Jump to content

Willoyd's Reading 2020


willoyd

Recommended Posts

Life Without Diabetes by Roy Taylor ***

I've been getting a bit bogged down with my reading, as trying to tackle The Luminaries for one of my book groups has coincided with my annual report writing binge on local birds, which means the book has stuttered somewhat.  Have finished the report now (thank goodness!), but found this interesting looking quick read in the local bookshop, so read that this weekend - iinteresting to me at least as having been found to be prediabetic, I've been reading up on ways of tackling it to ensure it doesn't go any further.  Anyway, the first few chapters on the research the author and his team have carried out at Newcastle University was as interesting as expected, both confirming some of my reading and challenging other parts of it.  Unfortunately, the second half, when he talks about how to implement the results (basically to lose weight, whatever weight you were at to start with) was horribly wishy-washy and vague - and certainly no help for those who struggle to keep weight off once lost.  So, 4 stars for the first 6-7 chapters, and 2 for the rest, averaging out at 3. Definitely worth reading though if this is a topic you need or want to read about - it's important stuff (and by odd coincidence, it's cropped up in the papers today).

 

Am going to move on to Emma for now. We went to see the film last week, and both loved it, and want to reread the book asap, not least because a little uncertain in some places as to how book and film tie in, and want to review whilst fresh in the mind.  Coincidentally, the film was scripted by Eleanor Catton....the author of The Luminaries. So at least I'm sort of sticking with the author!

 

Other book acquisitions:

False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

Ground Work by Tim Dee

Orison for a Curlew by Horatio Clare

Belonging; the Story of the Jews 1492-1900 by Simon Schama (Kindle deal)

The Library Book by Susan Orlean (Kindle deal)

 

 

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Replies 50
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Reading Update mid-March

Well, my reading has been a right mess the past couple of months.  First of all I got behind on reading for one book group, so failed to finish The Luminaries in time for that meeting. Then I started Emma as a follow-up to the film, but got bogged down in writing my annual local bird report (150+ species of birds, 50+ pages) so failed to finish that before I needed to swap to A Gentleman in Moscow to read that for my other book group....but swapped so late that I failed to finish that in time too!  So, whilst I've at least completed the report, I now have 3 unfinished books on the go, a situation I can't remember before, and really don't like!  Stupid thing is that I was enjoying all three, so didn't want to swap from any of them.  So, I need to settle down and start finishing them.  I'll start with A Gentleman in Moscow, as that'll mean one less book interrupted than if I go back to the others first.  A very unsatisfactory start to the reading year.

 

Book acquisition continues apace, much agains my better judgement!  Predominantly from charity shops, those added to my library since the last update include:

 

Life, A User's Manual by George Perec

Independent People by Halldor Laxness

Till The Cows Come Home by Philip Walling

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

The Ambassador's Secret by John North (about the Holbein painting)

Under the Rock by Benjamin Myers

Admirals by Andrew Lambert

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles *****

This was the March choice for one of my book groups, a book and an author I knew nothing about, so I didn't really know what to expect.  The premise is that the main protagonist, Count Alexander Rostov, has been sentenced to indefinite house arrest in the Metropol Hotel in central Moscow by a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922 - this is the story of his subsequent life.  That didn't seem an overly promising scenario, but I was seriously mistaken.

Right from the outset, I was engaged by both the narrative and the style of writing.  Written with a light almost elegant touch, a strong streak of humour ran through the book.  Indeed, this was a rare novel where I actually laughed out loud on a couple of occasions, and smiled through many others.  There have been one or two criticisms in reviews of the author treating serious events with too much levity, but I felt rather that he was, if anything, focusing on how the characters coped with the difficulties - and finding the humour in a situation is an effective way of retaining one's sanity in dire times.  In its own way this approach underlined the sheer madness of the system. The vast majority of the characters were incredibly likeable and came over as humans trying to cope as best they could with whatever their bizarre world threw at them, even if the setting initially seems almost too  opulent to be truly oppressive - a classic 'gilded cage'.  There are moments of unutterable sadness, made all the more so by their suddenness and the fact that they are not belaboured, occasionally being mentioned almost in passing.

I, and the whole group, loved this book, and spent a very happy hour or so discussing it in more detail.  There were some anomalies and unexplained oddities (we were not sure, for instance, how the Count could afford to live continually in the hotel, although some partial explanations were, at least, implied), but overall we were all rather pleasurably and unexpectedly surprised as none of us, including the nominator herself, had read book or even author before (our nominator had simply been recommended it, and said it looked promising). I can certainly recommend it on to others!  5/6 - Excellent.

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Book Acquisitions

A last fling before everything shut down for a while, mostly hardbacks in my local charity shop:

 

The Men Who United The States by Simon Winchester

The Blackest Streets by Sarah Wise

Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight by Naoki Higashida

The Priory by Dorothy Whipple

The Seafarers by Stephen Rutt

The Planets by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen

Mudlarking by Lara Maiklem

Postwar by Tony Judt

Deadliest Enemy by Michael Osterholm

 

I've also now got some 19 library books to work my way through!

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

End of Month reading update

Just managed to finish my third book of the month on the last day today - one of the excellent Very Short Introduction series of books published by OUP, a reread of The Napoleonic Wars.  On the surface this represents one of the slowest starts to a year I've had in a while, even slower than last year (which is saying something!), but I've still had my head into plenty of reading, it's just been a tad different to normal.  I've started tutoring (via Skype) two of my nieces in A-level Maths and the history of the Napoleonic Wars, which has entailed a lot of reading around, mostly extracts and chapters from a variety of books I've got on the shelves - no complete books (aside from this one), but plenty of content!  It's been a fascinating process: for instance, I thought I knew my Napoleonic period, but when it comes to teaching it, I realise I needed a whole lot of work to bring it up to scratch. However, I'm having a ball doing it - just hope the two girls are enjoying it as much as me!  It's been great connecting with them too - they live in Ireland, so we don't get to meet as often as I would like, and this is, believe it or not, my first venture into Skype country.  Should have done it ages ago.

