What I'm reading ...

I have started The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne. I am not sure how I came to have this book, but it looks like a good solid read to keep me going for a while. Here’s the blurb:

Forced to flee the scandal brewing in her hometown, Catherine Goggin finds herself pregnant and alone, in search of a new life at just sixteen. She knows she has no choice but to believe that the nun she entrusts her child to will find him a better life.

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery, or so his parents are constantly reminding him. Adopted as a baby, he’s never quite felt at home with the family that treats him more as a curious pet than a son. But it is all he has ever known.

And so begins one man’s desperate search to find his place in the world. Unspooling and unseeing, Cyril is a misguided, heart-breaking, heartbroken fool. Buffeted by the harsh winds of circumstance towards the one thing that might save him from himself, but when opportunity knocks, will he have the courage, finally, take it?

Cops and Horrors - by Matt Calveley

This was an enjoyable read. As billed, it covers lots of stories from the author’s time in the Met. It is informative, interesting, sometimes quite shocking, but often amusing. It is written quite straightforwardly and kept be moving on from one chapter to the next. 

What I'm reading ...

I have started Cops and Horrors by Matt Calveley. I enjoy memoirs and biographies. I know Matt and, when he told me about his book, I knew I’d need to read it. Here's the blurb …

As a decorated officer on the police front line, Matt Calveley saw it all.

He fought violent criminals, arrested hundreds, dealt with numerous horrific incidents – and got bitten by a squirrel monkey called Clive.

In Cops And Horrors, Matt recalls the hair-raising highs and harrowing lows during

30 dedicated years of Metropolitan Police service in which two days were never the same.

During his time, Matt worked at the sharp end as a custody sergeant, provided jury protection during a huge corruption trial and was involved in countless white–knuckle car chases – including one involving a rogue Santa Claus driving a flashy limo.

From confronting a machete-wielding maniac, working undercover to catch the Mardi Gras bomber, dealing with grieving relatives and catastrophic road death scenes, it wasn’t a job for the faint-hearted.

But Matt survived it all – and now is ready to tell the tale.

Munich - by Robert Harris

As I expected, this book delivered. Robert Harris has never let me down.

The story is very tight - taking place over three days - and is set against the backdrop of some historic events that I was keen to learn about. It is complex, with quite a lot of characters, but I never found it confusing. A good read with twists right up to the end.

As I like to learn things when I’m reading fiction, I tend to favour authors with integrity and Harris is well known for getting the details right. I enjoyed Lear the random fact that Hitler required documents to be typed using a special typewriter which used a very large font. I think he was vain about weary spectacles. 

I was worried by a reference to British Airways in 1938, as I knew that the company was formed as a result of the mergers of BEA and BOAC (in the 70s). I needn’t have worried. I checked and there was indeed a company with this name back then.

What I’m reading …

I have started Munich by Robert Harris. As this is a favourite author's work, I have high hopes for this book. Here’s the blurb:

MUNICH, SEPTEMBER 1938

Hitler is determined to start a war. Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the peace.

They will meet in a city which forever afterwards will be notorious for what is about to take place.

As Chamberlain's plane judders over the channel and the Fuhrer's train steams south, two young men travel with their leaders. Former friends from a more peaceful time, they are now on opposing sides.

As Britain's darkest hour approaches, the fate of millions could depend on them - and the secrets they're hiding.

Spying. Betrayal. Murder. Is any price too high for peace?

The Power of Geography: Ten Maps that Reveal the Future of Our World - by Tim Marshall

This book did what it said on the tin, as I expected from this author. The main things I learned were the modern history of some key countries/regions, which is a great help in understanding the world as it is today. The book is very up to date, with Biden and Johnson being mentioned. The writing style is very accessible, with some of the language being quite humorous. For example, I enjoyed the numerous abbreviations of UN initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa being referred to as an “alphabet souk”.