I am way behind on posting about books I've read recently, so let me start with Robert Harris' latest, Munich. The book tells the story of the infamous 1938 conference through the eyes of assistants to the two principals, Chamberlain and Hitler. I listened to this one, and while I didn't enjoy it as much as the author's last, Conclave, it was an interesting and informative read.
In the end, the subject matter was so narrow that it read like an episode of The Crown. English, terrifically crafted, and full of memorable characters, but the value was in the storytelling, not the story. That's not to minimize the importance of the subject matter, but the story told - of two assistants whose involvement had no effect on the outcome - which I guess is a spoiler, but forgive me - was a very narrow one. The benefit of reading it is that it makes one sort of a time traveler to the conference, experiencing the personalities without affecting the course of history.