 

Now I'm in the swing though, hopefully I can use a locked down April to really get going on more general reading.  First up will be Michelle Obama's Becoming, hopefully in time for my book group virtual meeting next week.  I don't read much autobiography or contemporary memoir, but am looking forward to this.

 

Book acquisitions have been limited to a couple of Kindle maths and history texts - I already have more than enough books to be getting on with.  This lockdown might even do me (or at least the bank account) some good!

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Mid-April reading summary

I'm not keeping up with reviews as much as I would like, so a quick summary of reading over the first half of this month. 

After a slow start to the year, lockdown seems to have helped kickstart my reading again, with 6 books finished since the start of the month.  These are:

 

Becoming by Michelle Obama ****(*)

The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent ***

Joy by Jonathan Lee ****

Pale Rider by Laura Spinney ****

Stoner by John Williams ***

The Easternmost House by Juliet Blaxland ****

reviews to follow

 

Stoner was both a book group choice (not mine) and the book for Missouri in my Tour of the USA, which means 16 books of the 51 now completed - rather fewer than I intended at this stage!  Becoming was for my other book group.

I'm also currently reading Neil Macgregor's A History of the World in 100 Objects alongside the BBC rerun of the series.  Helps absorb the detail of what is a fascinating series.

 

I've acquired a few books, all on the Kindle, mostly with special deals:

Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen

Circe by Madeline Miller

Overlord by Max Hastings

Little Grey Men by 'BB'

Down the Bright Stream by 'BB'

The Culture of the Europeans by Donald Sasson

Napoleon (a Very Short Introduction) by David Bell

Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser

 

Lockdown has led to a lot of exploring of and listening to podcasts of a bookish nature - a far more relaxing listen than incessant and repetitive news.  Really enjoying Literary Friction and You're Booked on top of my regular dose of Slightly Foxed (although they've stopped for the duration, so am reverting to their backlist), as well as back episodes of Radio 4's A Good Read.  Tried and dip into a few others, but these are the ones I gravitate towards, although Backlisted is slowly growing on me - some great material if one can get past the slight 'desperate banter' feel to it. Not book focused, but I'm also glued to back episodes of In Our Time and Desert Island Discs, the latter partly because I have just found the present incumbent, Lauren Laverne, just nothing like in the same league as her predecessors - what on earth possessed Radio 4?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Some quick reviews

Loads of reading lately - a dozen books this month, but no reviews since March, so some quick ones to help fill the gap - the first handful of April reads.  Stars out of 6.

 

Becoming by Michelle Obama ****

I'm not normally a fan of celebrity autobiographies, they are all too often far too self justifying and don't actually tell you anything, but I was looking forward to this one as a book group choice.  I wasn't mistaken either: well written (in itself unusual), and, at least for me, some interesting insight into the author's life.  As it progressed, it seemed to become more and more episodic, so that by the time we got to the crunch years, there were some fairly substantial jumps. Thus we had a lot about the build up of the Obamas' first campaign up to the initial Iowa caucusus, but then pretty much nothing until after he was elected.  The White House years were almost skimmed over, and provided the least insight.  So, whilst my respect for Michelle Obama if anything grew slightly, and I enjoyed the overall read, I was left a mite disappointed.  I was also rather exhausted - unrelentingly positive about everything (except Donald Trump!!).  So, a good read, but not quite the great read I was hoping for.

 

The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent ***

A piece of light French whimsy, along similar lines to the Antoine Laurain books.  Pleasant to read, and a refreshing interlude, but it struck me that the French do this rather better on film. 

 

Joy by Jonathan Lee ****

Blackly satirical take on the rigours and madness of City life.  Joy is a high-powered lawyer in a city firm, about to be made a partner, when she floors several falls in the atrium of her firm's offices.  Murder? Suicide?  Accident?  Using four different perspectives (including Joy's own) we travel through the build-up to find out.  Not normally my sort of book, I really enjoyed this, both narrative and Lee's writing style.

 

Pale Rider by Laura Spinney ****

A history of the Spanish flu.  Didn't fall into the trap of a pure chronological account, something Catherine Arnold did to the detriment of her take on the disease, each chapter covering a separate topic to build up a fascinating picture of the impact of a disease whose death toll makes Covid-19 look almost trivial (so far!).  One or two chapters felt a wee bit slight, but that's a minor criticism. Slightly unnerving how many lessons we don't seem to have learned - but then that's history for you. 

 

Stoner by John Williams ***

Both a book group choice and the book for my visit to Missouri on my Tour of the USA, this was a fictional life of a farm boy made good as minor academic at the University of Missouri, along similar lines to Goodbye Mr Chips and To Serve Them All My Days.  Many rave reviews, and there is no doubt of the quality of the writing, but I found myself increasingly irritated by both the main character and the author's narrative.  Stoner's wife was, for me, totally bizarre and not very credible - his reaction almost incomprehensible.  Staggered to 3 stars on the writing quality.

 

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Some more quick reviews

 

And some more reviews, to take me through to the end of April!

 

The Easternmost House by Juliet Blaxland ****

Interesting nature read based around what was then the easternmost house in Britain, on a crumbling cliff in Norfolk (the house was demolished last December, a year or so after book was published).  More a series of thoughts on aspects of living there and coping with threat, not least the relationship between town and country.  Not quite as much depth or nuance as I had hoped, but still a good read. 

 

Napoleon by David Bell ****

An Oxford Very Short Introduction and, as with most I've read, a concise, well written, reasonably straightforward and balanced introduction to one of the biggest characters in world history.  A good starter - I've a couple of biggies lined up as follow ups (Andrew Roberts, who is supposed to be a bit of a fan, and Adam Zamoyski, who is supposedly not!).

 

A Game of Birds and Wolves by Simon Parkin *****

History of the hitherto largely unknown Tactical Unit section at the Western Approaches headquarters in Liverpool during the Second World War.  Made up of one retired captain, an expert in strategy gaming, and a team of largely young Wrens, it helped prepare the front line officers to combat the U-boat threat in the Battle of the Atlantic.  Their development of winning tactics helped turn the battle round, and secure a crucial key to the war.  It's a curious book, not even getting to the nub of the book until well over a hundred pages in, but I found it an addictive read. In particular, the author, a gaming specialist himself, provided real depth to the characters, and created a gripping narrative.  I like the way it through light on people who undeservedly, not least because of their gender, have slid under the radar of recognition.

