Book Review – The Second World Wars

Posted on March 13, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey

I have set a goal to read 26 books in 2019, and review them upon completion.  Below is my review of The Second World Wars, the 6th book I have completed so far this year.

Victor Davis Hanson has produced a masterpiece in his “The Second World Wars”.  Unlike authors of conventional books about WWII, Mr. Hanson book is not a chronological telling of the war.  Instead, he focuses his attention on strategic milestones and how the Axis powers were never in a position to actually win the wars they started.

Initially, the Axis powers looked unstoppable.  They rolled through Western Europe and Southeast Asia/Oceania like juggernauts.  But none of the Axis Powers were in a position to ultimately attack and conquer the Big 3 Allied powers.  While Germany did enormous damage to the Soviet Union, ultimately the Third Reich was never in a position to consolidate their gains west of the Urals.  And Germany was also never a serious threat to invade Great Britain.

And neither Japan or Germany could attack the United States in a meaningful way, leaving the industrial giant free to build up it’s forces (and the forces of the Allies) that would lead to the destruction of the Axis.

I highly recommend this book and give it 4 thumbs up.

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Lone Tree Brewery

Posted on March 10, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey
Looks can be deceiving.

Lone Tree Brewery is located in an unassuming strip mall just on the other side of C-470 from Park Meadows Mall. But don’t let this brewery’s plain exterior fool you. There be liquid treasure awaiting you inside!

Walk in and a large room with a wraparound bar greets you. Off to one side is a bocce ball court (which I didn’t use this time). The smell of fermenting hops greet your nose. Posted behind the bar is a list of what beers are brewing and fermenting (their Peach Ale and Nitro Vanilla Carmel Amber were in the works the day I visited).

The first ale I tried was their Irish Red, an American Amber with 6% ABV and 23 IBU’s. I found it to be malty and smooth, but perhaps not the tastiest Irish ale I’ve ever had. While I am not generally a fan of overly flavorful beers, I felt that this beer could you just a little more kick. Still, Irish Red is a good beer, just unremarkable.

Three belches:

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Wee Heavy Scotch ale. Yum!

Next up was their Scotch ale (I’m noticing a bit of a British Isle theme going here) called Wee Heavy. Coming in at 9.1% ABV, Wee Heavy is definitely a strong beer. It is also a malty slice of heaven! Coming in with 30 IBUs, it is a very flavorful beer but not so bitter that it swamps the sweet caramel taste. While not a stout or porter, I think people who like those types of ales would find Wee Heavy to be a good substitute. Lone Tree’s website says this ale “suggestive of a dessert in a glass”

Myself, I thought that Wee Heavy is one of the best Scotch ales I have ever had. Malty, slightly sweet and a perfect kick-ass beer to close out a brewery visit. Just make sure to have something in your stomach before enjoying one of these or you’ll need to call an Uber to get yourself home!

Sadly, Wee Heavy is not distributed and it’s a seasonal beer. My server mentioned that it is soon to be replaced with their Spring offering. So if you want to try it you’ll need to get to Lone Tree Brewery soon before it’s gone.

I award Lone Tree’s Wee Heavy my coveted 5 belches:































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Book Review: The Promise of Blood

Posted on March 8, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey

Editor’s note:  I have set a goal to read 26 books in 2019, and review them upon completion.  Below is my review of The Promise of Blood, the 5th book I have completed so far this year.

I picked up The Promise of Blood from a little independent bookstore in San Diego that specializes in mysteries and science fiction called Mysterious Galaxy. I had never heard of this author or his series: The Powder Mage Trilogy. However, a book that mixed magic with early industrial age technology sounded interesting, so I put my money down and headed out the door. Then promptly forgot about this book for over 2 years.

I’ve mentioned before I am not much into literature anymore. Instead, I prefer non-fiction with a heavy emphasis on history, biographies, mental health and travel books. But all heavy topics and no easy reading makes for a bored MrVintageMan. So after I finished The Second World Wars, I pulled Mr. McClellan’s book off the shelf and quickly dug in.

While The Promise of Blood certainly no Lord of the Rings, it is a quick and fun read. The characters are not very fleshed out, and exactly how magic works in this world is never adequately explained, the action scenes and palace intrigues more than compensate for these shortfalls. I especially enjoyed the scenes involving an investigator and his search for the meaning of a cryptic promise.

I intend to pick up book 2 of the Power Mage Trilogy soon.

3 thumbs up:


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