This summer, with so much happening on the international front as well as in key economic and financial sectors, many are those who found themselves glued to their laptops, notebooks and net books trying to keep abreast of developments rather than reading the customary book in a leisurely manner

Compounded with all this, the book trade happens to be going through one of its leanest periods too, in terms of sales. But this should in no way detract from the fact that some really exciting titles have found their way into most bookshops and retail outlets in recent months.

Not to mention the special offers available online.

I will take a quick look at some of the titles that have intrigued me most, listing them in my personal preference order.

The most pleasant surprise was undoubtedly Cables from Kabul – The inside story of the West’s Afghanistan campaign – by Britain’s former Ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles.

Cowper-Coles served in Kabul for almost four electrifying years between 2007-2010 while the West’s mission in his own words “sank deeper into crisis”.

He covered the area in two different capacities as British Ambassador and also as the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative.

One cannot but admire the critical eye of the author as he constantly questions the viability of the whole project. He does so without rubbishing in any way the heroism and bravery of the soldiers involved and certain successes achieved.

What stands out most in his book is the wit and frankness of his writing without ever dipping into sensationalism.

The book is dedicated to one of my favourite American diplomats, Richard Holbrooke, who according to him gave his life for peace.

The main point the author makes is that regardless of one’s views, America remains the most powerful outside actor in Afghanistan and that no other ‘ally’ comes close. He often felt frustrated about the fact that although Britain wanted to make a real difference in Afghanistan, making its influence felt in Washington was hard work, not often rewarded. But on the other hand Cowper-Coles was also honest in his own self-assessment. In the sense that he felt that his Afghan experience led him to diagnose problems without being able to prescribe solutions. A must read from all aspects.

Good Italian books are not that easy to come by, although there are some excellent websites that offer prompt delivery. No mean feat, given the past patchy record of Italian postal services. A family friend recently recommended that whatever I might have thought of Francesco Cossiga, I should not miss his Fotti il potere – Gli arcana della politica e dell’umana natura. How right indeed he was. Cossiga always fascinated me for his intriguing involvement in secret service activities, his firm grasp of Masonic goings on as well as his mastery of IT before it became such an integral part of our daily lives. Written in the form of an extended interview by Andrea Cangini, rather than a memoir it is a collection of anecdotes, reflections, historical flashbacks compounded with some startling revelations.

Here are some of his most controversial quotes – The Americans were behind the Piazza Fontana bombing; The Vatican is solely interested in money; There is not a single political leader who cannot be arrested for taking tangenti; The Mani Pulite saga was exposed by the economic world rather than by the FBI itself; To govern is to make believe. I did not always agree with his policies and politics but one can hardly ever feel bored when reading through his racily written book.

‘O’: A Presidential Novel by Anonymous. This is an only partially successful attempt to try and revive West Wing politics about the forthcoming US presidential campaign. Some argue that it was written by a former key strategist of the McCain campaign. It has all the ingredients of a compelling American political thriller but the author fell far short when it came to fleshing out the characterisation of his key ‘players.’ The message in the story is that no American President can dream of making it unless he decides to resort to underhand tactics.

Why on earth should one bother to read a James Bond novel in this day and age, particularly when it is just part of a franchise that many feel that it should have been long defunct. The issue at stake is that although there have been various unsuccessful attempts to breathe some new life into the Ian Fleming legacy, Fleming’s estate this time round have scored far more successfully in commissioning top selling novelist Jeffery Deaver to write his latest Bond saga Carte Blanche. It is bang up-to-date with various references to Afghanistan and the post 9/11 world. Bond was such a success because he hit the screens when sex or violence were still anathema to the big screen. Nothing will beat the original Fleming in spite of the lapse of time but this remains a worthy effort. Even more so compared to more recent limp attempts.

Stieg Larsson not only managed to create one of the most intriguing fictitious characters in recent years but he also gave a tremendous boost to Scandinavian thrillers and literature. It was only natural that after Sweden, Norway should hog the headlines. And this was prior to the recent mass massacre. One of the most successful Norwegian authors has been Jo Nesbo with his The Leopard proving to be one of the worthiest items. I found it most intriguing that this best-selling author is also a musician, a songwriter and an economist. A strange brew indeed! With its short chapters which remind me of the more formulaic writing of James Patterson he tells a good story about a serial killer who has a female MP as one of his victims. His creation Inspector Harry Hole who first surfaced in 1997 is another character that cannot be easily forgotten.

Which brings me to more relatively ‘lighter’ stuff away from the realm of political biographies. We have had thrillers of all sorts and with all types of locations, but The City of Veils must be the first thriller with a Saudi Arabian background that I ever read. Intriguingly it is written by a lady who lived for a number of years in the conservative Muslim community of Saudi itself: Zoe Ferraris. To have a story that kicks off with a mutilated body of a young woman, half naked beneath her burqa, being discovered on a Saudi beach is sufficiently indicative of the book’s originality. The style of writing makes it even more commendable.

Another excellent title that I picked up when visiting Rome earlier this year was Vieni via con me by Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano. He tackles various aspects of the Italian way of life but when he draws on the shortcomings of the Italian system, I cannot but re-emphasise my long-held view that there is far more diversity and pluralism on Italian TV then there is on our own state-owned TV. Saviano makes this intriguing remark as an opener. “If your job is writing, producing for TV is like trying to breathe under water. It is difficult to do; you have to find your own ways to survive in a tricky manner without dying suffocated…” His account of how his TV series with the same title as the book came about is riveting enough.

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Leo Brincat is the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development & Climate Change