 

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton G *****

A huge book that took me since the beginning of the year to read, admittedly with at least one big gap, but no less a great read.  Set in Victorian New Zealand, during the gold rush, it is very Victorian in nature - rich and complex, oozing with personality and sense of place and time. Multilayered, and not an easy read to keep track of it all, I still found it highly rewarding and well worth the effort.  Just make sure you keep tabs on the different characters!

 

The Seafarers by Stephen Rutt ****

Somewhat of a cross between Amy Liptrot's The Outrun and Adam Nicolson's The Seabird's Cry, this doesn't quite come up to the standards of either, but is nonetheless an engrossing and informative read.  It felt a little bit artificially created- the journey round various islands, landing up in the northern Orkneys, to focus on specific species - but there was much that was worthwhile, and chapters flowed well.

 

Harpole and Foxberrow by JL Carr *****

I love James Carr's writing - one of the most varied and individual writers I've ever come across - and whilst nothing quite matches the sublime A Month in the Country (my favourite book), this still a beautifully satirical, drily funny, take on the small publishing industry, a subject upon which Carr was well versed (as he was with most of his books - he had a very varied career).  Carr's books are all slim, and he never wastes a single word.  I love the way different characters weave a variety of paths through his novels - tricky to keep track of even with the brief resumes in the preliminary pages.

 

Circe by Madeline Miller G ***

The autobiography of Circe, nymph daughter of Helios, lover of Odysseus, aunt of the Minotaur.  The author, thoroughly well versed in the classics, retells the story through a female perspective, and a whole new narrative develops.  I have to admit I found the first hundred pages or so hard going, not least because Circe proved a desperately frustrating, almost irritating, character, and it felt distinctly repetitive, but her later development turned this into a much more interesting, and engaging, story. It certainly generated one of the most detailed and interesting discussions we've had in our book group for a while, even if nobody was an out and out fan.  One big positive is that it certainly helped develop my framework of understanding of this area of the Greek myths!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

May reviews

 

In an effort to catch up, all my May books are briefly reviewed below.

 

George IV, King In Waiting by Stella Tillyard ***

One oft the concise Penguin Monarchs series. Given the author, I expected quite a lot from this slim volume, but was somewhat disappointed, it being rather vaguer and more waffly than I anticipated.  George IV is a fascinating individual, but, whilst it was functionally useful, this book didn't really capture that for me.

 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens *****

After the relative disappointment of The Old Curiosity Shop, this was a wonderful return to the form I'd come to expect from Dickens.  Benefiting from a leaner and more focused approach than other books of his I've read, I found this almost unputdownable. Still thinking about upgrading to 6 stars, but whatever, this is going to be one of the best reads of the year.

 

Travels With My Aunt by Graham Greene ******

Another cracking read, it's obvious the author had real fun writing this, although there are some distinctly dark undertones.  An interesting contrast in style to Dickens, having commented on Dickens's leaner style in the previous review - not compared to Greene he's not.  I admire the way Greene conjures up so much with such superficially straightforward prose.

 

The House by Simon Lelic *

From the sublime to the ridiculous -  a thoroughly mediocre, bog standard, and typically tedious psychological 'thriller'. Given the 'psychological' aspect, why do these so-called thrillers (a misnomer if I every heard) rely so much on plot 'twists' and so little on character development.  The thing is, you may not know precisely what the twist will be, but you know for sure it's going to happen.  Yawn.

 

How To Stop Time by Matt Haig **

Again, all plot and no character.  At least the plot was a bit more interesting, but, as with the previous book I'd read by this author (The Humans) it descended into the predictably tedious, this time the well-worn 'secret society' device, with standard off-the-shelf denouement. 

 

Playback by Raymond Chandler *****

After two dreadful drags, thank goodness for the mastery of Chandler. Can say more in one sentence than the previous two authors seem to be able to in ten pages.  One of his 'lesser' books, but a joy to read.

 

The Regency Revolution by Robert Morrison ****

An interesting, lightly written and eminently readable history of the 1810-19 decade, that enabled me to pull a lot of disparate threads together, and taught me plenty.  Very enjoyable learning!  Enjoyed the social history chapters the most.

 

Salt on Your Tongue by Charlotte Runcie ****

Described as a combination of memoir about her pregnancy, exploration of her obsession with the sea and, in particular, what it has meant to women, and a tribute to her much loved late grandmother, this was beautifully written, but ultimately fell between all three stools.  The sea thread was simply too unstructured and disconnected - almost random thoughts and only part of the time touching on female-maritime links - whilst there wasn't really enough of the author's grandmother to make a complete thread - frustrating, as what what there made me want to know more.  I loved the pregnancy thread, and found her description of the birth profoundly moving -  this'll probably be the closest I ever get to properly appreciating what a woman must go through (and brought my own experience of partnering at the birth of our son vividly back to life - 28 years later!).  I enjoyed this, will definitely look out for more of Charlotte Runcie's books, but hope that she can next time more definitely decide what she is writing about, and  tighten things up  to match.

 

The Little Grey Men by BB ****

A classic children's novel of the last gnomes in England setting off on an expedition up the stream of their home to find its source and look for a long-lost brother. Charmingly dated (with one or two distinctly outmoded views!), it would still go down well with many children today. The real standouts here are the beautifully lush descriptions of the countryside they travel through and the lovely woodcut illustrations - BB was a naturalist of some repute, and it shows. 

 

How I Won The Yellow Jumper by Ned Boulting ****

Read by Ned Boulting himself, and circulated for free during the lockdown to subscribers to his 'Road Book' of cycling, this was a thoroughly entertaining inside view on a neophyte commentating at the Tour de France.  As one would expect, the author comes over well on audio, and is the ideal reader for his book!  I hope he does more - I'd even buy them!

