An English translation (originally written in German) to a book written by a high school classmate.
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I found this invaluable in learning the night sky and the diagrams of constellations through different types of scope, some of which give an inverted image were useful as I don’t have a computerised scope. Now all we need are the dark skies.
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I hope you enjoy it. It isn’t a spy novel like Le Carre, but a beautifully written psychological study.
Boy Bannister a lecherous drunk is based on Guy Burgess while Querell is based on Graham Greene. Anita Brookner, art historian and novelist was a friend of Blunt’s and defended him after it was revealed many years after his confession to British intelligence and undoubtedly for political reasons that he had been a Soviet spy. Ultimately Maskell appears as a hollow character, a mask.
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It’s a cracker. One of my favourite Banville’s books.
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I’ve been rediscovering my joy through reading voraciously in retirement, including many titles or authors mentioned here … so thanks to all of you for sharing.
This last one, mentioned way further back in the thread (either directly or via the author’s other books) and finished just a moment ago, is astonishingly good: road movie, boy’s own adventure, modern parable, portrait of bygone Americana. It is wholly its own while being lovingly an echo of great stories from Twain, through JD Salinger, to Harper Lee. Gushingly recommended.
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A rather lovely book about The Hacienda… This is the limited edtion hand-numbered deluxe edition, signed by the authors…
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My answer about recent chancellors is censored on this forum , but certainly the ability to …
It’s not actually just limited to 21 century chancellors, but goes further back than that.
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I wonder if the sales of this book increase further on the likely outcome of the PM? Hmmmm…
It doesn’t cover Sunak at all, nor was he interviewed for it, so probably not.
I think you may have missed the bigger picture. A chancellor gets into No. 10 and there may be an increased level of interest as to that how that position works. It’s not person-specific.
It’s quite a technical book actually. And not about politics at all. I don’t think that there would be any increased public interest in it, whoever wins the leadership competition. The public at large don’t understand economics I think, nor do they wish to.
A most interesting person is the author, Howard Davies, who is a lot cleverer than I had realised. Anyway I recommend it.
I have just finished Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame; a reread after many, many years.
It’s a magical book, that still captivated me despite my advanced years. Maybe age has made me appreciate it better. The “Piper…” chapter is not the sloppy sentimentality I used to think it was but a beautiful piece of writing.
steve
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A wonderful life affirming laugh out loud read even if your not an angler
Mortimer and Whitehouse - Gone Fishing
A Father’s Day present from my son
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My holiday book.
Despite the grandiose title, after just 100 pages, it’s proving to be modestly executed with a fresh approach to geo and anthropological politics. Especially insightful, the dialogues between native Americans and French Jesuits and bombastic noblemen who came to civilise the so called savages…who really were the savages?
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