Meandering Midweek

Aye, a fair midweek to all you Stroock's Books reader(s) out there.

The weather babe says we may or may not get a nor'easter this weekend. The weather babe maintains strategic ambiguity. 

We awoke with a touch of plantar fasciitis in our right foot. [Why do your feet trouble you so?-Ed], Because we're 52 and spend a lot of time at the gym. Also, health wise we're just unlucky. We're programmed to drop dead from a heart attack in our mid-60s, as did our mother's father, from whom we get our middle name and our health. 

The war with Iran is imminent, they say. This seems true. This leak to the press could also be a negotiating tactic. We've said before that we in the West often get hung up on the notion that enemies in the East are mysterious and we really don't get them. Maybe. But it's also true that our enemies in the East really don't get us. Example, in 1990 Saddam made an appeal to the US for peace, in a two our long speech with lots of soaring rhetoric, in the Arab style. President Bush's message two Iraq was just a few minutes. 

The New York Post reports on Barry Soetoro's 'dour' and 'bizarre' presidential center, whatever that is. Actually, this architectural monstrosity perfectly invokes Barrack Hussein Obama, we think. The building is big, ugly, and without meaning. Barry's Iran Deal is long defunct. Obamacare didn't lower  costs it raised them and made healthcare harder to get. Barry's presidency never saw 3 percent economic growth. The Obama presidency is truly a failure. 

What Will's Watching: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. We don't like this GoT spinoff as much as the commentariat, but we do like it. Ser Duncan the Tall is a sympathetic character for certain. And we are charmed by Aeg, the thoughtful little Targaryen boy.  Many aspects of the joust, like the heir to the Iron Throne participating, strike us as farfetched. Nevertheless, we are entertained. 

DOGE report. 

We've got two more chapters to go in the Ireland read through. 

We were thinking about the Battle of Ardee in World War 1990: Thatcher's War. It bounces from the Brit commander to the Irish commander. Why not dump the Brit commander and focus on the Irish commander more?  

Our efforts on Substack have not juked books sales. We really don't know what to do other than get the next book out there. We'll have some thoughts on World War 1990: Ireland when the final edits are complete. 

Jackson and Jackson

A good Tuesday to you reader(s) of Stroock's Books. 

The leader of this blog's Confederate Contingent disagrees with our portrayal of Andrew Jackson. Indian Removal Act, Second Bank Battle (you need a bank, guys), Spoils System, Specie Circular...the man was a disaster. Take him off the $20 and replace him with Reagan. If one must support a Tennessee president, might one support James Polk?

The US and Iran are talking right now, they say, while the Pentagon amasses more firepower in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Israel is hitting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Iran is talking big. Iran is talking tough. The Iranians sound like Arabs. Don't make us say it....don't make us say it. The tough talk is a shield protecting Iran's weakness.* 

The Iranians are doing more than talking, though, including closing the Straits of Hormuz today for military exercises. What else might the mullahs do? Small boat attacks on the US fleet. We're dubious that these could do any damage. Missile attacks on US bases in the ME, these could do damage, or at least make a point. Missile attacks on the Gulf Arabs themselves to extract a price for supporting the US.

If war comes, the Iranians will bombard Israel of course. But how else could they hit the Israelis? Were we the Iranians we'd attack an Israeli embassy (why not Berlin, for symbolism's sake). Also we'd attack a large synagogue in the United States. We'd kidnap Gal Gadot. Exit question: of what are we not thinking? Post in comments. 

Death notices....

We heard the great Robert Duvall died yesterday. Everyone thinks his best line in Apocalypse Now is, 'I love the smell of Napalm in the Morning.' But really it's, 'Some day this war's gonna end.'

The Reverend Jackson has passed. While we have thoughts we'll hold them in check, we're not a leftist ghoul. The man had largely faded from public life this century. The last time we recall seeing Jackson on TV was election night 2008. But Jackson was a fixture of the 70's, 80's and 90's political landscape. 

