when it came to reading i really let myself down in '08 and I'm hoping this will help. I'm aiming for 50 in 09 and I'll also write a review for each of the books.

#1 A clergyman's Daughter by George Orwell.

in the introduction, it went on about how inferior a book it is to his others and how orwell himself didn't think it should ever be reprinted, but i bloody well loved it. i could see some of the flaws -- it takes ages before the action starts being the main one, but i just thought the protaganist, Dorothy, was exceptionaly charming. all that said orwell is one of my favorite writers, in fact, this was the only book of his i'd not read because i was saving it.

i find the introductions to his books in the penguin editions really frustrating coz they just harp on about the negitive; i mean, orwell' stuff is pretty dark and depressing anyway, i don't need some twat-in-a-suit to get me in the mood

Message edited by its author, Jan 28, 2009, 5:15pm.

#2 Jack by A. M. Homes

I really enjoyed this one. It was a lot of fun going along with the protaganists turbulent move towards manhood. it was funny, touching, clever and still not a difficult read.
highly recomended!!!

Introductions are so tricky, aren't they? Sometimes they can really help you to understand a book. Other times, they totally give away all the surprises and ruin the book for you. For a while I started reading the introductions last, but now I have started reading them first again. My daughter says to just skip them entirely! What to do, what to do!
--BJ

#3, I always read the introductions last unless it is to a book I have read before. I hate having plot and characterization spoiled for me (I'm one of those people who never looks at the end of a book until I've read all the rest).

#4> That is probably a good idea. Then, all ideas formed from the book are truly your own. Plus, those spoilers are disappointing. Right now I am rereading two really long books, so I think that I will read the intros first. But, like you said, I have read them before.
--BJ

#3#
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.

a really fantastic book; very strange and at 500 pages longer than i'm used to, but i enjoyed every word of it. i just finished it and i really wish I could know more about Kafka (that's not to say the ending wasn't satisfing). I have a feeling that this will be a book that will improve with further readings. I've already ordered another of Murakami's books.

#4# The Woman's Daughter by Dermot Bolger

enjoyable enough. it was a very easy, quick read but at times it was difficult to know whoes story was being told. it has a realist begining but by the end it has seemlessly drifted into slightly magic-realist realms. by no means an upbeat read but enjoyable all the same.

#5#
Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore
A nice destraction from heavier fiction. Quick, easy read and well laid out. Reminded me slightly of terry pratchett. I can't say why but I didn't get the usual big buzz I get from finishing a good book. That said, this is his first novel and when i read his most recent last year i found it very satisfing, so I'll be reading more of his stuff and have high hopes for him in the future.

Message edited by its author, Jun 21, 2009, 9:18am.

#6# Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan

i was happily surprised at this one. i Stayed away from it coz i expected it to be just some mad Ra, english bashing text. it wasn't. one of the reviews on lt says it's anti english but i don't think it is. at the start 16 year old brendan is but by the end he seems to have become more antiauthoritarian. it was a really pleasant read; more than once i got myself smirking along with the bawdy humour. i can't wait to get hold of the follow up

I'd never heard of that Orwell book. I love him too so I'll have to check it out. I really liked Kafka on the Shore. It just has a quality about it that you can't describe but love. I recently read Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase and liked it a great deal as well. Thumbs up from me. You've got a nice collection going so far. Keep up the good work.

#7# The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevesky

a very good book. The plot twisted and turned all over the place. I got a little confused a few times and had to backtrack, but it's certainly worth reading. The main character, Prince Myshkin, was one of the most interesting characters i've ever come across. I remember reading once how Kafka was a great admirer of Dostoevesky and at times i could really see how he'd influenced him

Message edited by its author, Feb 23, 2009, 2:22pm.

#8# The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

A very good read. I'm fond of this type of book anyway but this really stood out. The Narrator's voice had a lovely soothing quality to it, despite the hard subject matter. It's probably the scariest vision of the future I've read since 1984. The ending was perfectly vague and yet, with the additional 'Historical material,' it seemed somehow whole.
I'm sure it's a book I'll never forget.
My first Atwood but definetly not my last...

