The Waste Land: Biography of a Poem

 A voyage through Eliot's sources and his friendships and his marriage as he spends 1917 to 1922 developing what will become the Waste Land. 

I found it fascinating and at times a fraction overlong but a good read. There is much about Ezra Pound which I found informative and he also spends a considerable time on Eliot's attitude toward the Jews.

He is sympathetic toward Vivian and recognises how she and Eliot both struggled in their marriage. Well worth ploughing through 8/10

Scaffolding

 by Lauren Elkin

I like Elkin's writing and this, her first novel, is no different. The title refers to the scaffolding that surrounds Anna's Paris apartment for the duration of the novel-set in the year following lock down.

She is recovering from a miscarriage and has been signed off work. She is a shrink. The book explores through the lens of Lacan primarily, issues of desire and selfhood. The central section dwells on a couple from fifty years previous who lived in the apartment, who were exploring the same issues. There are various hooks that tie the two parts together. 

Did I enjoy it? I don't know. I found the characters very annoying and very middle class self absorbed twenty first century types -but I guess that is what Elkin was aiming at. It was interesting subject matter but at the end I was not quite sure it worked. I need to muse some more 6/10

City of light, City of shadows

By Mike Rapport

A history of Paris in the Belle Époque. Very readable, I found some parts flowed, whereas others-a long section on the philosophy of Bergstrom - dragged. 

It was at its best talking of the press and of the artistic scene. 7/10

Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good

By Eley Williams

A short story collection.  I don't really like short stories but the author loves playing with words and language so I did enjoy the process. The title story and 'The Horticulturalist' were my favourites 6/10

River Clyde

By Simone Buchholz

The fifth book featuring Chastity Riley.

There is a crime lurking in the background but this is a story about grief and coming to terms with loss of a friend. It is sad and funny, hopeful and despairing all at once. The wierdest in the series,  I loved it for it's sketches of Glasgow and it's quirkiness. 7/10

Annihilation

 by Michel Houellebecq

Well that was a cheery little number. The clue is in the title I guess.

We follow Paul, a high flying civil servant who is preparing with his boss-the finance minister-for the 2027 presidential election. We follow the story from the end of 2026 through 2027.

Apart from his career, his marriage and family are not in a good place and there is a wierd string of cyber/activist/terrorist attacks going on which nobody can fully explain.

It's a while since I read a Houellebecq novel but I really found this one interesting and as ever I was left with many unanswered questions-but you know that when you take one of his novels on 8/10

Balzac's Paris

 by Eric Hazan

A book about a man who loved Paris by a man who loved Paris. This book is full of interesting detail but you do want a map to hand to locate streets and areas that he mentions. Really enjoyable if you like Paris or Balzac or both 8/10

Wild Houses

 by Colin Barrett

A story of rival families caught up in small town drug dealing in Ireland. The characters were generally well drawn but it did engage me greatly. 5/10