Here he is at Chalke the other week, talking to James Holland about the book. He seemed impressed with the latest UK tanks.
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I’m a big fan of James Holland and have many of his books.
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He knows his stuff, for sure. Encyclopedic knowledge of WW2. His brother Tom is the same too for the ancient history.
Amazing that James started Chalke back in 2012 I think, with some locals in order to raise Broad Chalke village cricket funds. Mission accomplished !
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Having finished my re-read of “The Making of the Atomic Bomb,” I decided to stay (loosely) on topic with Benjamin Labatut’s “When We Cease to Understand the World,” which includes partly fictional accounts of the lives of several people included in the Rhodes book. Then a review of quantum mechanics with Brian Greene.
Labatut’s acknowledgements include W.G. Sebald, so yesterday I pulled out “Austerlitz,” which I had bought earlier this year.
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A historical fiction taking place during the dying days of the Ottoman Empire in what is today Iraq. A British archaeologist’s dig is being threatened to be buried by a German-built railroad.
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Superintendent Taleb of the Algerian civil police is forced to work with a young female officer of the secret police.
As so often with Goddard’s wonderful story telling it all spreads out from a well placed English gentleman who finds a reason to poke his nose into affairs perhaps best left to settle.
Fits in well with the recent semi novel about Alain Delon,his seedy life and friends.
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I’m partial to a good spy novel; this lady influenced Le Carre. The novel is set during the phoney war and is a bit of a travelogue; however, it’s a gentle page turner.
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Just read this for my book group - Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd. It’s a Cold War spy thriller set in the early 60’s. An excellent story but as it is by William Boyd ( ‘Any Human Heart’ - one of my favourite books ever) it has a level of characterisation that you don’t often see in this genre. There’s a sequel out now called ‘The Predicament’. Recommended.
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Yes I thought that worth .99 p on my Kindle. Next volume available.
Looking for a more meaty series to start I have downloaded
Serial killer in 1939 Warsaw. Hitler on the border.Kripo and SS disagreeing how to proceed. What can possible go wrong.
Jakubowski and Andrew Taylor(Ashes of London) think well of it.
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Well okay, the Cat book has a little too much religion and self-justification but that’s easily tolerated in the context of an otherwise entertaining biography with lots of stuff in it I just didn’t know. Have recommended the imminent audio book to Mrs. H.
The book pile is getting low now after 4 years of being in double figures so it’s nice to know I’m getting to this fairly quickly. The new album looks a step too far. The in conversation book tour gig I saw was awful. Not because of Kevin. More that Ian Prowse (Pele) was a truly awful interviewer. Sort of looking forward to this though having read the Helen O’Hara take.
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Just ordered a copy.
I’m slowly rereading many books I read in my youth. However, this Steinbeck wasn’t one I read then. It is funny, moving and full of all things that make Steinbeck so special. Highly recommended.
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Iain Banks, Espedair Street.
I love most of Iain’s novels and am starting to re-read them 10 years after discovering him. This one is focussed on a tall Scottish musician whose band fell apart and this is the story of his ‘recovery’. Many rumours that it was based on Fish from Marillion but Banks refuted this although I do believe they later met up for a chat!
Tempted to read The Crow’s Road next
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Stories of Ireland by playwright Brian Friel, a collection of short stories bought for me by my partner, after we had heard Paddy O’Connell on Broadcasting House on R4 one Sunday morning, saying that reading short stories had got him away from the internet and from newspapers, and back into reading.
I found many of the stories pretty affecting. There’s a spartan intensity to the writing. Every word matters.
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Well that was a fascinating read. Glossed over the last 20 years but still managed to achieve an astonishing level of self evisceration.