888 Challenge: End of September

1001 Books to Read Before You Die
1. Hideous Kinky - Esther Freud
2. The Graduate - Charles Webb
3. Saturday - Ian McEwan
4. Choke - Chuck Palahunik
5 . City of God - E. L. Doctorow
6. Drop City - T C Boyle
7. The Outsider - Albert Camus
8. The Third Man - Graham Greene
Read so far: 8
To Read: 0


Non-fiction
1. The Hypocrisy of Disco Clane Hayward (memoir about growing up in seventies communes
2. Pies and Prejudice Stuart Maconie (journey around the north of England)
3. The White Album Joan Didion (essays and articles)
4. The Film Club David Gilmour (film history mixed with father/son relationship)
5. Elephants on Acid Alex Boese (weird experiments)
6. Stuart a Life Backwards Alexander Masters (biography of a homeless man)
7 A Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion (memoir about grief)
Read so far: 7
To Read: 1

Fiction authors that are new to me
1. The Russian Debutante's Handbook Gary Shteygart
2. The Best Thing that can happen to a Croissant Pablo Tusset
3. Post Office Charles Bukowski
4. She's Come Undone Wally Lamb
5. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
6. Replay - Ken Grimwood
7. The End of Mr Y - Scarlett Thomas
8. Fup - Jim Dodge
Read so far: 8
To Read: 0

Crime & Detectives
1. The Naming of the Dead Ian Rankin
2. The Big Blowdown George Pelecanos
3. Exit Music Ian Rankin
4. Darkly Dreaming Dexter Jeff Lindsay
5. The Shape of Water - Andrea Camillieri
6. The Return of the Dancing Master - Henning Mankell
7. King Suckerman - George Pelecanos
8 Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
Read so far: 8
To Read: 0

As seen on Screen (books with films or television series)
1. Hideous Kinky - Esther Freud (overlapping two categories)
2. The Graduate - Charles Webb (overlapping two categories)
3 Darkly Dreaming Dexter Jeff Lindsay (overlapping two categories)
4. 84 Charing Cross Road - Helen Hanff
5. Last Orders - Graham Swift
6. Choke - Chuck Palahnuik (overlap)
7. Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay (overlap)
8. Hallam Foe - Peter Jinks
Read so far: 8
To read: 0

Prize Winners and Nominees
1. The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch, Booker Prize Winner 1978
2. The Restraint of Beasts - Magnus Mills, Booker Nominee
3. Last Orders - Graham Swift, Boooker Prize Winner (overlap)
4. The Sea - John Banville, Booker Prize Winner 2005
5. The Gathering - Anne Enright, Booker Prize Winner
Read so far: 5
To read 3

Book Club reads
1. Uncommon Reader Alan Bennett
2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - Jon McGregor
3. The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch (overlapping two categories)
4. City of God - E L Doctorow (overlap)
5. Book of Things Lost - John Connolly
Read so far: 5
To read: 3

Books by authors whose other books I've enjoyed
1 Glyph Percival Everett
2. So Many Ways to Begin - Jon McGregor
3. A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
4. All Families of Psychotic - Douglas Coupland
Read so far: 4
To read: 4

"The Gathering" by Anne Enright

"The Gathering" by Anne Enright won the Man Booker Prize in 2007.

My second Booker Prize winner in a week, and this one again left me indifferent. I really couldn’t see what all fuss was about. Admittedly I haven’t read anything else on the long or shortlist for 2007, but surely something better could have been found?

Veronica’s brother commits suicide, he had become a drunk, but the root cause of his problems may have been being abused as a child, by a man deemed to be in love with their grandmother. She is bringing his body back from Brighton to Ireland for a funeral with the rest of the family. Gradually details are revealed about the abuse, about death and ultimately about his life.

My problems with this book are ones which individually would not be such an issue, but collected together made it hard to really involve myself with the book. Firstly I did not warm to the narrator at all, but added to that I don’t feel that any of the other characters felt real enough. I struggled to remember which of the brothers and sisters were which, and who was dead and who was alive. It was mentioned that the brother who’d committed suicide was charming but nothing in the anecdotes about him revealed him as such.

The idea of a family coming together at a funeral is a well-worn path and I’m certain it has been done better than this many times before.

"The Sea" by John Banville

"The Sea" by John Banville won the Man Booker Prize in 2005.

Writers love using The Sea as a metaphor, a symbol and location. This isn’t even the first Booker Prize winner with the words “The Sea” in its title, (“The Sea, The Sea” by Iris Murdoch having also won this award).

