What are you reading now?

[Ian Thumwood]

The Petain book has caught my interest. I am forcing myself to take a break from reading about World War II,but my wife and I really enjoyed the TV series A French Village, one reason being the way that the characters would alternate collaborationist or resistance postures

I really enjoyed an account of the Chemin Des Dames offensive called "Breaking point of the French Army" by David Murphy about ten years ago. Petain featured heavily in this although it was Nivelle who responsible for this fiasco. I was fasincated to read an account of a French military operation as well a about the little discussed French tanks of the time which were little better than hopeless. As a rule I tend to avoid military history books as they can come across as a bit dry but I always find myself fascinated when it concerns the French as , more often than not, they make good reading of how not to do things. A similar book about French aviation in the interwar years also threw up a similar comedy of errors where they constructed planes which were barely air-worthy.

[Ian Thumwood]

It's time I re-read some Walter Scott, probably the Antiquary as I've read it only once, unlike the famous Waverleys which are perennial favourites. Scott may be unfashionable today as he doesn't fit into today's waiting-for-the-next-text, channel-hopping instant gratification culture, but if one is willing to take the time he can be immensely rewarding.

Historical fiction

I read "Ivanhoe" many years ago after going through a spell of reading anything of a medieval nature in the Penguin Classics series. As someone who reads shed loads of history books, I was put off by the inaccuracies in Scott's writing and the fact that it did not seem authentic in comprison with something like "Sir Gawain & the Green Knight." At the time I was reading loads of books about medieval England that "Ivanhoe" seemed almost laughable and was full of cliches.


As a rule, I have a very wide taste in writing whether it is about birdwatching, history / arcaheology, football , etc. The variety in fiction is even broader and I am far less critical than I used to be about contemporary fiction writers. It is interesting how more "robust" fiction writers are about histry these days. For my money, the best recent historical novels have been Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series which are noir crime novels either set in Nazi Germany or about the onsequences of the Nazis. The reserach is spot on but the dialogue is really sharp so that you ultimately emphasize with Bernie Gunther. Other historical novels by the likes of Robert Harris and Andrew Taylor can be well reseached but I am not convinced that either are as good as Kerr as a writer. For my money, Scott's novels are of their time and what you are reading is a romanticised version of Medieval Britain that is seen through a Victorian prism. If you approach Ivanhoe from a historical perspective, I feel that the books comes up very short. There are 19th century writers like Dickens, Balzac and Zola whose books I have enjoyed. I never felt compelled to return to Scott after Ivanhoe not so much for the fact it was a bit overblown but more because Ivanhoe is so inaccurate.

Another historical writer I was prompted to read recently was George MacDonald Fraser whose "Flashman" novel is another example of some brilliant historical research. It was struck as just how good a historian Fraser was but then learned that it might not have been quote the satire it was intended to be. I believe it was the historian SaulDavid who interviewed Fraser and found that he held the kind of right wing views that are not really acceptable in 2023. Reading this book back in the summer, the interview changed my perception of the book which is something of an uncomfortable read with the casual acceptance of racism and violence towards women. My enjoyment was also dented by the fact that anyone failiar with Victorian military history will probably guess the ending of each book. However, like the Scott, this is historical fiction which perhaps tells us more of the social attitudes of the time as opposed to the era in which they are sent. A strong whiff of thr 1960s pervades the Flashman books just as the dreaming nostalgia of the Victorians where the brutality and politcal realities of the time were sugar coated and romantacized.

[smittims]

It's time I re-read some Walter Scott, probably the Antiquary as I've read it only once, unlike the famous Waverleys which are perennial favourites. Scott may be unfashionable today as he doesn't fit into today's waiting-for-the-next-text, channel-hopping instant gratification culture, but if one is willing to take the time he can be immensely rewarding.

[Pulcinella]

Perhaps appropriate for Armistice Day:

Guernica by Dave Boling
Borrowed from our local book swap shelves.

