What are you reading?

Agree Charlie, your comments sum up perfectly my own feelings about the book. Found the style a bit frustrating.

Me too. I thoroughly enjoyed the series. At present I've got A long Walk to Freedom on the go. After 20 odd years of no apartheid and the 'Rainbow Nation' it has a timely reminder of the gross injustice, and immorality of a regime based on racism.

Agree Charlie, your comments sum up perfectly my own feelings about the book. Found the style a bit frustrating. Enjoyed it, but not champing at the bit to read the next one.

 

Having had a Kindle for a while, I've found myself going a bit retro. I read Frank Herbert's 'Dune' series way back in the 70's, so recently bought and read the first book on the Kindle. It's always stuck in my mind, but I'd forgotten what a colossal book it really was - in every sense of the word. At least the Kindle version is a lot lighter! Just starting Dune Messiah now.

Bringing Up The Bodies is the better book of the two. Personally I found them an easy read.

Bringing Up The Bodies is the better book of the two. Personally I found them an easy read.

If you enjoyed them, you may like "Thomas Cromwell : The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant" by Tracy Borman. It's a very readable account of Cromwell's life based on documents of the time.

If you enjoyed them, you my like "Thomas Cromwell : The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant" by Tracy Borman. It's a very readable account of Cromwell's life based on documents of the time.

Thanks, I'll get it ordered.

Agree Charlie, your comments sum up perfectly my own feelings about the book. Found the style a bit frustrating. Enjoyed it, but not champing at the bit to read the next one.

 

Having had a Kindle for a while, I've found myself going a bit retro. I read Frank Herbert's 'Dune' series way back in the 70's, so recently bought and read the first book on the Kindle. It's always stuck in my mind, but I'd forgotten what a colossal book it really was - in every sense of the word. At least the Kindle version is a lot lighter! Just starting Dune Messiah now.

I'm somewhat reassured to see that I'm not the only person on here to voice a few reservations about 'Wolf Hall' the book. I'm also very pleased to meet another fan of Frank Herbert's magnificent 'Dune' because - although it must be getting on for 30 years since I last read it - this truly great novel still lives clearly in my consciousness in a manner that few other books from my long gone youth do.

Indeed, it's all coming back to me now - the awesome 'Guild Navigators', their bodies grossly deformed by the priceless 'spice melange', folding space as only they possibly could. The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam of the Bene Gesserit order and her fearsome Gom Jabbar. I've a very poor memory most of the time but somehow I can still recite 'The Litany Against Fear' almost word for word as if I read it only yesterday ...

A few sci-fi writers and film makers have over the years harboured the grand ambition of not only creating a story, but placing that tale of theirs within a unique and distinctive universe of their own creation too. I dare say that none of these authors have succeeded in that ambition quite as comprehensively as Frank Herbert did with Dune. It may even be that this book is one of the great novels of the 20th Century - but you won't find it in the popular lists because science fiction is seen as a inferior form of literature for reasons that make no sense to this reader.

I really will have to find my copy and dust it off - a treat for anyone who enjoys a good book I think.

 

I really will have to find my copy and dust it off - a treat for anyone who enjoys a good book I think.

But for anybody considering it, avoid the film like the plague, it's utter carp.

A few sci-fi writers and film makers have over the years harboured the grand ambition of not only creating a story, but placing that tale of theirs within a unique and distinctive universe of their own creation too. I dare say that none of these authors have succeeded in that ambition quite as comprehensively as Frank Herbert did with Dune. .....

 

Possibly Asimov with the Foundation series, which I actually prefer to the Dune story line, as I think it loses it's way with 'God Emperor'.

Possibly Asimov with the Foundation series, which I actually prefer to the Dune story line, as I think it loses it's way with 'God Emperor'.

I rate Issac Asimov as a writer highly - like Ray Bradbury many of his short stories are perfect little gems - but his epic 'Foundation' series left me a rather frustrated because - at the time - I felt it was little more than contemporary Earth politics transplanted into the future, rather than the fully conceived vision of a radically different universe that Herbert managed to achieve.

But 'each to his own' of course!