Having lost his wife to cancer, the main character, an art critic, retreats to the seaside resort where he spent childhood summers. The book jumps between his recollection of these holidays and his wife’s illness. Nothing actually happens in the course of the novel. At one point he mentions what an eventful day a certain day had been, but it isn’t anything particularly dramatic. There is what I take to be a slight twist in the tale towards the end, but I’m not sure if perhaps I’d skimmed over some vital information earlier.

Despite the lack of action, it is not to say that I disliked this book. Compared to “Saturday” by Ian McEwan (which was long-listed for the same prize in the same year), another book where the reader is forced to spend a lot of time in the mind of a self-absorbed male, I found this one much more engaging. I don’t know whether I’d go so far as to actively seek out another book by John Banville, but the prospect wouldn’t send me screaming from the room.

A Note on the Type: "City of God" by E L Doctorow

This book was set in Galliart, a typeface designed by Matthew Carter for the Merganthaler Linotype Company in 1978. Galliard is based on the sixteenth-century typefaces of Robert Granjon.

Random House, First Edition.

50 Book Challenge: Late September

1. The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett
2. The Naming of the Dead - Ian Rankin
3. Glyph - Percival Everett
4. The Big Blowdown - George P Pelecanos
5. Post Office - Charles Bukowski
6. She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb
7. Hideous Kinky - Esther Freund
8. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
9. Film Club - David Gilmour
10. The Graduate - Charles Webb
11. The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch
12. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - Jon McGregor
13. Exit Music - Ian Rankin
14. Restraint of Beasts - Magnus Mills
15. So Many Ways to Begin - Jon McGregor
16. Replay - Ken Grimwood
17. Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
18. Elephants on Acid - Alex Boese
19. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
20. The End of Mr Y - Scarlett Thomas
21. Saturday - Ian McEwan
22. Fup - Jim Dodge
23. The Shape of Water - Andrea Camilleri
24. Stuart A Life Backwards - Alexander Masters
25. A Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
26. Return of the Dancing Master - Henning Mankell
27. 84 Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff
28. All My Friends are Superheroes - Andy Kaufman
29. Last Orders - Graham Swift
30. King Suckerman - George P Pelecanos
31. All Families are Psychotic - Douglas Coupland
32. Choke - Chuck Palahniuk
33. Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
34. City of God - E L Doctrow
35. Drop City - T C Boyle
36. The Sea - John Banville
37. Naive Super - Erland Loe
38. The Gathering - Ann Enright


38 down, 12 to go.

888 Challenge: Mid September

I've now completed two categories, although the second Crime & Detectives has a couple of overlaps so I may come back to this category to get rid of the overlaps later.

1001 Books to Read Before You Die
1. Hideous Kinky - Esther Freud
2. The Graduate - Charles Webb
3. Saturday - Ian McEwan
4. Choke - Chuck Palahunik
5 . City of God - E. L. Doctorow
6. Drop City - T C Boyle
Read so far: 6
To Read: 2


Non-fiction
1. The Hypocrisy of Disco Clane Hayward (memoir about growing up in seventies communes
2. Pies and Prejudice Stuart Maconie (journey around the north of England)
3. The White Album Joan Didion (essays and articles)
4. The Film Club David Gilmour (film history mixed with father/son relationship)
5. Elephants on Acid Alex Boese (weird experiments)
6. Stuart a Life Backwards Alexander Masters (biography of a homeless man)
7 A Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion (memoir about grief)
Read so far: 7
To Read: 1

Fiction authors that are new to me
1. The Russian Debutante's Handbook Gary Shteygart
2. The Best Thing that can happen to a Croissant Pablo Tusset
3. Post Office Charles Bukowski
4. She's Come Undone Wally Lamb
5. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
6. Replay - Ken Grimwood
7. The End of Mr Y - Scarlett Thomas
8. Fup - Jim Dodge
Read so far: 8
To Read: 0

Crime & Detectives
1. The Naming of the Dead Ian Rankin
2. The Big Blowdown George Pelecanos
3. Exit Music Ian Rankin
4. Darkly Dreaming Dexter Jeff Lindsay
5. The Shape of Water - Andrea Camillieri
6. The Return of the Dancing Master - Henning Mankell
7. King Suckerman - George Pelecanos
8 Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
Read so far: 8
To Read: 0

As seen on Screen (books with films or television series)
1. Hideous Kinky - Esther Freud (overlapping two categories)
2. The Graduate - Charles Webb (overlapping two categories)
3 Darkly Dreaming Dexter Jeff Lindsay (overlapping two categories)
4. 84 Charing Cross Road - Helen Hanff
5. Last Orders - Graham Swift
6. Choke - Chuck Palahnuik (overlap)
7. Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay (overlap))
Read so far: 7
To read: 1

Prize Winners and Nominees
1. The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch, Booker Prize Winner 1978
2. The Restraint of Beasts - Magnus Mills, Booker Nominee
3. Last Orders - Graham Swift, Boooker Prize Winner (overlap)
Read so far: 3
To read 5

Book Club reads
1. Uncommon Reader Alan Bennett
2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - Jon McGregor
3. The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch (overlapping two categories)
4. City of God - E L Doctorow (overlap)
Read so far: 4
To read: 4

Books by authors whose other books I've enjoyed
1 Glyph Percival Everett
2. So Many Ways to Begin - Jon McGregor
3. A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
4. All Families of Psychotic - Douglas Coupland
Read so far: 4
To read: 4

"Last Orders" by Graham Swift

"Last Orders" by Graham Swift won the Booker Prize in 1996.

