Alexandra Harris, The Rising Down: Lives in a Sussex Landscape

 Not sure how to categorise this book, but it was wonderfully written. An exploration of a place, the area around Arundel in the Sussex Downs where the author grew up and knows well. She weaves in the experiences of locals, notable and otherwise, archaeology, religion, architecture, geography and more. 'To see the world in a grain of sand' is quoted often. Very enjoyable and pertinent as I am dragging the kids to Arundel Castle tomorrow as it's half-term.

Väinö Linna, Unknown Soldiers

 A Finnish novel based on the experience of a platoon in the Second World War, and superb at capturing the absurdity and tragedy of war. A great work of Finnish literature, but I suspect it loses a lot in translation as a lot of the  dialogue appears to be between Finns of different regions, with varying dialects and cultures. The translator mentions this at the end as a particular difficulty, and it's very interesting that as 'Finn' is a relatively new written language (the first novel published in 1860), Finnish wasn't standardised and actually this great work of Finnish literature is a work in multiple Finnish dialects. Despite my knee being so painful, I managed the 100 miles of the Ride London on Sunday, but am suffering for it now. I may have to go to the doctor to get a referral to physio for it, as I cannot cycle, run or even climb stairs without pain.

Desmond Seward, The King over the Water: A Complete History of the Jacobites

 Rather enjoyed that, a history of the Jacobites by an obvious sympathiser, who admired James III in particular. Sad to see that Desmond Seward passed away in 2019 and this was his last book. I'm really suffering with toothache at the moment - I went to the dentist about it yesterday and they gave me an emergency filling, but it doesn't seem to have fixed the issue. I think they are right in their diagnosis that it is tooth sensitivity where the gum has receded, probably due to over-vigorous brushing, so I'll be more careful brushing and will just have to wait - but in the meantime it is rather painful and painkillers are having no effect, so I'm a grumpy old misery. My knee coped with a 30k cycle yesterday at least.

Isabelle Schuler, Lady MacBethad

 A fictionalised account of the life of Lady MacBeth pre-marrying Macbeth and the events we all know so well. She was a real historical person and although little is known of her, what there is was enough to produce an entertaining read full of intrigue, ambition and a few Shakespearean easter eggs. I liked it, and will add it to Helen's pile. This weekend I'm meant to be doing the London Ride 100, but my left knee went ping last week and I can't rise without discomfort or run at all. I'm off exercise this week to give it a chance to mend.

Stein Ringen: The Story of Scandinavia

 A popular history of Scandinavia by a Scandinavian with lots of inserts about personal experiences of Scandi social democracy. or growing up in the town where the first stone church in Sweden was built., And I'm fine with all that. The narrative is one about how ordinary folk in Scandinavia have been shafted and exploited by the elites that governed their countries incredibly badly until the rise of an educated class in the 19th century that led to industrialisation, an end to feudalism and the growth of the marvel that is social democracy. All very enjoyable. Yesterday me, Helen, William and Freddie headed up to Chalfont to scout out a hike for the cubs at our Summer Camp in July. The fist time back to the Chalfont Heights Scout camp (now known as Paccar) since camping there myself as a Scout. It was very much how I remember it, although I didn't get a chance to look round Hogtrough Woods, which was my favourite bit. HS2 cuts through the hills nearby and has disrupted some of the footpaths, so we needed to walk it. I can't get a good, safe walk under 10k though - hope our Cubs can manage it.

Rafael Sabatini, The King in Prussia

Haven't read any Sabatini for a long, long time, and this was not a great one. It didn't have the derring-do and vivacity of Captain Blood or Scaramouche and was more about palace intrigue and the awfulness of Frederick the Great; a dishonest coward in this story. One of Sabatini's last books.

Colson Whitehead, the Colossus of New York

 A stream of consciousness intended to evoke the chaos and complexity of New York, and very poetic - but I don't know the city that well and am certainly not a New Yorker so it didn't really connect with me.

Chantal Lyons, Groundbreakers: The Return of Britain's Wild Boar

 Lots of personal experience and investigations into the Wild Boar of England from the author, who lives in the Forest of Dean and is a big fan of boar. The book manages to be very even-handed though, seeing both sides and appreciating that these very cool creatures do affect their environment and the surrounding community in negative ways as well as positive ones. I'm still a fan of managed rewilding, paradoxical though it is, but it's easy to say that when you're not a farmer worried about his livestock. After a very damp and cold spring, summer finally seems to have arrived, luckily just in time for a cub camp this weekend. William and I are off to B2B at Polyapes, I hope he has a fantastic time.

Diana Wynne Jones, Howl's Moving Castle

That was a lot welsher than I was expecting, as I only know it from the Japanese anime version, and I had assumed that was where it came from. I didn't realise that there had been a book first. Howl turns out to be 'Howell Jenkins' a Rugby fan who has somehow ended up a magician in a magical world, but who can pop back to the valleys occasionally. It was a great book for kids though, full of magic and inspired by fairy tales. I'll recommend it to my kids, but it's probably too young for Freddie and Libby now, and not enough action for William. Ah well, what a shame. It was William's 10th birthday on Monday, and he had a great time at laserquest with his friends. He's still young enough to unashamedly enjoy toys and playing, and is getting increasingly into football. He got a Man City shirt for his birthday, as he has decided they are his team. Let's see if that lasts. Him and i are going away camping with the cubs this weekend, which I don't feel really prepared for yet - 48 hours to prep and pack though. I think I should manage to pack down my popup tent though as Fred has been giving me lessons.

John Keegan, Warpaths: Travels of a Military Historian in North America

 I bought this in Hay and assumed it had been written fairly recently - 21st Century anyway - until I started to read it and it seemed very dated in parts. Turned out to have been 1995, and although I found the book interesting, entertaining and educational about the role warfare has played in American history and the geography of the battlefields Keegan visits, some of his old-school attitudes took the breath away. He was openly sympathised with slaveowners and lamented the lost Gone With The Wind society, and when it came to the American West I had to double-take as he placed the blame squarely on Native Americans for being devious, untrustworthy and greedy. You assume these attitudes have long since disappeared, but then you see the Trump supporters and realise there are still people who can bring themselves to believe such crazy things. I've run out of excuses now not to write up my cycling trip. . . 

John le Carre, Silverview

 A novel that le Carre left unfinished at his death that his author son completed. It's set in modern times, but is unmistakably le Carre in tone and would have worked better if set in the Cold War. It's very difficult to believe that in the era of the internet, mobile phones and social media that complex arrangements involving strangers meeting in a cafe at a prearranged time holding a particular book to pass on a confidential letter would ever be required. Particularly when another key part of the plot involve the informer using an unsuspecting patsy's computer to send out the secrets he's flogging. These are minor quibbles though. It was pleasant that WG Sebald's 'rings of Saturn', which I've recently read, played a significant part in the story, and also it's just le Carre, and so enjoyable, challenging and cynical as ever.

Chris Broad. Abroad in Japan: Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun

 Enjoyable enough, despite the execrable pun in the title. At its best in the first few 'fish out of water' chapters, when the author is working as a teacher and trying to come to grips with Japanese culture. Once he finds fame as a youtuber it becomes less interesting, and it is more about how he can increase his subscribers/produce interesting content than Japan itself. I'll still be putting it in Helen's tsundoku pile given where she works.