100 Books for 2018: 6 to 10

Book 6 - The Diary of a Bookseller (Shaun Bythell) [Audio]
This is Shaun Bythell's record of his trials and tribulations as the owner of Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop in Wigtown. Some are the inevitable consequence of working with the public, who often have somewhat unrealistic expectations of what they can expect from a bookseller. Then there is Amazon, with which Bythell has what can only be described as a hate-hate relationship! Coincidentally I heard an interview with him on the radio a few days ago - he has now stopped selling through Amazon after a technical error led them to deactivate his account, no great loss as the prices there are so low as to be unprofitable. Although I only gave the book 3 stars it was more of a 3 and a half, and I think I would have enjoyed it more as a book rather than an audio book. An easy and entertaining read / listen.
*** 3 stars

Book 7 - The Lost Plot (Genevieve Cogman)
This is the fourth book in the Invisible Library fantasy series - I wrote about the first here. This time the action takes place in a 1930s style parallel version of New York, where two dragons are competing to secure a court position, a competition to the death which could also cause considerable collateral damage. The protagonists, librarian Irene and her dragon apprentice Kae, are there to rescue another librarian who has become caught up in the contest. I very much enjoy the fantasy universe Genevieve Cogman has created, balanced between the rational nature of dragons and the chaotic,  influence of the hypnotic fae, and the Lost Plot was another good read.
**** 4 stars

Book 8 - Flesh and Blood: A History of My Family in Seven Maladies (Stephen McGann) [Audio]
This book is family history at its absolute best. Stephen McGann, the Liverpool actor best known for playing Dr. Turner in the Call the Midwife TV series, tells the story of his family (both past and present) through the lens of the medical traumas and diseases which defined much of their lives. The book begins with the starvation which drove his ancestors from famine riddled Ireland, and moves on through pestilence, exposure, trauma, breathlessness, heart problems, and necrosis. The medical theme unifies the diverse stories of his family members, and brings home some of the harsh realities of life in the past while also reminding us that good health is not something we can ever take for granted. If genealogy and personal history interests you, then I highly recommend this book.
***** 5 stars

Book 9 - Take Six Girls: the Lives of the Mitford Sisters (Laura Thompson)
I first discovered the Mitford sisters through reading Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate many years ago. It is hard not to be fascinated by the six sisters, and by how a single family could produce a writer (Nancy), a fascist (Diana), a Hitler groupie (Unity), a communist (Jessica), and a duchess (Deborah). Only the second sister, Pamela, seems to have kept a rather un-Mitfordish lower profile. This book was interesting, but I am afraid it bugged me by seeming to show a preference for Diana, the wife of British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. Diana maintained her loyalty to Mosley and his extreme right-wing views throughout her life, and I found it hard to summon up any sympathy for her. Nancy, on the other hand, was treated far more critically for being sharp and independent. As a result I found it hard to empathise with the author's picture of the sisters and gave the book only 2 stars.
** 2 stars

Book 10 - The Huntsman's Tale (Ann Swinfen)
The third in Ann Swinfen's medieval mystery series. This book moves the location from Oxford to the countryside when Nicholas Elyot takes his family to help with the harvest at his cousin's farm. An unpleasant new lord of the manor is shot during a hunt and Nicholas needs to uncover the killer. Another very enjoyable book.
**** 4 stars