📗 Henry Kissenger (1994) Diplomacy – a sweeping analysis of international relations shaped by power, statecraft, and historical context. He examines how figures like Metternich, Bismarck, Roosevelt, and Churchill used diplomacy to balance national interests with global stability, contrasting European realpolitik with the more idealistic American foreign policy tradition. Kissinger argues that enduring peace depends less on moral aspiration and more on pragmatic negotiation, strategic restraint, and a nuanced understanding of history. Blending scholarship with firsthand insight, he portrays diplomacy as the continual art of managing conflict and preserving order in an ever-evolving international system.
📕 Lewis Carol (1942) The Screwtape Letters – A tedious and self-important, more preachy than profound. The concept of demons exchanging letters about corrupting humans sounds clever at first, but the execution feels heavy-handed and moralistic. The book often sacrifices story and character for sermonizing, with Lewis using the format to lecture rather than entertain. Its dated tone and smug moral stance make it feel less like a satire and more like a sanctimonious essay disguised as fiction. For readers looking for genuine wit or insight into human nature, it can be a frustrating and overrated experience. 👎
📕 Charles Belfoure (2015) House of Thieves: A Novel – A gripping historical thriller set in Gilded Age New York, blending high society elegance with criminal intrigue. The story follows architect John Cross, a man of integrity forced into the underworld of burglary to save his son from ruthless gangsters. As Cross uses his architectural expertise to plan heists, he becomes entangled in a dangerous moral conflict between duty and corruption. Belfoure vividly portrays the opulence and decay of the era, exploring how desperation can dismantle principles. The novel’s fast-paced tension and sharp social observations make it both atmospheric and deeply compelling.
📕 Charlie Lovett (2014) First Impressions – intertwines romance, mystery, and literary history through a captivating dual narrative. The story follows Sophie Collingwood, a modern-day bibliophile who becomes entangled in a search for an elusive book that may reveal secrets about Jane Austen’s life and the true origins of Pride and Prejudice. Alternating between Sophie’s quest and Austen’s own struggles as a writer in the eighteenth century, Lovett explores themes of love, authorship, and the timeless power of storytelling. Blending fact and fiction, the novel celebrates the enduring magic of books and the connections they inspire across generations. 👎
📺 Slow Horses (2022) 5 seasons / 30 episodes – British espionage series blending sharp wit with tense intelligence drama. Centering on a group of disgraced MI5 agents relegated to a dingy department called Slough House, the show focuses on their acerbic leader Jackson Lamb, whose brilliance contrasts with his unkempt, cynical demeanor. As these misfits navigate bureaucratic failures and dangerous missions, the series skillfully balances dark humor with suspenseful, emotionally grounded storytelling. It exposes the imperfect humanity behind spy work, portraying flawed characters who find redemption, purpose, and unexpected heroism within the bleak corners of Britain’s intelligence world. ❗ Incredibly annoying theme song.
🎦 From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) – blends crime thriller and horror with a darkly comic twist. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino, it follows two criminal brothers, Seth and Richie Gecko, who take a family hostage while fleeing to Mexico, only to stumble upon a seedy bar infested with vampires. The film’s abrupt tonal shift midway transforms a tense, gritty escape story into a chaotic blood-soaked battle for survival. Featuring George Clooney, Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, and Salma Hayek, its mix of sharp dialogue, shocking visuals, and pulpy energy turned it into a cult classic of 90s cinema. 👎
📕 Nicholas Meyer (2019) The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols – revives Sherlock Holmes in a clever historical pastiche that blends classic mystery with political intrigue. Set in 1905, the story follows Holmes and Dr. Watson as they investigate the origins of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious anti-Semitic forgery. Meyer skillfully fuses Conan Doyle’s tone with real-world espionage and emerging 20th-century anxieties, taking readers across Europe and Russia amid revolutionary unrest. With its sharp dialogue, moral weight, and intellectual suspense, the novel captures both Holmes’s brilliance and Meyer’s gift for reimagining the detective in historically charged contexts. 👎 Mostly pro-jewish / pro-zionist screed.
