I mentioned The Bronte Myth, Chessie - I agree that it's not a biography as such, and more an exploration of how and why we view them in such a way. It was the first time I came across the story of Charlotte Bronte dedicating an edition of Jane Eyre to Thackeray, not knowing that he happened to have a wife who had been declared mad, causing all sorts of rumours to go flying about her real-life inspiration, much to the embarrassment of both parties.
Thanks for mentioning the new Lindchester book, Time - I have my eye on it. The author said she originally had a three-book story arc in mind, but then found herself wondering how her characters were coping in lockdown, hence the fourth book, and I gather the fifth one will be similar. Falling outside the main story arc made book 4 less satisfying, and I don't have very high expectations of the fifth, but will definitely read it anyway.
Have been on lots of trains over the last week, so here is my catch-up:
32. Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry
The actor's struggle with drug addiction, exploding colostomy bags and all. His account of being rich and famous sounds utterly miserable and lonely.
33. Red Sauce Brown Sauce: a British Breakfast Odyssey, Felicity Cloake
The author cycles around the UK enquiring into local breakfasts. I love travel narratives with a theme, although this isn't a particularly impressive addition to the genre, and I'm not all that enthralled by the manufacture of baked beans etc.
34. Self Contained: Scenes from a Single Life, Emma John
As the title suggests, this is a memoir by a single woman, reviewing her few relationships, her assumption that she would find The One, her attempts at online dating, and her eventual acceptance of her own single status. I found this enjoyable and amusing - if she ever gets self-pitying, she's the first to acknowledge it and mock herself. I warmed to her a lot and thought this was a good read.
35. The Girl of his Dreams, Donna Leon
Venice-set crime fiction. Who doesn't love some time on the Rialto? The (English) author constantly bewails tourism in Venice and fair enough, over-tourism is a legitimate concern. Her view is that it's fine for her to be there and enjoy it, but it spoils things when everyone else is allowed to go there too, which isn't a particularly helpful take on the debate. This book concerns the death of a young Roma girl, and the author is trying to have her cake and eat it - it's a very unsympathetic portrayal of the Roma community, with anyone supporting them shown to be complete fools taken in by sob stories, yet when one character is critical of them, he is duly reprimanded by the hero of the series and reminded that he mustn't be politically incorrect. And I'm always annoyed that despite the ongoing criticism of Italian corruption, one of the recurring "good" characters is Signora Elettra, who helps the main detective by illegally accessing databases, and she's the most regularly low-level corrupt of the lot, diverting police resources to such things as buying fresh flowers for her office.
36. Pied Piper, Neville Shute
Set in 1942, the year it was published, this is a story about an Englishman who tries to bring a group of children to safety from Occupied France. I absolutely loved this story of a decent man trying to do a decent thing. The edition I read had an introduction by John Boyne and infuriatingly, he gave away every single plot point. It felt really unfair. He justifies it by saying that the story is narrated by the central character after the event, so we know he survives, but that doesn't make it okay to reveal everything in advance. The story builds up narrative tension - imagine you're surrounded by German soldiers and anxious that a five-year-old will suddenly pipe up in English - and it was frustrating to have been told in advance what would happen.
37. The Haunted Hotel, Wilkie Collins
Victorian melodrama. An Englishman is beguiled into marrying a Foreign Countess instead of an English Rose, so frankly he deserves what's coming to him. Terrible deeds will out. It's all a bit silly but I enjoyed it, especially the scenes of family life.
38. Get Rich or Lie Trying: Ambition and Deceit in the New Influencer Economy, Symeon Brown
Influencers are on the periphery of my awareness, something that the younger generation take more seriously than I do. This book showed me why I should pay more attention, whether it's the promotion of harmful fast fashion and cosmetic surgery, the blurring of activism and self-promotion, or the spread of Ponzi schemes dressed up as financial training schemes. The author is a young Black Londoner, and he offers a useful perspective on the role of race in influencing. Good thought-provoking journalism.