Italo Calvino, Why Read The Classics?

 I've really enjoyed things I've read by Calvino, particularly 'If On A Winter's Night A Traveller. . . ', but he obviously had a brain the size of the planet and this was too much for me. He writes making no allowances for ignorance (and why not?) and assumes his audience has a similar knowledge of literature. At one point he says about Raymond Queneau, who could be completely made up as far as I know, 'the image of this writer is well known to anyone with any knowledge of twentieth-century literature, and of French literature in particular.' I still enjoyed reading it as he is a compelling, whirlwind story teller, but each of the writers and books he is discussing could be as imaginary as his cities in 'Invisible Cities' . I'm still not entirely convinced this isn't all a work of fiction!

Jessie Burton, Medusa

 A retelling of a Greek Myth, which appears to be all the rage at the moment. There was even another version of Medusa in Waterstones when I was browsing there yesterday. A nice short read, not too demanding and lovely Greek island scenery. Fred had his 16th birthday party yesterday, and took 5 friends bowling. I made myself scarce so they could have fun. They are in the middle of their mocks at the moment and looking for colleges for next year. All seems a lot more pressure and stress than when I did it, not sure if that's good or not.

Orlando Figes, The Story of Russia

 Not really a history of Russia, more a history of the story of Russia, and how the myths of the past have been used to construct the world view of Putin and other russian nationalists. The idea of a Greater Russia including all they consider russians, and wider than that a Slavic union dominated by Russia, Russia as defender of the true faith, Russia as the defender of the west against the barbarian east, Russia as the defender of tradition against malign western influence. Even Stalin gets rehabilitated in this version of Russian history as a patriot strongman defending his people from invasion. Very chilling and very timely

Hilary Mantel, Fludd

A book for cleverer people than me, and much funnier and wittier that other books by Hilary Mantel, wonderful though they are. It had a spirit of playfulness and affectionately mocked the 1950s northern catholic setting with its absurd and arbitrary rules on lent and when it is ok to use beef dripping and when not. The leaves are nearly all fallen from the trees now, with some last gasps of vivid colours. it's getting colder and darker, and talk of Christmas is increasing. I'll be glad when Advent starts and we can look forward to the end of the drawing in of the nights.

Jonathan Coe, Bournville, Heather Cox Richardson, West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War

 Two books by authors I really like, and while 'Bournville' was enjoyable, it didn't carry the scathing critiques of other books by Jonathan Coe like 'What a Carve-Up!' and it all felt a bit cosy, although as a state-of-the-nation book it was very good. HCR's book was very in-depth and I ended up skimming a lot of it. The conflicts and crossovers between North, south and West in America helped form the modern state though, and many of the issues we see now go back to the period after the civil war - is America a place for a wealthy white elite or a land of opportunity? How far should government intervene to regulate market and societal failures? Even who should get to participate in a democracy

Richard Cockett, Vienna: How The City of Ideas Created the Modern World

 I'd happily read a history of Vienna, but I'm not sure I would have picked up a book about how Viennese intellectuals have influenced the modern world if it hadn't been written by one of my old history tutors. As I read it I realised how influential his style had been on me, even if it did take four years before I finally understood and put away the journalese and glib comments. He manages to get plenty of mentions in football in though, which I'm sure he used to castigate me for. 

Laurent Binet, Civilisations: A Novel

 An alternative history where the Inca and Aztecs get access to horses and iron via the Vikings and then invade and conquer Europe in the sixteenth century. Very entertaining, and Binet's HhHH is raved about so that has gone on to my list.