Somewhere around the house there is always one volume of the epic Aubrey/Maturin series by the late, great, phenomenally erudite Patrick O’Brian (photo credit: Wikipedia) adorned with a bookmark.

There are 21 volumes and as a portrayal of human relationships, set in the British navy of the Napoleonic era it is, as Stephen Maturin might say, sans pareille. I am on my fifth read of the series. Recent catching up with modern classics has led me into John le Carré’s world of George Smiley – no relation to my George 🙂 – and recent works I’ve enjoyed include Haruki Murakami’s Killing Commendatore (did anyone ever read his Norwegian Wood and NOT enjoy it? ), Benjamin Myers‘ The Offing, where the dialogues with Dulcie are a sheer delight, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s ultra-imaginative Klara and the Sun.