1st year with library thing

I came across this site via bookmooch last week. Really love the idea, and this is the first group that caught my eye, so here goes:

1. Vanity Fair I spent longer reading this than almost any book I can remember. It's wonderfully witty and paints a fantastic picture of 18th century society, but I still almost gave up on it. I would have enjoyed it more with about 300 pages less.

2. On Guerilla Gardening This was great light relief after Vanity Fair. I was tempted to pick up some cheap thriller, but was really glad once I started reading. It's easy to read and beautifully illustrated. I don't garden, but it makes me want to, so it must be doing something right.

I haven't finished it yet, but will do in the next couple of days. Don't know what to read next yet - John Wyndham, Philip K Dick, Nick Harkaway, Patricia Highsmith?

I've got some good reads coming up, so I'll keep you posted.

3. Jizzle by John Wyndham. A bit patchy, but still a good read. I don't normally go for short stories, but I liked the format. Easy to pick up on fag breaks etc. I mooched this one, and might mooch it back out again.

Welcome! This was also the first group I happened upon way back when I joined. If you like this one, check out the 888 Challenge Group! And hopefully you'll love LT as much as the rest of us....

Thanks klarusu. I wasnt sure if anybody would be reading this! I'll have a look at the 888 challenge next.

4. Generation X by Douglas Coupland. This was the second of his books I've read after JPod, and I preferred this one. Some really funny bits, although sometimes the constant attempts to coin neologisms grated.

5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I really loved this book. It's been a while since I read a really good crime thriller, and I couldn't put it down. I've been feeling rough all day at work after staying up late to finish it.

I've heard several people say wonderful things about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I'm adding it to my amazon wish list. I look forward to seeing what else you read this year :)

Welcome, I loved this challenge as well, and it has given me more motivation to read by assigned grad-school books.

@drsol - I really would recommend it. And if you like it then perhaps try The Exception by Christian Jungersen, another Swedish author I think. The books are not that similar thematically, but I'd say the authors share (or sadly shared in the case of Stieg Larsson) an ability to get under the skin of their characters and write genuinely character driven thrillers.

@Madcow - Since I got back into the reading habit in my early twenties, after several years of barely picking up a book, I've really enjoyed varying my selection. Although I prefer reading modern books, I've tried to work through some of the classics too. It's always a pleasent surprise when a book you've been secretly dreading turns out to be a classic for a reason.

One of the reasons I like this challenge is because it encourages you to pick up the pace when you're flagging, and often giving a challenging book some time is exactly what you need in order to turn it from a chore to a pleasure. This is exactly what I found with book number 6, Dubliners by James Joyce. Nobody needs me to tell them that Joyce was a wonderful writer, but even if this is his "easiest" read, a little effort is certainly rewarding.

Anybody know why some of my touchstones aren't working?

7. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young. I wanted to read it before the movie came out, and judging by the movie reviews it looks like a good idea.

Toby is an endearingly caustic character, and I sincerely doubt the story would be improved by being turned into a rom-com. But we'll see.

8. Minority Report by Philip K. Dick. I really enjoyed this. Dick's writing seems well suited the the short story format. My only complaint would be that this seems to be a movie tie-in collection, and I'd prefer to read them as they were originally published.

9. Microserfs by Douglas Coupland. Another Coupland, and another mooched book. I think this was my favourite of his so far, although it has the usual weaknesses

Re: message 8
The touchstones on this website are notoriously, erm, difficult. Sometimes they'll cooperate with no problem, other times they will drive you to want to beat your computer with a hammer. Some new authors with one or two titles will work, while others, some of whom have written classics, never work. It's the oddest thing. Eventually, you learn to just be grateful for other things about this site, and just sigh when it comes to the touchstones.

10. The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway. I've had this one on my shelf for a while, and been looking forward to it. I wanted to 'save it for last', but since I found bookmooch last never comes. Anyway, it was worth the wait: one of the best books, never mind best debut novels, that I've read for a long time. Sprawling and full of digressions, but involving nonetheless, I can't recommend it strongly enough. It strongly recalled Neil Gaiman's writing, which I would say is a real complement.