I rate Issac Asimov as a writer highly - like Ray Bradbury many of his short stories are perfect little gems - but his epic 'Foundation' series left me a rather frustrated because - at the time - I felt it was little more than contemporary Earth politics transplanted into the future, rather than the fully conceived vision of a radically different universe that Herbert managed to achieve.

 

But 'each to his own' of course!

Herbert's universe is undoubtedly very rich, but I agree that the books lost their way a bit after the first three or four. Nevertheless, the first book stands out as one of the finest books (of ANY genre) of the 20th century.

I like the Asimov Foundation series for different reasons. It's very straight 'hard' sci-fi, typical of that optimistic 50's era, not too complicated and very 'linear' in the progression of the story. Always been a fan of those sweeping time-spanning sorts of stories. I returned to the Foundation series recently for nostalgic reasons, but as part of the recommended reading order that includes the Robot stories. Asimov filled in gaps in the storylines to bring them together with the later novels written in the 80s and early 90s. Obviously having been written over a period of 40 years, the styles of the later novels are quite different to those written in the 50s, but it somehow works when the 15 novels are read in chronological order.

But for anybody considering it, avoid the film like the plague, it's utter carp.

Agreed. Though I seem to recall that the Baron Harkonnen portrayal was suitably gross and repellent, with just the right amount of humour!

Children of Dune was made into a mini-series a few years back and was shown on sci-fi channel. I only managed to see part of one episode, but it looked promising. Apparently, there was also a Dune/Dune Messiah series with William Hurt that wasn't shown in this country. Now ordered on DVD, so will see...

'Waterloo in 100 Objects' by Gareth Glover

Not the type of history book that I would normally read to be honest, 20th Century warfare is my main interest, but I was given a copy by 'she who must be obeyed' and it proved to be such a entertaining read that once I had picked it up I was rather loath to put it down again. The title is self-explanatory; 100 historical objects both large and small - from the skeleton of Napoleon's horse to General Picton's hat - that are somehow related to the Battle of Waterloo are examined and used to illustrate various diverse aspects of the bigger story.

I won't list all 100 artefacts now of course, but (for example) item No 10 is entitled: 'The Cuirass of Francois Fauveau'

Body armour was apparently rarely worn by the time of the Waterloo campaign. However, Napoleon's heavy cavalry regiments (the 'Carabiniers') still employed the Cuirass in their role as a type of 19th century Panzer Division. Little imagination is required to imagine the fate of the poor sod wearing this devastated example of the Cuirass, a piece that has clearly been shot-through by a British cannon ball. This particular Cuirass is marked as the property of 'Francois Flaveau', but church records show someone of this name marrying shortly after the battle. So did M Flaveau lend his armour to a brother or substitute in June 1815 so that he could marry? One of those little mystery's that will now remain forever 'lost in time'.

Clearly this episodic approach to history writing you won't gain you a very comprehensive knowledge of the overall battle. It might well however spark a interest in the subject that could provoke the reader into further study. So in those terms at least, this book is not only a highly entertaining read - it is a valuable one too.

Highly recommended.

'Waterloo in 100 Objects' by Gareth Glover

 

Not the type of history book that I would normally read to be honest, 20th Century warfare is my main interest, but I was given a copy by 'she who must be obeyed' and it proved to be such a entertaining read that once I had picked it up I was rather loath to put it down again. The title is self-explanatory; 100 historical objects both large and small - from the skeleton of Napoleon's horse to General Picton's hat - that are somehow related to the Battle of Waterloo are examined and used to illustrate various diverse aspects of the bigger story.

 

I won't list all 100 artefacts now of course, but (for example) item No 10 is entitled: 'The Cuirass of Francois Fauveau'

 

 

 

Body armour was apparently rarely worn by the time of the Waterloo campaign. However, Napoleon's heavy cavalry regiments (the 'Carabiniers') still employed the Cuirass in their role as a type of 19th century Panzer Division. Little imagination is required to imagine the fate of the poor sod wearing this devastated example of the Cuirass, a piece that has clearly been shot-through by a British cannon ball. This particular Cuirass is marked as the property of 'Francois Flaveau', but church records show someone of this name marrying shortly after the battle. So did M Flaveau lend his armour to a brother or substitute in June 1815 so that he could marry? One of those little mystery's that will now remain forever 'lost in time'.