 

 

 

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Home by Julie Myerson *****

Better known as a fiction author, this was Myerson's first non-fiction book, an account of a project researching the history of her Clapham home. She appears to have little if any background in history or genealogy, so it proves quite an adventure, but on the other hand brings her writing skills, and her interest in and empathy with characters, fully to bear.  Although just over 450 pages long, this is an easy, interesting read - one in which she brings the characters, real people of course, well to life.

 

Working backwards, each chapter covers a generation of owners/tenants.  The house reflects many of the facets of London social history, working back through the house's gentrification, a period when it was primarily let out to tenants, including those of the Windrush generation, its role as a family home during the early decades of the century, the urban development stampede of the late nineteenth century.  For each period, the author is keen to find modern day descendants who can flesh out the bare bones that the records can only provide, and it's impressive how much detail she's able to unearth. It's also striking, as she herself comments, how willing people are to help and allow their family history to be made so public - refreshing too!  The house was built in the 1870s, and it's really only the very earliest generations where she is unable to find descendants who directly knew the individuals concerned - even then she strikes lucky in finding a family member who is an enthusiastic family historian!

 

I'm fascinated with family history., Having spent many years researching my own, I've left it aside for the past decade or so, somewhat overwhelmed with work, but this book has kicked me right back into wanting to get stuck back in.  I've also been intending to research the history of our own house - 126 years old this year - and this has proved a real inspiration.  The book was written around 2003/4, and since then the internet has really kicked in as an essential tool, but even so it's apparent that quite a lot of work will have to wait for libraries and archives to reopen, but in the meantime, it'll certainly be possible to lay  the foundations. 

 

In the meantime, though, even if one hasn't my penchant for the subject, this is a fascinating, well written book which, by focusing on the micro-history, brings light to bear on wider social history, and brings its subjects, people and building, vividly to life.  A comfortable 5 stars.

 

 

 

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

June Reviews

In danger of getting behind again with reviews - the problem with picking up the pace! Can't remember the last time I read this much so consistently; think it must have been in childhood!  So, another catch up, more brief comments than proper reviews.  This batch should at least take me to the end of the first half of the year.

 

Wing by Matthew Francis ****

My first pure poetry book in years, and the first collection of poems I can remember reading for even longer.  As with any collection a mixed bag, but very much enjoyed the style and themes, particularly the thread on Robert Hooke's Micrographia.  Probably should gain a star for the fabulous cover!

 

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler ***

I've enjoyed Anne Tyler before, and  this is meant to be her masterpiece, even chosen by Robert McCrum for his 100 Best Novels in English. Rather surprised then to actually find it rather disappointing, populated by a family that I really didn't much care about, and distinctly disjointed in its narrative.  However, it provided plenty of material for a book group meeting, and there was no gainsaying the quality of the writing.

 

RSPB Focus on Swifts and Swallows by Mike Unwin ****
Interesting slim volume - learned much.  We have a colony of swifts under neighbours' eaves, and they are, for me, the sound of summer.  I dread the first week of August!
  This is a good value series - the photos are particularly attractive, but the text is eminently and readable and concise.

 

The Twelve Birds of Christmas by Stephen Moss ****

Christmas?!  Stephen Moss takes a different perspective on the traditional carol, and matches each gift up with a bird.  The first four are obviously straightforward (although he suggests that 'calling birds' are in fact 'colley birds', ie blackbirds), after that there are a few that require a bit more imagination, but he argues some well, and makes a credible argument.  Whatever, it makes for an intriguing read and plenty of interest as he discusses each bird in ornithological, historical and social terms.  One, maybe, to go back to in a few months time.

 

The Hollow Crown by Dan Jones ****

A narrative history of the Wars of the Roses - really good mix of the rigorous and the rumbustious, providing a clear overview of a very complex period of history.

 

Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8 by Naoki Higashida ***

Autobiographical series of what are effectively short essays by a non-vocal autistic young man, painstakingly written using an alphabet grid (hence partly the shortness of the essays). I have to admit I found it  difficult to relate to and strangely flat, but it provided for a superb book group discussion, and was very illuminating in places - certainly added to my understanding (some developed working as a teacher), and left me determined to read up further.

 

The War of the Worlds by HG Wells *****

One of those books with which we culturally feel familiar with, but which most people have not actually read.  A much better read than I expected, deeper and more philosophical than I had anticipated, whilst retaining the fundamentals of an enthralling work of fiction. Surprisingly concise for a book of this era, but all the better for it. Makes the Tom Cruise film look particularly shallow!

 

July books to follow!  That took the first half of the year to 37 books, my second highest first half total ever (I usually read more in the second half), quite amazing after one of my slowest first quarters ever.  The effect of lockdown!  Proper first half review to follow.

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 13/07/2020 at 10:25 PM, willoyd said:

Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8 by Naoki Higashida ***

Autobiographical series of what are effectively short essays by a non-vocal autistic young man, painstakingly written using an alphabet grid (hence partly the shortness of the essays). I have to admit I found it  difficult to relate to and strangely flat, but it provided for a superb book group discussion, and was very illuminating in places - certainly added to my understanding (some developed working as a teacher), and left me determined to read up further.

 

The War of the Worlds by HG Wells *****

One of those books with which we culturally feel familiar with, but which most people have not actually read.  A much better read than I expected, deeper and more philosophical than I had anticipated, whilst retaining the fundamentals of an enthralling work of fiction. Surprisingly concise for a book of this era, but all the better for it. Makes the Tom Cruise film look particularly shallow!

 

I liked Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8 more than The Reason I Jump, though neither one is a particular favourite among the autism memoirs I've read.

 

I loved The War of the Worlds too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Book acquisitions

I've not updated on these for almost exactly three months, so a bit of a list given my acquisitive propensities!  I've only listed books for reading that I haven't already read and commented on here.