Message edited by its author, Feb 27, 2009, 1:57pm.

#9# At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O' Brien

I've read a good few Flann ó Briens and always enjoyed them. This book is always refered to as his Masterpiece and I now see why. In some ways I'm mad at myself for waiting so long to read it. It was simply spectacular.

At first the structure is a little jarring but that's overcome quickly and the story just dances away to its own beat.

the best recomendation i can give is this: while reading it on the train, coming home from work, i burst out laughing, a thing I've never done being quite a stiff person. People were looking and i didn't care.
it was fun all the way through and had a great ending. the only sad point is that the man doesn't get the recognition he earned.

#10# The Novice by Trudi Canavan

This is the second in the trilogy and it was well over a year ago that i read the first. That said i still enjoyed it. It has its flaws of course but they are easily overlooked. I was surprised by some of the weighty issues she touched upon, but I suspect that has more to do with my ignorance of the genre. It was nearly 600 pages long and i read 300 of those today. while it might not be its equal, it has that compulsive need to read that potter has. I can't wait to get to the final book.

I had never heard of this trilogy before, so I was glad to see your review. :) Have a great day!
--BJ

#11# The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

a very charming story. At the start i didn't think it was going anywhere, but soon i was wrapped up in what became a magical tale. this was recomended to me on LT and I'd recommend it myself in a heartbeat.

Nice collection so far - I'd didn't know A.M. Homes had written any more books but I loved This Book Will Save Your Life... now I'll know to get hunting for more!

On the introduction debate - I found it quite useful to read them when I was studying English at uni, because then as I read the actual text I knew what to pick up on so I had something to say in my seminars! It was kind of pointless reading so much analysis of something I hadn't read yet - but then it did make sense as the novel pages went by... I think maybe now I'd read them at the end, but something in me rails against, god forbid, reading pages out of order!

I'm officially one of your stalkers now. I adore Murakami, Dostoevsky, and C. Moore, which seems a broad enough spectrum that I'll enjoy your other choices as well! As far as introductions, I have to note that I just read P.T. Barnum's autobiography, and adored the book, but when I went back and read the inroduction to the text...well, I railed against it. What is it with editors introducing books that they don't respect? Anyhow, good reading! I think I'm going to go search out The Elegance of the Hedgehog pretty soon.

#12# The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

while this book isn't historically faithful it certainly portrays the siege of Sarajevo convincingly. I've not read much historical fiction but i was enthralled by this. I was left wanting to know more about what happened during this war and that can only be a good thing. If anyone knows any good non fiction book about the Siege of Sarajevo could you let me know.

This might not be what you had in mind but it's the only one I've read on this subject: Zlata's Diary. Zlata Filipovic was kind of the Anne Frank of this war. She was in her early teens in Sarajevo when the war began and her diary covers her family's experiences during that time. It's been a while since I read it so I don't remember the exact timeframe that it covers but I do remember being moved by it. I don't know of anything else that would give you a more historical basis or analysis, but hope this helps somewhat.

I remember Zlata's Diary! Wow, I read it so many years ago and I remember it making me cry... Nostalgia, nostalgia!

#13# The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein

It took me a while to get through this book, but I'm glad i did. It argues that neoliberal economists have been exploiting global disasters around the world for the last forty years. the picture she paints is distictly orwellian from the torture chambers in chille and iraq to the totalitarian ideals of the IMF and the world bank forced upon vulnerable nations.
I think it's a book i'll need to read again but one thing that i did get from it was a new figure to hate, Milton Friedman. the prick!!!

If I'm going to reach 50 by the end of the year i'm going to have to rip through some fiction this month but this book has given me a taste for some more non fiction.

Have you read Klein's No Logo yet? I read it a year or two ago and some of the horrific examples of sweat shop exploitation are still all too vivid in my mind. It's a fantastic book anyway, and probably easier to read to boot.

I've been neglecting the reading lately, but i'm now determined to build up the numbers. so...

