You could probably say I read pretty much anything, although I do try to read literary fiction that will educate me about writing, and every so often I like a trashy thriller. I often read too fast.
I have absolutely no memory of reading some of these books.
Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld
(I was disappointed by this book after all the glowing reviews. She has a new one out now, I might give her work a second chance.)
Piranha to Scurfy - Ruth Rendell
(Rendell relaxes me, which is weird, considering all the murder. This is a very readable book of short stories.)
The World According to Clarkson - Jeremy Clarkson
(I'm amazed I find him funny, but I do.)
Undercurrents - Martha Manning
Dry - Augusten Burroughs
(I like this guy's work. I'm always drawn in by stories of addiction and recovery - evidenced by the fact that (a) I still think A Million Little Pieces is a good book - who cares if it's fiction. It actually gave me hope. And (b) even though Elizabeth Wurtzel is truly annoying, I love her books.)
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
(Recommended to my by my writing mentor. Very moving and eloquent.)
Various Miracles - Carol Shields
(I'm not a big fan of Shields, but there's no doubt that she wrote well.)
Life After Darkness - Cathy Wield (harrowing book about the author's severe treatment-resistant depression, and her experiences in the UK's mental health system. I read this one partly out of curiosity and partly due to my work in that very same system.)
Rage - Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King)
(Like thrillers and serial killer fiction, King's work is like literary valium for me. As well as being very well written, it's always a good standby if I'm not feeling great.)
The Long Walk - Richard Bachman
(Ditto.)
Groundswell - The Diva Book of Short Stories 2 - Helen Sandler (ed)
(Love love love short story anthologies. Strangely, particularly lesbian short stories.)
Not the End of the World - Kate Atkinson
(These short stories didn't quite work for me. The myths seemed tacked-on rather than integral.)
ice cream - Helen Dunmore
(Seen by many as a master of the short story. I struggle with some of her work.)
Unholy Ghost - Writers on Depression - Neil Casey (ed)
(I eat books on depression, especially ones written by professional writers.)
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - JT Leroy
(I'd read so much about this guy I was curious. Is he for real? Nice stories.)
Always the Sun - Neil Cross
(I remember this book, but don't have much to say about it.)
When I was Five I Killed Myself - Howard Buten
(Interesting, the title hooked me.)
Tender at the Bone - Ruth Reichl
Skeleton Crew - Stephen King
(Classic King short fiction.)
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - Marina Lewycka
(Loved this book. I laughed out loud on the tube as I read the last page and it left me with a huge grin all the way home.)
Velocity - Dean Koontz
(Not as good as King, but ok in a pinch. I get a bit disappointed each time by the overt 'message' of his books.)
The Minotaur - Barbara Vine
(aka Ruth Rendell)
No Place Like Home - Mary Higgins Clark
Yes Man - Danny Wallace
(What happens when the author decides to say yes to everything. I liked it.)
New Writing 10 and 12
(anthologies)
Join Me - Danny Wallace
(The yes man starts a cult. Amusing.)
The Ninth Life of Louis Drax - Liz Jensen
( I loved this book, what a fabulous concept. I just wish I could find another book by Jensen that I like.)
Claudine's House - Colette
(Wonderful images from childhood.)
Runaway - Alice Munro
(Her latest short story collection. It's funny, despite the setting of these stories being so alien to me, I can really relate to the characters.)
Tooth and Claw - TC Crombie
(Another book I loved, but can't find anything else by the author I like.)
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
(Topical, not outstanding)
The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
(Beautiful novel, I would love to eavesdrop on her literary conversations with husband Safran Foer - their books blow me away.)
Furthermore - Susie Maguire
The Position - Meg Wolitzer
(There's a certain kind of American fiction that really keeps me reading. This is one example.)
The Accidental - Ali Smith
(Yes!)
Music For Torching - AM Homes
(And the great 2006 AM Homes readathon begins. I love this woman. Write more, write more!)
The Wife - Meg Wolitzer
(Also enjoyable.)
Body Double - Tess Gerritsen
(Could it be I have discovered another source of forensic thrillers?)
In A Country of Mothers - AM Homes
(This book disappointed me - maybe I was expecting more fiction like Torching instead of a pseudo-thriller. Or given the subject of therapist-client relationship, perhaps I was expecting something more psychological.)
The End of Alice - AM Homes
(Brilliant, and disturbing to enter the mind of a paedophile and share his love for a while. Interesting premise, and fantastic title.)
This Book Will Save Your Life - AM Homes
(This is where I realised that I have read Homes before, but only her short stories.)
Jack - AM Homes
The Surgeon - Tess Gerritsen
(Why yes, after two books I do believe this is my next source of trash. She certainly writes a hell of a lot better than James Patterson.)
Vanish - Tess Gerritsen
Life Support - Tess Gerritsen
Big Bad Wolf - James Patterson
(I don't know why I keep giving him a second chance!)
A Disorder Peculiar to the Country - Ken Kalfus
(Really interesting, a couple's marriage disintegrates as 9/11 and its aftermath happen. Kind of surreal to read about a version of the Afghanistan war that could have been, I'm so used to fiction which stays true to fact when it comes to world events.)
The Devil's Larder - Jim Crace
(Delicious, freaky short fiction on food.)
Operating Instructions - Anne Lamott
(I bought this for my sister, who is a new mother, but couldn't resist reading it first. Emotional, real and funny.)
My Latest Grievance - Elinor Lipman
(Delightful.)
I am so excited that Heather McGowan, author of the beautifully written stream-of-consciousness Schooling, has a new novel out this year.
I have absolutely no memory of reading some of these books.
Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld
(I was disappointed by this book after all the glowing reviews. She has a new one out now, I might give her work a second chance.)
