The Fall of Japan: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific   William Craig
Very readable, highly informative history of the last weeks of World War II in the Pacific. Excellent details about the struggle within the Japanese hierarchy about whether to surrender, Hirohito’s decision, and the subsequent failed coup, even though the book was written in 1967, and Hirohito’s full military influence wasn’t yet known. Fascinating accounts of the two atomic bomb missions, rescue of prisoners in China by the OSS, the arrival and tension of the first occupiers and their fear of being murdered, etc. Very interesting, enjoyed every page.

So Lovely a Country Will Never Perish: Wartime Diaries of Japanese Writers   Donald Keene
A collection of diary entries by Japanese writers during World War II. Disappointed  that it isn’t just the entries. There is far more commentary by Keene, and diary entries are used as examples of what he’s saying, though what he says is not bad. As he says at one point, “The diary is filled with brilliant passages that cry out for quotation.” Really wanted to read those passages and the diaries themselves. Also, Keane organizes the sections by topics that often seem of secondary importance. Not a bad book, but disappointing for me.

The Girl from Venice   Martin Cruz Smith
Engaging novel about a fisherman and the girl he fishes out of the Venice lagoon toward the end of World War II in Italy. I have really liked all of Smith’s novels, and this one is, like the others, very well written, but I found the characters thin, and the narrative line a little preposterous. Never was convinced by the relationship. Ok.

The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan: A Pictorial History of the Final Days of World War II   Hans Dollinger
Excellent pictorial history of the final 100 days of the war from German, Japanese, and allied sources. Impressive collection of photographs, detailed charts, complex maps, and primary documents. Very thorough, especially about the war in Europe. Extensive explanatory text, as well. If I have a complaint, it’s that the pictures and text, because there are so many of them, are small, and so, a little difficult to see. But that is not really a criticism. Much less coverage of the war in the Pacific, but what there is is thorough. This is an important historical reference gem.