Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita

This has erroneously been on the 'read' shelves for some time, and I'm sure I tried to read it once and got nowhere. A friend of a friend remarked on Facebook how wonderful it is, and as the critics rave about it, I gave it a go. I struggled with it though, not really understanding why it was a satire of life under communism, and with such a huge cast I couldn't follow it. Mostly read on the train down from Derby. It probably didn't help that my mind kept wandering to the Labour leadership debate.

Phillip Pullman, The Book of Dust vol II: The Secret Commonwealth, VS Naipaul, A House For Mister Biswas, Diarmaid MacCulloch Thomas Cromwell: A Life, John Le Carre, Agent Running In The Field, Jean Rhys, The Wide Sargasso Sea, Billy Bragg, The Three Dimensions of Freedom, Antony Beevor, Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944, Frank Herbert, Dune. James Agee, A Death In The Family, John Hooper, The Italians, Eric Vuillard, The Order Of The Day, Robert Stone, Dog Soldiers, Raynor Winn, The Salt Path, Sarah Perry, Melmoth, Norman Dixon, On The Psychology Of Military Importance

Ouch, have left it far too long and haven't commented on the last 16 books until now. It's the day after Boxing Day and I'm back at work.  Fred is in a permanent grumpy pre-teen phase, Libby is as lovely and loud as ever and William is very funny - dinosaur and biscuit obsessed. Dad has just had a triple heart bypass but seems to be making a very rapid recovery, the Tories won a majority at the election and everyone is blaming Corbyn. He was certainly part of the reason, but its not as simple as that, and even now, if her were to stand for reelection the majority of members would vote for him. I don't see any standout candidates. I would have voted for Angela Rayner, but she appears to be not standing. Ian Lavery is my next choice, in part because I have a fiver on him at 100/1.  On the books, it's worth noting that 'The Wide Sargasso Sea' is one of those rare things, an 'essential novel' that I enjoyed and that deserves it place. Not the novel I was expecting at all, as I have a deep dislike for the passive heroine and awful selfish hero of Jane Eyre. This book however showed Rochester as the sadistic snobby worthless shit he really was, and charted what had driven Bertha mad.

Robert Penn Warren, All The King's Men, David Kynaston & Francis Green, Engines of Privilege: Britain's Private School Problem, Mick Herron, London Rules, Christopher hill, God's Englishman: Oliver Cromwell & The English Revolution

Fred said to me last night 'How are you getting on with Mortal Engines'?', the book I was reading last week at his swimming practice. 'That was last week Fred!', I said, 'I've read 4 books since then!' He's still not reading for pleasure, which is also true of Libby. I really don't know what to do. Don't want to push as it could drive them away from reading. Fred is really struggling to enthuse about anything that requires effort at the moment. He used to love cycling, swimming, football, but now in all cases along with cello and other sports he is really down on them as he doesn't like the competitive element or pressure. Breaking his wrist really seems to have knocked him for six and we just can't find a regular physical exercise that he enjoys and which stretches him

Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex, Madeline Miller, Circe, Marcus Tanner, The Last Of The Celts, Robert Merle, League of Spies, Stefan Zweig, The World of Yesterday, Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises, Eugen Vodolazkin, Laurus, Peter Hennessy, Never Again: Britain 1945-51, Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Robert Harris, The Second Sleep, Stephen Ambrose, Pegasus Bridge: D-day: The Daring British Airborne Raid, Fiction, Richard Wright, Native Son, James Hogg, James Robertson Justice "What's The Bleeding Time?" A Biography, Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines

My late summer 2019  reading. I wasn't expecting much from Middlesex, but I loved it. I was vaguely aware it was something to do with an androgynous person, but didn't realise  it was an epic encompassing the American immigrant experience, the clash of cultures and lifestyles. 'Last of the Celts' was a tour round those last remaining outposts of celticness on the north-western fringes of Europe, and a lament for a dying but romanticised world. 'League of Spies' was the 4th in the series, and was read on holiday in Brittany and Normandy, as were the next few books. It was a lovely holiday, William in particular was charming and is coming into his own as a person. He loved playing with the dog at the farm, and I even had to run off after them in my slippers when they disappeared into the bocage up to some mischief of others. We also wrote sawyer lyrics to his favourites song, 'My favourite things' from The Sound of Music:

