Palimplists 2006

Wavid's Reading List for 2006

Key: Red = Better Even than 5 Stars, Blue = Stalled (but not necessarily abandoned for good), Purple = Abandoned for ever.

11. The Prone Gunman - Jean-Patrick Manchette
10. He Died With His Eyes Open - Derek Raymond
9. The Damned United - David Peace
8. Four Stories - Alan Bennett
7. The Complete Talking Heads - Alan Bennett
6. Writing Home - Alan Bennett
5. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
4. Port Mungo - Patrick O'Brian
3. Newton (Brief Lives) - Peter Ackroyd
-. Virtual Light - William Gibson (abandoned)
2. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro (carried forward from 2005)
1. The Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton (carried forward from 2005)

The 2006 ChilliCheese List

5. Moby Dick - Herman Melville.
4. A Room Of One's Own - Virginia Woolf.
3. Mission Of Gravity - Hal Clement.
2. Small Island - Andrea Levy.
1. Pot Luck - Emile Zola.


Red All time top ten
universal
stellar
earthly
homely
rubbish
let's hope I never have to use this

Col's Reading List 2006: usual system and red, if it's the very best ever!
And including books for the over 11's in case anyone is interested in these

108. The Homeward Bounders - Diana Wynne Jones Read to son Bloody good and sad.
107. Down the Garden Path - Beverley Nichols Review here
106. Power of Three - Diana Wynne Jones ½.
105. Stardust - Neil Gaiman Good ideas but not enough story or elaboration.
104. Eight Days of Luke - Diana Wynne Jones ½. (Read to son) Elegant, short, witty and percipient; and Luke as beguiling as ever.
103. Four Stories - Alan Bennett ¾
102. The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins ½. Review here
101. The Water Babies - Charles Kingsley
100. A Darkling Plain - Philip Reeve ½. Review here
99. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon I could see it was meant to be significant and moving but it wasn't at all to me.
98. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte Still astonishing
97. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
96. Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War - Clive Barker (read to son) Roll on Absolute Midnight next Sept and a return of Carrion.
95. The Pinhoe Egg - Diana Wynne Jones Shades of the warring Montanas & Petrocchis in the Pinhoe/Farleigh feud; Cat growing up; Chrestomanci disdainful but humanly vulnerable. And a griffin!
94. Lifelines - Steven Rose
93. The Printer's Devil - Paul Bajoria Predictable and tedious.
92. Tersias - GP Taylor Dire - review here
91. The Chocolate War - Robert Cormier Review to follow
90. Fire & Hemlock - Diana Wynne Jones (read to daughter) I think I get it now (apart from why the car-horse that Tom summoned, was the thing that defeated Morton Leroy)
89. Empty World - John Christopher
88. The Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw
87. At the Back of the North Wind - George MacDonald . More solid inspiration for CS Lewis, and Jostein Gaarder - but a bit wet.
86. To Serve Them All My Days - RF Delderfield
85. Apex® Hides the Hurt - Colson Whitehead Review here
84. The Girl in a Swing - Richard Adams ¾ Weird or what! A period feel and setting and dread at what the answer to the puzzle is. Rather irritated at the narrator though. Review here.
83. Airbreaker - Kenneth Oppel Okay in parts, a cerain Alien-esque creepiness but also an appallingly irritating hero (insecure, childishly jealous) and bits that sound awfully like Willard Price's Underwater Adventure translated to aeronautical shenanigans. Seriously. I'm going to look them up.
82. The White Darkness - Geraldine McCaughrean ½.
81. The Information - Martin Amis
80. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett ½. Read to daughter.
79. Oryx & Crake - Margaret Atwood
78. Airborn - Kenneth Oppel
77. The New Policeman - Kate Thompson
76. Forever X - Geraldine McCaughrean
75. An Artist of the Floating World Kazuo Ishiguro ½.
74. Young Hearts Crying - Richard Yates
73. Framed - Frank Cottrell Boyce
72. Everyman - Philip Roth
71. I, Coriander - Sally Gardner
70. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
69. The Little White Horse - Elizabeth Goudge
