Jeremy Black, Paris: A Short History

A straight history with not a lot of colour or fun. Even the little vignettes that featured seemed dull. There was a personal anecdote about the author's watch stopping which I didn't even understand

Tim Burrows, The Invention of Essex, Hernan Diaz, Trust

'The Invention of Essex' was enjoyable, and just what it said on the tin - an exploration of the notion of Essex in popular culture and the landscape and people of Essex itself.  Lots of salt marshes, trading estates and the beautiful north of the county. 'Trust' I read in a day and really enjoyed too. A story told from 4 different angles that kept me hooked and had a very satisfactory ending.

Katherine Addison, The Goblin Emperor

 Can't remember where I saw this recommended, but it was less the fantasy that the title suggests, and more an exploration of Byzantine-like court machinations and intrigues, centred round an ingenue emperor who came to the throne unexpectedly. I struggled at first and contemplated giving it up, but soon came to root for Maia the emperor and take an interest in him as he grew and learnt to navigate the court, as he was a thoroughly decent chap. It had a cast of thousands, and I missed a lot of the detail, but still enjoyable. Not sure I'd actively  seek out further works by Katherine Addison though

Cat Jarman, The Bone Chests: Unlocking the Secrets of the Anglo-Saxons

A nice way to explore Anglo-Saxon England through the bone chests found in Winchester Cathedral, also including a history of the cathedral, Winchester and the bones themselves - how they got there, what happened to them in the Reformation, the civil war, and then modern attempts to gain more understanding of the period from study of the bones. Nice to read, although I still struggle with which egg-king is which.

Pat Barker, The Ghost Road

The Booker Prize winner in 1995. For a long time I avoided reading books just because they'd won the Booker, as I thought they'd be a bit much for me - hard work and a bit worthy. Having read some really brilliant ones though such as Wolf Hall, Shuggie Bain and Lincoln in the Bardo I've become more open to them. I couldn't get into the Ghost Road though. It's a WWI set novel dealing with some officers suffering from injuries and shellshock who have also spent time with headhunters as anthropologists and are gay. I didn't know who was who though and didn't really follow it. My loss It's the third part of a trilogy, perhaps I should have started at the beginning.

Bernie Sanders, It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism

Preaching to the converted, really. Very little that Bernie Sanders says that I don't wholeheartedly agree with, although it was a shock to find him quoting Yvette Cooper positively. Interesting to see the comparison to the UK, where just like the Democrats, the Labour Party has moved from being a party of the working people to being a party of career politicians working for corporate sponsors, and with an increasingly middle-class and well-off membership. Can't see that changing any time soon, but it was so refreshing to hear from a politician that always supports striking workers, is prepared to point out the massive inequality in our societies for what it is and ask why policies that are popular and beneficial to the many are not enacted and opposed by the media, the establishment and all mainstream political parties.

Mark Twain, American Drolleries: Selected Stories

A collection of short stories, most whimsical and witty, but some glossed over me. I read from cover to cover though, which is not the right approach. Have added 'Life on The Mississippi' to my list of books to read. The front room library cataloguing is completed, have moved onto the tsundoku piles in our bedroom. Nearly there now -just the garage and the kids' books to go. Went to the dentist yesterday for a root canal. The pain today has been lessened by the news that BUPA are going to cover some of the costs.

Ryan Gingeras, The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire

Covered what happened in the lands of the Ottoman empire 1918-1922, including the civil wars, population exchanges, clashes between Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, Arabs, Turks and probably most importantly the rise of Turkish (as opposed to Ottoman) Nationalism. Another awful story full of regret for a lost, more civilised, pre-war age (a myth, too, of course). I need to go to the dentist today for a root canal, hopefully the last trip for a while but blimey it's bringing me down.

William Boyd, The Romantic

 A biographical novel spanning the 19th century and very enjoyable. I kept sneaking off to read a bit more, and given  some of the slogs through books I've had recently it was good to have a book that gave me such pleasure. The main character is ruled by his heart and who makes very rash decisions true to his nature but that lead to adventure, regret and complications. Absolutely lovely though, it's going into Helen's pile. In my quest to catalogue all the books in the house, the living room is nearly finished, just European History to go. I'll try and get that done this weekend and then move on to other rooms - next up, our bedroom. . .