pages
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