68. This Boy's Life - Tobias Wolff ½.
67. Valiant - Holly Black ½.
66. Frangipani - Celestine Vaite ½.
65. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood Very good.
64. Tanglewreck - Jeanette Winterson ½. Uneven but spot-on in parts. An embarrassment of riches stuffed into a story that won't accommodate them all.
63. The Final Solution - Michael Chabon Holmesian novella - too vague in parts and overdone imagery. I'm not sure I get the ending (though I have an opinion of what it's about, I am unsure that it's what is intended by the author).
62. When Did You Last See Your Father? - Blake Morrison ½. Too self-exploring and sentimental in places but otherwise, a staggering account. Many facets of my dad here too.
61. Tamar - Mal Peet. Great build-up but foreshortened end, and not as emotionally intriguing as Chambers' Postcards.... Review here
60. Jesse Jameson and the Stonehenge of Spelfindial - Sean Wright Review here
59. A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett (read to daughter) Moving story.
58. The Lost Princess - George MacDonald A reminder that children have the same behaviour problems that they always did. A curious and puzzling ending.
57. The House of Sleep - Jonathan Coe Very good and intricately woven.
56. Wolf Star Rise - Tanith Lee ½. A very good sequel - prob. more appealing to girls.
55. Lilith - George MacDonald ½. Review here and posts following.
54. The Law of the Wolf Tower - Tanith Lee - ½. Interesting fantasy series (reading the second book right now).
53. Clay - David Almond.
52. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote Wonderful writing but can't cope with Holly. The other short stories were excellent.
51. The Road of Bones - Anne Fine. A superb intro to Stalinist purges or any repressive political system and how one must compromise oneself ethically in order to survive. Yuri's slide into dictatorial leadership himself coems a little too quickly in the last chapters of the book.
50. Voyager - Jan Mark. Sequel to Riding Tycho and the last of her 'new' books I'll ever get to read. There was clearly so much more to be written.
49. Turbulence - Jan Mark Mark's death made this v. poignant for me. Emotional intelligence for intelligent teens.
48. The Electric Telepath - Jan Mark ½. Very like Something in the Air, intricate but not as fascinating as her sci-fi stuff.
47. Time's Arrow - Martin Amis Excellent stuff if brain-boggling.
46. The Sword of the Spirits - John Christopher End of a fantastic trilogy and Luke is still proud, awkward and ignorant of women, movingly flawed and rapidly turning into recognisably modern man, setting mortars and Sten guns on Winchester. Deposed as Prince in favour of a democratic Council, he exiles himself to Klan Gothlen as adopted heir of King Cymru, where the march of progress is hurrying out medievalism and ushering in trains and universities.
45. Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood ½. Fabulous; fades towards the end but utterly identifiable experiences and understandings of her self.
44. The Ghost Garden - Hila Feil. 30 yrs later and I still recalled so much of it. A superb story for 10/11 yr olds, of growing-up, life and death and what might lie beyond, set in the hazy hot summer, mid-70's, in a little town at the tip of Cape Cod, where Jessica is sent to live at her aunt's hippy commune while her mother goes to seek enlightenment with a cult leader in Arizona.
43. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (read to son)
42. The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene See here
41. Beyond the Burning Lands - John Christopher Luke continues, proud, racist, sexist, self-righteous until he meets the Welsh and their princess Blodwen and begins to shift his opinions. I don't think it will be enough to save him.
40. Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones. [read to daughter] Really it excels itself every time in complexity and cuteness.
39. Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow - Peter Hoeg. ½. Well- written with good insights, but confuzzling and too much qaniq or Quaanaarq.