The blurb compares it to Captain Corelli's Mandolin and The English Patient.
It was also a Richard & Judy summer read recommendation.

[vinteuil]

.

... to accompany the current Maigret series with Bruno Cremer on Talking Pictures I am re-reading Maigret a Peur and l'Affaire Saint-Fiacre. I know that they are not as 'deep' as Simenon's romans durs - but I still find them very impressive, in terms of atmosphere, locality, psychology. I was struck by how closely the telly version of Maigret a Peur followed the book - almost all the dialogue was verbatim (even if it was filmed in the Ain rather than Fontenay-le-Comte.. )

[french frank]

Hopefully a lot of woodland (and associated wildlife habitats) north of Birmingham will now be saved as HS2 has been cancelled. The Woodland Trust has been campaigning in this direction.

I'm not entirely persuaded of the actual amount of permanent damage potentially caused. My brother and I inherited a small field with a tiny strip of woodland at the bottom for which an earlier planning application had been refused. As it was stuck in the middle of nowhere it was neglected until it was pointed out that as members of the public were walking across it we needed to take out insurance for it. When we went to inspect the 'field' 30 years after it had been abandoned it was entirely covered with regenerated ancient woodland, and we donated it to the neighbouring town council for 'recreational purposes'.

[Sir Velo]

Hopefully a lot of woodland (and associated wildlife habitats) north of Birmingham will now be saved as HS2 has been cancelled. The Woodland Trust has been campaigning in this direction.

Only to be lost again to the resulting spurt in road building (see Darwin's Oak).

[smittims]

Hopefully a lot of woodland (and associated wildlife habitats) north of Birmingham will now be saved as HS2 has been cancelled. The Woodland Trust has been campaigning in this direction.

[french frank]

Just started Guy Shrubsole's The Lost Rainforests of Britain. Apparently England/Britain has a large percentage of the world's existing temperate rainforests which require moderate temperatures and plenty of rain. I have become enthusiastic about reintroducing a rainforest to our Common - under which there are several streams and fresh water springs. Unfortunately the council seems to favour planting exotic ornamental species ('it depends what trees they have available') which might create something else. Apparently the sign of the remnants of temperate rainforest is the number of species (epiphytes - ferns, lungworts, liverworts, lichens) which grow on other species,

[vinteuil]

An item of news from Australia last week reminded me of John Lanchester’s debut novel The Debt to Pleasure, which I am re-reading (again) with pleasure. Ostensibly a seasonal recipe book, it turns into something very different. It’s laugh out loud funny (the recipe for Lemon Tart is priceless).

... one of my absolutely favourite books. As you hint, you need to read it several times to understand what's going on.

Sadly, I don't think any of John Lanchester's subsequent works have lived up to earlier expectations

.

[PatrickMurtha]

'Growing', Leonard Woolf's memoir of his year in Ceylon at the start of the twentieth century. Written up to sixty years after the events it describes, I imagine it gave him some pleasure; today it's a valuable picture of a vanished era.

Excellent! I should love to read that. Michael Ondaatje’s Running in the Family is another wonderful book about growing up in Ceylon.

[Belgrove]

An item of news from Australia last week reminded me of John Lanchester’s debut novel The Debt to Pleasure, which I am re-reading (again) with pleasure. Ostensibly a seasonal recipe book, it turns into something very different. It’s laugh out loud funny (the recipe for Lemon Tart is priceless).

[smittims]

'Growing', Leonard Woolf's memoir of his year in Ceylon at the start of the twentieth century. Written up to sixty years after the events it describes, I imagine it gave him some pleasure; today it's a valuable picture of a vanished era.

[Jonathan]

I'm currently reading for the final time prior to publication, my first novel - The Ventos Conspiracy. Just tweaking a few things here and there. Intending to publish either this weekend or the next.

[JasonPalmer]

Enjoyed john le carres call for the dead, george smiley at his best !