#14 The Wasp Factory by Ian Banks

I loved this book so much but I'm not sure if I'll be able to explain why. it was nasty, it felt like something degrading was being done using the English language and I was a twisted voyeur cheering for more. the protagonist, Frank(?), killed three child relations in his youth, his reasoning about how the world works is demented and, for some inexplicable reason, I wish I knew more people like him.
I've had a few of Banks's books sitting on my shelves, unread, but they won't be that way for much longer.

#15 The South by Colm Tóibín.

I was surprised at what a good book this was; Like most irish readers i was aware of Tóibín, but this was the first of his i've read.
It's about an Irish Protestant woman called Katherine Proctor, she leaves her Husband and son in wexford and travels to facist Spain where, at the side of a native artist and a fellow irish expat, she discovers her own artistic side. That's only the beginning though. The novel charts her life from leaving Ireland in 1950 to what she believes will be her final exhibition in Dublin in the 1970's.
The novel reminded me a lot of Kate O Brien, but that might just be me.

Message edited by its author, May 18, 2009, 2:13pm.

#16 The Life and Times of James Connolly by C. Desmond Greaves

I made very slow progress through this book but i stuck with it and I'm glad i did. Before hand, i had a limited knowledge of the man, and yet he was still the Irish Rebel i was most drawn to. I knew he was a socalist but i had no idea he was involved so heavily in the scotish movements of the 1890's, or that he spent time in america and played a prominent role in the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World). The Irish elements in it too where brilliant. having recently been to a 1916 exhibition at the national history museum, i was surprised that i'd never heard of the ISRP, the group he founded when he first came to ireland. also the section on the dublin lock-out of 1913 was gripping
not having read many biographys, i don't know if it's unusual that his life became so real for me, and that i felt such a loss at the conclusion.
I really loved this book

Message edited by its author, Jun 15, 2009, 2:15pm.

#17 A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

A very odd, yet wonderfull book. I was aware that the principle characters had appeared in two other works but didn't realise it was the 3rd in a trilogy. in hindsight, i'd like to have read the other two first; Though, it does work as a stand alone novel. I'm not even going to try and go into detail about the plot. Let's just say it's about a guy tring to track down a sheep with designs on world domination.
All in all, it is still ten times more mad and inventive than any other writer's work, but not as brilliant as Kaka on the shore. My desire to read more murakami remains strong, if not stronger.

Message edited by its author, Jun 21, 2009, 9:21am.

#18 All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

really enjoyed this book, so much so that i'm going to read the second book in the trilogy immediatly. At first i found the Writing a little hard to come to terms with; his sentences seemed peculuar. thirty pages in though i was loving them. i thought it was a very sad book towards the end, but it was never depressing and many smiles were brought to my face. I've always thought the notion of the great American novel was just them being insular but reading McCarthy has set me straight, and gawd bless him for it.

#19 The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy

This is his second in the border Trilogy. I'm not sure what to say about it. It was a lot darker than the last book, and i found it a little harder to read; The prose is very vivid. Overall i think i prefered this book to the first, well, no i take that back, now that i think back they're both fantastic.
The best recomendation i think i can give is that i went out and bought two more McCarthy books this week.
But i'm going to take a break from the trilogy for a while. I want to save the last novel coz i'm expecting a lot since it's about both The protaginists from the first two books.

Message edited by its author, Jul 9, 2009, 9:33pm.

#20 What Does it all Mean by Thomas Nagel.

This book is short at 101 pages, but i read it three times in the past week so i think it's far to count it.
As an introduction to philosophy it was brilliant. It's not as concerned about the big answers as much as the big questions. While the few conclusions the writer does share i probably wouldn't agree with, this book certainly got my brain ticking and made me want to explore the subject further.
Like i said, i read it three times and i don't know how much of the information stuck; i'll probably read it once more in a week or two to try and refesh my understanding.

#21 The Puritan by Liam O'Flaherty

Surprised how good this book was. I'd read one of his books a few years ago and found it tough: good but difficult. This wasn't a struggle at all. The protaginist is strange yet compelling, his story is engaging and the ending gave me the same shiver i got when i first read joyce's 'A portrait...'
He's often refered to as one of the greatest irish writers of his generation so it's Hard to fathom why i'm one of only three people on LT who has a copy of this book.