38. HP & the Chamber of Secrets - JKR. ½. (read to daughter) Hiding in cupboards? Shoving an unwitting teacher into a life-threatening situation? Not impressed.
37. Montmorency on the Rocks - Eleanor Updale. Less Montmorency in this, but a book that mentions the Home Secretary with a lady of the night, or exotic gents who buy ladies' shoes, and handles drug dependency in its first few pages, is a mid C19th winner.
36. The Prince in Waiting - John Christopher You don't get books like this nowadays. Luke is alienated and gradually orphaned, 'good at hating' and keen to win approval, but only from those he approves. A desperately flawed central character, yet mature too, and yards away from HP's stupidities.
35. HP & the HBP - JKR - . Read to son Physically gagged when Tonks held Lupin's hand this time...
34. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates ½. Stunning writing - Gatsby-esque amongst others - but without that shining thread of life that would 'five star' it.
33. I Am David - Anne Holm. A children's classic; helped to escape from a communist concentration camp, David puts his understanding of life, freedom and value of his identity into context as he journeys to Dennmark, with a moving spiritual journey too.
32. The Colour - Rose Tremain ½.Unremittingly grim and too much Maori dreaming but still good.
31. A Gathering Light - Jennifer Donnelly. ½. I am cross with this book and unimpressed.
30. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro ½. *Have now given* it an extra half *, which has come on long reflection about enjoyment and meaning.
29. The Princess and Curdie - George MacDonald ¾. Better than the first book; a clear forerunner of Prince Caspian.
28. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
27. The Magicians of Caprona - Diana Wynne Jones Read to son.
26. Fire and Hemlock - Diana Wynne Jones [/b] - ½. Read to daughter
25. Charmed Life - Diana Wynne Jones ½. Read to daughter.
24. Infernal Devices - Philip Reeve ¾. Review here
23. Murder in the Cathedral - TS Eliot ½. Obviously 'good' but not my cup of tea.
22. The People's Act of Love - James Meek. ¾ *not* quite a suitable Valentine's gift...
21. Montmorency - Eleanor Updale. Fun Victorian crime by Mrs Naughtie.
20. Saturday - Ian McEwan. See here
19. The Easter Parade - Richard Yates ½. Vague and irritating.
18. The Stories of Tobias Wolff - Tobias Wolff . Disappointingly grim but well-written.
17. The Lying Stones of Marrakech - Stephen Jay Gould Great popular science.
16. The Dew Breaker - Edwidge Danticat . Strangely unimpressed by this after all.
15. The People of Sparks - Jeanne Du Prau. Sequel but annoying.
14. Sanctuary - William Faulkner. Turned out to be good after all, albeit rambling and abstruse in parts.
13. A Tale of Time City - Diana Wynne Jones ½. Too confusing by far and unengaging characters.
12. The Discovery of Heaven - Harry Mulisch ½. What discovery of heaven? It lost its way in the last chapters after a fascinating gathering of evidence for a theory of everything.
11. In a Glass, Darkly - Jostein Gaarder
10. Virtual Light - William Gibson
9. Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones ½.
8. Lighthousekeeping - Jeanette Winterson. ½. Light but profound; the ending scenes lose that sense.
7. Coram Boy - Jamila Gavin ½. Uncomfortable scenes of the depri/aved lives of mid C18th folk.
6. The Grotesque - Patrick McGrath.
5. Doubs and Loves - Richard Holloway. ½. At last. Very good; weaker and more repetitive toward the end, and as if a lot of theologians aren't already putting some of this theology out there too.
4. Blood Fever - Charlie Higson. . Very weak sequel to the first Young Bond. Not worthy of over-12's, other than some of the violence.
3. The City of Ember - Jeanne du Prau. . Too easy to escape, too predictable but better written and conceived than the Horowitz.
2. Raven's Gate - Anthony Horowitz. ½. Unworthy writing really and patronising to Yorkshire. The dead hand of cliche on things done better by Garner and others.
1. The Making of Memory - Steven Rose. ½. Chicks, beads, theatres, reductionism, proteins, glyco-something, and it all makes sense and is holistic and not mechanistic. Go Rose!