 

Fiction

The Motion of the Body through Space - Lionel Shriver (E)

The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler (E)

The King Must Die - Mary Renault (E)

The Children of Jocasta - Natalie Haynes (E)

That Old Ace in the Hole - Annie Proulx (C)

The Balkan and Levant trilogies - Olivia Manning (E)

 

Non-fiction

The Bird Way - Jennifer Ackermann

Natives - Akala (E)

Life on the Edge - Jim Al-Khalili (E)

The Fontana History of Gemany 1780-1918 - David Blackbourn (C)

Reach for the Sky - Paul Brickhill (free!)

Murderous Contagion - Mary Dobson (E)

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge (E)

Wilful Blindness - Margaret Heffernan (E)

Winds of Change - Peter Hennessy (E)

The Histories - Herodotus

You Are What You Read - Jodie Jackson (E)

Rebirding - Benedict Macdonald

The Snow Leopard - Peter Matthiessen

Liquid - Mark Miodownik (E)

Nine Lessons in Brexit - Ivan Rogers (E)

Joseph Banks, A Life - Patrick O'Brian

Three Years in Hell - Fintan O'Toole (E)

The Fens - Francis Pryor (E)

Doughnut Economics - Kate Raworth (E)

The Last White Rose - Desmond Seward (E)

Square Haunting - Francesca Wade (E)

 

E = e-book; C = charity shop purchase

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gold by Chris Cleave *

This was a book group choice, and whilst we often read some excellent books, even ones that rapidly establish themselves as favourites, every now and again the odd clunker rears its head - the last one in this league was House by Simon Lalic, earlier this year.  Well, I've just finished one of this month's choices, and, yes, it was a clunker - one of the all-time greats in fact.  I say 'finished', because I didn't actually complete the book, simply finished with it - after about 25 pages. I knew I was in trouble by the top of page 2: She tried to smile back. The smile came out like a newborn foal - its legs buckled immediately.  OMG, did an editor really allow that?  I carried on, but after another couple of dozen pages I realised this was really going to be par for the course, so I carried out a quick exercise: open the book at a random place and see what it's like.  And, yes, I was pretty much guaranteed more of the same, or worse.  I've reached a point in life where I won't waste precious reading time on stuff like this, so I stopped reading properly and went into skim read mode which means that I at least know where the plot went, ready for the book group (it also confirmed my first impressions).  The story is a cliche too. Overall, I think I'm being reasonably generous at rating it 1/6.

 

What totally gobsmacked me on later investigation is that this effort actually received rave reviews back in 2012 when it first appeared in papers like the Independent and the Guardian.  All I can say is that the individuals concerned must have taken leave of their senses or been high on something. I've now gone back to the book I was previously enjoying, Greenery by Tim Dee.  It's lost it's way a little bit, but the writing is infinitely better.

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

With one thing and another, I've not posted on this thread for a good 2 months, so have some major catching up to do!  Thought I'd start off with a brief review of the book I finished tonight:

 

Working With Nature by Jeremy Purseglove ***

Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize (the new one for environmental writing), I was expecting great things.  Sadly, my expectations were unfulfilled.  The subtitle explains the professed aim of the book - discussing 'saving and using the world's wild places', looking at how one can use the land whilst still conserving nature.  Potentially a fascinating topic, and the author's career as an engineer specialising in the environment suggests someone who really knows what they're talking about.  He gets off to a solid enough start, with some interesting chapters on mitigating mass palm oil planting and the impact of intensive farming in Britain, but even here, the discussion veered towards the superficial - lots of scene setting and atmosphere, rather short on detail.  Later chapters actually felt even thinner, and at times it was actually hard to find where 'working with nature' actually came in.  The last section, a piece of atmospheric writing set in a rural monastery in Bulgaria, rather summed up the weaknesses in this book for me - lots of style, little substance.  As a read it was OK - I was always going to finish it - but as a book on the stated topic I came away rather disappointed, and surprised this had made the shortlist. More meat please!

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Mister Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo *****

I absolutely loved Girl, Woman, Other when I read it last year - my top book for 2019 - so I was really looking forward to this book group selection, although I was also a mite wary of setting my expectations too high. In the event I needn't have worried. OK it wasn't quite at the stratospheric levels of enjoyment, but it came pretty close!

Barrie (Barrington) is a 74-year old married father of two and grandfather of one, married to Carmel, both originally from Antigua  He's also sustained a long term affair, since a teenager, with Maurice, and now wants to settle down with him.  Trouble is, he's afraid his wife will kill him (literally!) and that he will become a social outcast.  The novel is about the build up to his final decision - will he, won't he?  As with GWO, Evaristo covers some seriously difficult issues with a remarkably light touch, and weaves a remarkably enjoyable, even funny, story given the nature of the plot.  Her language is vivid and beautifully readable, characters strong and all too human in their strengths, weaknesses and contradictions, the plot always engaging, although one or two of the group were left a bit unsatisfied with the ending (not me!).  The strength of the book shows in that we spent a full 90 minutes in concentrated discussion of the book and issues raised, yet could probably have gone on for longer! I promised myself after GWO that I would look out for more of Evaristo's work, and took almost 9 months to pick up my second book of hers.  It won't be that long before the third, I promise!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To War with Whitaker by Hermione Ranfurly ****(*)
I picked this up after it was briefly reviewed on the Slightly Foxed podcast. It initially looks unpromising - almost a vanity project - but it proved a fascinating, thoroughly engaging read. Married just before the war starts, the author refuses to accept the ruling that wives of Yeomanry officers can't travel with husbands to the Middle East (unlike regular officers), and gets herself out there 'illegally'. She's later evacuated with others, but manages to get back to Cairo again, and spends the war as secretary, PA, even ADC to a string of military and civilian leaders including C-in-C Mediterranean. She meets and works with all the main 'influencers' and characters operating in and passing through the region, all seen through the eyes of a young woman civilian who has no particular drum to beat, dealing with all the stresses and strains of war (including deaths of friends and the capture and imprisonment of her husband for 3 years) with the immediacy that only a diary can bring. It's a highly personal and vivid account that surprised me in its grip from start to finish.
Looking at the library loan dates, there was a flurry of reading when this first came out in the 1990s, but mine was the first loan for 19 years. It deserves a wider readership, which will hopefully come with its republication by SF. One of my surprising gems of the year.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
A rather long hiatus here: will try and catch up on reviews over the last couple of months, starting where I left off in October:
 