11. Neverwhere by Mike Carey. "It strongly recalled Neil Gaiman's writing" is not something you can say about this graphic novel adaptation of his book. The story is still good, but it just makes you wish you were reading the original. I wasn't particularly impressed with the artwork either.

12. The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. I hadn't seen the film, but I kept hearing that the author was one of the best in crime writing. I didn't get into it straight away, but by the end I was hooked. I won't rush to read the rest of the Ripley books, but I'll certainly pick them up when I come across them.

13. Submarine by Joe Dunthorne. This was another first novel that I really enjoyed. The teenage main character was reminiscent of recent books by David Mitchell and John Burnside - certainly no bad thing.

14. The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury. I enjoyed this, but found its satire fairly gentle. Perhaps its bite has dulled over the years.

15. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman. This was a disappointment. Or at least it was in parts; about a third of these short stories deserved to be published in a Gaiman anthology. The rest reeked of weak editorship and even authorial arrogance that people would want to read his story outlines. Perhaps they would, but it would be nice to be forewarned.

16. Doomsday Men by P D Smith. I really enjoyed this highly compelling story of how atomic science grew up and eventually converged with science fiction. It follows some of the scientists involved in the creation of the atomic bomb, and charts the change in perception of scientists from saviours to "doomsday men".

The writing is fast paced but never difficult to follow, and the author wears his research lightly. At its heart though this book never loses sight of the humanitarian tragedy that is the development of, what have come to be known as, WMDs.

It was an interesting read, especially over the armistice day period.

17. Gone to Texas by Garth Ennis. A bit of light relief, and the first graphic novel I've read in a while. I picked this after hearing that Sam Mendes is adapting it for the screen. I've read some of Ennis's stuff before, but found this less juvenile than The Boys. I'd like to read the rest of the series.

I laughed at your response to the graphic novel for Neverwhere---it was the exact same response I had to the tv adaptations when I saw them on video some years ago.

@whitewavedarling: thanks! It's a shame about the TV version, I've got it on my rental list, as I love all, or almost all, of Gaiman's work. Interestingly, it's not an adaptation: in the foreword to one of the book editions he explains that the idea of writing the book was what got him through the pain of seeing so many of his ideas cut from the screen version as it was being made. "Nevermind, I'll put it in the book" become like a mantra!

18. She by H. Rider Haggard. A great adventure story from a true master. The tension and pace builds nicely to the climax, and although the characterisation is minimal you do begin to care about them. Some of the racial and sexual views expressed are grating though.

19. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. I haven't enjoyed a book this much for ages. It's ostensibly for 'young adult' readers, but everybody should pick it up. A techno-dystopia set in an unspecified near future, it follows a high school student who fights back against the serveillance society built by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in San Fransisco, and also serves as a strong polemic for civil rights and privacy.

I can't recommend it strongly enough.

20. Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller. I thought this book was brilliantly, humourously, sinister. My only complaint is that the filmed version, which I'd already seen, was so spot on and thus denied me the pleasure of a truly personal imagining.

21. Dead Air by Iain Banks. The first Banks I've read for a while, and the first that wasn't by M Banks in even longer. I think he's an excellent writer and storyteller, and even though this was not immediately involving it's no exception.

Two things almost spoiled it: by making his main character a professional polemicist he allowed himself many unnecessary polemics, just barely tied to the plot. The overall theme of the book partially excuses them, but they're still obtrusive.

The second is the fucking annoying "geezer" patter he insists on using to render one character's speech. It's the same reason I don't read more of Irvine Welsh.

bigbaddom, I have your no 10 book on hold at the library after erading a couple of interesting reviews. Your comments on it have now made me even more anxious to get to it!

Number 10 is the Gone Away World? I really think you'll enjoy it, but let me know. That's a book that I think I'll be able to come back to many times.

22. Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott. A really curious little satire that I enjoyed, despite the feeling that I wasn't really getting it all

23. The Tin Roof Blow Down by James Lee Burke. I wasn't familiar with the author or the character, and I usually avoid this kind of serial crime franchise. I picked this one up though on the back of a really good review in the Guardian, and I'm glad I did.

Set during and after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans the author transcends genre limitations to channel real anger over the betrayal of that city.