📺 Young Sherlock (2026) – From Guy Ritchie, witness the legendary origin story of Sherlock Holmes in this irreverent, action-laden mystery that follows the iconic detective's early adventures. This series has got a few good parts. For a fan of the Sherlock Holmes character, it is, of course a must watch. But... like virtually anything made recently the ending sucks. Giant pointless explosions, ridiculous plot. I would say, unless you are a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's homes and feel forced to literally watch any show about the character, I'd give it a miss. Also... Just a technical aside. In the time of Doyle's Holmes "a lady" would ride a horse side saddle. The women in this series don't, so they must be whores. People should avoid whores, both in life, and on TV / movie screens.
📕 Hideo Yokoyama (2012) Six Four – a critically acclaimed Japanese crime novel about a police press officer, Yoshinobu Mikami, who is forced to confront an unsolved kidnapping case from 14 years prior, known as "Six Four," which has haunted him and the police department ever since. The story delves into the inner workings of the Japanese police force, media relations, and corruption, as Mikami uncovers secrets while dealing with his own personal struggles, including his own daughter's disappearance. It's known for its slow-burn, detailed, and complex plot that requires patience but offers a rewarding, twisty conclusion.
📕 Dan Chaon (2017) Ill Will - a haunting literary thriller that delves into the slippery boundaries between truth, memory, and trauma. The novel follows psychologist Dustin Tillman, whose life unravels after new doubts arise about his testimony that sent his adoptive brother to prison decades earlier. As Dustin becomes entangled in a patient’s conspiracy theories linking mysterious drownings, his grip on reality weakens. Chaon weaves multiple timelines and unreliable perspectives, creating a chilling study of grief, guilt, and self-deception. Ill Will lingers long after the final page as both a psychological puzzle and a meditation on the stories we tell ourselves. 👎
🎦 Woman in Gold (2015) – The film is based on the true story of Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish refugee living in Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles, who, together with her young lawyer, Randy Schoenberg, fought the government of Austria for almost a decade to reclaim Gustav Klimt's iconic painting of her aunt Adele Bloch-Bauer, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, which was stolen from her relatives by the Nazis in Vienna just prior to World War II. ️👎️👎 Nice shots of the architecture of Austria, but the show is the typical save the whales nonsense. It's amazing how some people cling to the past, and suffer because of it. They should take up meditation.
📗 Dale Carnegie (1936) How to Win Friends and Influence People – One of the best-known motivational guides in history, Dale Carnegie’s groundbreaking book has sold tens of millions of copies, been translated into almost every known language, and has helped countless people succeed. 👍👍 Buy the oldest edition you can find. Often as time passes publishers and chapters to books and make edit to keep up with the modern world. I always recommend getting the authors original thoughts. Dale Carnegie lived before there was any social networks or anything like that. So you don't want an addition where the publishers have added their thoughts about social networks, you want the original authors thoughts.
📺 The Young Pope (2017) – Two-time Oscar-nominee Jude Law stars in this 10-episode limited series about a radical new Pope. Diane Keaton co-stars.
📕 Ian Caldwell (2015) The Fifth Gospel – a literary thriller that weaves theology, history, and family drama into a mystery set within the Vatican. When curator Ugo Nogara is murdered, two brothers—Greek Catholic priest Alex and Roman Catholic priest Simon—become entangled in the crime. Their search for the truth revolves around a controversial relic and a lost gospel that could redefine Christianity’s core narrative. As faith, loyalty, and institutional secrecy collide, Caldwell blends meticulous research with emotional depth, creating a story that explores the fragile relationship between faith and fact, and the human cost of protecting sacred truth.
📗 Carl von Clausewitz (1832) On War – Clausewitz had many aphorisms, of which the most famous is, "War is not merely a political act, but also a political instrument, a continuation of political relations, a carrying out of the same by other means," a working definition of war which has won wide acceptance.
🎦 McCabe & Mrs. Miller – A gambler and a prostitute become thriving business partners in a remote Old West mining town until a large corporation arrives on the scene.