Daddy likes crosswords and Harry Kane hat tricks

Reading ‘bout castles, and Tintin and Asterix

Sleeping in tents and correcting spelling

These are a few of his favourite things

National Trust Tea Rooms and Tap Dancing classes

Cake decorating and free entrance passes

Skiving off boot camp and hoarding savings

These are a few of mum’s favourite things

Swimming and cycling and brick-wall defending

Puzzles and board games that are never-ending

Clash of Clans, parsnips and lots of pudding

These are a few of Fred’s favourite things

Libby likes milkshakes and singing out loudly

Doing gymnastics and dancing quite proudly

Swimming and make-up and a class for teaching

These are a few of her favourite things

Doing gymnastics and cuddling my mummy

Going to softplay with cake in my tummy

Dinosaurs, robots and going on swings

These are a few of my favourite things

When I’m told off

When I fall down

When I’m feeling sad

I simply remember by favourite things, and then I don’t feel so bad.

Zweig’s ‘The World of Yesterday’ was another lament for a lost world, but poignant as it was, I’m not sure the author fully realises that the wonderful world of tolerance and openness he remembers was nothing of the sort for most people in Europe who were downtrodden, denied a say in government and living in squalid conditions. Hemingway was meh, a failed romance from all I could tell, Laurus was a Russian novel I picked up from Daunt’s, and set in medieval times. Explored the themes of faith and human compassion. I remember Never Again as being an epic social history, full of chapters on the floods of 1947, or Compton’s exploits at the crease. Rereading it, it’s actually far more of the story of high politics and foreign policy at the time, so I’ve misremembered it completely. Maybe my perspective has changed, and the social history stayed with me as it was so novel for me when I read it. I can’t remember anything about Their Eyes Were Watching God, I’ve just had to google it to trigger the memory of Janie Crawford and her life in Eatonville. I should be ashamed of myself. Second Sleep was set in a future England after some great calamity when the world has returned to a pre-industrial civilisation where discussion of anything technological is forbidden and the church are running things. The fragility of civilisation can be terrifying. Pegasus Bridge was a straightforward Boy’s Own tale of derring-do and British stiff upper-lip behaviour on the battlefield, and Native Son was a cracking read, a rare ‘essential novel’ that I could read for pleasure (again, I should be ashamed of myself). The story of a black man, Bigger Thomas, a cruel, vindictive, violent man and the society that made him that way. The biography of JRJ was very light stuff, mostly read on a flight back from Dusseldorf, and ‘Mortal Engines’ a kids book that I’m trying to encourage Fred to read. Fred has just started secondary school, and while he is enjoying it, it’s been a big transition. He’s given up football and wants to give up swimming too as he is finding it so hard after coming back from a broken wrist and the summer break. Hopefully he’ll stick with it as it’s so good for him to be getting regular exercise.

Mark Cocker, Crow Country, Elizabeth Bowen, The Death Of The Heart, EP Thompson, Whigs And Hunters, Samantha Harvey, The West Wind, Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, John Rees, The Leveller Revolution: Radical Political Organisation in England, 16405-1650

Crow Country was a reread, and a book that sparked my somewhat sporadic interest in corvids. I must have read half a dozen books on crows, but as Helen points out I still struggle to tell a jackdaw from a rook. William is rather in to collecting fings at the moment, 'fings' mostly consisting of rocks and 'fevvas'. There's a flock of canada geese that have taken up residence in the car park at work, so I can nip out every now and then and get feathers for William's collection. Currently his rather unhygienic collection is on display in a jam jar on the kitchen table alongside the 'unicorn twigs' Libby cajoled me into buying from Morrison's. 'The Death of the Heart' was form the 100 essential novels and fitted into the mid-century upper-class woman with no real problems trying to keep up appearances rather than the late 20th century east coast academic with no real problems dealing with is own neuroses category. Far better was Things Fall Apart, the last paragraph of which cause me to swear with shock. Following a tale of a powerful man brought low in tribal Nigeria, it finishes with a new colonial governor arriving and treating all the events of the book as a minor footnote in his own vanity publication on the subject of subduing natives in the Upper Niger valley.

