Return of Non-Fiction

Currently reading my first piece of non fiction in a long time. Having read Anthony Beevor's book on the downfall of Berlin at the end of the war and Christopher Hilton's history of the Berlin Wall, it seemed fitting to read this book. As the author states in his introduction, it was surprising that no other historian had written about the ordinary citizens of Berlin during the war. British people seem so preoccupied with either the Blitz or the Holocaust and forget that even the enemy suffered during WWII. The research is good and the stories are fascinating, especially the tale of the railway serial killer who was a bigger threat to Berliners in 1940 than what British bombers were.

I am also reading Cormac McCarthy's 'Blood Meridian' which is a gritty and bloody western. After having seen the film of 'No Country for Old Men' again at the cinema I felt it was time to read some more of his books. This one has been on the cards for a while and given my love of the western, it cannot fail to disappoint. I am not getting much time to read it because of the Berlin book but enjoy it when I am getting the train to Glasgow or sitting in Starbuck's in Buchanan St. with the book in one hand and a latte in the other. Thirty minutes of me and my book and no interruptions.

Next up will be another book by John Burnside called 'Mercy Boys', my second after reading a very dark book called 'Glister' which reminded me of Iain Banks at the height of his powers. 'Mercy Boys' is set in Dundee so if it is good I will be recommending it to my friend Ian who is not only from there but also shares my taste in noir fiction.

Of course, in the next few weeks I will be getting a phone call from the library to say that my reservation on the new Stephen King collection, 'Full Dark No Stars', is available to collect which basically means drop everything and devour it. Last month I read 'Bag of Bones' and although it fell into the 'consistent'category as far as Stephen King books go, it was enough to get me in the mood and erase the memory of his last novel 'The Dome' which I couldn't get into at all.