Digger's books in 2006 (may it grow faster than last years!)

29. Bleak House - Dickens Hooray! There's a review too.
28. Heart of Darkness - COnrad I have finally finished a work by Conrad! Good, liked it, although I think writing is far far more flowing now than it was then.
27. Congo - Michael Chriton Blah lunch time reading, nothing special at all and certainly not up to Jurassic Park.
26. Spoiler - Amanda Prantera -good, I liked the confusion felt by Adam but thought that actually the shrink element was probably unnecessary
24 and 25. The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers - Tolkein I like them, i skip bits - particularly Ent songs, but they're the starting point for so much and for lunch time escapism, perfect.
23. Prodigal Summer - Barbarah Kingsolver Loved it.Review here
22. The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood - I liked this, found it went very quick but that it also ended to quickly. I still can't quite make up my mind about Atwood
21. The Quantity Theory of Insanity - Will Self CURRENT but taking a break
20. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates Excellent, just excellent. I am still pondering on my comments to be added to whichever thread... Very good.
19. Seigfried - Harry Mulische As Col found with The Discovery of Heaven great beginnings, lame ending where he spiraled off into erudite fuzz with the story left behind the cloud of philosophical meanderings
18. Oranges are not the only fruit - Jeanette Winterson Really liked this little book, uncomplicated but with some deep themes running through it, some of the christian bits reminded me of The Poisonwood Bible
17. Q - Luther Blisset Too confusing it jumped around with no real markers for new locations or times, which could sometimes only be 6 months or so difference
16. The Unburied - David Paliser This was my BDO Oxford swap with amner, great choice, read it solidly over Thurs and Fri and although I'm still not entirely sure who did it, I loved the bookish tone and the close setting thanks a.
15. Black Swan Green - David Mitchell I loved this, more perhaps than Cloud Atlas! A year in the life of a 13 year old, who'd of thought that would keep me so occupied!
14. The Lambs of London - Ackroyd
13. The Sign of Four - Doyle still not the Hound and lacking the punch that the shorts have. Is it cheating to be listing the four novels as seperate books?
12. Lord Jim - Joseph Conrad abandoned for the moment, sighSo far, a better introduction to Conrad than The Secret Agent beautiful character descriptions.
11. On the Black Hill - Bruce Chatwin Beautiful book, is similar to Cider with Rosie.
10. My Life in CIA - Harry Mathews I loved my WBD recommendation from RG, its only downside though was it seemed to end very rapidly. Otherwise great though.
9. The Three-Arched Bridge - Ismael Kadere I liked this, espescially the simplicity, but it just didn't go anywhere. Thought there were going to be bigger statements
8. The Brethren - John Grisham Tedious rainy day purchase, seemed to repeat an inordinant number of phrases and stock situations
7. The Magic Mountain - Thomas Mann Suspended in favour of reads that move faster than a ponderous German snail.
6. A Study in Scarlet - Doyle went slow cos of all those fascinating annotations!
5. The Knife of Dreams - Robert Jordan I am determined to plough through this series to its bitter end, even if I'm 80 by the time Jordan finishes it! That said, this one was a return to form, back to the excellent book 5 I'd say. The intervening ones 5-10 were getting seriously tedious!
4. The Optimists - Andrew Miller - -
3. Virtual Light - William Gibson - .
2. Where I lived and What I lived for - Henry David Thoreau left at parents house!
1. Ghostwritten - David Mitchell