24. Why Not Catch-21? by Gary Dexter. An entertaining and informative collection of short essays on the origins of cononical book titles. I have to admit I haven't read them all, but I enjoyed them equally whether I was familiar with the work or not.

25. Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks. Another great Culture book from Mr Banks. As I've said above, I think he's an excellent writer, and he's an even better introduction to SF. Of the Culture books this is one of the better ones I think, although I might just be thinking in light of the disappointing Matter.

26. The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television by Steven Pinker. This is an entertaining extract from his longer book The Stuff of Thought, containing just the chapters dealing with swearing, its use and utility. It's short, but hardly lightweight. I enjoyed it, though I've tried to read one of his previous books and found it too difficult. Recommended if you're not familiar with his work, but probably a waste of time if you're inclined to read the full length book.

27. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Looking back over previous posts there are a few books that I've recommended really strongly, and this is right up there with them. It seems to be more or less autobiographical, dealing with the author's time as a Bombay gangster on the run from an Australian prison. He also spends some time as a slum doctor, gets tortured in a Bombay prison, works in Bollywood and joins the mujeheddin in Afghanistan. Overall it's an amazing adventure story, but with a decidedly philosophical bent.

It's not new, but I only came across it recently while killing some time in a book shop. It went straight on my christmas list and was the fist book I read. Despite its length (almost 1000 pages in this paperback edition) I read it in a few days, and wish it would have been longer.

28. Goldenballs by Richard Ingrams. This is a slim volume detailing the events of Sir Jammy Fishpaste's criminal libel action against Private Eye. I'm a regular reader of Private Eye, but wasn't at the time of the Goldenballs trial, so I read this with interest. I liked getting some insight into the workings of the magazine, particularly given the air of secrecy which seems to shroud it.

29. Theft: a Love Story by Peter Carey. This was the first of Carey's books that I've read (picked up cheap from the good old Oxfam book shop). I really ejoyed it. It had a lively style and interesting characters. I particulary like "Slow" Bone's oppositional chapters.

30. The Private Eye Story by Patrick Marnham. This is another book about Private Eye's history, but with a broader scope that Goldenballs. Enjoyable, but probably only interesting to enthusiasts.

Patricia Highsmith is brilliant. There is a whole Ripley series & once you get hooked you just can't stop. The movie of The Talented Mr. Ripley was a disappointment, IMO. While the book certainly had homoerotic overtones, it was nowhere near as blatant as the the movie made it out to be. Mr. Ripley continues to live an extremely comfortable and immoral life in the subsequent volumes.

A much better movie was made out of Ripley's Game with John Malkovich playing Ripley - a much better casting choice than Matt Damon.

31. The Ballad of Halo Jones by Alan Moore. This is a compilation from 2000AD, and I believe represents fairly early work from Moore. I'm a regular 2000AD reader, so I know the kind of thing they publish, and this really seemed a cut above. The linguistic ingenuity of Alan Moore's script struck me, and I think I'm going to get more of his collected 2000AD work.

32. Wanted by Mark Millar. I'd heard that the recent film of this book was a bit rubbish, but thought the book would be good, so picked it up as a Christmas present for my brother, who has similar tastes to me. By the second chapter I was shocked that anyone had even considered this as a potential blockbuster Hollywood film. Mark Millar evidently has a very dark sense of humour.

That said, I enjoyed the book, even if the "hero" is rather unlikeable.

33. Rabbit, Run by John Updike. I'm not sure about this one. Some passages really grabbed me, but overall I wasn't drawn in to the story. The style is similar to the "beat" writers that I've always enjoyed, but the subject seemed remote. I just couldn't empathise with the small-town '50s characters.

34. Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane. This is another one I picked up for my bro. I had a dim recollection of a review and thought its "noir-ish narratives" would be good fun. I should have paid more attention to that ish though, as these stories were very much focused on individuals at the point of breakdown or suffering from severe isolation.

The talky scripts, full of text, and scratchy black and white artwork will be familiar to readers of indie comics. Tim Lane is certainly excellent at this, and the artwork in particular is exceptional. But when I think noir-ish I'm thinking of Raymond Chandler and, in comics, Frank Miller. Tim Lane is neither of these.

