For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

I'm in the middle of this so can't count it as read yet. It was on my bookshelf but I only remember the start so maybe I hadn't read past that. I didn't like the start, certainly. I've read on now though and I'm really enjoying it and can't wait to get back to it. Hemingway is writing about the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, but he has not shrunk from describing the atrocities committed on each side. Having suffered through The Old Man and the Sea, I wasn't particularly keen to read Hemingway again, and I didn't like his macho image. Despite this, his basic humanity comes through in his understanding of the characters. I may read more of this author now (which would increase my reading of American literature).

Rocket! The Ubiquitous Leaf!

Have you noticed that rocket is taking over the world? Or at least the ready-made salad world? I have to confess that when I was a girl I had never even heard of rocket. Salad was lettuce (the ordinary kind), tomato and cucumber, served with salad cream. Yum! Nowadays even the rabbits seem to demand fancy salad leaves (iceberg is actually bad for them). Next time you buy a salad, see if it has rocket in it!

Heart of Spain: Robert Capa's Photographs of the Spanish Civil War

I recalled this book last week from the library when I was reading George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia. Capa's photographs, taken from the anti-fascist side, cover most of the period of the Spanish Civil War, except for some months after his girlfriend Gerda Taro was accidentally killed. As a result they go right from the euphoria of the early days of the peoples' militias, including photographs of women on the front line, to the very last days of the war when refugees were fleeing Spain to an uncertain welcome in France. Some of the most touching photographs show the disbandment of the International Brigades, and others the former Spanish fighters interned in France. The photographs are accompanied by comprehensive text studies of the war.

Day 120; Book 118

The Skeleton in the Closet by M C Beaton

This seems to be a stand-alone novel by the author of the Agatha Raisin series. The hero, a bit of a social misfit through the fault of his parents, finds himself with money and a mystery to solve. The writing is of M C Beaton's usual standard and her main characters are attractive but after feisty Agatha any other characters will be a bit of a let-down. To paraphrase Dr Johnson rather drastically, this book is worth reading, but not worth going to buy!

Day 119; Book 117

A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

This was well written, cleverly constructed, had a bit of a revelation and a happy-ish ending ... but was ultimately depressing! I didn't really care for the characters, even the "good" guys, and I don't think I'll be reading any more of Anita Shreve's books (which is a shame because there are lots of them). It's tending towards the literary end of fiction so it was a satisfying read in some respects, but just not for me.

I've just bought The Skeleton in the Closet by M C Beaton so hopefully that will be more to my taste. I think it's a stand-alone mystery; I looked at her Hamish Macbeth series but as the first volume wasn't in stock I decided to wait until I could get that.

Day 118; Book 116

Time to Depart by Lindsey Davis

This is another in the series featuring the Ancient Roman detective, Marcus Didius Falco. As usual it mixes crime with the wisecracks of our hero, as well as humour involving his extended family and romance with his aristocratic girlfriend Helena Justina. We also learn about Roman history along the way, which is nice and painless!

Day 117; Book 115

The Bodies left Behind by Jeffery Deaver

I'd read all of Jeffery Deaver's books except this one, so I was very pleased to come across it at a discount (I paid £8 for it and it's still in hardback). If you haven't read this author yet I really recommend him. Some of his books are stand-alones, like this one, so they can be read in any order. Some are part of a series, like the Lincoln Rhyme books. Lincoln is a quadriplegic forensic investigator who solves murders by deduction; if you want to read this series the first book is The Bone Collector. (The Bone Collector is also a film, but the book is better). Deaver is the master of misdirection, known for the unexpected twists and turns of his plots. Most of his books are real page-turners.

The Bodies left Behind is another exciting book, well worth reading and with well-drawn characters. Having read all of Deaver's books, I picked up this time on a couple of the twists. However despite expecting these twists I was still completely misled on most occasions! The only thing that annoyed me was that this edition had quite a few typos, which forced me to read some sentences several times to get the meaning. Grrr!