John Self's Reading List 2006

164. The Road, Cormac McCarthy (current)
163. Constitutional, Helen Simpson
162. The Act of Roger Murgatroyd, Gilbert Adair
161. Everyman, Philip Roth
160. A Winter Book, Tove Jansson
159. Love Under Jaarfindor Spires, Sean Wright
158. My Loft Life, Marlen Haushofer
157. The Facts of Winter, Paul Poissel/Paul La Farge
156. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Yiyun Li
---. The Door, Magda Szabo (closed)
155. The Legend of the Holy Drinker, Joseph Roth
154. The Truth (with Jokes), Al Franken
153. Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis
152. Three to See the King, Magnus Mills (R)
151. Here They Come, Yannick Murphy
150. The Woman in the Dunes, Kobo Abe
149. Notes from Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky
148. In Pharaoh's Army, Tobias Wolff (R)
147. What a Carve Up!, Jonathan Coe (R)
146. The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West
145. Martha Peake, Patrick McGrath (R)
144. Winterwood, Patrick McCabe
143. The Dead School, Patrick McCabe
142. Strangers on a Train, Patricia Highsmith
141. Monsignor Quixote, Graham Greene (R)
140. Best and Edwards, Gordon Burn
139. Signals of Distress, Jim Crace (R)
138. The Story of the Night, Colm TóibÃ*n (R)
137. Things Can Only Get Better, John O'Farrell (R)
136. Mother's Milk, Edward St Aubyn (R)
135. The Debt to Pleasure, John Lanchester (R)
134. World of Wonders, Robertson Davies
133. Those Who Walk Away, Patricia Highsmith
132. American Pastoral, Philip Roth
131. The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins
130. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike
129. House of Meetings, Martin Amis
128. Green Water, Green Sky, Mavis Gallant
127. Life & Times of Michael K, J.M. Coetzee
126. Miss Lonelyhearts / A Cool Million, Nathanael West,
125. The Pyramid, William Golding
124. The Book of Daniel, E.L. Doctorow
123. The Moon is Down, John Steinbeck
---. How Far Can You Go?, David Lodge (not very far, as it turns out, second time trying)
122. Mulliner Nights, P.G. Wodehouse
121. The Doctor's Wife, Brian Moore
120. Ripley Under Water, Patricia Highsmith
119. The Valley of Fear, Arthur Conan Doyle
---. The Poorhouse Fair, John Updike (abandoned: if only Updike had done the same)
118. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K Dick
---. Kalooki Nights, Howard Jacobson (abandoned, and I'm his biggest fan on here!)
117. The Night Watch, Sarah Waters
116. The Statement, Brian Moore
115. Black Robe, Brian Moore
114. The Wars, Timothy Findley
113. The Lady in the Lake, Raymond Chandler
112. The Blunderer, Patricia Highsmith
111. Candide, Voltaire (R)
110. Fair Stood the Wind for France, H.E. Bates
109. Brick Lane, Monica Ali
108. The Boy Who Followed Ripley, Patricia Highsmith
107. The Kingdom of Fanes, Amanda Prantera
---. Riddley Walker, Russell Hoban (wernt no gud)
106. The Inner Side of the Wind, Milorad Pavic
105. The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, Tennessee Williams (R)
104. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Mordecai Richler
103. Remainder, Tom McCarthy
---. Beyond Black, Hilary Mantel (lacked spirit)
102. Oleander, Jacaranda, Penelope Lively
101. A Special Providence, Richard Yates
100. The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, Evelyn Waugh
99. Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively
98. The Go-Between, L.P. Hartley
97. The Tremor of Forgery, Patricia Highsmith
96. The Fall, Albert Camus
95. The Mighty Walzer, Howard Jacobson
94. Requiem, Antonio Tabucchi (R)
93. The Commitments, Roddy Doyle
92. Jesse Jameson and the Stonehenge of Spelfindial, Sean Wright
91. A Village Affair, Joanna Trollope
90. Tanglewreck, Jeanette Winterson
89. As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner
88. My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell
87. Farewell, My Lovely, Raymond Chandler
86. Roger's Version, John Updike
85. Sabine, A.P. (Amanda Prantera)
84. This Sweet Sickness, Patricia Highsmith
83. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel GarcÃ*a Márquez
82. Reality and Dreams, Muriel Spark
81. Youngblood Hawke, Herman Wouk
--. The Moviegoer, Walker Percy (suspended pending investigation)
--. Sentimental Education, Gustave Flaubert (nah)
80. In Persuasion Nation, George Saunders
79. A Far Cry from Kensington, Muriel Spark
78. Buenas Noches Buenos Aires, Gilbert Adair
77. Rabbit is Rich, John Updike
76. The Accidental Tourist, Anne Tyler
75. The Long Good-Bye, Raymond Chandler
74. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick (R)
73. The Wall Jumper, Peter Schneider
72. Snow is Silent, BenjamÃ*n Prado
71. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (R)
70. Carol, Patricia Highsmith
--. Icelander, Dustin Long (abandoned: what's the matter with me?)
--. The Sportswriter, Richard Ford (R) (abandoned)
69. Modern Baptists, James Wilcox
68. Crossing to Safety, Wallace Stegner
67. The Heart of the Matter, Graham Greene (R)
66. Bullet Park, John Cheever
65. Bel-Ami, Guy de Maupassant (R)
64. Oh What a Paraside it Seems, John Cheever
63. Falconer, John Cheever
62. A Month in the Country, J.L. Carr
61. Seven Lies, James Lasdun
60. Letter to Lorenzo, Amanda Prantera
59. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder
58. Something Nasty in the Woodshed (the Mortdecai Trilogy), Kyril Bonfiglioli
57. Vertigo, W.G. Sebald
56. Deadeye Dick, Kurt Vonnegut
55. Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow
54. Over Seventy, P.G. Wodehouse
53. Wise Blood, Flannery O'Connor
52. Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates (R)
51. The Manticore, Robertson Davies
50. Small Crimes in an Age of Abundance, Matthew Kneale
49. The Cry of the Owl, Patricia Highsmith
48. Don Giovanna, Amanda Prantera
47. Lighthousekeeping, Jeanette Winterson (R)
46. To Serve Them All My Days, R.F. Delderfield
45. At Swim-Two-Birds, Flann O'Brien
44. Proto Zoe, Amanda Prantera
43. The Giro Playboy, Michael Smith
42. The Weight of Numbers, Simon Ings
41. Americana, Don DeLillo
40. Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth, Andrew Smith
39. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy
38. Complete Stories, Truman Capote
--. I Served the King of England, Bohumil Hrabal (abandoned)
--. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain (booooring)
37. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro (R)
36. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell
35. The Brotherhood of the Grape, John Fante
34. Stuart: A Life Backwards, Alexander Masters
33. Post Office, Charles Bukowski
32. Seeking Whom He May Devour, Fred Vargas
31. Ask the Dust, John Fante
--. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (ground into the dust underfoot)
30. Spoiler, Amanda Prantera
29. Badenheim 1939, Aharon Appelfeld
28. Marry Me, John Updike
27. The Long Valley, John Steinbeck
26. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
25. A Man Without a Country, Kurt Vonnegut
24. Ripley's Game, Patricia Highsmith
23. A Clue to the Exit, Edward St Aubyn
22. The Cabalist, Amanda Prantera
21. On the Edge, Edward St Aubyn
20. Strange Loop, Amanda Prantera
19. Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes, Patricia Highsmith
18. The Pearl, John Steinbeck
--. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (abandoned)
17. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle
16. Mother's Milk, Edward St Aubyn
15. Havoc, in its Third Year, Ronan Bennett
14. Edith's Diary, Patricia Highsmith
13. Some Hope, Edward St. Aubyn
12. The Abbess of Crewe, Muriel Spark
11. Bad News, Edward St. Aubyn
10. Not to Disturb, Muriel Spark
9. The Lover, Marguerite Duras
8. The Public Image, Muriel Spark
7. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland
6. Robinson, Muriel Spark
5. Zoe Trope, Amanda Prantera
4. The Comforters, Muriel Spark
3. The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
2. Jarhead, Anthony Swofford
1. Sword of Honour, Evelyn Waugh