Gore Vidal, Burr, Norman Stone, Hungary: A Short History, Kate Fox, Watching the English, Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire, John Lanchester, The Wall

I didn't appreciate that 'Burr' was a novel rather than a biography, and the first in a grand series of novels by Gore Vidal charting American History. It's been on my shelves for years, and I wish I'd read it before seeing Hamilton to give a bit more context to another fascinating character. Norman Stone's history of Hungary only surprised me when Stone indulged himself by inserting his own political opinions into the text - How Thatcher saved Britain and the first positive assessment of Viktor Orban I've seen. Not sure what it is about some English historians that make them think it is ok to broadbrush and make sweeping unsupported statements. Much like that one. 'Watching the English' was the 3rd time I've read what has become a comfort read. It's no longer revelatory, but a reassuring reminder of our idiosyncrasies and foibles. 'The Wall' I devoured in a day, a dystopian novel set in a walled Britain following a collapse of global civilisation following an unspecific 'Change'.  IRL, Libby and I were off at a week long cub jamboree last week, she coped better than I expected, and I'm secretly sad that she has now slipped back into calling me 'Dad' rather than 'Baloo'

John Cheever, Falconer, John Masefield, The Box of Delights

Falconer was another book where I simply don’t understand why it is on the list of essential novels. Another book where the protagonist is a prosperous middle-aged east coast academic, albeit one serving a life sentence in prison. The greatest praise on the back of the book came from Joan Didion, another writer on the list whose presence I don't understand (based solely on the book 'Play It As It Lays'). What am I missing? I wonder if perhaps these are writers who are thought worthy because of the total sum of their writings, essays, short stories etc, but for whom neither had an iconic book. 'Box of Delights' was a comfort read, bought as yet another attmpet to get Freddie to read more, but he wasn't interested unfortunately. Have found out since though that the Davies family (Freddie is in the same class as Abel) named their eldest Kay as they loved the book so much. William is a big fan of Abel, who he does insists on calling 'Mabel'.

Harry Pearson, The Beast, The Emperor & The Milkman

A History of cycling in Flanders, and a study of the Flemish character. Further light relief much needed at the moment. I'll concentrate on the positives though, and THFC's inexplicable progress to the Champions League Final. Still can’t believe how much we have ridden our luck and wheedled out of elimination against Inter, Barcelona, Man City and now Ajax. It's a shame to be playing Liverpool rather than Barcelona in the final, but we're there, God knows if we'll do it again in my life time. Apparently if we win it will be the biggest gap between a winner picking up the trohpy and winning their own domestic league - 69 years. . .

George Orwell, The Lion & The Unicorn, Tom Bower, Jeremy Corbyn: A Dangerous Hero, Natasha Pulley, Bedlam Stacks, Carson McCullar, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Philip Mansel, Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City, Imogen Hermes Gowar, The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock, Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse 5, James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, Bernard Cornwell, Excalibur, Francis Beckett (Ed), The Prime ministers Who Never Were, Geoff Dyer, Broadsword Calling Danny Boy, David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest, map book, Chris Mullin, The Friends of Harry Perkins

Infinite Jest was a slog, it has taken weeks and I don't think I understood a word of it. I only got through by referring to the plot on the Wikipedia page.  I had to have a few easy reads in between for light relief.  Had a really bad week as Colin Fox passed away on Wednesday, a great guy with three young sons, and Freddie broke his wrist in the school playground. He's been in so much pain and unable to sleep, so I've been sleeping on his floor for the past few nights and am exhausted. On the plus side, the cubs won the Tug-of-War contest for the first time since 2012 and inexplicably Tottenham are in the semi-final of the Champions League

Serhii Plokhy, Lost Kingdom, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer

Lost Kingdom was A History of Russian Nationalism, concentrating on the identity of Ukraine and Belarus. What a mess. I think I've probably read 'The Big Sleep' before, and certainly I've seen the film, and it just didn't connect with me - the same with Tropic of Cancer, which has been praised to the skies, but appears to have no plot at all to me. Talking of plots, 7 MPs left the Labour Party yesterday. Part of me is disappointed as the Labour Party should be a broad church and include all progressives, but another part of me is glad to see the back of 7 troublemakers who were actively working against Corbyn and sewing discord.  They don't feel comfortable in the current Labour Party, but I and hundreds of thousands of others feel that the Labour Party is the best it has been in a long long time. It's a real shock to hear that Labour MPs applauded the 7 for leaving, and the sympathy for their position coming from Tom Watson and other MPs makes one realise the massive gap that exists between Labour party members and MPs. This isn't over yet, as there remains a PLP heavily weighted towards centrist, Blairite liberals and a membership that is primarily socialist. There is a realignment coming, but I cannot believe there is any demand for another centrist, liberal, pro-remain party when the Lib Dems already have that territory.  Hopefully Labour will move towards a model of open primaries and mandatory reselection so we can get MPs that are selected by, accountable to, and representative of their constituencies.