 

Clearly this episodic approach to history writing you won't gain you a very comprehensive knowledge of the overall battle. It might well however spark a interest in the subject that could provoke the reader into further study. So in those terms at least, this book is not only a highly entertaining read - it is a valuable one too.

 

Highly recommended.

I am rather hoping to get this for my birthday tomorrow. I went to Waterloo for the anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Wonderful trip. Went also to Quatre Bras and Ligny. The sites where Napoleon tried to split the allied armies and beat them two days before Waterloo.

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Well happy birthday for tomorrow MOG and do I hope that some wise and perceptive loved-one buys you this smashing little book.

If not, you'd be most welcome to borrow mine of course ... but driving to Dorset would probably cost as much as the book would alas.

The Most Dangerous Book by Kevin Birmingham. A fascinating account of the history of Ulysses, the novel of James Joyce. This book tells the long history of the book's development, and the long campaign of censorship waged against it. It provides interesting details about how books were seized and banned in both London and New York City.

A Land More Kind Than Home - by Wiley Cash.

Madison County, North Carolina 1986. Carson Chambliss was a preacher man who claimed he could work miracles. His congregation believed that God had chosen to speak through him, others thought he might be a Devil. Old Miss Lyle had good cause to know exactly what Chambliss was, and until that awful day she had succeeded in keeping the children well away from his church - the church with the papered-over windows ...

I had never read this author before and for a little while I thought it might have been a mistake to try this novel. But before very long I found myself drawn deep into this intense story of life and death in the American south - a tale you just know will not end well. Unusually the author has chosen to tell his story from three different perspectives - that of a 9 year boy, a country sheriff and a old lady. This multi-viewpoint structure works so well you start to wonder why all novels are not written this way.

A remarkable book from a young writer of some promise I think.

Currently reading Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger. Fascinating to read a German's perspective of the First World War. I recently read a British soldier's memoirs of the War (A Long Way to Tipperary by Maurice Neal) which I enjoyed, so to go from that to a German's memoir has been very interesting.

The book is superbly written and vivid in its description of the horrors of war, but it is in no way the work of a pacifist. The last chapter I read described a battle against the British on the Siegfried line, it really strikes home how horrific it must have been. You never really hear about the German side of things and it is peculiar to be rooting for them when reading, you want Junger and his men to succeed but then you remember they're fighting the British a lot of the time, the British who Junger is often compliments. It also hits home how normal these lads were, normal like the British lads they were up against, which just goes to show what a pointless waste of life it was.

Once more, reading The Inquisitive Elf by Eunice Close, published by Dean in 1965 in their Little Poppet series. I used to read it to my boys when they were very young (all in their 50s now) and it taught them that if one falls for the temptation of habitual curiosity then problems inevitably arise, although it points the way to redemption and self discovery. In a mad world, it`s good to have old friends to fall back on ........

Just finished 'Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter' by Tom Franklin and it was excellent. It's won crime novel of the year and had lots of critical praise. It's set in backwater Mississippi flitting between the early 1980's and current day. There's a couple of murders, racism and lots of secrets in a deadbeat and dying small town. Won't give any more away but well worth a read. Starts off a little slow but worth persevering with - definitely one of my favourite novels this year and I'd be surprised if it's not made into a film.

Some recent reads:

'One Step Behind' by Henning Merkell

You may be aware that I much admire Nordic crime drama in both its televised and written forms. However - probably because of the tedious BBC TV adaptations - until now I've avoided Henning Merkel's 'Wallander' series of crime novels 'like the plague' as it were. It turns out this was a bad mistake because the novels are actually rather good.

This tale, the story of Inspector Kurt Wallander's methodical manhunt for a depraved and ruthless Swedish serial killer (a man who can't abide the happiness of others), is full of tension that remorselessly builds towards what is a truly terrific climax.

'U 333' by Peter Cremer

The remarkable story of one U-Boat commander and his submarine at war. The most remarkable think about Cremer's story is that he - unlike nearly all his comrades - survived the experience somehow. Indeed, many young sailors posted to U-333 considered this assignment as almost akin to a form of 'life-insurance' policy so reliably did their skipper bring his boat home after every mission - all this despite some massive action damage being incurred to the boat, and indeed its commander, at times.