Piranha to Scurfy - Ruth Rendell
(Rendell relaxes me, which is weird, considering all the murder. This is a very readable book of short stories.)
The World According to Clarkson - Jeremy Clarkson
(I'm amazed I find him funny, but I do.)
Undercurrents - Martha Manning
Dry - Augusten Burroughs
(I like this guy's work. I'm always drawn in by stories of addiction and recovery - evidenced by the fact that (a) I still think A Million Little Pieces is a good book - who cares if it's fiction. It actually gave me hope. And (b) even though Elizabeth Wurtzel is truly annoying, I love her books.)
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
(Recommended to my by my writing mentor. Very moving and eloquent.)
Various Miracles - Carol Shields
(I'm not a big fan of Shields, but there's no doubt that she wrote well.)
Life After Darkness - Cathy Wield (harrowing book about the author's severe treatment-resistant depression, and her experiences in the UK's mental health system. I read this one partly out of curiosity and partly due to my work in that very same system.)
Rage - Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King)
(Like thrillers and serial killer fiction, King's work is like literary valium for me. As well as being very well written, it's always a good standby if I'm not feeling great.)
The Long Walk - Richard Bachman
(Ditto.)
Groundswell - The Diva Book of Short Stories 2 - Helen Sandler (ed)
(Love love love short story anthologies. Strangely, particularly lesbian short stories.)
Not the End of the World - Kate Atkinson
(These short stories didn't quite work for me. The myths seemed tacked-on rather than integral.)
ice cream - Helen Dunmore
(Seen by many as a master of the short story. I struggle with some of her work.)
Unholy Ghost - Writers on Depression - Neil Casey (ed)
(I eat books on depression, especially ones written by professional writers.)
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things - JT Leroy
(I'd read so much about this guy I was curious. Is he for real? Nice stories.)
Always the Sun - Neil Cross
(I remember this book, but don't have much to say about it.)
When I was Five I Killed Myself - Howard Buten
(Interesting, the title hooked me.)
Tender at the Bone - Ruth Reichl
Skeleton Crew - Stephen King
(Classic King short fiction.)
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - Marina Lewycka
(Loved this book. I laughed out loud on the tube as I read the last page and it left me with a huge grin all the way home.)
Velocity - Dean Koontz
(Not as good as King, but ok in a pinch. I get a bit disappointed each time by the overt 'message' of his books.)
The Minotaur - Barbara Vine
(aka Ruth Rendell)
No Place Like Home - Mary Higgins Clark
Yes Man - Danny Wallace
(What happens when the author decides to say yes to everything. I liked it.)
New Writing 10 and 12
(anthologies)
Join Me - Danny Wallace
(The yes man starts a cult. Amusing.)
The Ninth Life of Louis Drax - Liz Jensen
( I loved this book, what a fabulous concept. I just wish I could find another book by Jensen that I like.)
Claudine's House - Colette
(Wonderful images from childhood.)
Runaway - Alice Munro
(Her latest short story collection. It's funny, despite the setting of these stories being so alien to me, I can really relate to the characters.)
Tooth and Claw - TC Crombie
(Another book I loved, but can't find anything else by the author I like.)
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
(Topical, not outstanding)
The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
(Beautiful novel, I would love to eavesdrop on her literary conversations with husband Safran Foer - their books blow me away.)
Furthermore - Susie Maguire
The Position - Meg Wolitzer
(There's a certain kind of American fiction that really keeps me reading. This is one example.)
The Accidental - Ali Smith
(Yes!)
Music For Torching - AM Homes
(And the great 2006 AM Homes readathon begins. I love this woman. Write more, write more!)
The Wife - Meg Wolitzer
(Also enjoyable.)
Body Double - Tess Gerritsen
(Could it be I have discovered another source of forensic thrillers?)
In A Country of Mothers - AM Homes
(This book disappointed me - maybe I was expecting more fiction like Torching instead of a pseudo-thriller. Or given the subject of therapist-client relationship, perhaps I was expecting something more psychological.)
The End of Alice - AM Homes
(Brilliant, and disturbing to enter the mind of a paedophile and share his love for a while. Interesting premise, and fantastic title.)
This Book Will Save Your Life - AM Homes
(This is where I realised that I have read Homes before, but only her short stories.)
Jack - AM Homes
The Surgeon - Tess Gerritsen
(Why yes, after two books I do believe this is my next source of trash. She certainly writes a hell of a lot better than James Patterson.)
Vanish - Tess Gerritsen
Life Support - Tess Gerritsen
Big Bad Wolf - James Patterson
(I don't know why I keep giving him a second chance!)
A Disorder Peculiar to the Country - Ken Kalfus
(Really interesting, a couple's marriage disintegrates as 9/11 and its aftermath happen. Kind of surreal to read about a version of the Afghanistan war that could have been, I'm so used to fiction which stays true to fact when it comes to world events.)
The Devil's Larder - Jim Crace
(Delicious, freaky short fiction on food.)
Operating Instructions - Anne Lamott
(I bought this for my sister, who is a new mother, but couldn't resist reading it first. Emotional, real and funny.)
My Latest Grievance - Elinor Lipman
(Delightful.)
I am so excited that Heather McGowan, author of the beautifully written stream-of-consciousness Schooling, has a new novel out this year.
3 comments:
wow, that's a lot of books! I haven't read a book in ages, perhaps since my MA disertation...However I saw a guy on the tube today reading a book called something like, 'love and other near death experiences,' I thought to myself: 'what a great title.'
I might look it up on amazon! X
I've just read The End of Alice and would be interested to hear which of Homes' books you'd recommend?
Hi Kim
Probably 'Torching for Beginners' - that's the first of her novels I read and I loved it.
Anne
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