The best books about Normandy

On June 6, 1944, the greatest armada in history stood off Normandy and the largest amphibious invasion ever began as 107,000 men aboard 6,500 ships pressed toward the coast. Among this number were 14,500 Canadians, who were to land on a five-mile-long wide expanse of sand in front of three bucolic Norman villages—code-named Juno Beach. Sheltered inside the villages and behind a six-foot-high sea wall, hundreds of German soldiers sheltered inside concrete bunkers and deep trenches waited to strike the assault wave with some ninety 88-millimetre guns, fifty mortars, and four hundred machineguns. Extending from the sea wall into the surf itself were ranks of tangled barbed wire, tank and vessel obstacles, and a maze of mines. Of the five Allied forces landing that day, they were scheduled to be the last to reach the shore. Juno was also the most exposed beach, their day’s objectives nine miles inland were farther away than any others, and the opposition awaiting them was believed greater than that facing any other force. At battle’s end, one out of every sixteen Canadians in the invasion force was either dead or wounded. Yet their grip on Juno Beach was firm and—at six miles inland—the Canadian advance was the deepest achieved on June 6. 

On June 6, 1944, the greatest armada in history stood off Normandy and the largest amphibious invasion ever began as 107,000 men aboard 6,500 ships pressed toward the coast. Among this number were 14,500 Canadians, who were to land on a five-mile-long wide expanse of sand in front of three bucolic Norman villages—code-named Juno Beach. Sheltered inside the villages and behind a six-foot-high sea wall, hundreds of German soldiers sheltered inside concrete bunkers and deep trenches waited to strike the assault wave with some ninety 88-millimetre guns, fifty mortars, and four hundred machineguns. Extending from the sea wall into the surf itself were ranks of tangled barbed wire, tank and vessel obstacles, and a maze of mines. Of the five Allied forces landing that day, they were scheduled to be the last to reach the shore. Juno was also the most exposed beach, their day’s objectives nine miles inland were farther away than any others, and the opposition awaiting them was believed greater than that facing any other force. At battle’s end, one out of every sixteen Canadians in the invasion force was either dead or wounded. Yet their grip on Juno Beach was firm and—at six miles inland—the Canadian advance was the deepest achieved on June 6. 

The Allies’ parachute and glider operations on D-Day were the most daring—and dangerous—of all the aspects of Operation Overlord. Most Americans have heard of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions’ pre-dawn drops into Normandy, but the glider operations are less well known. And few Americans know much about the British and Canadian airborne operations—or even history of combat parachute and glider development and training. I wanted to cover it all and give America’s allies equal representation.

The Allies’ parachute and glider operations on D-Day were the most daring—and dangerous—of all the aspects of Operation Overlord. Most Americans have heard of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions’ pre-dawn drops into Normandy, but the glider operations are less well known. And few Americans know much about the British and Canadian airborne operations—or even history of combat parachute and glider development and training. I wanted to cover it all and give America’s allies equal representation.

My award-winning Preparing for Victory tells the story of General Thomas Holcomb as he directed the growth of the U.S. Marine Corps from 18,000 men in 1936 to nearly 400,000 in 1943. As commandant during these years, Holcomb guided the Marines as they prepared for amphibious operations during the Pacific War. As a quiet, diminutive man, he did not cut the dashing figure of a ideal “leatherneck,” nor did he earn nicknames like “Howlin’ Mad,” “Red Mike,” or “Chesty.” Nevertheless, Thomas Holcomb possessed the strategic mind and calm composure that matched the leadership traits of Dwight Eisenhower, Chester Nimitz, and George Marshall. More than any other Marine, Holcomb helped turn the Marine Corps into an amphibious assault force that made critical contributions to American victory in the Second World War. 

Nurse-to-nurse incivility and relational aggression can poison the work environment of virtually any organization. My work shares practical solutions from real-life professional conflicts nurses face and offers suggestions for coping with and preventing relational aggression. 

The simple act of drawing can connect us with our true creative selves and this book shows how. Everyone can draw and use drawing as both a means to make art and a way to explore creative ideas. The book shows how to deepen our focus in a yogic way by immersing ourselves in the moment and letting everything else fall away. In this place we find inspiration. The book encourages us to take chances, observe the world and our work with clear eyes, stay open and respond to inspiration when it comes. And just be who we are as artists. It also looks at how by going to the edge of our abilities and mindset we grow our ideas and creative confidence. The book also offers practical drawing exercises for the reader to try and is illustrated with full-color examples from a variety of artists.

The Confident Creative was a 2011 gold medal winner in the Nautilus Book Awards.

Witchcraft: The Basics explores the phenomenon of witchcraft in history and fiction, from its earliest definitions in the Middle Ages through to its resonances in the modern world. It looks at case studies of witch trials in Britain and America, witches in Shakespeare and other literature, the scholarly field of Witchcraft Studies, witches as neo-pagans and activists, and witches in film and TV.

When he placed his briefcase bomb in Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair conference, Claus von Stauffenberg was 36 years old, married, with four children. His wife was pregnant with their fifth. He was a decorated war hero, maimed, and one of the most brilliant staff officers of the German army. He set out to rid his country of Hitler, and bring the Second World War to an end. What led him to this point? 

Treason recounts the page-turning story of Germans prepared to give their all to free their country from the Nazis. Many of these men and women paid with their lives for their principled stand. The text is complemented by hundreds of photos and hundreds of biographical glossaries.

"Cena with Tata" - Ancient Rome: An iron-willed matron tells of her once-great family’s fall, and her campaign to regain its former glory. "Hunger and Thirst" -Sadness, anxiety, dread has infected the whole world.  Discovering the cause, an altruist strikes blows to save it. "The Worst Day of My Life" - The bishop’s head torturer has all a man could desire—until his scatterbrained daughter presents him with a problem. "Misericord" - Hospitalized with anaphylaxis, a man learns his life is not as blessed as he thought, and neither his loved ones nor his doctor have his best interests at heart. "Found in a Cave" - A California woman writes about how she and her family have survived the collapse of society only to end up awaiting an uncertain fate high in the mountains.