Liane Moriarty, Big Little Lies, Thomas Williams, Viking Britain: A History, Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, Ian Mortimer, The Outcasts of Time, Mark Seddon & Francis Beckett, Jeremy Corbyn and the Strange Rebirth of Labour England, Mick Herron, Real Tigers, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

Big Little Lies has been on my shelf for a while, but I started reading it as Helen had another Liane Moriarty book for her Book Club (I'm very jealous of Helen being in a book club). It's marketed as chick-lit, but it's actually a lot darker and revolves around dysfunctional relationships and domestic violence. the format makes it seem more light-hearted with the flashback interviews with clueless pompous parents. The House of Mirth was that rarity, an 'essential novel' that engaged me and wasn't too much of a slog. i loved the character of Lily too, a female protagonist trapped in a patriarchal society that limits her freedom of action, but who still manages to chart her own course. Outcasts of Time was disappointing, a time-travelling novel by an author whose history books I've enjoyed. it just seemed flat and a whistle-stop tour of what has changed from century to century. Forks! Mirrors! Trains!. Meh.  The Corbyn book I couldn't put down, so good to read a book where I agreed with practically every word and which gave a fine overview of Labour history and its current status. I really don't know what is going to happen with the party, part of me wants the Blairites to split off as they are undermining Corbyn so much by weaponising anti-semitism and Europe, and I don't believe for a second that the country is crying out for another liberal, pro-market party. Just like the SDP, it'd be immensely popular with a certain type of broadsheet reader, but no-one else. On the other hand, splitting the progressive vote just means the Conservatives get back in.  Real Tigers was fab, which seems odd for any novel where the climax is set in a warehouse in Hayes. Robinson Crusoe was hard work, I ended up skim-reading through. i understand its importance as arguably the first novel in the english language, but after 300 years of plot development and character building, it seems primitive and from the 'and then' school of children's creative writing. The introduction was very interesting, explaining that Defoe's motivation for writing the novel was entirely commercial, and in explaining the character of Robinson Crusoe as a protestant proto-imperialist. It is quite shocking how casual he is about selling his companion Xury into slavery, and assumes that everything on the island is his by right to exploit as he wishes.  I guess that's the 21st century interpretation of Crusoe though, but blimey, it was hard to believe some of his behaviour and assumptions

William Gibson, Neuromancer

The book that inspired all those cult, seminal, influential dystopian films like Blade Runner and The Matrix that I don't like. I wonder if I would have felt differently if I had read it in the early '80s when the mixture of cybernetics, drugs and martial arts might have felt fresh and exciting as a vision of the future rather than the standard expectation that it seems to have become. I trudged through it to the end out of duty

Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook, George Orwell, Collected Essays, Bernard Cornwell, Enemy of God, Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man, Matthew Kneale, Rome: A History in Seven Sackings, Stuart Turton, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Simon Winchester, The Men Who United The States

That was a good workout. After The Golden Notebook and The Invisible Man, I couldn’t face another 'essential novel' so skipped one.  I'm not sure why 'The Golden Notebook' is considered an eseential novel, but that's down to my ignorance. The subject matter - feminism, left wing politics and decolonisation seen through the eyes of an englishwoman doesn;t fit so well with the general thrust of the very American list I have. I wonder if they had one rogue patriotic English contributor who insisted Mrs Dalloway, The Golden Notebook, Under The Net and White Teeth simply MUST be included on any serious list. Orwell was still fresh and relevant, I should reread Homage to Catalonia, which i remember throughly disillusioning me about anarchism and the glorious cause as a teenager. I enjoyed The Invisible Man, and it was good to see another view of the darker side of the American experience - the ubiquitous racism and how it informs the attitudes and actions of all. Stuart Turton's book has just won the Costa Prize, and there seems to be a competition amone reviewers for who can come up with the best cocktail of influences - Agatha Christie meets Christopher Nolan's Memento by way of the Instance of The Fingerpost or Gosford Park time travelling locked room murder mystery Groundhog Day. Whatever, it was a great read, perfect for Book Club.