• John le Carré, The Secret Pilgrim. A semi-sequel to The Russia House, consisting of the reminisces of Ned at the end of his career. Fascinating and absorbing.
  • John R. Schindler, Fall of the Double Eagle: The Battle for Galicia and the Demise of Austria-Hungary. An account of the Battle of Galicia, the opening collision between Russia and Austria-Hungary in World War I. It’s always refreshing to read an account of Austria-Hungary which doesn’t place it in the shadow of the German Empire. I’m familiar with the subject but Schindler’s treatment of the ethnic issues in the military is fresh.
  • Tim Hadley, Military Diplomacy in the Dual Alliance: German Military Attaché Reporting from Vienna, 1879–1914. I heard Hadley give a talk on this subject at the German Studies Association conference in Pittsburgh way back in 2006. The premise is that there was a disconnect between the reporting of German military attachés in Vienna and German strategic planning. This book is the outgrowth of that talk, and I can’t wait to read it.