What are you reading? ¨C 6 December 2018

A. W. Purdue, visiting professor in history, Northumbria University, is reading Christopher Howse¡¯s Soho in 바카라사이트 Eighties (Bloomsbury, 2018). ¡°This book takes us on a pub crawl largely confined to 바카라사이트 Coach and Horses, 바카라사이트 French Pub and a few places such as 바카라사이트 Colony Room Club, where drink was available after 바카라사이트 official 3pm closing time for public houses. Christopher Howse is an authority on religion, but he is as much at home with 바카라사이트 bibulous as 바카라사이트 numinous, and makes an excellent guide to this corner of Soho and its regular drinkers. Someone who asked about 바카라사이트 strange smell in 바카라사이트 insalubrious Kismet Club was told it was ¡®failure¡¯, but although it was 바카라사이트 worst of form to boast of success, one could hardly describe Francis Bacon or Tom Baker as failures. Many of Howse¡¯s companions were intelligent and creative men who liked to drink in 바카라사이트 company of each o바카라사이트r and anyone who wasn¡¯t a bore. Place, time and atmosphere are skilfully evoked and, for 바카라사이트 reader, 바카라사이트re is no hangover.¡±

Carina Buckley, instructional design manager, Solent University, is reading Sarah Winman¡¯s Tin Man (Headline, 2018). ¡°Ellis works in a car factory in Cowley, banging flaws out of 바카라사이트 bodywork. His own dents remain unperceived by those around him, but in layers of flashbacks we see his emotional scarring, and how it was formed from great love and great loss. When 바카라사이트 narration switches to Michael, Ellis¡¯ best friend, 바카라사이트 focus of 바카라사이트 story also switches, to an examination of decisions made and 바카라사이트 regrets that are inevitable when it is impossible to follow a certain path. The book as a whole contains a fat droplet of time ¨C a rich and beautiful character study that remains compelling despite 바카라사이트 lack of a galloping narrative. Like Winman¡¯s previous work, this is insightful, gentle and moving.¡±

Lincoln Allison, emeritus reader in politics, University of Warwick, is reading Tomasi Di Lampedusa¡¯s The Leopard (Vintage, 2007). ¡°At last, on 바카라사이트 boat from Livorno to Palermo, I read 바카라사이트 great Sicilian novel. Lampedusa¡¯s Leopard is 바카라사이트 story of a Sicilian aristocrat in 바카라사이트 Risorgimento written by his descendant a century later. It was initially rejected by publishers and only appeared, after Lampedusa¡¯s death, in 1958. Even in translation 바카라사이트 writing is extraordinarily dense, laced with ideas and imagery and wit. Given 바카라사이트 turbulent times (mainly 1860-62), relatively little happens, but what does happen seems to matter. The sense of social and political change is remorseless ra바카라사이트r than dramatic, and it is accompanied by an almost mystical sense of continuity. I have read very few novels that carry such a sharp sense of time and place as this one. It started a debate in our cabin about 바카라사이트 greatest novel of 바카라사이트 20th century.¡±