69. When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanthini
Oft-reviewed book about young doctor diagnosed with terminal cancer. Well-written. Some of it treads fairly familiar ground but poses an interesting question about how you live while preparing to die. If you knew you had 10 years left, you might make one set of choices, and if you knew if would be 10 months, you might make others - what do you do when you don't know? It's the kind of book that feels like heresy to criticise, and I liked it, although I felt a bit less rapturous than some reviewers.
70. The Hungry Years, by William Leith
Memoirs of a problematic relationship with food are common by female writers; this is more unusual in being by a male writer. He feels fat, he looks, horrified, at fatter people in the street, he low-carbs, he reflects on when and why he turned to food for comfort. Very readable if you're in the mood for that kind of thing.
71. Walking through Spring, by Graham Hoyland
Another book about walking through the English countryside. I read quite a few of these accounts of long walks because I want to be out there doing it, not fused to my office chair . I am going to be doing some longish walks this weekend, so hurrah. This one is fine, again if you like this sort of thing; more politics than poetry in this particular example.
72. How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig
I can imagine it will be very popular. Man who is hundreds of years old mopes about grieving the past - but hist, is that new love on the horizon? Took up some of the themes from Reasons to Stay Alive - what makes life worth living? I enjoyed the read, but for a would-be profound read, it was pretty superficial,, especially the resolution, whether things are all neatly tied up over the course of a few paragraphs. Orlando it ain't.