Plainsong by Kent Haruf ****
Read as part of my long-term challenge: my Tour of the USA, this was the book for Colorado. It tells the story of the intersecting lives of a small group of the inhabitants of the fictional small town of Holt over a period of around 6 months, a period which sees signficant change for all of them. It's told in what appears to be fairly simple, pared down, lyrical prose, which reflects the setting and ostensibly the lives examined, but which masks a depth and complexity that reflects the developing story of their relationships. I particularly appreciated how the two main strands, one centred on a teenage pregnancy, the other on two young brothers learning to cope with some of the harsher realities of life, reflected each other in all sorts of ways, for instance through the children's relationships with largely absent mothers, and the inverted symmetry provided by two equally close older brothers at the other end of their lives in the first strand. Overall, the sort of book that will stick with me, for all the right reasons - another author to explore further: this tour is certainly achieving what it was set out to do!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Two more reviews:

 

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout ***

This was one of my book group selections.  I've been meaning to try out Elizabeth Strout for a while, so was looking forward to this.  In the end, I came away mildly disappointed.  No doubts about the quality of writing, but I never engaged with the narrative or the characters, or, at least, the main protagonist.  To be honest, it's a month or two since I read this, and it's fast disappearing into the recesses of my (increasingly limited!) memory - it just didn't make much of an impact at all, other than it never felt quite credible.  Definitely want to try more of her work though.

 

Why We Get the Wrong Politicians by Isabel Hardman ****

A rather provoking title, but in fact an interesting examination into the process of becoming an MP and the effectiveness of the House of Commons as a legislative body. It's aimed at the popular market (eg me!), so the language is kept fairly straightforward and easy to read, and there are areas it rather skims over, but overall it effectively highlights the biases of the system (not exactly inclusive or representative) and the lack of a proper system of checks and balances that means we have a massively over-powerful executive that almost inevitably leads to bad government, in particular law-making. Ironically, the House of Lords comes out of this rather better, as a body that does at least try to do its (limited and hamstrung) job properly. The author is rather more sympathetic to the people involved (the MPs) than one would expect from the title.
My biggest gripe is probably her dismissive attitude towards proportional representation - she openly states that this is not addressed simply because we had a referendum on it, and the electorate dismissed it. We didn't, and it didn't - we had a referendum on an alternative voting system that wasn't proportional representation, something that is all too often conveniently overlooked. Which does worry me slightly that some of her other arguments might be equally over-simplified. However, it confirms my main prejudice about the failure of our form of 'democracy' to provide a proper system of checks and balances, with massive over-centralisation and an overbearing, and largely unchecked, executive - the results currently being all too apparent - so I can handle that!
Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink ***
A cross between a memoir and a review of books read, this traces the author's life, and career in books, through the books she's read, with lists of books to relevant themes interspersing the narrative. It's a light, very easy read, the writing almost too simplistic at times - almost childlike in places. I find it almost always enjoyable being given an insight into another reader's loves and hates (although this is almost all loves), even - especially - when I disagree! Not quite in the same league as another similar recently read restrospective - Lucy Mangan's Bookworm - but enjoyable none the less - I certainly ripped through it quickly enough!

 

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson **
Read for one of my book groups. Not my first Atkinson by any means, and they divide into two groups for me. The first Jackson Brodie mystery, Case Histories, proved a cracking read, and I've promised myself to read more in the series. Her other fiction I'm rather more ambivalent about - they always seem to promise more than they deliver. Initial reactions are almost consistently good, particularly her characterisation, but the more I read, the more I get simply cheesed off, even bored. This was, unfortunately no exception.
The narrative is centred around the life of WW2 bomber pilot Teddy Todd, and the profound changes that time has on both him and his family, moving well into the 21st century. It is apparently a companion piece to Life After Life, which focuses on Teddy's sister Ursula (who features here). The story telling jumps around chronologically, a style that I've enjoyed in previous books (eg Time Traveler's Wife - great read!), but here it just irritated, exacerbated by the author's oft repeated technique of dropping brief preview snippets and hints about other times in Teddy's life into the narrative, and then telling the story of how that all happened in a later chapter. This can work well, in moderation, but here the book simply lacked any narrative tension. And boy is she wordy.... over 500 pages. To top it all, there is a twist at the end (predictably enough) that annoyed intensely, and definitely lost the book a full star.
All in all, I'll persist with the Brodie books, but after two or three attempts at her other work, I think I'll leave Kate Atkinson's novels to the large number of readers who, from reviews, obviously enjoy her books far more than me! Certainly, it was enjoyed more than me by most of the group (considerably so in some cases!), although I wasn't alone in my reaction.

 

La Fortune des Rougons by Emile Zola ****
The first in Zola's twenty volume Rougon-Macquart sequence, examining the impact of heredity and the environment (nature-nurture!) on one family during the Second Empire. As with most introductory volumes/episodes Zola spends some of the time setting out the back story, so there is a fair bit of ground to be covered, mainly focused on the history of the two strands of the family and their common ancestry leading up to the events that are the 'contemporary' of the novel, the Napoleonic coup d'etat of 1851. The plot itself has two main threads, revealing the machinations of social climbers Pierre and Felicity Rougon, patriarch and matriarch of that strand of the family, and contrasting them with the republican involvement of their young nephew on the Macquart side of the family, Silvere. In its first new English translation in over a century, part of Oxford World Classic's retranslation of the entire sequence, the novel fair rattles along, well leavened with Zola's social and political satire, and with some lovely descriptive passages (the book is set in the fictitious provincial town of Plassan, a thin cover for Zola's home town of Aix en Provence). Reading this for the second time does make me wonder why he isn't more popular. I'm definitely going to continue with the sequence, aiming to stick to the chronological rather than publication sequence.
Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've enjoyed Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books (haven't read the last 2 though) but hated emotionally Weird, which sounds a bit similar to the book you describe.  Her fans seem to either like one set of books ie the Brodie, but not  the others, and vice versa.  I haven't read her other stand alone books but they do seem to be Marmite books from what friends have said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Madeleine said:

I've enjoyed Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books (haven't read the last 2 though) but hated emotionally Weird, which sounds a bit similar to the book you describe.  Her fans seem to either like one set of books ie the Brodie, but not  the others, and vice versa.  I haven't read her other stand alone books but they do seem to be Marmite books from what friends have said.

