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. 

Patrick deWitt, The Librarianist

 'The second book I read on my cycling trip, starting in Hay, mostly read in Burford and finished back home. Another book like the Lincoln Highway as its main character was a thoroughly decent fellow despite everything life has thrown at him. The main theme (that I too away) was the question of whether an insular, solitary life surrounded by books is life wasted or life perfected. Given that i was reading it on a trip mostly designed to allow me to read and not interact with humanity that hit home somewhat. I'm no nearer the answer of course, but as I reflect back the main thing I wanted to do and that excited me about the trip was the thought of going back with Helen and the kids to revisit all the beautiful places I cycled through. I'll get to writing it up soon. . . 

Rosemary Hill, Time's Witness: History in the Age of Romanticism

 The first book I read on my week-long cycling trip, finishing it on a gloriously sunny day in the beautiful garden of The Swan Hotel in Hay-on-Wye, which I intend to return to at any available opportunity. The book explains how the study of history was transformed post-enlightenment  by Antiquaries, broadly, enthusiastic independent collectors who wanted to understand history in the round through artifacts and evidence rather than only using documentation, and attempted to use some form of method or categorisation that distinguished them from mere collectors. They are often linked to the Romantic Movement, and it's worth noting that often their enthusiasm (Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill, the invention of tartan, the novels of Walter Scott) meant that historical accuracy took second place to what they wanted to believe happened.  It also contained one of the best chapter endings I've come across; 'While at Calais Lord Aberdeen, later President of the Society of Antiquaries, had his trousers confiscated, for reasons that will become apparent.' I need to write up the story of my cycling trip, but I have a backlog of books to do first - three to go now.

Graham Robb, The Debatable Land:: The Lost World between Scotland and England

 I read this before 'Chess', but have got myself a bit out of order. I've read some of Graham Robb's books on France and enjoyed them, and he's a keen cyclist too which is another plus. I have some familiarity with the borders and moss-troopers through the books of George MacDonald Fraser, but I wasn't aware there is a specific part of the border just north east of Carlisle that was historically not quite England and not quite Scotland. Always fun to read about reivers and peel towers and blasted, wind-swept moors

Stefan Zweig, Chess

This is the book I read on my 50th birthday between my run and the Circle Line. It's very short and I've been saving it as I enjoy Stefan Zweig immensely and it was a nice birthday treat. It's the tale of a very intense game of chess aboard a cruise ship between two very odd, very enigmatic incredible players - one a world-famous grandmaster and the other a mysterious stranger whose ability to play chess like the devil is inexplicable. As very often happens, it made me want to live in the world Stefan Zweig characters inhabit, while being aware that if I did live in that world I'd be the put-upon servant that may get to see the glamorous life of the wealthy and rootless but never really participating. I was very worried about whether we'd be able to complete the Circle Line at our advanced age, but it was a great turnout and we got round, although more sensible people left early or came along later. It took me a long time to recover, I still wasn't back to normal 3 days later when I set off on my cycling adventure (see next few books), and I don't think we'll be doing it ever, ever again. It was great to see Clay, Dunc, Wendy and others though. I have absolutely no memory of getting back after the Princess of Wales, but I was on my own and somehow negotiated SWT and got off at Woking.