The Spectator summer reading list

You may have seen the summer reading list that Tory MPs have been issued with. But here’s an alternative set of book recommendations for you, this time from Spectator staff. Not all the books will be newly-published. But they’re generally books that we’ve read – and enjoyed – recently. Hopefully, we’ll unearth a few gems for you. If so, please do return the favour by making your own recommendations in the comments section.

Right, I’ll get the ball rolling with my suggestions…

Tim O’Brien’s If I Die in a Combat Zone is up there with Michael Herr’s Dispatches as the best piece of reportage to come out of the Vietnam War. O’Brien – who took part in the conflict as an infantry man – is keenly introspective, and writes openly about toll waged on his psyche by every firefight, every landmine, and every death of a friend. The end result is as lyrical as it is horrifying.

First published in 1935, BUtterfield