Library Books

These are the books I've taken out of the library:
Antony Beevor -The Battke for Spain (renewal)
These Foolish Things (Deborah Moggach) - another renewal
Anthony Trollope's 'Doctor Thorne'
Smile Please by Jonathan Keates
and A N Wilson's biography of John Betjeman

Rose MacAulay - The Towers of Trebizond

Now I tried my best to like this novel. I thought it might be a mixture of EF Benson and Barbara Pym, but I found it far too rambling and incoherent and I failed to make a link with any of the characters. I got irritated by the lengthy disorganised sentences, the lack of paragraphs, and no form to the plot. Although I do have an interest in the whims and inconsistencies of Anglican liturgy and sub denominations (high, low, Anglo-Catholic,etc) try as I might I couldn't sympathise with any of the characters or their ambitions - and although there were some amusing moments these weren't sufficient to lift it to a plane where it held my interest.

My rating? 3/10

Antony Beevor - The Battle for Spain

This large volume is a study of the first three years of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
I was so impressed by this scholarly work - so well researched and yet so readable. It seems so strange that the Spanish Civil War began only 70 years ago, the events seem almost medieval. Antony Beevor traces the events leading up to the coup that began the Civil War, the inadequacies of the Spanish state in the early twentieth century, the class induced conflicts and the disastrous economic policies of all governments up until the 1930s.
The civil war wasn't entirely Nationalist versus Republican. One of the main reasons for the Republican failure was rooted in the divisions within the Republic side - regionalism against centralism (the Basque Country and Catalonia resisted government from Madrid); Socialism against Communist, and both those against Anarchist.
The book also illustrates how badly western european powers read the situation in Spain, espousing non-intervention whilst turning a blind eye to massive Nazi and Fascist military support for the Nationalists and Soviet involvement on the Republican side. (Soviet involovement turned out to be a mixed blessing both in Spain, and in terms of scaring off international support).
The Spanish Civil War still has resonances within Spain and across Europe, and military rule in Spain could well have continued until the present day had it not been for the accidental good fortune of Franco's bequeathment of the State to King Juan Carlos.
Excellent book - my rating: 8/10

Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens

Now I normally have a problem about READING Dickens. The films are great, TV adaptations are superb, but sitting down and reading the books as written causes me difficulties.

I think some of the problem is with the ludicrous names, and the attempts at dialects foxes me totally. I think I've found a solution - go to a reading group where there are readings aloud, mixed with DVD recordings of film adaptations and audio books - read by a good actor of course.

This technique brings it to life - and I finally understand the humour. It has made me laugh outloud.

OK - lets talk about the Pickwick Papers. This is Dickens' first book. He wrote it when (I think) he was in his 20s. It is the story of Mr Pickwick and his friends leading ordinary, dull lives. Of course, what is an ordinary dull life to one person appears to be funny, silly, ludicrous, extraordinary or just plain dumb to the onlooker. There are comedies of errors, misunderstandings leading to disasters and humiliations. I like the way Dickens describes his characters, fills them out, and makes them easy to visualise. His plot develops easily, suspense is generated, a connection is made - but why does he need to have stories within the plots, and those names are just so irritating. However, Dickens deserves to be a classic author and should pass down from generation to generation. He talks about those everlasting truths and debates - relationships, emotions, love and marriage, and politics (with a small p). Pickwick Papers is not a book that deals with society and injustice in the way that many of his later books do, but you can see how the mature author will develop.

My rating? 8/10

Jeremy Paxman - On Royalty

An entertaining read, but I did wonder slightly what its' purpose was.

Obviously this was well researched - and you can tell that Mr Paxman is a journalist by trade. He sets out to tell a number of interesting stories about royalty through the ages and made a vague attempt to discuss the merits of monarchy as a form of government opposed to Republicanism, but really doesn't succeed. In many ways this book shares the failings of Jeremy's earlier volume 'The English', in that it is a collection of stories that really lead absloutely nowhere. We never got an answer to the question why monarchy has survived in Western Europe but hardly anywhere else. I suppose I came away with the notion that monarchy in Britain has been saved by the person of the current Queen, combined with a vested interest from politicians whose extraordinary powers flow from the institution rather than from the electorate. My rating? 7/10

Boycott Channel 4

Stop watching Channel 4. Force them to stop showing 'reality' shows and return to the real public service broadcasting standards they were created to achieve.

Kate Sedley - The Three Kings of Cologne

Now and again I just enjoy an easy read. I can knock off a Kate Sedley medieval murder mystery in under a week normally.

The 'detective' in these books set in the reign of Edward IV is Roger the Chapman. The mysteries are never too bloody, but are an interesting ramble through the society of the fifteenth century.

There are always loads of historical details, and the plots are always sufficiently tortuous to be enjoyable, but not confusing.

As a 'whodunnit' Kate Sedley's books always work very well. There are plenty of red herrings but I never guess the real villain until the last chapter.

My rating? 7/10

Michael Carson - Yanking Up the Yo Yo

OK so this picture is of an earlier book in the Martin Benson series - but I couldn't find 'Yanking Up the Yo Yo'.

I love this series tracing the development of Martin Benson in a pre-AIDS world. In fact for most of this trilogy homosexuality is illegal in Britain. I love this series. It is humorous, but serious as it describes Martin's innocent launchings in a gay world. He is always looking for that special man, and makes so many mistakes. He is alternately guilt-ridden and completely immoral. Despite being a lapsed catholic he is also overwhelmed by puritanical thoughts. In reality these three books very accurately describe most journeys of young men who think they might be gay - loneliness, embarrassment, fear, loathing and a gradual realisation that it is not them that is wrong - but the world! I was so pleased to re-discover this book in my local library and would recommend it highly. My rating : 9/10

Books from the library

So these are the books I selected:

Michael Carson: Yanking up the Yo Yo (renewal)

Antony Beevor: The Battle for Spain (Renewal)

Michael Frayn : Spies

Jeremy Paxman: On Royalty

Kate Sedley: The Three Kings of Cologne

Anthony Trollope: The Small House at Allington

John Harvey: Still Water

Deborah Moggach: These Foolish Things

Library

I'm off to the library to get books - I'll be filling in details later.
So far this year I've read: Michael Cunningham's Specimen Days (9/10)
Monica Ali : Brick Lane (7/10)
Iain Pears: The Portrait (3/10)
Antony Beevor: The Battle for Spain (7/10)