Red unbetterable
wondrous
impressive
enjoyable
mediocre
terrible
unspeakable

Jerkass's Pathetic Reading List 2006

7. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe [current reading]
6. The Master, Colm Toibin
5. Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami
4. The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger
3. Spring Flowers, Spring Frost, Ismail Kadare
2. Snow, Orhan Pamuk
1. Little Dorritt, Charles Dickens

43. Toni Morrison - Love
42. Srđan Valjarević - Komo
41. R. Dawkins - The God Delusion
40. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun (translating)
39. H. Murakami - The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
38. I. B. Singer - Short Friday
37. John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany
36. Marina Lewycka - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
35. Joanne Harris - Chocolat -
34. Robert Harris - Fatherland -
33. K. Ishiguro - The Remains of the Day (R) -
32. Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
31. Jeanette Winterson - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
30. Isabel Allende - The House of the Spirits
29. Stephen King - Pet Sematary
27. I. B. Singer - Enemies, a Love Story
26. J. Updike - Brazil
25. J. Joyce - Dubliners
24. G. Eugenides - Middlesex
23. G. G. Márquez - Of Love and Other Demons
22. Patrick Süskind - Das Parfum
21. A. C. Doyle - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
20. Angela Carter - Shadow Dance
19. Stephen King - Bag of Bones
18. A.S. Byatt - Angels and Insects
17. E.M. Forster - The Collected Tales (it's really difficult to judge these collections; a few stories are little gems, but most of them are obvious throwaways)
16. Martin Amis - Heavy Water and Other Stories
15. Kurt Vonnegut - Hocus Pocus
14. A. P. Chekhov - Five Plays
13. Ian MacDonald - Revolution in the Head (although it really deserves ; the book is very well written - I just personally didn't agree with many of his critical observations)
12. Chuck Palahniuk - Diary
11. Douglas Coupland - Girlfriend in a Coma
10. Martin Amis - Time's Arrow
9. Kazuo Ishiguro - The Unconsoled
8. Margaret Atwood - The Robber Bride
-. James Joyce - Ulysses (abandoned)
7. Martin Amis - Night Train
6. Sarah Waters - The Night Watch
5. Toni Morrison - Beloved
4. Amy Tan - The Joy Luck Club
3. C. Palahniuk - Choke
2. B. E. Ellis - American Psycho
1. Hari Kunzru - Transmission




- outstanding
- excellent
- very good
- good but not special
- bad but for a few redeeming details
- speaks for itself (graphically!)

E - read in English
P- read in Polish
(r) - reread



27. Fado, Andrzej Stasiuk P
--. A Short Story of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson P - stalled
--. God's Playground, v. I, Norman Davies P (r) - stalled
26. Strangers on a Train, Patricia Highsmith E
25. Anna In w grobowcach świata (Anna In in the Tombs of the World), Olga Tokarczuk P -
24. Evil Water, Ian Watson E - 1/2
25. Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami P - 1/2
24. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton E -
23. Your Lover Just Called, John Updike E - 1/2
--. The Unconsoled, Kazuo Ishiguro E - let's finally face it - STALLED
22. The Harmony Silk Factory, Tash Aw E
21. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip. K. Dick P (r)-
20. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving E -
19. Lilith, George Macdonald E - 1/2
--. Cin Ping Mej (Plum Bloom in the Golden Vase??), 16 C anonymous Chinese P - abandoned at p. 214
18. Porte de la paix céleste (Gate of Celestial Peace), Shan Sa P - 1/2
17. A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle E - 1/2
16. The Heart of the Matter, Graham Greene E -
15. Czego chcecie ode mnie, Wysokie Obcasy? (What Do You Want From Me, High Heels?), Kinga Dunin P - (collection of feminist essays)
--. The Alchemy of the Heavens, Ken Croswell P - abandoned (first forgotten, then recalled)
14. Przekroczyć próg nadziei (Crossing the Threshold of Hope), John Paul II P - not rated
13. Listy z Korsyki (Letters from Corsica), Konstanty Jeleński P - (collection of KJ's letters to Józef Czapski)
12. The New Testament and the People of God, N.T. Wright E - 1/2
11. Small Island, Andrea Levy, E -
10. A rebours, Joris-Karl Huysmans P (r) - 1/2
9. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald E -
8. The Colour of Blood, Brian Moore E -
7. deadkidsongs, Toby Litt E -
6. Pardonnez nos offenses (Forgive Us Our Trespasses), Romain Sardou P -
--. Virtual Light, William Gibson E - I'll go back to it one day, I'm quite sure about it
5. The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoevsky, P -
4. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro E -
3. Die eristische Dialektik, Arthur Schopenhauer P -
2. The Flanders Panel, Arturo Pérez-Reverte P -
1. The Ballad of the Sad Café, Carson McCullers E -

