2011 - Reading List

Novel(s) completed so far this year:

The Book of Revelation by Rupert Thomson. Odd story of kidnap and sexual domination. 

Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Finally I succeed in completing a Dickens novel. Really enjoyed it. 

The Diary of a Nobody - by Grossmith (George and Weedon). Short. Sweet. Funny. 

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. I liked it as it alluded to my university and did have some very entertaining moments. But he wins through!

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (abandoned - too tedious)

A Slipping Down Life by Anne Tyler - so well written; it resonates with my teenage imagination.

The Pregnant Widow by Martin Amis. I started this before I went away and never really got into it. Think I was expecting more fruity scenes. I didn't dip back into it whilst away and thus I fear it has been abandoned.... oh dear. 

The Tin-Kin by Eleanor Thorn. Once my head had got round the Scottish dialectic I was completely absorbed. Well worth picking up on the off chance.

Recovery by Stephen Benatar. I got this book by virtue of the author being in Waterstones Bromley South when I was seeking books to take on my holiday. As it was I didn't really need a book on my tour in China, the company provided more than plenty of story material. This is a set of 2 novellas. And they stretch your idea of normality. Similar in theme to the Tin Kin - the stories are about finding yourself. The journey of who am I? Both stories deliver hefty twists. And I suspect I need to read them again to fully appreciate their skill.

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. Okay I could not put this book down. Nope not for a minute. Not sure if it was because I could identify with the place (Melbourne) or even the characters held within. There were a lot of observations that I could relate too. Maybe it was the plot. Delicately woven into 8 short stories told from the perspective of a key character  Belter of a read. And now I am lost as to what to read next!!

Michael Faber - The Crimson Petal and the White. Total contrast to The Slap. It's a modern day take on a Dickenesque novel. Focusing on the central character Sugar and how she elevates her position from a prostitute. It was a long read at 800+ pages - but actually didn't feel like a slog. The characters and places were vivid enough and unlike Dickens there weren't overt numbers of them. Set in London it adequately takes you back to the Victorian era and you can feel the mists and filth. Sugar inspires Mr Rackham who in turn becomes a fuller man, though I'm not sure I ever really liked him. Glad I read it as I was unable to see the BBC's adaptation owing to being out of the country!

F Scott Fitzgerald - Tender is the Night. I found this took a bit longer to read than a 300 pagers should have done in comparison with the 800+ ones that I have recently read. It's essentially F Scott's fictional telling of his life with his wife. It had a very solitary feel about it and made me contemplate loneliness: in spite of being with someone; of having lots of friends; being successful. Glad I struggled through to the end though. The sense of being in Europe helped bring some sunshine whilst London was rather damp in July.  

J.D. Salinger - Catcher in the Rye. This had long been on my list of must reads. Then JD died early last year and he was much celebrated. As a novel - its set across a 3 day period and covers the thoughts and actions of the central character - Holden Caulfield. I whipped through it in a week. Some of the language grated to begin with - but once I re-set my expectation and went with the flow of a teenager talking to me - it worked much better!

Sebastian Faulks - Birdsong. Mmm. An fairly innocuous tale. Fairly easy to read. A love story, and plenty of First World War mud. I guess the telling of trench life was the most revealing part... having to screw my face up on the tube when another leg was blown off or when the described smells and scenes all got a bit much. As for the central character Stephen.. not sure I ever understood what motivated him to be so cold.

Richard Yates - Young Hearts Crying. Loved this. Better than Revolutionary Road (though maybe I need to re-read it) more lively. Divided into 3 parts. The couple and then each half of the couple and how they survive/proceed once no longer a couple. The striving for being an artist and the pain it causes. The difference between having and not having money. The US dream. Or not as the case may be.

[Please note it was around here I joined the LIBRARY!!]

John Steinbeck - East of Eden.  Will let you know when I finish it. I did enjoy the Grapes of Wrath though many years ago... SO as a reprise. I couldn't put this down. It tells the tale of several families in the Californian Salinas. The theme of brothers, twins, good & evil underpin every chapter. I did not like Cathy at all and at times wondered if she was even a credible character. Vivid, opulent and arid at its heart it is all quite dark and ultimately quite sad. 


Don DeLillo - Falling Man. I read this over a weekend whilst having East of Eden still on the go. It was also the weekend of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. A remarkable observation of the impact of that day on a few individuals. Not sensationalist - just follows the daily lives in the days and months after the extraordinary day the towers fell. Highly recommended. 


Chris Guillebeau - The Art of Non-Conformity. I need a change in my life. So I read this for inspiration. Whilst I may not want to travel ceaselessly I do want to understand how I can find a happier place in this weird and stressful world. Some good tips and observations. 


John Harding - While the Sun Shines. Literally picked this up in the library because he shared the name of my Creative Writing course tutor. A novel whose use of words required me to pick up a dictionary. But in a good way. Still don't know what sinecure means .... All slightly outrageous but as fiction is meant to take you away from normal I really enjoyed it and it got read in under 4 days! Yes it really did make me laugh out loud on the tube - rare indeed!


Don DeLillo - Cosmopolis. This is a dark dark novel. Eric is rich and leads life playing the markets and in his stretch limo. It's set in NY but not one you or I would recognise. It's a day in his life. Haircuts, doctors, hotel rooms a wife whom he barely knows. Will losing everything and being stripped bare allow them to be honest with each other? 

Sister - Rosamund Lupton.  Sought this out in the library following a waterstones recommeneds feature. Advertised as a thriller I found it to be better described as a journey with a few non too pleasant scenes along the way.  Aptly titled, one sister is intent on discovering the cause of her sister's death. Was it murder? Was it suicide? A devilish twist towards the end made it a must read.  And in the world of coincidence - as this covered cystic fibrosis - so did an episode of 'The Body Farm'. So I felt ahead of the game and spooked by the fact the central character in each was called Tess....
Have now got 'Aftermath' out from the library to see how the author expands into the second tricky novel!

Aftermath - Rosamund Lupton. Read this before and after holiday to Kuala Lumpur. Not quite as intense as sister but a jolly good story line never the less.. I didn't work it out until too late!

Room - Emma Donoghue. I was intrigued by this book - and despite trying really hard not to get into it - I did. Read it before/during/after trip to Washington DC. Recommend it if you want to make your mind boggle and feel a little uncomfortable as you read certain bits of it..

The Road to Mount Buggery - a book given to me by my bro in 2001 - he was then in Australia and I'm now working through my plan of execution to be there by end of Feb. A couple are travelling the lenght of bredth of the country to visit all the places with odd/unpleasant or highly descriptive names. Certainly getting me in the spirit!!