 

Can only agree with you about Emotionally Weird.  Didn't finish it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reviews to bring me up to the end of November (yes, I know it's nearly Christmas!). Some consistenly enjoyable reading.

 

The Covid Catastrophe by Richard Horton ****
This book may be only 130 pages long, but it packs the punch of a volume several times larger. Written by the editor-in-chief of The Lancet, and sub-titled "What's gone wrong and how to stop it happening again" it is a devastating critique of the approach taken by the majority of western democratic governments and their failure to prepare, both short and long term, and to learn from those with more experience and from their own simulations (eg Exercise Cygnus in 2016).
He is particularly critical of both Johnson and Trump, not afraid to call the former either a liar or 'guilty of misconduct in public office', but makes it clear that they are not solely to blame, the secrecy and failures of SAGE for instance being both critiqued and contrasted with the transparency and activities of independent SAGE. Equally contrasting is the coverage of countries who have been more successful, almost all having taken lessons on board from previous outbreaks experienced by themselves or others, and this does provide a more positive side to the narrative.
The only problem with this book is that there is so much in such a short space, that one wants to quote from almost every page. Suffice to say that it is a thoroughly worthwhile read, and one that we would do well to learn from. Whether our present government will is something only time will tell, but the portents are sadly not good.
 
Orison for a Curlew by Horatio Clare ****
Clare was commissioned to write a book about the slender-billed curlew, now suspected to be extinct after years of being criticially endangered. Given that it's almost impossible that he's likely to find one, he decided instead to interview those throughout Eastern Europe who have been most involved with efforts to find and conserve it. The result is a book that isn't really what I initially expected, and sounds a bit abstruse, but proved to be a fascinating, and beautifully written, insight into the challenges and issues for conservation in a part of the world where it's very much a minority, low-priority, activity; relevant and topical.

 

Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge ****
Classic Bainbridge: lean, taut writing; vivid, slightly off the wall narrative: Edward is married to Helen but having an affair with Binney. The lovers are holding their first dinner party, and Edward has promised not be late home. Surprise, surprise, things don't go quite according to plan, and events spiral out of control. It's sharp, often funny, and, something I didn't realise when I read it, based on an affair of the author's (the setting is apparently an accurate reflection of her own home), although the events are, fortunately, fictional! A writer who I am gradually becoming addicted to.
 
Island Stories by David Reynolds *****
So often, Brexit fans have referred to our 'island story', the cosy sort of story projected in HE Marshall's 1905 eponymous children's book. Reynolds takes a different slant, examining 5 themes that contribute to a twisted thread of interwoven narratives that more accurately delineate British identity: Decline, Europe, Britain, Empire, Taking Control of Our Past.
As history books go this is pretty short, barely 250 pages, but it's a model of incisive analysis, and one of those books where on pretty much every page I found something that made me either sit up and think, or mutter 'Oh, I see!' There's always a couple of nuggets that stick out at the end of such a read, and for me it was when, in Decline, and discussing the 'Make Britain Great Again' mantra, he suggested that what was actually the exception and remarkable was the fact that our island actually dominated world history for any time at all, and that, rather than needing to be 'great again', where we are in the world is actually pretty well off, certainly as good as or better than geography or size might suggest: the 'decline' hasn't been a 'decline', more a reversion to something closer to realistic expectations! Later in the same chapter, he discusses our 'heritage', a discussion best summed up near the end of said chapter: "In various ways, therefore, heritage is in danger of becoming a substitute for history in public awareness of Britain's past." I've come across one or two of these arguments before, but I've not yet seen them syhthesized so successfully.
Overall, an easily followed, flowing, excellent read. This was a library book, but it's actually one of those where I almost want my own copy, as it definitely needs further dipping into and referring back to, maybe even a full reread in the not too distant future!
Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

December reading

To try and bring reviews up to date before the end of the year, one post to cover all my December reading: a very enjoyable month!  Brings me up to 84 books in total, a new calendar year high, very definitely a result of the pandemic. More details in my year review, at the start of my 2021 blog (yet to be posted at the time of writing).

 

The Body, A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson ****
I'm somewhat ambivalent about Bill Bryson or, at least, his books tend to divide into 2 distinct groups for me. On the one hand there are his very popular travel books, which I've never warmed to at all - I always feel that he's trying just a bit too hard to amuse (funny would be too strong). On the other there are his books examining a particular aspect of our knowledge, be it language, science or whatever. With these, the humour takes a back seat and he concentrates more on distilling a lot of information into a faily small space, and in readily understandable layman's terms. On the whole I enjoy these, and The Body, one of my book group choices this month, was no different: in a series of short snappy chapters Bryson progresses through the whole body, and provides some interesting insight in a thoroughly readable and enjoyable way. The downer is that, because those chapters are so short and snappy, he skims a lot and jumps around a lot, with the result that, unlike, say, Made in America, I also found this rather frustrating at times. Having said that, there was so much information, that I know my ancient brain can't retain it all, so I can see a fair amount of follow-up dipping in in future.
Overall an enjoyable, and sometimes enlightening, read, but I would have liked rather fewer 'fun facts' and rather more depth and explanation in places.

