888 Challenge: End of October

Just two books to read to complete the challenge with the allow overlaps, then a few more to rid myself of the overlaps.



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

Read so far: 8
To Read: 2 overlaps


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)

8. My Life at Grey Gardens - Lois Wright (memoir)
Read so far: 8
To Read: 0

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. The Shape of Water - Andrea Camillieri
5. The Return of the Dancing Master - Henning Mankell
6. King Suckerman - George Pelecanos
7. Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay (overlap)
8. The Sweet Forever - George Pelecanos
Read so far: 8

To Read - 1 overlap


As seen on Screen (books with films or television series)
1. The Graduate - Charles Webb (overlap)
2 Darkly Dreaming Dexter Jeff Lindsay
3. 84 Charing Cross Road - Helen Hanff
4. Choke - Chuck Palahnuik (overlap)
5. Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
6. Hallam Foe - Peter Jinks

7. Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
8. The Last King of Scotland - Giles Foden

Read so far: 8

To Read: 2 overlaps


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

6. Boy A - Jonathan Trigell

7. Whatever - Michel Houellebecq

8. Shipping News - Annie Proulx
Read so far: 8

To Read - 1 overlaps



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

6. Norwegian Wood - Hanuki Murakami
Read so far: 6
To read: 2



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

5. The Third Brother - Nick McDonell

6. Three to See a King - Magnus Mills

7. The Body - Hanif Kureishi

8. Tortilla Curtain - T C Boyle
Read so far: 8
To read: 0

Book Award Challenge: Update

1. Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Master - Guardian First Book Award 2005
2. Last Orders by Graham Swift - Booker Prize 1996
3. The Sea by John Banville - Man Booker Prize 2005
4. The Gathering by Anne Enright - Man Booker Prize 2007
5. Boy A by Jonathan Trigell - John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2004
6. Shipping News - Annie Proulx - Pulitzer Prize
7. Whatever - Michel Houellebecq - Impac Prize

Books read - 7 out of 10
Awards covered - 5 different awards

50 Book Challenge - Late October

That didn't turn out to be too difficult at all as I got my reading mojo back in style.

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
39. Hallam Foe - Peter Jinks
40. Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
41. The Outsider - Albert Camus
42. The Third Man and the Fallen Idol - Graham Greene
43. The Third Brother - Nick McDonell
44. The Sweet Forever - George P Pelecanos
45. Three to See the King - Magnus Mills
46. The Body - Hanif Kureishi
47. Boy A - Jonathan Trigell
48. Whatever - Michel Houellebecq
49. Norwegian Wood - Hanuki Murakami
50. The Tortilla Curtain - T C Boyle


50 read. Challenge completed!

“Boy A” by Jonathan Trigell

“Boy A” by Jonathan Trigell won the 2004 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.

The subject matter of this book does not make for comfortable reading. Two boys are found guilty of murdering another child and become national hate figures. The child known in the court case as Boy A serves the sentence given to him and is released from prison with a new identity.

The book jumps between the present day as Jack (as he is now known) tries to cope with the outside world and the past, his time in various institutions, his family life and finally his crime. We are also given brief glimpses of other people’s perspectives on the events; including his father, his case-worker, his psychologist and his former friend Boy B.

The characters and their actions do not inhabit a black and white world. I did find present day Jack a bit too good to be true at time and the good deeds he was able to do a bit unbelievable, but at least the author didn’t offer easy excuses for his past. The conclusion of the book had an awful inevitability about it, but I was still quite surprised at how it came about.

Given its topic, its not something that you could describe as an enjoyable read but it was brave enough to tackle a difficult subject.