Mere moments ago* I finished Hunter S. Thompson’s fascinating work ‘Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72’ and I’m really glad I read it, but it is a very easily consumable work by its nature. I feel that I need to tackle something more challenging and to get that wretched mountain of unread books down. Mr. Thompson’s book didn’t really help on that account as I bought it then immediately started reading, so it didn’t even touch that colossal wreck. So I state here for all (and none) to see, that I Peter Huw Jenkins, being of sound body and probably mind, am going to start reading the Russian Epic ‘War and Peace’, may God have mercy on my soul. This statement of intent will hopefully mean that, unlike Dostoevsky’s ‘Demons’, I will get more than a third through before putting it down and then forgetting half the characters by next pick up.

*I wrote this a good day or two in advance of finishing the book and have just posted it. Preparation!