Though it might not seem like it, I do get my book reviews (start every morning with some book reviews) from places other than the Guardian.  It's just that the Guardian is quite good at reviewing books that I might like to read!

Though I probably don't want to read a biography of Alex Ferguson.

I'm not entirely sure who Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's former chief of staff, means as The New Machiavelli.  Is it supposed to be Blair?  I'm all confused.  Though it does seem likely his book doesn't come with the cringeworthy sex scenes that the old gaffer's did, so, small mercies and all that.

John Gray reviews Crisis and Recovery: Ethics, Economy and Justice, which was co-edited by Rowan Williams.  One of these characters is fast becoming one of my favourite astute writers on timely issues.  ++Rowan, it isn't you, please try harder!  No, not in The Times. 

I wanted to post Gray's magisterial article in the latest LRB last week, but we're on dial-up speed internet these days, and it wouldn't happen for me then.  So here it is now: Farewell Welfare State. 

Should we all decide to take to the streets, the new edition of Clive Bloom's Violent London: 2000 Years of Riots, Rebels and Revolts might come in handy.  'Civil disobedience' is one of my favourite odd expressions. 

If I could be bothered (it's Monday), I would nattily tie together civil disobedience with the Jacobite rebels who, didya know, inspired the first Ordinance Survey.  Rachel Hewitt has written a biography of the OS, which sounds fabulously fascinating.  (All this talk of mapping and stealth and military invasions is making me want to re-read one of my All-time Favourite academic articles, Thomas Richards' 'Archive and Utopia' [paywall]).  

Finally, The Butterfly Isles is the epic tale of one man's quest to see all 59 native British butterfly species in one summer.  It sounds Roger Deakin-esque. 

My efforts to keep Britain Today actually about today have slipped a little again.  My excuse is a very good one: I have been moving house.  But as I am now happily ensconced in my new abode, it's back again to tracking the national trio of be-suited 40-somethings.  Happy days.

'Cept I'm ignoring them today, since, trawling through the 700-odd posts in my RSS reader brought me Much Funner Stuff. 

First up, Georgian London on pineapples.  Yes, pineapples.  Go.  Read.  Giggle. 

Also in history, Peter Marshall review's She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth.  Apparently we're not supposed to have heard of Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Schama and Ferguson have been dispatched to the nation's rescue on this front, I'm sure. 

Coming in under both the 'history' and 'Tories' categories (hisTories?), there's a new biography of Harold Macmillan out.  (I actually know more about Eleanor of Aquitaine than I do Harold Macmillan.  Should I remedy this?)

And!  National nature writing treasure Richard Mabey has a new book out: Weeds: How Vagabond Plants Gatecrashed Civilisation and Changed the Way We Think About Nature.  Guardian reviews by both Andrew Motion and Bella Bathurst make it fairly certain that I will be chuffed if this mysteriously arrives on my new doorstep.