Far-Right France

 by Victor Mallet

Victor Mallet is an FT journalist and makes it clear from the beginning that he is writing with his journalist hat on. That makes this book very readable and it is very current. He looks at how the RN has moved from the fringes of politics in the days of Jean-Marie Le Pen to being the most popular party in France today. He describes how Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella have made themselves and the party so popular, how far left and far right have much in common but also how so much of their policy may not stand up to the realities of government. I found this a very informative and balanced book which is great to read going into the Presidential race next spring. 8/10

Septology

 by Jon Fosse

This book by a Nobel prize winner is a book I have wanted to read but have been putting off because of it's reputation for being difficult and having no full stops.

I am so glad that I finally got to it. It is the story of Asle, a painter living in the Western part of Norway on the edge of a fjord. He is now in his sixties and over the course of advent he looks back over his life which has all been spent in the same area. He has a neighbour who he sees now and then and they always share an advent meal, and he has a gallery owner who sells his work and puts an annual exhibition at Christmas.

Very little happens but the writing is beautiful-thank you translator Damion Searls- and I felt like I was lowering myself into a nice warm bath every time I picked the book up. It has been my find of the year so far 9/10

Maigret and the Tramp

 by Georges Simenon

A really enjoyable Maigret. A tramp has been attacked and thrown into the Seine but he survives. 

Nobody is that interested but Maigret has his suspicions as to the truth and that there may be more to this than meets the eye. He gradually uncovers the story but is unable to do anything about it as nobody wants to talk including the tramp. Great storytelling 9/10

Now, the people!

 by Jean-Luc Melenchon

Originally published in France in 2023 this English edition was published in 2025.

He highlights the problems the world is facing in terms of climate change, overuse of resources, wealth imbalance, and finds the culprit sitting firmly in the neo-liberal, capitalist system. So far, so good and most of his analysis I could agree with. Where I felt the book gets weaker is regarding solutions. Looking for a common world order, while appealing -and probably the only solution to some of these issues - is too idealistic, and ignores the inbuilt greed humans seem to be born with. I did like his call that we have to start somewhere, so why not do what we can. At least we can go down fighting for what is right! 7/10

The Predicament

 by William Boyd

A second novel fearuring Gabriel Dax, a travel writer who inadvertently ends up working for MI6 and the KGB (and subcontracting to the CIA!). 

This novel is set largely in Sussex and Guatemala and Berlin. The year is 1963 and JFK is big news. This is probably best described as a spy caper but is a very enjoyable read. Along the way, Gabriel's love life gets more complicated! 8/10

Death of a Hawker

By Janwillem van de Wetering

The usual quirky caper from our two Amsterdam detectives as they track down a murderer of two people, the first of whom has left no clue as to the murder weapon. It also has a gruesome ending! 7/10

Maigret and the Saturday Caller

 by Georges Simenon

A man turns up at Maigret's house and claims he is planning to kill his wife and her lover who have gradually taken over his house and painting and decorating business. Then he disappears and Maigret senses something is not right. A sad story with an interesting ending 8/10

The Eleventh Hour

 by Salman Rushdie

A collection of short five short stories, two of which have been published before in the New Yorker, They all deal with ageing and the passage of time in some form or other. My favourite by far was a ghost story called Late. It deals with an author who has been made an honorary fellow of some oxbridge college who wakes up dead one morning. The others were all enjoyable with characteristic humour and satire. I was not so keen on the last story which was about the importance and changing of language. Having just read Julian Barnes it is difficult not to wonder whether this is Rushdie's last book. 7/10