Thank you, Tana French, for the book that changed your life – The Wind in the Willows (Books that made me, 31 October). When the friends, lost in the snowy, winter woods, come across a shoe-scraper, they know they’ve reached Mr Badger’s home and will be welcome and secure. Just what we want to read in these “lost in the woods” days.
Beryl Wilkins
Lewes, East Sussex
• What a lovely and salutary tribute from Sachin Nakrani in memory of sports journalist Kevin McCarra (Kevin McCarra was not only a great writer, he was a great man, 29 October). McCarra’s kind, “free of ego” character shines out like a ray of sunshine in these dark times when we are being “led” by such callous and deceitful people.
Ken Veitch
Greenhead, Brampton, Cumbria
• I knew the second lockdown was casting us back towards the start of the year, but when I read Heather Stewart talk of “A No 10 operation that prides itself on slick communications” (Covid: how chilling projections prompted Johnson to lockdown, 1 November) I thought it must be 1 April instead of 2 November.
Luke Howard
London
• Boris Johnson could now do himself, and the whole nation, a big favour by having Dominic Cummings electronically tagged.
Colin Denton
Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne
• If I wear a poppy in my lapel, is that virtue signalling (Virtue signalling: the culture war phrase now in BBC guidelines, 30 October)?
Geoff Renshaw
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
