Just finished Small Steps by Louis Sachar, a sort-of sequel to Holes which I found very enjoyable. This story isn’t quite as substantial, and the final chapter feels rushed. That said, it’s an entertaining tale told in Sachar’s delightful simplistic style. A very quick read.

Following on from that is Bruce Chatwin’s What am I doing here?, a collection of short stories, snippets and anecdotes from Chatwin’s travels. So far, very good stuff indeed - the story of his arrest in Benin during a military coup combines hilarious surrealism and stomach-ache-inducing tension. Recommended, and I’ve not finished it yet.