Susanna Clarke, The Wood at Midwinter

 A very short story written as a Christmas tale for the radio in 2022. I'd read anything by Susanna Clarke, and we are going to see her at the South Bank on Saturday so wanted to get it read before then. I needed to savour it a bit more, I can see that it would be wonderful fireside reading in the deep midwinter. Maybe I'll come back to it on Christmas Eve once I've had my fill of The Dark is Rising

Alan Moore, The Great When

 Set in an alternative London accessible only to some, but existing alongside our own London. A very well trodden path, with Neverwhere, Rivers of London etc. Moore knows all these and far more and as always is wonderful at building a world inspired by others, like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or Watchmen. Took a while to get into it, but really enjoyed it once I did. Not sure I can yet face his whacking great 'Jerusalem' novel which has been sat in the garage for a few years now, but more of this would be welcome. Grogu is settling in well, with Libby taking the lead as chief puppy looker afterer

Steve Mann, Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy

 Nice to read a useful, practical book rather than one full of esoteric information! Grogu arrived yesterday so it is good to have some idea of what we are letting ourselves in for and what we should do, but less than 24 hours in and I think we've got a lot wrong already. Pup is sleeping on Libby rather than in his den, treats aren't being associated with good behaviour, pup is jumping up at people. . . but he's still a puppy and we will get things wrong. the main thing is to be warm, friendly and let him know he'll be comfortable, looked after and loved. Libby has a two week half term so can keep an eye on him, although we were planning to go to Brixham next week and have an AirBnB booked - not sure who will go now - maybe just me and Fred. Grogu isn't allowed out just yet, it'll be another week at least depending on what the vet says.

Roberto Bolano, The Savage Detectives

 I really enjoyed 2666, but my word it was a big book. 'The Savage Detectives' is similarly critically acclaimed, and a semi-autobiographical satire on poets. There are multiple narrators though and it seemed too disjointed for me to follow. It's the story of two poets who don't write much poetry but live the life - worshipping a long-forgotten poet who may not even have existed, decrying every other writer and throwing them out of their group, travelling the world being moody and unreliable and leaving myths behind them. Too much for me though.

Ian Ryan, A Beautiful Pint: One Man's search for the perfect pint of Guinness

 A very short, stocking-filler of a book to make cash. But hey, fair enough, still enjoyable. It covers briefly the history of Guinness, what makes it so attractive, how to pour and maintain it and also some good places to get a decent pint of Guinness. There is a much better, bigger book in there on this subject with some more effort, it's mostly personal experiences of the author. I'll pass it on to another Guinness drinker

Jessie Childs, The Siege of Loyalty House: A new History of the English Civil War

 A micro-history of the English Civil War through the defenders and besiegers of Basing House, a fortified mansion house just down the road from here. I didn't pay too much attention to who was who, but there were a few nice nuggets of information and a huge amount of work has gone into it.  I'd like to go and see the house, but i don't think there is much left and it doesn't appear to be open to the public at the moment. I thought about cycling there this weekend, but only got as far as Hartley Wintney before deciding to turn back - partially due to aching legs, partially due to lots to do with the dog arriving next weekend. I've dog-proofed the garden ( I hope) and got rid of the old fridge. Now Helen wants me to put some shelves in, so the scope for disaster is big. . . 

John Wyndham, Chocky

 I don't think I've read the book before, but I have vague memories of the Children's TV series in the '80s which was a bit spooky and featured an alien. The book is very different to what I expected, more aimed at adults than kids and more about parental worry that their son is going mad/is possessed when he's actually in contact somehow with an alien intelligence. Really enjoyed it but it's not a children's book, they must have changed it for the series! The big news at home is that Libby has finally bounced us into getting a dog! Grogu arrives in 1.5 weeks!

John Lewis-Stemple, La Vie: a Year in Rural France

 I hadn't heard of John Lewis-Stemple before, but apparently he is one of the UK's foremost writers on farming and the countryside. I guess he tends to write for publications I don't normally read, and he does seem rather Tory (he can trace his ancestors back to the Norman Conquest apparently). 'La Vie' was a lovely piece of wish-fulfilment, an idealised bucolic existence of self-sufficiency in rural France. To be fair to him, as beguiling as he makes the lifestyle sound, he also makes it plain that it is hard work. I will search out and read more by him.

Freeman Wills Crofts, The Hog's Back Mystery

 A by-the-rules murder mystery from the Golden Age. I rather enjoyed it, and it was refreshing to see it through the eyes of the investigating detective and follow him as he uncovers the clues and thinks through the case rather than have a sleight-of-hand magician like Holmes or Poirot drop cryptic comments and then show how clever they are at the end. It was so fairly clued that in the summing up chapter at the end the page numbers for each important part of the solution were included. The location added to the charm, with all the action being set in the lovely countryside between Farnham, Guildford and Godalming. I often cycle round there so could vividly picture it. 

Tom Fort, Channel Shore: From the White Cliffs to Land's End

I've read previous books by Tom Fort on Lawnmowers and the A303 and found them very enjoyable, and this was similar. The inverted snob in me was a bit disappointed to learn he was an Old Etonian rather than the Everyman I thought him to be, but he's no snob himself and writes so well and entertainingly. He made me want to follow his journey along the Channel shore, which is all you can ask.