HP's 2006 Reading List

20. The Rachel Papers - Martin Amis (current)
19. The Winter of Discontent - John Steinbeck
18. Rabbit is Rich - John Updike twice over!
17. Mother's Milk - Edward St Aubyn
16. Who's Sorry Now - Howard Jacobson
15. The Talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith
14. Working Days - The Journals of the Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
13. The Exploration of the Colarado River and Its Canyons - John Wesley Powell and a half
12. A Spy in the House of Love - Anaïs Nin
11. The Secret Knowledge of Water - Craig Childs
10. Marry Me - John Updike
9. American Pastoral - Philip Roth
8. Everyman - Philip Roth
7. Asylum - Patrick McGrath
6. Blazing Fruit (selected poems 1967-1987) - Roger McGough
5. Open Your Mind - Michael Bentine
4. Close Range - Annie E Proulx and a half
3. Call it Experience - Erskine Caldwell and a half
2. Ulysses - James Joyce (Impossible to rate - infuriating and brilliant in equal measures.)
1. Cannery Row - John Steinbeck

See Reading List 2005

49. Nativity Poems by Joseph Brodsky
48. The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill
47. Justine or The Misfortunes of Virtue by the Marquis de Sade
46. The Messiah of Stockholm by Cynthia Ozick
45. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
44. Bouvard and Pécuchet by Gustave Flaubert
43. The Celts: Conquerors of Ancient Europe by Christiane Eluère
42. Against Gravity by Farnoosh Moshiri
41. Beyond the Edge of the Sea by Mauricio Obregón
40. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K Dick
39. Seven Lies by James Lasdun
38. Dan Leno & The Limehouse Golem by Peter Ackroyd
37. by Amin Maalouf
36. by Jamyang Norbu
35. Kalki by Gore Vidal
34. Clea (Alexandria quartet #4)
33. by Various, trans. Kenneth Rexroth
32. Mountolive (Alexandria quartet #3)
31. Balthazar (Alexandria quartet #2) by Lawrence Durrell
30.
29. The Girl with the Golden Eyes by Balzac
28. Pharos and Pharillon by E. M. Forster
27. (Alexandria quartet #1) by Lawrence Durrell
26. by Michael Grant
25. by Gay Talese
24. by Dubravka Ugresic
23. by Dubravka Ugresic
22. by Georges Simenon
21. by Various, ed. Malcolm Bradbury
20. by Sándor Márai
19. by Suetonius
18. by Pier Paolo Pasolini
17. by Djuna Barnes
16. The Meaning of Art by Herbert Read
15. by William Shaw
14. The Adventures of Goodnight & Loving by Leslie Thomas
13. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
12. by Edward P. Jones
11. by Stendhal
10. by Stanislaw Lem
9. by Guo Xiaolu
8. by Lemuel Johnson
7. by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
6. by Abram Tertz
5. by Ismail Kadare
4. by Atiq Rahimi
3. by Abe Fortas
2. by Rudyard Kipling
1. translated by John Balaban