 

The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton ****
I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but this collection of 15 Edith Wharton creations, proved an engrossing read. Strictly speaking, they are not all ghost stories - more a mix of the ghostly, supernatural and fairly earthly disturbing - but they were all characterised by strong sense of place and atmosphere, much of the disturbance being in the mind rather than anything specifically physical (I've been anything but impressed with any of the 'horror' that I've read in the past).
Quite a high proportion were distinctly ambiguous in their outcome. This was read as a book group read and a number of the group did find this irritating, but uncharacteristically for me I enjoyed this aspect, it fitting in with the general tenor of the theme, making the stories closer to real life and perhaps even more disturbing. I also enjoyed Wharton's fairly modern style - it would have surprised me that these were all written in the earlier years of the twentieth century if I hadn't already known.
Overall, a quick and thoroughly enjoyable read that fitted in well with the season. One of the group is an expert on MR James novels (she once had a perfect round in Mastermind on his stories as a specialist subject!), and I've been recommended those as, if anything, even better, so must give those a go. The stories have also encouraged me to get stuck more into Edith Wharton's other writing too - to date I've only ever read Ethan Frome, which, whilst a solid enough read, didn't grab me quite as much as these shorter efforts.

 

A Lost Lady by Willa Cather *****
Willa Cather is an author who I only discovered through my Tour of the USA challenge (one book set in each state): a writer far better known in the States than here. Most of her books are set on the American plains - the pioneering American west to midwest - and A Lost Lady is no exception. It tells the story of the narrator Niel Herbert's fascination for the young wife of an ex-railroad pioneer, Marian Forrester, and his ultimate disillusionment. Cather's writing is, as ever, a model of unfussy lucidity - plot, setting, characters all beautifully developed with the minimum of waste; the book is less than 200 pages long. It is a reasonably straightforward metaphor for the end of the pioneering age and the unwelcome takeover of American capitalism. Introduced to Cather through the superb My Antonia, this is the third novel of hers I've read, and they have all been outstanding - definitely turning into one of my favourite authors!

 

Wintering by Katherine May ****
The author looks at how we handle winter, and how that can teach us lessons in dealing with more difficult times. It initially came over as some sort of 'new age', self-help style book, and I was ready to be disappointed, but with a focus more on the natural processes relating to winter, it's actually more natural history, a lot more interesting, and with some useful parallels drawn. Well written and absorbing, it read very easily too!

 

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey ****
Tey's detective creation, Alan Grant, is laid up and bored in hospital with a broken leg. To occupy his mind, he follows up a conversation with a friend, and begins to investigate the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, and who killed them. In 1990 this was selected by the British Crime Writers' Association as the greatest mystery novel of all time. I wouldn't go so far as to say that (although I haven't got an alternative suggestion!), but it's certainly a fascinating read, and a quick one too (barely a couple of sittings). I'm not sure about the initial premise (the face doesn't fit!), but the evidence trail followed by Grant is thought provoking. However, not being an expert on the subject, I'd need to read other material before coming to a decision on how convincing Tey's arguments are; it's no great secret that she's firmly in the Ricardian camp. Having read this book, I'm encouraged to do so, and to read other Tey work as well.

 

From Mull to the Cape by Richard Guise ***
A fairly gentle, straightforward account of a cycle tour from the Mull of Kintyre to Cape Wrath. Guise actually rode it in three sections at different times of the year, but it's been stitched together to take one book. Interesting enough, without reaching for the stars. Sounds a great tour!
 
Nathan Coulter by Wendell Berry *****
Berry is well known enough in the States to be just one of two living authors to be published by Library of America, but is barely read over here. Which is a pity, as his writing is superb, particularly in his sense of place (rural Kansas) and the evocation of a rural, farming, society. This is the first novel, chronologically, of his Port William series, barely 115 pages long, which I read almost entirely in one sitting, focusing on the childhold of the eponymous boy, told through 5 key episodes. Read as part of my tour of the USA, I definitely want to read more - both novels and the extensive sequence of short stories. Another big discovery - this tour is turning up quite a few!
 
Wintering by Stephen Rutt ***
Same title as an earlier book, very different subject: Stephen Rutt writes about his experiences watching, and his love of, geese, particularly the 5 wintering species in the UK. The book had great potential, and Rutt is a enjoyable read, but the whole book felt thin and under-cooked - there just wasn't enough depth here at all to satisfy. What was there was good, but definitely not a book to buy, rather borrow.
 
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ******
One of my favourite books by one of my favourite authors. Every time I read this (this was my fourth), I find something new. This time it was a rediscovery of her stream of consciousness style - it brought the world vividly to life, and took one ever closer to the characters, seeing the world entirely from their viewpoints. Woolf has a reputation for being a hard read. Whilst I can't disagree about some of her books (The Waves!), others, like Mrs Dalloway, leave me feeling totally consumed. Superb!
 
The Hours by Michael Cunningham ******
I've been meaning to do this for a long time, read The Hours immediately after Mrs Dalloway, but it's taken several years for me to get around to it. Rewatching the film triggered off the idea again. The Hours was Woolf's original title for Mrs Dalloway, and Cunningham's three stranded novel takes the original (set in one June day) and re-examines it, one strand observing Woolf's efforts to get the book under way in June 1923, another looking at a modern day Mrs Dalloway in New York, in June 1999, and the third seeing the book's impact on a Los Angeles housewife, increasingly feeling trapped in an ultra-conventional marriage in June 1949 and seeking escape through her reading (or maybe even something more?). In different ways, all three strands are interwoven with both other strands and the original. I love the fllm - seen before reading the book - but the book provides so much more depth and clarity (and takes a slightly different tack in a few key moments). It is also superbly written, closely adopting Woolf's style.
The two books make a brilliant partnership - superb Christmas reading, even if not quite the most conventional!
 
A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon *****
Two novellas and a short story make up this volume, only the first actually being a Maigret story. That doesn't matter, the two companion pieces are as good as, possibly even better, than the title piece, with all the atmosphere of Simenon's full length novels (which are themselves never exactly long!).
 
Paddington Abroad by Michael Bond *****
At least one Paddington book has featured each Christmas for the past few years - they may aimed at younger children, but they are so unutterably joyous and funny, that it seems a pity for them to be confined to just one part of one's life! This time, Paddington is off to cause chaos on holiday in Britanny. Episodes are ridiculously unlikely (especially the one where he joins in with the Tour de France!), but who cares, the whole premise is wondefully balmy after all? A great way to finish off a year which has been seriously short on laughs; Vive Paddington!

 

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...