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Agreed - Ben Macintyre's books are compelling. Plus I can commend his live talks if you get a chance to see him on tour. I'm part way through 'The Secret War - Spies, Codes and Guerrillas 1939-45' by Max Hastings. Excellent so far and well up to Hastings' usual standard. Offers a deeper insight...

'Spy Catcher' by Peter Wright, former senior MI5 officer. Fascinating and surprisingly gripping read about espionage and the series of spy scandals during the Cold War. Can understand why it was so controversial when published in the late '80s when Wright was demonised by the British...

I'm midway through that book too and entirely agree - Gove might find the first few chapters 'educating'. I've read a fair amount of WW1 stuff but this book has some of the most graphic accounts of the western front I have read. I was surprised just how much of the book is devoted to this but...

Is 'Angry White Pyjamas' about Robert Twigger about living in Japan and progressing through a martial arts (karate?) school there? It was several years ago but recall it was light reading and enjoyable for the cultural differences. On the basis of that I then read his book about capturing a huge...

'A Bright Shining Lie' supposedly a true account of a renegade US army Colonel who didn't buy all the propaganda about the Vietnam war and saw it for the folly it was. Reminds me of 'Bury my heart at Wounded Knee' which I read years ago which dispels a lot of myths about how the west was 'won'...

Just read 'The 100 Year Old Man'. A good novel and slightly odd but amusing black comedy about an old boy who escapes from his OAPs home and goes on a sort of accidental crime spree. The are some remarkable flashbacks to world events that occurred during his life. It would make a great film.

A Race for Madmen: yep - I'm normally a bit wary of books about sports topics (apart from essential Albion related reading of course) but this one is highly recommended. Makes you really appreciate the history of the event and the significance of Wiggo's recent achievements. Should be...

'A Race for Madmen' by Chris Sidwells - the history of the Tour de France. Only just started it but so far very interesting. The first official TdF in 1903 was 2,428 kilometres split into only 6 stages with the longest stage being 471km! No smooth tarmac, just rutted gravel tracks. Heavy...

If you are anything like me I had to get the two sequel books as soon as I had finished the first, just to find out what happened as they continue the story where the previous left off. You won't be disappointed. I thought the original film (with subtitles unfortunately) of the first book was...

Am hooked on the crime thriller genre - for years I needed my regular fix of James Ellroy (LA Confidential, The Black Dahlia etc) but sadly his output has dried up of late. Moving on the Larsson trilogy was excellent and couldn't put them down. Just finished 'The Snowman' by Jo Nesbo and now...