1186 Pages

The death of Gabriel Garcia Marquez has led the literary news this week. There have been a host of tributes from the great and clever so just one thought more – his ability to convey the brightness of life despite the vagaries of translation was amazing.

On holiday this week in sunny Cornwall, so lots of reading done. Two books by Americans, one by a Canadian and one by a Finn. The Road To Reckoning by Robert Lautner is a True Grit/Cold Mountain adventure set in the wilds of the Appalachians in 1837. It bought on a nostalgia for those Saturday Night At The Movies evenings of the 70s – entertaining. (HB £14.99)

Runner by Patrick Lee is a breathless and very clever thriller with a Jack Reacher style hero. Impossible to put down – not to be read at bedtime.

The Beggar and the Hare by Tuomas Kyro (yes that’s the Finnish one) is a strange fable about modern Europe, Capitalism and Love. It’s short, weird and worth reading. (HB £9.99)

Lastly The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman, which is a strange title for a novel set in Wales, Thailand, and New York CBD. These are the three stages of Tooly Zylberberg’s life as we move backwards and forwards between the eighties, the noughties, and the present trying to work out who she really is and why. It’s a slow starter but builds elegantly to its satisfying conclusion.

After 1186 pages it’s time for an ice cream.