Here Comes the Summer

Cor, it's too gosh-darn hot to think at the moment... The sun is beating down upon our heads like a big ... beating thing. And the drums never cease.

The Book Club - Show 8 was broadcast on 5th July on Beeb Radio N/cle ... and if you want to listen to it, pop along to the link below:

The featured books were

1. Football Books:

- John Foot - Calcio: The History of Italian Football (Fourth Estate)
- Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger - Tor! The Story of German football (WSC Books)
- Phil Ball - Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football (WSC Books)
- Gianlucca Vialli, Gabrielle Marcotti - The Italian Job (Bantam)

[We also received several other footie books slightly too late to feature in the show, but I'll include them here with - as always - a high recommendation. I was particularly impressed with Foot, Hesse-Lichtenberger, Ball and Winner's volumes which each give a real flavour of the cultures and mind-sets of the countries that they we're writing about.]

- Peter Robinson, Doug Cheeseman, Harry Pearson - 1966 Uncovered (Mitchell Beazley)
- Kevin Connolly and Rab MacWilliam - Fields of Glorey, Paths of Gold: The History of European Football (Mainstream)
- David Winner - Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football (Bloomsbury)
- Alex Bellos - Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life (Bloomsbury)

2. Dave Scott - The Disillusioned (Fraser Books)

3. Jeff Abbott - Panic (Time Warner)

4. James Essinger - Spellbound: The Improbable Story of English Spelling (Robson Books)

5. Andy Neill & Matt Kent - The Who: Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (Virgin)

6. Alistair Cooke's American Journey (Penguin)

7. Francesco De Mosto - Francesco's Italy (BBC)

Also Received during June:

-Aziz Chouaki - The Star of Algiers (Serpent's Tail)
- Liza Campbell - Title Deeds (Doubleday)
- Elizabeth Wilson - The Twilight Hour (Serpent's Tail)
- Rory Stewart - Occupational Hazards (Picador)
- Matthew Smith - The Kennedys: The Conspiracy to Destroy a Dynasty (Mainstream)
- Melissa P - The Scent of Your Breath (Serpent's Tail)
- Jasper Fforde - The Big Over Easy (Hodder)
- Jancee Dunn - But Enough About Me: From Eighties Geek to Rock 'n' Roll Chic Adventures in Celebsville (Headline)

Anyway, back to a long cool glass of iced juice and watching the cricket whilst being glad I'm in my gaff with the fan on full blast.

Roll on winter...