Aggressive, skilled, and utterly determined to sink as much Allied shipping as possible, despite some (mild) criticisms of Hitler's leadership I did find myself wondering whether Cremer was really just a professional naval officer doing his duty for his country, or perhaps a rather more enthusiastic Nazi sympathiser than he dare let on in print. In 1944 Cremer was posted away from U-333 in order that he assume command of a new submarine then under construction. His old boat, under the command of another officer, was soon lost at sea with all hands ...

'Bring Up The Bodies' by Hilary Mantel

The follow-up to 'Wolf Hall' (the author's massively successful first book charting the rise of the Tudor statesman and fixer Thomas Cromwell) the story here takes up more or less where the first book ended. Just like 'Wolf Hall' this admirable historical novel is beautifully written, carefully researched, and hard to criticise meaningfully. Just like the first book, it is also strangely hard to love too - at least that is what I thought.

'The Second World War' by Anthony Beevor

If I recall correctly I'm by no means the first person on here to read this new(ish) history of that terrible war. I'm happy to confirm that those who thought this history a splendid book are absolutely right. I guess I've read more on this subject than most have, but even I found much here that was new to me. I would even go so far as to say that if you are only going to read one book about WWII, then you could do much worse than to make this history the one you choose.

I tend to read only 'quality' literature, being a bit of a snob on that score. Was talking to a friend the other day about Stephen King and I expressed the opinion that he is 'a bit hack'. But when pressed I had to admit... I'd never actually read any. So, I've taken the plunge. Just finished Carrie, and it was actually hugely entertaining. He lays on the suspense a bit heavy-handedly, but I'll cut some slack as I know that was his first novel (first published, at least). Really interesting stylistically (loved the way it cut between narrative and news-sources) and a much more mature handling of mental pressure than I'd expected.

Anyhow, now I'm having a go at 'Salem's Lot. But I'd welcome advice from any King fans on which are the ones to try and the ones to avoid.

I tend to read only 'quality' literature, being a bit of a snob on that score. Was talking to a friend the other day about Stephen King and I expressed the opinion that he is 'a bit hack'. But when pressed I had to admit... I'd never actually read any. So, I've taken the plunge. Just finished Carrie, and it was actually hugely entertaining. He lays on the suspense a bit heavy-handedly, but I'll cut some slack as I know that was his first novel (first published, at least). Really interesting stylistically (loved the way it cut between narrative and news-sources) and a much more mature handling of mental pressure than I'd expected.

 

Anyhow, now I'm having a go at 'Salem's Lot. But I'd welcome advice from any King fans on which are the ones to try and the ones to avoid.

I've read most of King's books. He's not just a horror writer, he explores other areas as well (eg Shawshank Redemption).

Difficult to pick favourites but I'd go for Pet Semartary (very creepy), The Stand (post-apocalyptic) and 11/22/63 ( a time travel tale where a guy goes back to prevent the Kennedy assasination but returns to a far different world). Didn't go much on the Dark Tower series.

All down to personal taste really.

I've read most of King's books. He's not just a horror writer, he explores other areas as well (eg Shawshank Redemption).

 

Difficult to pick favourites but I'd go for Pet Semartary (very creepy), The Stand (post-apocalyptic) and 11/22/63 ( a time travel tale where a guy goes back to prevent the Kennedy assasination but returns to a far different world). Didn't go much on the Dark Tower series.

 

All down to personal taste really.

Cheers mate. There's two versions of The Stand, is that right? Is it worth going for the longer version?

Cheers mate. There's two versions of The Stand, is that right? Is it worth going for the longer version?

Yes, go for the u**** version - well worth it. I've read everything by Stephen King except the dark tower series and have enjoyed all of his books. Personally I would add Christine and IT into the recommended list but they're all good. Enjoy them!

Yeah the longer cut of The Stand is superb. Read them both (a few years apart obv) and the long version add so much extra bits that add new dimensions and characters to the story. Get book.

Thanks chaps. Will probably try The Stand next.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch.

