The War that Ended Peace by Margaret MacMillan from Profile Books (£1.69) is the Amazon UK
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NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The New York Times Book Review • The Economist • The Christian Science Monitor • Bloomberg Businessweek • The Globe and Mail
From the bestselling and award-winning author of Paris 1919 comes a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, a fascinating portrait of Europe from 1900 up to the outbreak of World War I.
The century since the end of the Napoleonic wars had been the most peaceful era Europe had known since the fall of the Roman Empire. In the first years of the twentieth century, Europe believed it was marching to a golden, happy, and prosperous future. But instead, complex personalities and rivalries, colonialism and ethnic nationalisms, and shifting alliances helped to bring about the failure of the long peace and the outbreak of a war that transformed Europe and the world.
The War That Ended Peace brings vividly to life the military leaders, politicians, diplomats, bankers, and the extended, interrelated family of crowned heads across Europe who failed to stop the descent into war: in Germany, the mercurial Kaiser Wilhelm II and the chief of the German general staff, Von Moltke the Younger; in Austria-Hungary, Emperor Franz Joseph, a man who tried, through sheer hard work, to stave off the coming chaos in his empire; in Russia, Tsar Nicholas II and his wife; in Britain, King Edward VII, Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, and British admiral Jacky Fisher, the fierce advocate of naval reform who entered into the arms race with Germany that pushed the continent toward confrontation on land and sea.
There are the would-be peacemakers as well, among them prophets of the horrors of future wars whose warnings went unheeded: Alfred Nobel, who donated his fortune to the cause of international understanding, and Bertha von Suttner, a writer and activist who was the first woman awarded Nobel’s new Peace Prize. Here too we meet the urbane and cosmopolitan Count Harry Kessler, who noticed many of the early signs that something was stirring in Europe; the young Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty and a rising figure in British politics; Madame Caillaux, who shot a man who might have been a force for peace; and more. With indelible portraits, MacMillan shows how the fateful decisions of a few powerful people changed the course of history.
Taut, suspenseful, and impossible to put down, The War That Ended Peace is also a wise cautionary reminder of how wars happen in spite of the near-universal desire to keep the peace. Destined to become a classic in the tradition of Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August, The War That Ended Peace enriches our understanding of one of the defining periods and events of the twentieth century.
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Extreme Sleeps: Adventures of a Wild Camper by Phoebe Smith from Summersdale (£0.99) is the Amazon UK
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In a sometimes scary, frequently funny, and intriguing journey around the UK, Phoebe attempts to discover and conquer its wildest places
I had become official infatuated with what I call "extreme sleeping"—a kind of addictive high-adrenaline sport—but rather than being defined by pushing the boundaries of physical activity, my particular pursuit was marked by a distinct lack of it.
Veteran globetrotter Phoebe Smith sets out to prove that outdoor adventures are available in the UK which rival anything found elsewhere in the world. From spending the night in the decaying wreckage of a World War II bomber at Bleaklow, to pitching next to the adrenaline-inducing sheer drops of Lizard Point, Phoebe’s extreme sleeps defy her perceptions of the great outdoors and teach her about herself along the way.
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Breathe Again: A Love Story by Joelle Charming from Montlake Romance (£0.99) is the Amazon UK
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Melanie “Mellie” Rose Devlin was supposed to be a Kansas wife and mother. But after her fiancé cheated on her, she ran away to Los Angeles, determined to start over. Hiding behind red lipstick and her grandmother’s pearls, she started working at her cousin’s bakery and drew up a practical plan for her future. But spilling cake all over herself in front of Hollywood’s hottest leading actor wasn’t part of that plan.
Despite Mellie’s embarrassment, Hollywood star Jackson Traver seems strangely charmed by her. At first, Mellie can hardly believe her luck. How could the guy voted “Sexiest Man Alive” fall for a clumsy pastry chef? But once she gives in to temptation, she finds herself dining with A-list stars and shopping on Rodeo Drive…all while Jackson gives her a delicious taste of true desire. Now, Mellie’s not sure she can ever go back to her plan for a nice, sensible life. But can a red-carpet love really last forever?
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