The Tailor King: The Rise and Fall of the Anabaptist Kingdom of Munster by Anthony Arthur

This book has certainly been a different sort of read from usual! I seem to read a lot of memoirs and a variety of types of fiction, and I suppose this could fall under autobiography, but it is certainly more historical non-fiction, a bit more academic, with references etc. However, despite being a more factual book, it has been a very easy read, and it has been very interesting to learn more about Jan Van Leiden, the Tailor-King of Munster. He was involved in trying to being about a kind of New Jerusalem on earth, but had such rules as polygamy; many people were also executed during this time. Some fascinating stories, such as the soldier who was on siege duty outside the city who used to bare his bottom towards the city at the same time every day. One day, he discovered the folly of such a practice, as the cannons in the city were all aimed at him and set off at the same time. Ouch!

Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka

I have to confess that I put off reading this for ages. I had quite enjoyed A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, although I had felt that it had not lived up to its expectations, and had been overhyped. This book also had the twin enticement/put off of a Malawian character. I had picked up the book a long, long time ago, and had been both entranced by references to Zomba, but also concerned that this character would be some sort of patronised cliche.

I needn't have worried. The character is a very warm one, and since the other characters are also immigrants, is not picked out for special patronisation. All the characters are funny, curious, independent and individual. The settings are poignant with many causes for black humour. Lewycka deals as much with chicken farming as she does with developing love stories, and the book is all the better for it.

I would highly recommend this book - it is much better than Tractors.

When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin

I have to begin by pointing out that I finished this book in the summer. However, it has been so busy since then that I have become quite far behind with updating my blogs.

I read this book at a particularly poignant time, as the Zimbabwe elections were still being contested and there was violence being reported from that country. I finished it before the joint power sharing agreement between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangarai was worked out.

Peter Godwin sets this book after the Zimbabwean war of independence, and is as much a discovery of his family's secrets as it is an exploration into the struggle for Zimbabweans, black and white, to survive and farm. It is a very vivid and moving book. I'm sorry I didn't write the review when it was still uppermost in my mind! However, once again it is highly recommended.