A very strange, and at times rather wonderful, novel this in which London's Metropolitan Police Force are - alongside everyday Human criminality - also covertly engaged in combating ''magic'' or supernatural crime that occurs in our nation's capital. In this world of the author's imagination ghosts, vampires, even ''Old Father Thames'' etc are all very real (more than Human) characters who exist alongside we mere mortals. It turns out that London is under attack from a deranged serial killer who can't be apprehended by the Met because he actually died centuries ago. So it falls to the enigmatic ''Inspector Nightingale'' and his naive young apprentice PC to stop the mayhem and restore law and order to the streets of the metropolis ...

I can't in all honesty say that I found this book to be truly ''unputdownable''. However, if you prepared to buy into the premise you will discover here a refreshingly different book compared to your average piece of detective fiction. A novel furthermore that taxes the reader's imagination quite admirably I think.

Europe: A History by Norman Davies

A history of Europe from the Ice Age to Cold War in one book! Its great for understanding a little about a lot - enough to whet your appetite to learn more about something if you wish to, or simply understand a bit about why countries in Europe you have never really thought about have the borders, beliefs, peoples and Governments they do. Its a bit like a university primer cum reference book.

Just started 'Clockers' by Richard Price. Not seen the film but it's supposed to be good.

That is a great book. If you like it, you might also like Slow Motion Riot by Peter Blauner.

I'm currently working my way through the David Downing John Russell 'station' spy novels, set in Berlin from 1939 onwards. I'm now on the third one: Stettin Station. Having recently, reread Le Carre's Smiley novels, I find Downing better in many respects. All of his characters are interesting and believable and his description of everyday life in Nazi Germany is very convincing. I expect there will be films to come.

Just read `Epilogue` by Will Boast - a compelling life story of a Southampton lad brought up in Michigan among an `interesting` family - one, I suspect, which may not be uncommon. He made some journeys to and from the USA back to Southampton, Salisbury and Brighton in pursuit of family history and mystery and gives descriptions of attending a Saints v Brighton game and joining in the Saints` chants - you know what they were - and also mentions that his parents met whilst working at the Dreamland electric blanket factory in Hythe.

Just started reading Richie Benaud`s Autobiography. Marvellous.!

Just finished 'American Rust' by Philip Meyer and liked it a lot. It's based around two 21yr olds in Pennsylvania, in a town called Buell that's dying because the local steel mill has closed so there are no jobs, no opportunities and no hope. Essentially we're talking about the flipside of the 'American Dream'. Without giving too much away something happens that sets off a chain of events which becomes almost painful to read - most of the decisions made are with the best intentions but are going down a road that you know won't end well.

If you like misery in your books then this has it in spades and positively drips with it. The characterisations of the novel are good and that's really the point of the book - there's not a whole lot of fast paced action going on. The book has been compared to 'Grapes of Wrath' and that's a fair one; it's not quite as good but then it would have to be a terrific book to do that. Chances are though that if you like 'Grapes' then you'll like this one.

I'm now on the 4th of David Downing's 'station' novels, Potsdam Station, set in Berlin & Moscow in 1945. It really is a great series.

I'm a huge fan of Robert Goddard (born in Fareham, incidentally) and I've just finished his latest but one novel, Blood Count. Its underlying theme is the Bosnian war. Most of his novels are based on historical events including the first world war.

 

They're all really gripping thrillers and unputdownable.

 

http://www.robertgoddardbooks.co.uk/

 

http://www.robertgoddardbooks.co.uk/books/bloodcount.html

I went to school with him. Bob Harris went to the same school, but was much older.

Just started on "The Kind Worth Killing" by Peter Swanson. Has anyone read anything else by this author?

The 5th of David Downing's 'station' novels: Lehrter Station.

High Rise by JG Ballard

High Rise by JG Ballard

That is a brilliant book, equalizer. I read it forty years ago and always wondered why it never received more attention but now it's been made into a film, it's sure to become a bestseller at last.

Just finished Mascot by Mark Kurzem.

