France

I've been trying to read more non-fiction To Catch a King by Charles Spencer was a chance pick up and a good one. The book charts the escape of the young Charles II after the disastrous battle of Worcester as he zig-zagged down to the coast and eventual safety, in many cases only an hour or so ahead of his pursuers. Most of us have heard about his hiding in the Boscobel oak but the story of his escape is so much more than that (he was in the oak for one day and took nearly six weeks to get to safety), the king was resourceful and quick thinking and he had some incredibly loyal supporters willing to risk all to help him. The narration takes a bit of time to get going but once it does it's completely compelling. A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell. Virginia Hall was sent to Lyon in 1941 by SOE, the fledgling British intelligence service, the whip up the French resistance under the pretence of being a journalist. She was the first woman to be sent to France, nearly the first agent, was American, not British, and despite being red-headed, tall and having a wooden leg she built up one of the largest spy networks, became a target for the Gestapo, sprung Allied prisoners from jail and created huge army of civilian guerrillas who played a vital role in occupying Nazi divisions during the 1944 invasion so they couldn't march up to Normandy. The blurb says it reads like a thriller and indeed it does. I can't recommend it more highly.

I agree with you about it being a bit overwritten. I enjoyed it but didn't find it totally gripping.

I found this pretty slow so it's been relinquished to the 'I might pick this up sometime and finish it, but not yet' pile. Not so slow that it went into the charity pile though.

A very quick round up of just some of what I've read since last clocking in properly: Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd is vintage Boyd, this story about a reluctant spy in the early 1960s iss an absolute gem. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton Chloe Dalton found a very young leveret and raised it without much hope it would survive. It did and I found the book fascinating, in particular because she took great care to raise Hare as a wild animal in great contrast to my own family where my mother raised a badger from a few hours old who most definitely became a house badger and a pet. Sadly it seems from the ending that The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee is going to be the last in the series, this one was just s good as the previous ones We Solve Murders by Richard Osman is sadly just not as good as his his Thursday Murder Club books but still readable. Out of Time by Jodi Taylor is the sixth in her Time Police series and like the rest very funny. The Last Word by Elly Griffiths is frankly unmemorable. For all those who were worried about Ben Aaronovitch running out of steam, the good news is that in Stone and Sky, Peter Grant's latest outing; he most definitely hasn't.

Just a few ideas: Mick Herron - both series Anne Cleeves Robert Galbraith Abir Mukherjee Peter Lovesey Chris Hammer Peter James

I read this about 15 years ago and remember it as being superb. I don't know why I always have to be prodded to read Maugham because I love his writing when I do.

Can I suggest Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (which I read before this topic started). It's a wonderful account of how the author found a very young leveret and raised it, always aware that it was a wild animal and should not be a pet. It's one of those books that stays with you.

For very young ones Goodnight Moon and Each Peach Pear Plum - I second the Spot books, small children adore them. Peace at Last by Jill Murphy was a huge success with my grandson at a year old and also The Tiger Who Came to Tea

That was the book that made me realise that books didn't just tell stories, they took you to somewhere totally magical.

Definitely not! I've always loathed clowns and don't want even more reasons to!

If you enjoy them (not everyone does, but I did), they're addictive. The TV series is excellent too, it doesn't stick that closely to the books but near enough and the pacing is wonderful.

I'm sure once you've washed and blocked it most of the mistakes will disappear. Mine always do and I have loads.

So did I

Tell us some of the books you've enjoyed.

That's such good news! I thought Lonesome Dove was wonderful and have been reluctant to read any of the sequals in case they fell short and destroyed some of the magic.