The King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum

A beautiful children's book. I'm really looking forward to reading this to my children when they are a little older.

The oak and the ram by Michael Moorkcock

The second book in the second of The Corum series. Corum was my first introduction to the writing ofMichael Moorcock and these stories remain some of my favourites. Moorcock play fast and loose with Irish myth and legend but the result is a fun and fast paced read.

I read the first book The Bull and the Spear during the summer. This sequel take up a few month after the last one finishes. Corum meets old friends and encounters old enemies, goes on perilous journeys, survives arduous sieges and retrieves mythical items. More of the same really but Moorcock's style and pace makes up for any shortcomings in the plot.

Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom

I has read Sansom's first Novel Dissolution a few years back. I'd enjoyed the historical details and the story. It was a fine detective novel with an interesting protagonist and a since of time and place.
Winter in Madrid is equally well researched. I've long been fascinated by the Spanish Civil War. Homage to Catalonia is one of my favourite book by one of my favourite authors, Orwell. This is the first work of fiction I have read about the period.

The story is set in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War in 1940. Madrid is devastated and Sansom's describes the desolation well. It is the other elements of the novel that let is down. I found the characters difficult to empathize with. The pacing seemed off. The beginning was slow and laborious while the ending seemed rushed with a twist which was unexpected but primarily because it was unbelievable. It's not a bad tale of espionage just not a great one.

Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective by Peter L. Berger

Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective was an optional text book for a course I'm currently studying. It is absolutely fantastic. Humorous and erudite, it is a wonderful introduction to the field of sociology as well as providing a lot of food for thought. I will definitely be seeking out some of Berger's other works.