Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Blood & Sugar

 'I shouldn't have bothered. The book is a period murder mystery set in 18th Century Deptford and revolving round the iniquities of slavery. It was awful though. The dialogue was clunky, a sample from a random page being ' Forgive me for interrupting your breakfast, but I require a few minutes of your time'. Maybe an attempt to write in the perceived elevated tones of the times, but it just sounded clumsy. Add in to that a dull as ditchwater main character, one dimensional and of course, the white saviour destined to solve the case. When the murderer turned out to be a black slave, well. . . uggh. 'But he was brutalised by his white masters, don't you see? It's actually a very clever commentary on the depravities of slavery and how it debases us all. Except the white saviour of course'.

John Le Carre, The Russia House, Eduardo Galeano, Football in Sun and Shadow

 The Russia House was my read on the best day of the year, the day I drop the car off for a service and MOT in Farncombe and have to kill a few hours in Guildford. I hung found on coffee shops, pubs and tea rooms doing the crossword and reading. Got the christmas shopping finished too. The normal complex, cynical second-guessing cold war paranoia of Le Carre, he was a truly great writer. Galeano was an impulse purchase, the first book I've bought to read myself since September as part of a self-imposed embargo. I'm not sure of the point of the embargo, at least it means there are things I want for christmas. I think I may finally have understood the concept of delayed gratification, as I fully intend to be buying all of them on Boxing Day

Daniel Walker Howe, What God Hath Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848

 An 800 page doorstop, one of many 800 page doorstops that have been sitting in my garage for far too long and causing the shelves to bow. An incredibly detailed overview of a pivotal time in American history, when a few colonies clinging to the eastern seaboard expanded to cover a continent. One thing that will stick with me is the map of James Polk's plan for US expansion, which included most of Mexico and Cuba, a huge southward expansion. The book covers the incorporation of Texas, the war with Mexico which doubled the territory of the US and the expansion into the Oregon territory too. It's undeniable that the USA has done more than any other nation to spread democracy, liberty and prosperity throughout the world, but at the same time this has been done by exploitation, slavery, aggressive militarism, dishonesty and double-dealing. a very complicated dual inheritance which makes american history so fascinating. 

Colin Dexter, The Way Through The Woods

 A later Morse, set in the early '90s but still very dated in parts. There are the remnants of a very conservative outlook on social matters - unmarried couples in hotels being something to remark on, illicit dirty magazines and far too many unnecessary mentions of bosoms and other parts of the anatomy. It's also a world without the internet and mobile phones which seems incredible now. Morse has to phone the local education authority to find out term dates, people can genuinely disappear without trace or use someone else's passport. The Past is another country. Morse remains an irresistible character though. Curmudgeonly, pedantic, preening but with that first-class mind that enables him to see what others cannot. I'm running low on rereads though, just two to go. Maybe Flashman next, or back to the Poirots. Perhaps something new - PD James? Or back to Wallander. . . 

Robert Ford et al, The British General Election of 2019

Have been waiting a long time for this. My copy was late arriving and it appears to have been in great demand - or poor distribution by the publishers. As always with what I grew up calling the Butler Series, it's the first draft of history; an objective, analytic, dispassionate review of the 2019 GE, the Brexit election which was such a disaster for the Labour Party. It was always going to be a disaster as Labour faced an impossible task - full-throated backing for Brexit would have seen them haemorrhage remainer support and been completely out of line with the sentiments of the vast majority of the party's MPs and members, but supporting remain means losing those key Brexit-supporting voters that Labour needed to gain seats. The tightrope Labour managed to walk in 2017 came adrift this time, and the shifting demographics of support for the two main parties was accelerated. Labour increasingly are the party of the urban, the young, the university-educated and ethnic minorities rather than being the class-based party they were for so long. Added into this, is the toxicity of Corbyn. Of course he has been unfairly traduced and vilified, and his manifestoes in 2019 and 2019 enthused me far more than anything else I've seen from Labour in my lifetime, but many millions more felt differently to me. the Labour party is now back under the control of the right wing of the party, who are now doubling down in their attempts to ensure the left never ever hold power in the party again. I'm not interested in an anti-democratic, left-hating party whose aim is to gain power to ensure there are no socialist changes in the UK. there is already one very electorally successful party that does that, another one is just greedy. Let's see what happens, but it's hard for me to look at some of the awful people in the shadow cabinet and the wider PLP and wish them well. but as Mandelson said, where does the left have to go? 

Andrew Caldecott, Wyntertide

 A sequel to Rotherweird, set in a strange anachronistic town cut off from the rest of England where advanced science and magic mix. I struggled with the first as it was so complex, but decided to dive into the second as it had such excellent reviews from people worth listening to, notably Hilary Mantel. However, I struggled even more than with the first, couldn't distinguish between characters and didn't really understand what was going on. Perhaps this is partly because I rushed through it as 'The British General election of 2019' has arrived, and I can't wait to read it. I know it will be painful, but I'm looking forward to a dispassionate assessment of what was a disastrous result for Labour. From my perspective things have got even worse since, and I'm close to leaving the party than ever. An uninspiring, promise-breaking leader, insipid policies, the continuing stranglehold on the party by the right and the expulsions, suspensions and fixed elections of anyone who speaks up against them, all at a time when we should be leading the charge against an incompetent and corrupt government. I can't see a way back for Labour in its current form, I hope I am proved wrong.

Peter Ackroyd: The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling

 Been on the shelves for a long time in the garage, and it looks like it has been nibbled by mice! It's a shame as it is a beautiful looking book. A very fun retelling, although some of the stories drag on a bit. All the exuberance of Chaucer but with the concomitant crudities, to misquote Kind Hearts and Coronets. Helen has been away for a well-deserved break this weekend, back tonight. I've just about coped with the kids so far, but with Wil's funeral on Friday, taking the cubs for a night hike and sleepover and the dentist today, it has all been a bit much. Will be very glad to see her this evening! Wil's funeral was heart-breaking, I can't imagine how desolated Heidi and the children are, we should have been better friends and I kick myself that we lost touch in recent years.