Mark Steyn reminds us that Rush Limbaugh died five years ago today. We'll not see his kind again. 

DOGE Report.

The World War 1990: Ireland readthrough is 3/4 done. The proofer will get her copy in the mail to us today. 

We spent half of yesterday working on World War 1990: Thatcher's War. The first third is fine. We see many a problem in the second third.

We spent the second half of yesterday working on World War 1990: The Managua Campaign. The 32,000 words are more or less done. We had a revelation while researching. The Contras open the attack northeast of the main axis of advance.  We should have them use jungle infiltration tactics in this phase. In fact, this phase should be called Operation Chindit, IYKYK. 

*What are the unknown unknowns?

Dio de los Presidentes

Aye, Happy President's Day, Stroock's Books presidential historians and normie reader(s). 

The greatest presidents are Washington, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. 

The worst presidents are Hoover, Wilson, Obama, Carter, and Biden. 

Not great but competent presidents that left the country better than they found it include Polk, McKinnley, Bush the Elder, Clinton, and Eisenhower. 

Nixon was banged up by the Deep State and the Washington Post who were pissed he beat them twice. Nixon was an excellent president. 

And take Jackson off the $20. The man's presidency was a disaster.

[You do this every year-Ed] And? 

Related...though under siege, Kier Starmer continues to survive the Epstein scandal. And so he shall. 

Israel...This blog estimates a joint US/Israel war on Iran is likely and imminent. Sorry, Trump may be willing to make a deal, but we just don't think the mullahs can afford to make one that Trump could accept. The mullah's talk is tough and bellicose, like an Arab. Reminder, the more bellicose the Arab's rhetoric, the more impotent is the Arab.  Exit question was the Maduro op a dress rehearsal for Iran? 

Econ...here in New Jersey, the price if gas inches up. This is a demand thing, not a supply thing, which is good. 

DOGE Report: the proofer has finished World War 1990: Ireland. We ourselves finished the first chapter of the battle of Derry.

World War 1990: The Managua Campaign is as complete as we can make it right now. That is, we've done everything we can with the first half till we finish World War 1990: Thatcher's War. We're switching back to TW this week.  

Okay, so we tweaked A Line through the Desert's description and reworked the Amazon categories, something we hadn't done since...2009. The category reworking might get a few more eyeballs. We'll see. 

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 2/15/26

A faire Sunday morn to Stroock's Books Christian readers across the English-speaking world. Except the Canadians. They cheat in Olympic curling. Screw them. 

Well goddamn, temps will be in the 40s and even hit 50 next week. Put on the Beach Boys tunes, fellas. We're having a heat wave. Man, all this snow is gonna melt. 

Arc of Ares: on the Sea, is still selling, though judging by rankings sales have probably peaked. If reader(s) have bought a copy, would they kindly note so in the comments? 

Man, moving copies of A Line Through the Desert is like pulling teeth. We've made some tweaks to the pricing, category and description. Will these do any good? One can market New Coke all one wants. People ain't gonna drink it.

We approach this week with a feeling of melancholy and [Ennui?-Ed], Ennui. 

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 2/15/26...the Grognard really wants us to write World War 1990: Battle of the GIUK Gap this summer. We dunno. We're not good at navy stuff (who's the guy with the thing?). That being said we did want to bring back USS Stirling, remember her? We wanted to write about truck convoys making their way across France. The Soviets invade Iceland twice, damn you Tom Clancy! We'd want to write about the Soviets attempting to break through the GIUK Gap picket line....Lots of ideas there. Lots of 'em.

We'll see. 

But before we can see, we must needs finish Thatcher's War and The Managua Campaign. There's three and a half months till Memorial Day....time to put on an 80s training montage and get to work. 

Saturday Updates

Good Saturday morn, you brave survivors of Stroock's Books. Also, happy Valentines Day. For Valentines Day we got Mrs. Stroock working hard, being an engaged father, and 32 years of love and loyalty. As for the girls, they're here, ain't they? 

