Another customer review for 'Merdeka' on Amazon

Many thanks to "diebus" for a 5 star review recently posted on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.   Extracts from this review, other customer reviews and professional reviews can be seen on the Review page of this blog.

Easter promotion: For 2 days only 'Merdeka' free on Kindle

Amazon have kept suggesting a Free Promotion, which is part of the Kindle Select package, so here goes.......

If you want to download 'Merdeka' for FREE (until Monday 1st April), click on one of the links below:

UK Readers,
Canadian Readers,
German Readers,
French Readers,
Spanish Readers,
Brazilian Readers,
Italian Readers,
Japanese Readers,
US Readers (and rest of world),

The old send the young to die

"Older men declare war.  But it is the youth that must fight and die"  is a quote from Herbert Hoover the 31st US President.  That fact has been reality since humans first organised themselves for combat.  As young men (and increasingly woman) continue to die for their countries, it is also a fact that in each army (as anyone who has served on a front line knows) there are also staff officers who sit behind the lines, taking decisions that affect those risking their lives at the 'sharp end'.  These can be good or bad, and it is the bad ones that rankle young soldiers.  Siegfried Sassoon won the Military Cross in trench warfare in WW1 but increasingly became disillusioned with many aspects of military life.  His poem 'Base Details' sums up the view of many young soldiers, even today.

Bringing Ghosts to life

Researching history means entering a world of Ghosts.  The presence of people from by-gone ages can be felt as one moves around places and buildings trying to imagine the past, and piece together a mental jigsaw from (often) limited snippets of information.  As an amateur historian with a military interest (and background) I have wandered around many ex-British army locations around the globe. 

Most recently I visited some sites in Singapore.  The big picture, the top down view of the campaign is clear, yet it is very hard to get a perspective from ordinary people who were not at the top of the tree - and it is their stories and memories that are vital to truly understand how life must have been.

World Book Day

Today, 7th March, is World Book Day 2013.  What is  World Book Day?  It is an attempt to get more people, particularly young people, engaged with books and reading in this digital age.  World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.

The origins of the day now celebrated in the UK and Ireland come from Catalonia, where roses and books were given as gifts to loved ones on St George's Day – a tradition started over 90 years ago.  World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all.