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I’ve just finished “The Drowned and the Saved: when war came to the Hebrides” by Les Wilson, which is a non-fiction account of two tragedies which occurred off the coast of the same Scottish island during the first World War.

In February 1918, HMS Tuscania, a transport vessel carrying mainly US troops, was torpedoed by a U-boat in the North Channel, between the Hebrides and the north coast of Ireland. A number of lifeboats were driven towards the rocks and cliffs of the Mull of Oa on Islay, where the locals treated both the survivors and the dead as their own. There are many touching stories, including the brothers who brought around ninety survivors to their farmhouse over the course of that night, and their sisters, who made tea and scones for their unexpected guests until their supplies ran out. Elsewhere on the island, a group of women sewed a “Stars and Stripes” flag (now in the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington), so that the dead could be buried with full military honours.

The tragedy was the first real loss of American troops during the war.

In October the same year, two transport ships in another convoy collided in a severe storm off the coast of Islay. One was able to limp into dock at Glasgow, but HMS Otranto was badly damaged, had lost power and was dead in the water. The conditions were too bad to allow for lifeboats to be deployed, but around 600 men were saved by the heroism and skill of the captain of a small destroyer, who continued his rescue efforts until his own vessel was overladen. The Otranto was eventually driven onto a reef, where she broke in half. Of almost 500 men still aboard, only 21 made it to shore alive, making this the worst convoy disaster of WW1.

Again, the local residents cared for the drowned and the saved.

This is not at all my usual choice of reading, but it was a fascinating book, with nuggets of history which surprised me (such as two women - both of whom survived - serving on the Tuscania). It was also surprisingly uplifting, given the tragic subject, as it tells tales of humanity amid the inhumanity of war, from small acts of kindness to acts of great bravery. Highly recommended.

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I agree re “Where The Crawdads Sing”. I similarly enjoyed the Netflix film of it which I found to be very faithful to the book. I had goosebumps during the ending and have them again while I’m thinking about it!

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I’ve recently finished “The Travelers” by Chris Pavone. A travel journalist is working for a magazine, and is recruited by what he thinks is the CIA to gather information on the people that he meets while abroad and at home. It turns out, though, that the magazine group isn’t quite what it seems. A decent story, a few twists.

After that I read “The Widow” by Fiona Barton. A little girl goes missing, and the police narrow it down to a suspect but can’t get enough evidence to find the girl and charge him. Then a little later, the suspect is killed in a road accident and the police begin to wonder if they’ll ever solve the case. Told from the point of view of the widow, the lead detective and a journalist reporting on the case, it’s a decent story.

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Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza

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I’ve just finished “The Lie Maker” by Linwood Barclay. An unemployed journalist lands a job with the US Marshals service writing background stories for people they’ve put into witness protection. His own father had been taken into the same programme years previously, and he thinks he can use his new contacts to try to make contact. A good story, I always enjoy stuff by this author and this is no exception.

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I’ve just read “The Exchange” by John Grisham. Mitch McDeere, from his earlier novel “The Firm”, is now working for a large firm of lawyers attempting to settle a dispute between a building company and the Libyan government when one of their associates is kidnapped. Mitch has to try to gather the ransom money to get her back. A good story, it’s been a while since I read a Grisham novel and I always enjoy them.

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I’ve recently finished “Private Delhi” by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi. Another in the series about various branches of the “Private” detective agency, a grisly discovery of some bodies in various states of being dissolved in acids triggers a search for those responsible. A decent enough story, I usually enjoy this series.

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I’ve just finished “The Bone Keeper” by Luca Veste. When a woman is found wandering injured near a wood, local tales of a creature that lives in the woods start to gain traction when a body is found. The police have to track down the killer while not being distracted by local myths. A decent story, I’ve read others by this author that I think were good.

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The Bible and don’t ask why…

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I’ve recently completed a couple of books, as the Christmas TV was pretty poor.

“River of the Dead” by Robert Pobi. The dismembered body of a young boy is discovered floating in a river, and as the police are investigating, another body turns up and it’s notable how similar they look. A good story, enjoyed it.

“The Business of Dying” by Simon Kernick. A police officer with some shady contacts is tricked into killing two customs officers, and his life begins to disintegrate at the same time as he is trying to investigate the murder of a prostitute and the disappearance of several teenagers. Another good story, I always enjoy stuff by this author, and the character - Dennis Milne - turns up in later books.

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I’ve just read “Open Carry” by Marc Cameron. A US Marshal moves to Alaska and has to investigate as people go missing from filming a reality TV show. A decent book, I’m on the follow-up now.

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And a smol summary, huh? Sure! I just finished Alessandro Baricco’s Ocean too, and wow, it really was like diving into someone’s vivid, surreal dream. It was beautifully written—like every word was deliberate—but yeah, it did feel a bit like drifting without a clear destination at times. Still, I enjoyed the ride! What about you? Got a favorite part?

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I recently read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It’s a completely different vibe from Ocean but equally engaging in its way. It focuses on practical life skills rather than dreamlike storytelling. It’s about connecting with people and improving communication. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy self-improvement topics!

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I’ve just read “Stone Cross” by Marc Cameron, follow-up to the one I posted above. US Marshal Arliss Cutter is tasked with protecting a judge as he visits a remote village to arbitrate on a land dispute, but runs into a kidnapping when he gets there. Very enjoyable, I’ll keep a look out for more of this series.

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The Basic Laws Of Human Stupidity

by Carlo M. Cipolla

The book illuminated my own stupidity which,
sadly, I had smugly overlooked for a lifetime. :unhappy:

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I’ve just finished “No Less the Devil” by Stuart Macbride. Detective Lucy McVeigh is on the trail of a serial killer while also trying to help an ex-prisoner on parole. A good story, I always enjoy this author and the humour that he puts into the dialogue, though it went a bit strange towards the end.

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The latest book I’ve read is “Educated” by Tara Westover. It is a memoir that tells the story of the author’s journey from a survivalist family in rural Idaho to earning a PhD from Cambridge University. The book explores themes of resilience, determination, and the power of education to transform one’s life. Westover’s writing is gripping and thought-provoking, making it a compelling read.

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I’ve just read “The Einstein Code” by Tom West. Before the second world war, Einstein was working with a friend of his on a particle beam defence shield which would have saved loads of lives, but the work and the key required to decrypt it was lost in transit while it was being smuggled from Germany to the USA. Modern-day adventurers try to source it before a dodgy energy company can get their hands on it. A decent enough tale, similar to a Clive Cussler novel in that we get the old and new stories.

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I’ve recently finished “Touching Distance” by Graham Hurley. The police are trying to track down a killer who shot a man on a remote roadway when another man is killed in similar circumstances. A decent story, but I’ve come into a series on the second book. I’ve read others by this author and enjoyed them, too.

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I’ve just read “Girl on Fire” by Tony Parsons. Terrorists bring down a helicopter on a shopping centre and the police have to track down who did it, then try to keep order as people start to target their family. A very good book, I have an idea that I’ve read another with this group of characters.