Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Graham Greene, Our Man In Havana, Jenny Uglow, A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration,Robert Merle, City of Wisdom and Blood, Tom Buk-Swienty, 1864: The forgotten war that shaped modern Europe

Reading rate has increased substantially as the daylight hours diminish. Too dark to run in the mornings now, so the default setting is now an hour on the bikes in the gym, which is where most of the above were read. I'm tantalisingly close to hitting my target of 550 miles run for the year, even after falling out of a tree. Two more runs and I should be there; I'm hoping to go out tomorrow lunchtime as I'm working from home.
Helen's been back at work now for a few months, and it's tough. When the kids are well we can just about manage, but when one or more is ill we really struggle. Both of us have run out of leave now, and if one of them falls ill (as has been happening frequently over the past weeks) we're stuffed.  I'm seriously considering grabbing redundancy if it's offered and not working for a few years to look after the kids and home. I talked to H about it last night, and she's not up for it, as it would mean her going back full-time. Right now though it's so difficult to cope. Luckily I have a very understanding boss and can work flexibly.

Four very good books. Our Man In Havana was an indulgent reread, Uglow's book has been sitting on my shelves for years, and was finally picked. I'd bene put off thinking it was a straightforward biography, but it's far wider than that. Merle was the second in the Fortunes of France series which are now becoming available in translation. A cast of thousands, with characters either goodies or baddies - like Dumas, Sabatini or Cornwell. Lovely enjoyable stuff.

No comments:

Post a Comment