Shashi Tharoor, Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India

Absolutely relentless in its demolition of the idea that British rule of India was somehow beneficial or benevolent. Very uncomfortable reading, but so important when there are millions of Britons who still feel the empire is something to be proud of. There is a chilling quote from Boris Johnson's biography of Churchill which sums up the attitude:  'die-hard defenders of the Raj and of the God-given right of every pink-jowled Englishman to sit on his veranda. . . and glory in the possession of India'.

George Saunders, Liberation Day

 I loved 'Lincoln in the Bardo', a supernatural play for voices which had such a warmness and love to it, despite  being set in a Washington DC graveyard full of spirits trapped in limbo. 'Liberation Day' was a collection of dystopian short stories, normally set in a tyrannical, exploitative world where humans are treated as objects to serve others (so pretty much like all human history). I need to learn to read short stories in bites rather than gorging like a novel. I've become so accustomed to read and read and read i don't have the discipline to stop and put it down. It's the same with chocolate and other sweet things, I'm just a natural glutton I guess.

Tabitha Stanmore, Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic

 I've read a few books on the topic recently, it seems to be a boom area in Academia.  It's interesting that the writers go to great lengths not to judge or make the assumption that magic didn't work - the point is that people at the time really did seem to believe in magic. To someone like me without a spiritual or mystical bone in my body though it just comes across as a load of scammers grifting the gullible out of a few quid. Stull makes it a good read, but I'm missing that extra dimension of understanding why people fell for the grift. The heatwave has finally hit Britain, and the tent is now up in the garden. William and I have slept (fitfully) in it for the last two nights, with Buzz getting very excited, scratching it up and getting stuck between the layers. He likes to perch between the outer layer and the membrane at the top of the tent, which starts to sag until he nearly reaches us. Then he gets stuck, panics and causes a kerfuffle trying to right himself. 

Martin MacInnes, In Ascension

 An immensely ambitious work of science fiction that requires a few laps of the imagination  that mankind discovers a method of propulsion that can take us to other galaxies, and that  there are organisms on earth that live forever, can reproduce and grow independently  and can be harnessed and grown. I only understood a tiny part of it and couldn't get my head round the huge ideas of connectedness and creation and circular time and Cassini ovals. Fred's just finished his GCSEs and I've been of no help to him at all when it comes to Science. It's rather embarrassing that I can't do Science, but every question seems to lead to more questions that are even more confusing. 

Ian Mortimer, Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter

Ian Mortimer's argument that the Medieval era is far more important and influential than historians and the general public think, and that the western world in 1500 is far more similar to 2000 than it was to 1000. Sometimes selective, but a strong argument on many topics, looking beyond technological advances to show how the language of 1500 would be intelligible to us today, but not to someone from 1000, that their approach to religion and individuality has more in common with us, and even their housing and some comforts (stone/brick houses with chimneys, windows, living in towns).

Claudia Pineiro, A Crack in the Wall

 A book by Argentina's most popular thriller writer as discussed on R4's A Good Read recently. I did enjoy it, and it had a twist I didn't see coming involving the unsatisfied architect with a guilty secret turning the tables on his employer. I read the whole thing at Bisley, as Fred was in a Shooting competition for the Explorers. He thought he'd be the only one from his group there, so I said I would stay. as it turned out, there were a couple of kids he knew and he was fine without me, so I could have left. It was a nice sunny day though so I found a bench on an idyllic green enclosed by the verandah'd cabins of various rifle clubs, looking like a colonial hill station. It's lovely there, and now I know how easy it is to get in I may go back more often when I need some peace and quiet. . .

Michael Lewis, The Fifth Risk

More preaching to the converted, a journalistic enquiry into the horrors of Trump's first presidential term, his complete lack of preparation and understanding of what government departments do. A timely reminder of the benefits of big government and the dedication and expertise of public servants. It will, of course, be completely ignored and there's a fair chance this dunce and his confederacy will be back in power this time next year.

Noah Hawley, The Good Father

A pre-Fargo novel by Noah Hawley, about a father trying to make sense of his son's apparent assassination of a Presidential candidate. Very sensitive and touching as it explores a father's love, grief and denial and a desperation to understand. The European Championships kick off tonight with  Germany playing Scotland. The kids aren't too interested at the moment, let's see if that changes. I hope they do get involved. I'll put the wallchart up anyway.

Rodric Braithwaite, Russia: Myths and Realities

A very slim volume that packs a lot in. Catherine the Great whizzed by in a few pages and before I knew it Napoleon was retreating from Moscow. Very good on explaining the rise of Putin and his own way of thinking, and also even-handed in explaining how the West managed to exacerbate the situation through the perceived threat of NATO expansion and forcing disastrous market-based reforms on Russia. 

Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber

 Angela Carter has passed me by, but seeing a review of JS&MN as being similar to a Jane Austen novel written by Angela Carter, I thought it'd be worth giving her tales a go. Very modern, quire dark versions of well-known fairy tales, often with a feminist twist or, at least, seen from the perspective of female characters who often have a lot more agency than the passive princess traditionally has.  i had big plans this weekend to tidy up and organise, but the weekend slipped away in pottering, pirate golf, shopping and reading. There's always next weekend. . . 

John Shepherd and Keith Laybourn, Britain's First Labour Government

Rather ungrateful of me not to know, but I think Dad bought me this for my birthday as he knew I would like it. Absolutely exhaustive in detail, and interesting on how the short-lived  1924 government set the tone for Labour in the future - the decision to choose showing they could be trusted to govern over enacting radical measures, the prioritisation of the Union Jack over the red flag in foreign policy, and the need to distance themselves from communism and (to a much lesser extent) the Trade Unions to show they could be trusted. all of these still being points of disagreement in the Labour movement today. A general election has been called for a month's time, and at the moment it points to an absolute wipeout for the Tories, reducing them to a handful of seats and potentially dipping under 20% of voters. Labour on the other hand, could end up with 80% of seats on 40% of the votes thanks to our crackers electoral system. There's a good chance Labour will get a lower percentage than their electoral loss in 2017 and still have their biggest ever majority.

Robert Harris, Act of Oblivion

A fictionalised version of real events and people after the restoration of Charles II. Two of the regicides go on the run and spend decades in hiding in New England, enduring horrors and degradations just trying to survive while constantly worried about being exposed and what is happening to their families in the meantime. Very enjoyable if difficult to believe that anyone could endure years hiding in a basement.  My toothache is a little better if not fixed, and my handwriting has now completely deteriorated. I've got a task written down for today that looks lie 'V-apila' . No idea what it is.

Susanna Clarke, The Ladies of Grace Adieu, Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England

A comfort read to start, as I've just finished rewatching the magnificent Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and wanted more. Not quite enough to reread the massive JS&MN though, but that'll come sooner or later. Susanna Clarke is scheduled to have a new book out in the Autumn too. i managed to read some of this in a chair under the tree in the garden, as it's finally been sunny and warm enough. It's been a very miserable spring. 'The Blazing World' was a history of 17th century England, but mostly wars and politics. It kept me reading, and for once some of it seems to have gone in. I understand a bit more about Laud and Arminianism now anyway.