Gilbert Adair: The Dreamers
Intense tale of sexual obsession in 1960s Paris. Relentless and wonderful.
Rachel Cusk: Arlington Park
Hmm. Jury is out. Stunning writer, but the misery was just a tad relentless.
Catherine O'Flynn: What Was Lost
Thought it was great. Funny and human and haunting.
Michael Leapman: The World for a Shilling: How the Great Exhibition of 1851 Shaped a Nation
I really enjoyed this. Highlights the impact that the Crystal Palace and its contents had on British society, and shows up where the Millennium Dome went wrong 150 years later.
Janice Allan: A Routledge Literary Sourcebook on Charles Dickens's "Bleak House"
A book about 'Bleak House' for uni... I can't say much more than that, really.
Alasdair Gray: Old Men in Love
My Read of 2007, by a long chalk.
Bizarre, Arabian Nights story of, as the title suggests, Old Men in Love. Stunningly written, and the illustrations are as good as ever.
Sam Jordison: Annus Horribilis: A Chronicle of Comic Mishaps
This is a fun little book which is excellent for irritating people with (by reading out random entries, even when they don't want you to). A reminder that someone, somewhere, is having a worse day than you.
Anne Enright: The Gathering
ABANDONED. Just couldn't engage with it. Gave up after 2 weeks of getting nowhere with it.
Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White
4 and a half actually. Fantastic, but Dickens *just* has the edge.
Warwick Collins: Gents
A little, understated gem.
- Harriet Martineau: Weal and Woe in Garveloch
A didactic novel read for uni on political economy of the 19th century, based on a hebridean island's fishing community.
Lytton Strachey: Eminent Victorians
Finally, the reading list is complete! Huzzah!
George Orwell: Animal Farm
Read in February. Have no idea how I got to 25 without reading it.
Derren Brown: Tricks of the Mind
Read in January.
Julia Briggs: Virginia Woolf: An Inner Life
Read in January. The best Woolf biog I've read so far.
Jonathan Franzen: The Corrections
Read in February.
Michael Slater: Charles Dickens (Very Interesting People)
Read this in April or May, just catching up with some books that have been missed off this list.
Maggie O'Farrell: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
I sort of wish I hadn't re-read it. I didn't like it as much this time round.
Richard Yates: The Easter Parade
Superb writing. Wonderful.
Nicola Barker: Darkmans
Wow. I now have to read everything else by her.
Stefan Collini: English Pasts : Essays in History And Culture
From the reading list, selected chapters thereof.
Matthew Sweet: Inventing the Victorians
It's a reading lister so non-rated. Bloody good though. Fascinating.
Asa Briggs: Victorian People: A Reassessment of Persons and Themes: 1851-67
I am now not going to rate uni reading. It seems wrong. But this was realy interesting, if typographically frustrating.
Nikita Lalwani: Gifted
Don't let the godawful cover put you off.
Marie Phillips: Gods Behaving Badly
Absolutely lives up to the hype -- cleverly put together and written deftly. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Heinrich Boll: The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (Vintage Classics)
The first few pages take a bit of determination, but it pays off.
Alasdair Gray: Poor Things
If possible would give this even more stars. A big personal favourite.
Patrick McGrath: Dr. Haggard's Disease
Beautifully written, modern gothic tale. Wonderful.
H.G. Wells: The Time Machine
Gosh, I really struggled with this. Just not my cup of tea. Still, the reading list said I had to, and I did.
Jonathan Franzen: How to Be Alone
Sometimes brilliant, sometimes just plain irritating.
J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I really want to give this 3 and a half stars. Better than the last couple in the series, and nicely tied up, but could have lost a few chapters.
Charlotte Mendelson: When We Were Bad
Loved it. Wry, funny, touching, accomplished novel.
Caroline Smailes: In Search of Adam
I know lots of people loved it, and I was really looking forward to it, but... sorry, I didn't love it. I feel so guilty!
Charles Dickens: Bleak House
Just sublime.
Sebastian Beaumont: Thirteen
Sebastian Beaumont is definitely one to watch.
Armistead Maupin: Michael Tolliver Lives
Very touching, with ever-vibrant characters. A one-sitting treat.
Margaret Atwood: The Tent
As much as I love Atwood, this wasn't a favourite.
Zoe Strachan: Negative Space
The narrator was just too irritating for me to stick it out. Disappointing.
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre (Penguin Illustrated Classics)
Jane Eyre is one of my all-time top 5 novels. The illustrations, however, are maddening.
Joyce Carol Oates: Rape: A Love Story
Deeply affecting - will stay with me for a long time.
Iain Banks: The Steep Approach to Garbadale
Nowhere near as awful as some of the reviews would have you believe. There was the odd section that seemed a little superfluous to requirements, but ultimately a very good book.
Mark Watson: Bullet Points
Oddly Nabokovian, with the ultimate unreliable narrator. I hope he writes more novels.
Elaine Showalter: The Female Malady: Women, Madness and English Culture, 1830-1980
A real eye-opener. Wonderfully written, and completely fascinating.
Piers Morgan: Don't You Know Who I Am?: Insider Diaries of Fame, Power and Naked Ambition
The guiltiest of pleasures. Not as good as The Insider, but still pure escapism.
Jonathan Ames: What's Not to Love?: The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer (Vintage)
Funny, honest, touching, bizarre, and actually rather sweet.
David Mitchell: Number9dream
David Mitchell just never lets me down. This was wonderful.
Marge Piercy: Woman on the Edge of Time (A Women's Press Classic)
Wasn't sure at the start, but was quickly spellbound by this very interesting book. Yes, the author's agenda is about as subtle as a brick in the face, but it's still a great read. Will be looking for more of her books.
Colin Dexter: Last Seen Wearing
A good whodunnit spoiled for me by the constant objectifying of women.
Margaret Atwood: The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (Myth)
Yes, the feminist angles are a little predictable, but it's so beautifully and lightly written that I would forgive it almost anything. And actually, the feminist aspect is well-handled, I think, until the very end, when it gets a bit clunky. Overall, a lovely, light, quick read.
Ryu Murakami: In The Miso Soup
A real surprise - dark, haunting, strangely moving at times.
Andrew O'Hagan: Be Near Me
I was disappointed with this. It started well, I thought, but seemed to lose its way in the middle, and I lost all sympathy for any of the characters. Should have no stars really.
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