What We Are Reading Today: They Will Have to Die Now

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Updated 19 September 2021
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What We Are Reading Today: They Will Have to Die Now

Author: James Verini

A searing narrative of the battle of Mosul, Iraq, described by the Pentagon as “the most significant urban combat since World War II.”
In this masterpiece of war journalism based on months of frontline reporting, National Magazine Award winner James Verini describes the climactic battle in the struggle against Daesh, says a review on goodreads.com.
Focusing on two brothers from Mosul and their families, a charismatic Iraqi major who marched north from Baghdad to seize the city with his troops, rowdy Kurdish militiamen, and a hard-bitten American sergeant, Verini describes a war for the soul of a country, a war over and for history.
Seeing the battle in a larger, centuries-long sweep, he connects the bloody-minded philosophy of Daesh with the ancient Assyrians who founded Mosul.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Grasshoppers, Locusts, and Crickets of the World’

Updated 24 February 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Grasshoppers, Locusts, and Crickets of the World’

Authors: Martin Husemann and Oliver Hawlitchek

Grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, bush crickets, and katydids make up the order of insects known as Orthoptera. Although there are about 30,000 species of Orthoptera around the world, many people pay little attention to them and even scientists know relatively little about them.

Yet the world of grasshoppers is a fascinating and diverse one. In this richly illustrated book, leading researchers from around the world detail the many facets of these insects, including their evolution, life cycles, and mating behavior.