October reading

Fire Lover: A True Story [Joseph Wambaugh]. Bought from a school fete. The story of John Orr, firefighter and arson investigator, who was convicted of numerous counts of arson and four counts of murder by arson. Much of the book is devoted to the trials, which involved many expert witnesses - thankfully the weeks of evidence (and years of research and investigation that came before them) are distilled into their essential elements.

Un amico italiano - Eat, Pray, Love in Rome [Luca Spaghetti]. It might be a little less than fashionable to admit that I enjoyed Eat Pray Love, but I did. It fed my desire to visit (and now revisit) Italy - not so much India and Bali, although if a trip was offered I wouldn't refuse! So when I saw this book for sale, I had to buy it. Luca is the Italian man Elizabeth Gilbert befriended in Rome. A slightly odd book - kind of sweet, but one which wouldn't have happened if the author hadn't been included in the Eat Pray Love. He's just an ordinary Roman - in fact, he's an accountant - with a James Taylor obsession. Not an outstanding or must-read book by any means, but an easy read, and ... nice.

La Bella Figura: An insider's guide to the Italian mind [Beppe Severgnini]. Borrowed from the public library. A fabulously entertaining read, as the author takes us on a 'tour' around Italy, and explains how its people think, using local examples. Red lights are optional, religion and the church are still significant - even if attendance at mass is dropping off, cars and parking - and why you might walk rather than lose your parking space in Naples,and much more. Very entertaining and informative :)


I have a couple more books in progress, but I might save them for November.