This sort of thing is so tricky, to narrow down my favourite books to a mere eight is not easy. So, I’ve chosen 8 books that represent the different things I like to read about.
Beware of heroes: admiral Sir Sidney Smith’s war against Napoleon - Peter Shankland
An account of one of the most extraordinary men of the Napoleonic era. If you came up with his life story as a work of fiction, people would probably say it was too far fetched. Peter Shankland does a decent job of bringing him to life.
Between silk and cyanide - Leo Marks
I’ve long been interested in all things to do with the SOE. I could have chosen any one of a number of books, but Leo Marks’ account of his role as the code master is so compelling and well written.
*Right ho, Jeeves - PG Wodehouse
I love Wodehouse. His writing is so beautifully concise, and his stories so funny. I chose this volume as it features the scene where Jeeves and Bertie spike Gussie Fink Nottle’s orange juice before the prize giving at Market Snodsbury grammar school. This is the one I’d take above all others, as I could read this book hundreds of times and never tire of it.
Indecent exposure - Tom Sharpe.
Sharpe’s satire is so savage, none more so than his ones about the South African police. An American guest staying with us laughed so much reading it that one of the neighbours complained.
Scoop - Evelyn Waugh
Waugh at his very best, a cutting satire on the tabloid press, the plot a comedy of errors. Another book I could read again and again.
A fine balance - Rohinton Mistry.
IMHO one of the finest English novels of the 20th century. It’s a heart wrenching account of the vicissitudes of life in India. The way Mistry builds his characters develops the plot, makes you invest yourself in the characters. Not an easy read emotionally, but worth every page of it.
Passage of Arms - Eric Ambler
One of my favourite thriller writers, this book one of his best.
This thing of darkness - Harry Thompson
A gripping novel based on the deeds of Robert Fitzroy, captain of HMS Beagle, friend of Charles Darwin, pioneer of long range weather forecasting, all wrapped up in a page-turning package.