It's the true story of a 5 year-old Russian jewish boy who lives in one of the Baltic states in 1940. When the Germans arrive in his village, his mother tells him to hide in the forest. From there he sees his mother and younger siblings shot by an extermination squad. After wandering in the forest for days he's picked up by a group of Latvian soldiers who are assisting the Germans. He's put with a group of jews who are about to be shot. For some reason a Latvian Sergeant pulls him out of the line and takes him under his wing. He stresses to the boy that he must never tell anyone that he's jewish.

The soldiers adopt him as their mascot and make him a uniform like theirs and, after a while, he becomes quite well known and appears in propaganda photos and films. He also witnesses some horrific acts and finds it difficult to reconcile these with the young soldiers who are so kind to him. They all talk to him in the evenings and appear as just lonely, frightened boys who want to go home.

As the course of the war changes he spends less time with the soldiers and is put in the care of a Latvian couple who treat him as their son. After the war he makes his way to Australia and raises a family but never tells them about his past.

The author is his son who, in the 90's, is studying at Oxford. Bit by bit his father confides in him and tells him that, because he was only 5, he doesn't know the name of his village or where exactly it was.

The two of them then embark on a research project and eventually trace many of the people from his past and get to go back to his home village where he meets some of the older residents who remember him and his family.

A fascinating tale, part detective story, part history lesson which looks at the war from a different perspective.

Just finished "Nazi Hunters" by Damien Lewis and "A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the S.O.E" by Sarah Helmsley. Just started this:- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterloo-Myth-Reality-Gareth-Glover/dp/1781593566#immersive-view_1457898423839

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The Hollow Crown by Dan Jones, basically his take on the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor succession. The history is narrative, doesn't get get sidetracked by analysis and the writing is fast paced and exciting. All in all a rattling good yarn! Drawn to this as it was a period of history I knew nothing about.

I'm half way through the thriller "The GIrl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins.

Rachel, a young women whose life seems to be falling apart as acholism and depression takes a unshakable grip on her, rides the train into Euston everyday. A signal often halts her train outside the same trackside house and observing the seeming happy couple who live there Rachel 'projects' all her lost hopes and unfullfilled dreams of happiness onto them - people she has never even met.

But this perfect world of the imagination is nothing but a fantasy of course and when the wife Rachel imagines she might have been goes missing our pathetic heroin is drawn into a mystery that grows steadily darker with every passing day ...

I'm half way through the thriller "The GIrl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins.

 

Rachel, a young women whose life seems to be falling apart as acholism and depression takes a unshakable grip on her, rides the train into Euston everyday. A signal often halts her train outside the same trackside house and observing the seeming happy couple who live there Rachel 'projects' all her lost hopes and unfullfilled dreams of happiness onto them - people she has never even met.

 

But this perfect world of the imagination is nothing but a fantasy of course and when the wife Rachel imagines she might have been goes missing our pathetic heroin is drawn into a mystery that grows steadily darker with every passing day ...

Just finished it - a clever novel deserving of its popularity. To me, living in the sticks of a Kent village, it seemed to capture some of the reality of what living in London must be like these days - or at least my perception of it.

That is a brilliant book, equalizer. I read it forty years ago and always wondered why it never received more attention but now it's been made into a film, it's sure to become a bestseller at last.

Seen a fair few articles, trailers etc for the film.

Think I will give this a go.

Very into sci fi.

Just finished 'America's Dreyfuss' by Joan Brady. It's an account of Alger Hiss, a top american civil servant, who was convicted of perjury after being accused of being a communist by the House of Un-American Affairs Committee. Apparently it was, and is, a big deal in the US although I'd never heard about it. Anyway, in 1949 Hiss, who had been at the Yalta conference and also acted as effectively the first UN secretary general was accused of being a communist. There was no evidence and his accuser was simple fantasist who changed his story as often as his aliases. Hiss, unlike most people appearing before HUAC, declined to take the 5th amendment and chose to defend his name - even going so far as to sue for libel. Nixon made his name with this case and it set him on the way to the white house - the amount of dirty tricks and bare-faced lying he goes to is unbelievable. Really enjoyed this book - very good at showing just how paranoid America became at this period.

Masaryk Station by David Downing. This is the sixth and, sadly, the last of his 'station' novels. I don't think I've been as hooked on a series of novels since Olivia Manning's Balkan and Levant trilogies, and this is in the same class. Great descriptions of Germany from 1938 to 1948 as seen from the perspective of an Englishman living there.

Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII - by Robert Hutchinson.

The story of England's most famous - and indeed infamous - monarch, from his childhood up to the birth of his second daughter by his second queen - Elizabeth and Anne Boleyn of course. The story is a well known one as the cast of familar Tudor charectors are trotted out to play their parts in what is in many ways a unfolding tragedy. Aged just 17 when his father died, the young Henry was then far from the monster he was to become. So the question is what happened to him?

This book is a meticulously reaserched history that I found easy enough to read for sure. But for all the author's effort and learning it left me feeling that I understood Henry little better after I had finished reading it. Nevertheless, if Tudor history is not so familiar a subject to you then this book is well worth seeking out.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It reminds me a bit of Jay McInerney. Remember him? Fast-paced, ephemeral, New York haute fiction.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - by Claire North.

What if reincarnation was real, but your next life was also the very same one you have just gone through - and that your memory of what had gone before could survive each death?

That is the situation Harry August faces, for him and the other members of the secretive 'Cronos Club' death has become little more than a inconvenience that forces them to go through the tedium of childhood again before they can employ their vast level of accumulated knowledge to their advantage. The only rule is that club members agree to never alter the key events of history.

But rules are there to be broken and on his deathbed at the very end of his eleventh life Harry recieves a message handed down to him from the future warning that somehow the end of the world is approaching ...

This is a wonderfully inventive novel that makes you question the nature of time and life. It is also one that I found to be quite irresistible.

'Operation Mincemeat' by Ben Macintyre.

If you have ever seen the old black and white film 'The Man Who Never Was' then you already will know something about the subject of this book. If you have not, then prior to the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 (Operation Husky) British intelligence mounted a operation intended to decieve the Germans into believing that Greece, rather than the island of Sicily, was the planned landing place. If the Germans could be fooled then the war might be shortened and thousands of allied lives could be saved.

In order to achieve this objective a recently deceased corpse of a unfortunate sucide victim was secretly obtained, the body was dressed-up as the entirly fictitious 'Major Martin' of the Royal Marines and set adrift off the coast of Spain to wash ashore. Attached to the body was a briefcase containing various letters addressed to Allied commanders in the Mediterranean concerning this fake Greek invasion. In order for this plan to succeed then it was vital that one of the many German spies working in wartime Spain would get hold of the misleading letters and pass this seeming crucial intelligence 'windfall' on to Hitler and his generals ...

What ensues is a brilliently told tale as thrilling as it is remarkable. A story of deceit, spycraft and a inspired plan that in reality was perhaps not quite as foolproof as that old film made it look ... oh and easily the best book I have read this year by the way.

Mud, Blood and Poppycock. by Gordon Corrigan.

Written by a former Army officer this is a ambitious book that sets out to debunk what the author sees as the popular misconceptions that have arisen regarding the British Army's performance in the Great War.

When you think about World War I and the British Army what first comes to mind? If the the answer to that question includes incompetent generals who seldom bothered to leave their headquarters, vast numbers of gas attack casaulties and the bloody failure of the Battle of the Somme then prepare yourself for some new thinking because Corrigan argues - often very persuasively - that alĺ those perceptions, and many others, are wrong.

It turns out that our army's senior command were often perfectly competent officers who were handicaped by having to manage a vastly expanded conscript Army that was still dangeriously inexperienced in 1916; the effectivness of gas attacks has been greatly overstated and the Somme campaign actualy achieved its stragic purpose of relieving pressure on the French at Verdun.

The author mostly succeeds in getting his message across and making the reader actualy THINK again about that war and the misconceptions it has left us with. However, some of the 'myths' Corrigan goes to work on are not ones that I was even aware existed - for example, does anyone really believe that junior British officers suffered a lower casaulty rate than the men they led into battle? You might also wonder how much of a 'success' can the Battle of the Somme really have been if to inflict 400,000 casualties on the Germans the Allies had to suffer 600,000 of their own.

Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile and thought-provoking piece of revisionist history that can be read and enjoyed by anyone who is at all interested in the subject.