Message edited by its author, Jul 20, 2009, 10:19pm.

after reading through some of the other treads, or possibly coz i've too much time on my hands, i've decided to start including a total number of pages read.
the current number of pages is...

6,891.

#22 The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

This is the second book in the Night Watch Trilogy. It's been a while since i read the first but i still enjoyed this. They're a lot different from the movies; to be honest, they're a lot better too. The Day Watch is far more layered than the average fantasy novel. In under 500 pages it deals with some big themes, most notibly the definitions and perspectives of moral affiliation. I have a feeling that there is a bigger picture behind the trilogy but i'll need to read the third one before i'll be certain what it is. It's sitting in my amazon shopping basket now.

page count: 7,378

Message edited by its author, Aug 14, 2009, 6:49am.

#23 Beyond Einstein: The Cosmic Quest for the Theory of the Universe by Michio Kaku

i Spent a long time with this book; i went through it three times. It explained the development of Physics from Newton right up to the LHC. Using simple diagrams it explained complex theories and gave the implications if they're proved correct. It was an easy enough read and i can't imagine anyone would have trouble reading it. I have the follow up book, but i'm going to wait a while before i read it.

page count: 7,584

Message edited by its author, Aug 14, 2009, 10:03am.

#24 Hello America by J.G. Ballard

I read this very quickly and enjoyed it enormously. It was set in the 22nd century and revolves around an exploratory mission to America, which was abandoned after catastrophic worldwide fuel shortages. It's not as bad as I'm making it sound. Like all Ballard's work I've read, it's a very layered story that kept my attention throughout. The characters, while strange at times, remain engaging and overall the picture painted is very real and believable.

page count: 7,808

Message edited by its author, Oct 13, 2009, 2:45pm.

#25 Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami.

Another good book. If I wasn't hooked on Murakami before then I certainly am now. I was reading this book at every given opportunity. It's sort of a sequel to a 'wild sheep chase.' The world conjured up was strange but addictive and the book ended with an uncanny high.

page count: 8,201

#26 Ghosts and lightning by Trevor Byrne.

I'm not too sure how I feel about this book. It had lots of things to recommend it: believable characters, Humour, at times it was quite disturbing. There was something strange about it that i can't put my finger on. It's probably just that I recognise many of the character types. It was definitely worth a read

page count: 8,521

Message edited by its author, Aug 27, 2009, 10:05pm.

#27 Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

A very peculiar book. I liked it straight through part 1. Part 2, on the other hand, was a bit patchwork (only a few scattered chapters of Part 2 survive). It was also a little preachy, while part one was more like listening to a piece of highly executed gossip. It's a shame the book isn't complete because what survives is impressive. The plot was weird, but the prose style was magic. it wouldn't be the first russian book i'd recomend but it is worth reading

Page count: 8,985

#28 Politics: A Very Short Introduction by Kenneth Minogue

...
Page Count: 9,096

Message edited by its author, Sep 25, 2009, 9:46pm.

Hi STOC. I like your choices - Orwell and Murakami are both big favourites of mine.

Orwell not only did not want A Clergyman's daughter reprinted but he actually made an attempt to track down the remaining copies and burn them! I liked it too (especially the part set in the school) but can see how the Joyce like passages might have made an older Orwell cringe. Very much against his usual style of clear prose.

Murakami is a really wonderful writer and there's so much of him to read. Hardboiled Wonderland is probably my favourite. You might also like to try number9dream by David Mitchell, whchi is a homage/pastiche of Murakami and a very, very good book in its own right.

Thanks for the recommendation jinster, I've added it to my amazon wish-list. Murakami is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I got hold of a copy of his Hear the Wind Sing novella; that's the next one i want to read.
as for Orwell, i am mildly obsessed with the man. it was 1984 that really got me hooked reading. have you read the penguin paperback of his titled Essays? I'd be lost without that one.

I'd not heard of Hear the Wind Sing but just read the reviews here. It sounds like it is a bit of a patchy first work but will be interested to read your thoughts on it.

