World War One has been on my mind a lot recently. Mental Floss has been running a retrospective series on the anniversaries of important dates leading up to the war. I just ordered myself a copy of Philipp Blom’s The Vertigo Years: Europe, 1900-1914. And this long essay by Margaret MacMillan on the history and possible lessons of the war was one of the most interesting things I read this week. So if ruminating on senseless horror is the sort of thing that’s been missing from your holiday preparations, check those links out with my recommendations!