What I've been reading

Father Brown
by G. K. Chesterton

"This collection contains all the favourite Father Brown stories. They represent the quiet wit and compassion which is so different from his moody and caustic predecessor, Sherlock Holmes. Father Brown solves his mysteries by a mixture of intuition and sympathetic worldliness in a totally believable manner."

Well, I wouldn't describe Father Brown's methods as 'totally believable', but then most of the stories stretch credulity in some way or other. They were written in another era - 1911-1935 - which may have something to do with it. Pleasant reading, but really not as good as Conan Doyle.

The Golden Age of Science Fiction: an anthology
by Kingley Amis (editor)

"When what we think of as science fiction began in the 1920s and '30s, Its themes were relatively few and simple and its approach unsophisticated: it was essentially adventure fiction set in a fantasy world of spaceships, monsters and ray-guns. The stories in this anthology come from the years 1949-62 and offer an astonishingly varied range; far more inventive, more fictional, fictitious, fictive than any other kind of fiction."

These are pretty good short stories - none of my usual criticism about not having structure or not making sense. In fact, it has reminded me that I rather like science fiction, and exploring my bookcases I discover that the only books I possess are two of the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov - unfortunately the second and third volumes. I'll have to keep a look out for the first book when charity shops open again.

Six Days of War: June 1967 and the making of the modern Middle East
by Michael B. Oren

"Though it lasted for only six tense days in June, the 1967 Arab-Israeli war never really ended. Every crisis that has ripped through this region in the ensuing decades, from the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to the ongoing intifada, is a direct consequence of those six days of fighting."

This was surprisingly readable for so dense a subject, and gave me, someone who has very little interest, experience or knowledge of politics or military strategy, a vivid impression of both. The lasting impression is of Israel being pushed to the limits of its tolerance, not wanting war but knowing it was inevitable. They were pitted against an Arab bloc whose stated aim was to drive the Jews into the sea and had no notion that they could lose, but their solidarity was paper thin and unsupported by military competence. And, in the background, the USA and the USSR on a knife edge, both aware that a mis-step could lead to nuclear escalation if not war. And I am convinced by the author's suggestion that some of the problems we are faced with 50 years later stem from decisions and actions in this war. It is, however, impossible to predict the consequences had anything been done differently.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith

"Meet Mma Ramotswe, the endearing, engaging, simply irresistible proprietress of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, the first and only detective agency in Botswana. With persistent observation, gentle intuition, and a keen desire to help people with the problems of their lives, she solves mysteries great and small for friends and strangers alike."

A much lighter book I slotted in between chapters of the much heavier book about War. I picked this off my shelves because I wanted to see if it was still any good. Most times that I've read a book from my past - this would have been in the 2000s - it really hasn't stood up to the test of time, and I've been able to pass it on to the charity shop with a joyous heart at another thing leaving the house. This one still hits the spot, so my de-clutter will have to pass it by - it stays on the shelf.