A gift from N, who knows my love of travel writing and bookcrossing. Reserved for Nu-Knees when I've read it.

An engaging read from Mr M, who meanders through Middle England sampling hotel breakfasts and local museums, musing on Englishness and how much more mellow and inclusive we've become in recent years, he feels.

I'd forgotten how boring the food used to be until I read this, but overall he's a little cosy and self-congratulatory for my taste.
For a more ascerbic look at a similar subject, I recommend The Angry Island: Hunting the English by AA Gill - my review at bookcrossing.com/journal/6792195
I also really enjoyed Nicholas Crane's Two Degrees West, which started me off in Bookcrossing: bookcrossing.com/journal/3611249

In the post to Nu-Knees in sunny Knaresborough.

Hope you enjoy this!

Thank you, foxed. I quite enjoyed his look at the North in Pies and Prejudice so I'm looking forward to searching for Middle England in his company.

All Stuart Maconie's punning titles are eye-catching and the subtitle: In Search of Middle England, also sounds good - but somehow the content doesn't live up to the promise of the cover this time around! I'm not sure what he's trying to do - but get the impression he hasn't succeeded....

He seems to define Middle England socially and politically rather than geographically, as an attitude rather than a location - but can you find an outlook by travelling around? understand a way of life by passing through? I'm not convinced.

Having said that, if you read the book simply as a travelogue, ignoring his attempts at philosophizing and sweeping value judgements, then it's a fun jaunt around the country, albeit a few selected parts of the country and in a rather haphazard order. His grouping by subject makes widely spaced towns appear next to each other.

Thanks again, foxed - an interesting experience!

In the post to Beqi from her Wish List - enjoy!

This arrived safely in today's post :-) Many many thanks for this RABCK, Nu-knees. A surpise book arriving always brightens up your day, and I'm so looking forward to reading it. Now adding to Mt TBR but I'll get to this fairly soon, I promise! Thanks again :-)