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MikeBrough -> RE: What are you reading this summer? (7/13/2010 3:26:30 PM)
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3 books on the go just now.
Bloody Victory by William Philpott is a new history of the Somme. So far (page 160), he's covered the lead up, the opening phases of the war, the armies and the plans and we're just about to start the bombardment. Excellent reading. It's mostly closely-written narrative with just a smidegon of personal accounts. I find this old-fashioned approach much more interesting than the current trend for oral testimony masquerading as history.
There's one photograph included of General Rawlinson sitting at his field desk, working on his papers. A battered briefcase, a makeshift in-and-out-tray, a bottle of glue (the old white stuff you used at school) and a massive map on the wall behind his shoulder. For some strange reason, the whole thing seems really evocative to me. I believe Rawlinson was around my age when the photo was taken - I hope I don't look that old.
I'm also reading Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes, picked up in a charity shop for £1.50. Not like his previous fare (science pushed beyond its limits) but a nice, fast read. It's suffering from a lack of editing (Crichton died before he had a chance to polish the text) and it has every pirate cliche in the book. But, I'm enjoying it, possibly for those very reasons.
Last on the immediate-list (the main to-be-read-piles will keep me going for a few years yet), is Richard Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth. I've dipped into the first couple of chapters and it's... OK. I'm deferring judgement for a chapter or two.
Just cashed in £100 worth of 50ps and 20ps at the bank and I'm using that as an excuse to treat myself to another addition to the tbr pile. Now to spend a couple of hours on Amazon. Bliss.
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