We tried something different at the gym yesterday: elliptical followed by rowing machine, followed by elliptical, followed by rowing machine. Fifteen minutes per. It felt good, and so far, our knee hasn't exploded. Overall, we feel taut, based even. 

Iran: at this point, we expect to awake one morning to news of the combined American/Israel attack on Iran and chaos in the skies. We shall see. 

The Things.

Would one of you people please buy a copy of A Line Through the Desert?

This feels pretty superfluous, given our almost daily DOGE reports. Nevertheless...

We really don't know why we hate reading the physical proof of our novels so. But hate it we do. World War 1990: Ireland is coming along, slowly, but it's coming along. Meanwhile, the proofer is proofreading and progress is afoot. 

We spent all week working on World War 1990: the Managua Campaign. We are pleased. That meeting/briefing scene is more or less okay. World War 1990: the Managua Campaign is 32,000 words. 

Fek n Fook Friday

Aye, a fair morning, reader(s)* of Stroock's Books, and Shabbat Shalom. 

Back to the gym yesterday, thank the Lords of Kobol. We were utterly exhausted last night, with a headache to boot. No idea why. 

Trump says he expects a deal with Iran within a month, while dispatching USS George HW Bush to the Middle East. Trump's messaging is mixed, creating ambiguity. You people really think he's just shooting his mouth off on Iran? Pshaw. We think the man knows what he's doing, just ask Maduro. In any event Trump is assembling a mighty host in the Middle East. We shall see. 

DOGE Report.

Step by step, the Managua Campaign's meeting and planning scene comes together (Gen-X readers will see what we did there). Where stuffing a lot of information - Pan American force composition, the plan, admin intentions, etc, etc, into one scene.

We also wrote a scene where a man in Panama watches the USS New Jersey traversing the canal. This allows us to talk about, just a little, what was happening in Panama during the war. Fun fact, after action reports from the 80s reveal the New Jersey couldn't hit a mountainside. Bad shooting, Tex [Tex? She's the New Jersey-Ed]. 

On the Irish front, the readthrough continues. We're doing two chapters a day. This will be the last day for that as the chapters get larger hereafter. 

We will probably switch back to World War 1990: Thatcher's War next week. Probably. 

*[You've been doing that joke for a decade. Don't you think it's time to put it away?-Ed] Would it also be time to put you away? 

Through Thursday

A fine Thursday morning, you brave reader(s) of this most mid of mid blogs. 

The gout subsides further. All it took was one anti-inflammatory pill, reinforcing the notion that we actually had bursitis. We'll be hitting the gym this afternoon.  

So, the House passed the SAVE voter ID act. Bully for them. But the SAVE Act won't make it through the senate and even if it does, the Dems will just find a resistance judge to block it. The SAVE Act will spend the next 2-3 years tied up in court and won't impact the 2026 midterms at all. Still, the House GOP delivered something the MAGA hats wanted and wrong footed the Dems.

Theory...at some point one of these Resistance judges will hold a Trump DOJ lawyer in contempt and order him arrested. Trump responds by sending Homeland Security to arrest the Resistance judge. And away we go. 

DOGE report. 

Another chapter of World War 1990: Ireland read through. We remain pleased with what we are reading. Just little things here and there. That's the game. 

Every day the Managua Campaign set up chapter gets just a little bit better. [Why are you working on the Managua Campaign and not Thatcher's War?-Ed] Because we don't want to OD on the Irish and their infernal problems. 

Looking over A Line Through the Desert's Amazon page this morning, we think it's time to update the description, etc. Afterall it's been unchanged for...17 sod-bollocking years (thank you M. Steyn). In the meantime, won't some kind soul by a copy of A Line Through the Desert which took up two years of our life? This labor of love. This work for which we suffered so.

The Grognard really wants us to write World War 1990: Battle of the GIUK Gap this summer. We'll see.