I discovered Orwell when reading Animal Farm at school when I was 14. I became really obssessed with him for the next few years - reading and re-reading all his novels and every bit of his non-finction I could find. He's been a massive influence on me - especially on the way I think politically. Not so much his views on issues, but the process of political thought. Politics and the English Language in particular bears repeated rereading and is just as valid today as it was then.

You've probably got them already but if not you would love the four volumes of his collected essays, journalism and letters published by Penguin.

#29 Out by Natsuo Kirino

It took me a long time to read this book, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. for some reason it reminded me of 'Brigton Rock'. It was very dark and it went places I wasn't expecting, though it does have its flaws. As I understand, this is Kirino's first novel and I'd definitely pick up another by her in the future.

Page count: 9,616

Message edited by its author, Sep 25, 2009, 9:56pm.

#30 The Guards by Ken Bruen.

If i had to describe this i'd say it's a very good crime story. I've not read many books of this genre but was impressed. The plot wasn't too convensional yet everthing tied up in a strange yet darkly satisfing ending. His style i found a little jarring at first but i soon settled in and got really caught up. i'm intrested to see if he keeps the unsual speech tags further along in the Jack Taylor series. I finished it in two days, and probably could have been quicker. i don't know if i'd read it again but i enjoyed it once and that's enough of any book

Page Count: 9,907

Message edited by its author, Oct 10, 2009, 2:05pm.

#31 How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmark & Sandra Newman

there were a few good tips in this book; a lot were nobrainers and they were presented in a manner some could find condecending. But, on the whole, i found this a very fun book and it thought me what signs to look out for as a mark of bad fiction.

Page Count: 10,165

Message edited by its author, Oct 4, 2009, 10:56am.

#32 Life of Pi by Yann Martel

very good book. It took me a day or so to really get caught up in it. Knowing the basic plot i was surprised how long it took to reach the Pacific, but those first ninety pages are extremely important to the story. It is definitely one of the finest first person novels i've read and the ending was so eerie and intriguing that i don't think i'll ever forget this book.

Page Count: 10,484

Message edited by its author, Oct 7, 2009, 8:22pm.

#33 On Writing by Stephen King

a real surprise. the first night i sat down with this i read a hundred pages without once putting it down. In the introduction king says he wanted to write a brief book on the craft of writing and that's exactly what he did. The first part of the book about his early years was great. he moves on from that to describe the 'tools' of the trade, then some advice on writing. it then ends with a well rounded optomistic outlook.
I hope anyone could enjoy this book, but for wannabe writers it's a must. I'm already following his advice by avoiding the television and searching for a corner to call my own for the purposes of writing. certainly a book to keep near for those moments you feel like tossing your pen out the window.

Page Count: 10,722

#34 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clark

it was a good book. It explained a lot of the abstract scenes in the movie. it's the first of clark's that i've read; i liked his narritive voice, detached but not cold. I'd recommend it to anyone who dislikes the genre Since the high realist tone is reminicent of more elite books but with some really magnificent images. Dave Bowman looking down from discovery on the rings of saturn was my favorite. I have 2010 ready to go soon

Word count: 11,024

#35 Transit (Irish Literature) by Bernard Share

I've been off course for the past few weeks; havn't been able to finish anything. i read this short book over the last few days. In many ways it's great. But the text is very dense and can at times be hard to get through. the plot was a little mysterious too, at the end you are left to make up your own mind about what exactly happened to the two time-traveling protaganists. i liked it enough that i plan to write a full review in the next few days, if that says anything.

Word Count: 11,159

Message edited by its author, Nov 4, 2009, 2:54pm.

#36 How to write and Sell Short Stories by Della Galton

a very accessible, quick read. There were a number of solid points of advice, which were presented in a clear way, despite a cover that makes it look a bit dubious. The writer presents her advice with a tone that elicited trust on my part, a big surprise since in the past i've found these books either condescending or dumbed-down. A good find.

Word Count: 11,371

Message edited by its author, Nov 11, 2009, 8:25pm.

#37 There are Little Kingdoms by Kevin Barry

an amazing collection of stories set in contemporary Ireland but focusing on small communities rather than city life. it really captured the monotonous oddness of the setting. It blew me away

Word Count: 11,525