I saw the film version of Last Orders years ago at a screening at the London Film Festival and enjoyed it, so when I was looking for prize winning books to read, I thought this would be a good one to read.

Sometimes books written from multiple perspectives can be difficult to follow or at least disjointed, but this one pulled it off well. It helped, of course, that each chapter was headed with the name of the person, so you didn’t have to spend a paragraph trying to work that out!

The story involves a journey from London to Margate to scatter the ashes of Jack, a butcher. The group involved in this seemingly easy mission are his old friend Ray who he meet in the war, Vic the undertaker, former boxer Lenny and Jack’s adopted son, Vince with whom he’d had a difficult relationship. Jack’s widow Amy doesn’t join them on the journey but her perspective is also given.

It did start slowly, even for someone who already knew the basic premise from the film, but after not too long I was gripped and felt empathy for the characters and a real sadness for the wasted opportunities in their lives. In comparison with the film, as is often the case, the book is much bleaker – there is no obvious happy ending here, and despite scattering the ashes, they don’t automatically achieve resolution.

Highly recommended.

Decades Challenge

The Rules:

1. Read a minimum of 8 books in 8 consecutive decades in ‘08.
2. Books published in the 2000’s do not count.
3. Titles may be cross-posted with any other challenge.
4. You may change your list at any time.

As not much of 2008 remains, I'm going to make it as easy as possible so I'm taking the 8 most recent eligible decades and including the books I've already read this year as the challenge was supposed to begin at the start of 2008. I've already completed the four most recent decades, so just the early four to go.

1990s: Last Orders by Graham Swift (1996)
1980s: Replay by Ken Grimwood (1986)
1970s: The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch (1978)
1960s: The Graduate by Charles Webb (1963)
1950s: to read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway (1952)
1940s: to read The Outsider by Albert Camus (1942)
1930s: to read The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet (1930)
1920s: to read Steppenwold by Herman Hesse (1927)

"Stuart: A Life Backwards" by Alexander Masters

"Stuart: A Life Backwards" by Alexander Masters was the winner of The Guardian First Book Award in 2005.

It is the true story of a erractic, ex-addict, ex-homeless man, Stuart Shorter, told by Alexander Masters.

As the title suggests, the tale is told in reverse, starting with Stuart in his sorry state in his 30s and working backwards to his childhood, with Masters attempting to piece together where it all went wrong. It isn't strictly told backwards as there are passages throughout the book from the latter part of his life surrounding his relationship with the author and the process of writing the book.

It is certainly a worthy subject, but I was left rather disappointed by the book itself, having read the lavish praise heaped upon it by various reviewers. My main problem with it was that there is a lot of Masters in there, and frankly I didn't like him. I found him rather irritating. I found it rather patronising to the subject that he thinks it is astonishing that he was found this homeless man with a personality and wants to share his story with the world. If Stuart was remarkable, then Masters fails to do him justice in this book.

His story is a tragic one (the issue of his childhood abuse was handled well) and there were moments of humour in there (the farcical nature of the British justice system raised a wry smile) but it didn't deliver the emotions promised by the cover reviews.

Book Award Challenge

I thought I'd sign up to the Book Award Challenge too.

Rules:

• Read 10 award winners from August 1, 2008 through June 1, 2009.
• You must have at least FIVE different awards in your ten titles.
• Overlaps with other challenges are permitted.
• You don't have to post your choices right away, and your list can change at any time.
• 'Award winners' is loosely defined; make the challenge fit your needs, keeping in mind Rule #2.
  

This does overlap with my 888 challenge but is over a different timescale.

I'm already doing Prize Wiinners and Nominees as part of the 888 challenge, but so far that is dominated by the Booker prize and having nominees in there makes it easier.

It will definitely include the Man Booker Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and The Guardian First Book Award. It will perhaps also included the Crime Writers Association "Daggers" awards and the Orange Prize.

I'm not sure I can face the Bad Sex in Fiction Award winners, but I am drawn to the "Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year" although I'm not so sure how easy these books will be to obtain (and I would definitely sound silly asking for them).