First Light - Geoffrey Wellum

A memoir of a Second World War fighter pilot that makes for an enjoyable and at times emotional read.  The author joined the RAF straight out of school as soon as he was allowed to and soon found himself qualifying as a fighter pilot right as Britain found itself plunged into war.  Without a pause for reflection he was thrust into active service and the Battle of Britain.

When reading the book you can't help but feel huge admiration for the author and his colleagues.  What they went through and achieved is one of the great stories of human endeavour and sacrifice and there is no need for me to repeat here Churchill's famous words.

Anyone with a passing interest in flying or the Second World War would do well to read this book.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo - Stieg Larsson

Having seen the millennium books being read by countless commuters on my way to work I thought it was about time for me to see what all the fuss is about.  And I can see why they are so popular.  Translated from the original Swedish, this book makes for a compelling page turner that keeps you guessing all the way through.  The main characters are engaging and the story moves along at a fantastic pace, there is barely a wasted moment in the book.

As I'm writing this post I'm already halfway through the second book of the trilogy and already feeling disappointed that there is only three books to read.  The author had planned more but sadly died before he completed them.  I like thousands of other readers will never get to find out how everything works out for the lead characters.  Enjoyable and highly recommended, I'll be passing this book on to other people to enjoy.

The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Well this one took me a little while to read but it was definitely worth the effort.  In Gulag Archipelago Solzhenitsyn has undertaken to demonstrate the full extent of Soviet Russia's prison system, and that appears to be no mean feat.  He guides readers through the system from arrest on trumped up charges, through to sadistic torture and biased trials before the journey to camp begins.  Its not an easy read given the harrowing nature of much of the subject matter yet its a measure of the writers skill that he maintains a dry sense of humour throughout.

The Soviet Gulag system is without a doubt one of the worst crimes against humanity ever committed and even in a century marred by two World Wars and their associated atrocities this stands out.  That it is so little known has to be down to the secrecy of the Soviet state.  But this book plays its part in shining a light onto this dark corner of human history.

This book is both important and informative but because the author tells the human stories behind the system rather than dwelling on numbers and statistics (which may have been hard to come by) it is compelling throughout.

There is further sections of the book still to read as it was published in several parts, and I'll be back to read them before too long.