John Steinbeck’s “A Russian Journal” is definitely worth the time. He captures Ukraine soon after WWII, the destruction of Stalingrad, the attitudes of Americans and Russians towards each other (both as suspicious as each other and equally ill-informed). Lovely relaxed writing with humour and humanity that’s very pertinent to the international situations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Highly recommended.
I was listening to it throughout the night while I was kept in a recliner chair pending admission to the hospital assessment ward a couple of days ago. Real progress with the NHS: ambulance within just a few minutes; straight in for all the bloods, ECG, x-ray and more; kept under the beady eye of Cynthia and colleagues to make sure things weren’t getting worse. No beds (even in a corridor) but the recliner wasn’t bad as long as sleep wasn’t needed. First doctor at 0500 and consultant at 1100 to confirm it wasn’t a heart attack but just acid reflux. Home again with some medication and feeling positive.