#33 I hear all the time that the characters in the Rabbit series are hard to like. My dad let me borrow the last one Rabbit at Rest several years ago. The whole time I was reading it I was thinking how unlikable all the characters were. How could they all be that way? But then the ending of that book was magnificent. I ended up liking that book simply for the ending. Unfortunately, that was the fourth and last book, so I don't know if I would want to go back to the beginning. Did you like the ending of Rabbit, Run?
--BJ

@BJ - Yes and no. Like I said, I couldn't really decide one way or the other with this one. The ending sort of makes sense, but it wasn't satisfactory. I think with books like this that have stood the test of time sufficiently to be thought of as cononical, if you're coming to them for the first time, you really expect them to grab you. This on didn't, for me anyway.

35. Real World by Natsuo Kirino. Maybe I missed something in this book, but I was expecting some fairly classy, if slightly horrific, japanese fiction. What I got was like a "young reader" emo-fest. As I say, I might have missed something, but I suspect I'm not in the target audience.

36. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Well, after finding the previous book too immature, it's nice to pick up a book actually intended for children and find it wonderful. I've raved about Gaiman's books before in this thread, but really the man is a master. Very few, if any, authors are writing imaginative fiction like him these days.

I think if I was a kid I would have loved this book as much as I loved Roald Dahl's books when I actually was a kid. A very high complement.

37. Homicide by David Simon. This one was a christmas present, and if I'm honest it was one I was disappointed with. But it turned out to be outstanding, and in a genre I wouldn't normally consider. Just goes to show sometimes you need to think outside your wishlist, or at least let other people do so.

That is such a great point! I just read a book for the gentle reads category of the 2009 Genre Challenge and I had never heard of gentle reads before! I read The Princess Bride, which I borrowed from my daughter. I was surprised by how much I loved that book, so I am glad that the genre challenge pointed me in that direction.
--BJ

@BJ - That's a good point. I've seen the genre challenge before, but haven't had a go. I might have to have another look. Thing is though, I think I have fairly catholic tastes anyway, and the idea of engineering certain genres into my reading list doesn't appeal. But then that was kind of the moral of post 48. How confusing!

38. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. This is the sequel (or part two of a trilogy in fact) to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which I raved about above. So I had to pick this one up in hardback.

Like the first, it's got a long, slow build up. The murders that drive the plot don't occur until about page 200. But that time is used to expand our understanding of the charaters, and to fill us in on events since the end of the last book.

From there though it quickly turns into a real page-turner, without compromising the classiness of the writing. And I have to say, the final plot twist came as a genuine surprise.

In fact, that could be my only criticism: I tried explaining the plot to a colleague, and it sounds absolutely ridiculous (I won't divulge spoilers here). It's fun and exciting, but a bit of a stretch of credulity.

Having said that, I enjoyed the book immensely, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who has read the first.

39. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I really loved this book. I'm a fan of dystopia sci-fi, and this ranks with Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World as one of the best. The religious and gender issues are as relevant as ever; just how much sensitivity do we show to the religious when their observance could undermine the basis of liberal societies?

40. Belching Out the Devil by Mark Thomas. I'm a big fan of Mark Thomas' stand up work, and also enjoyed his book on the arms trade. Having seen his Coca-Cola shows this book didn't really hold too many surprises for me. But his style is breezy and engaging, and it certainly made me think twice about the Coca-Cola Company.

41. My Little Armalite by James Hawes. This is a fairly light and fairly right-on little comedy. Hawes may not be "the funniest British novelist writing today" as per Euan Ferguson's dust jacket spiel, but this was certainly entertaining if a little slow to start.

42. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. I picked this up based on several recommendations in the comments section of The Guardian's "1000 books you must read" feature (sorry don't know how to link, but you should be able to find it on their site). Commenters thought Robertson Davies, rather than Fifth Business in particular, a glaring omission. Having read the book I can't really agree or disagree with that yet, but I'd be willing to check the rest of the trilogy.

43. Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. Beautifully written with clarity and precision. A worthy Nobel winner? That's a question for sharper minds than my own I think.

I just that I'd note that I may have to try to stop reading your thread--you're adding too many books to my wishlist!!! I am enjoying your notes though, however briefly I may be dropping by :)

I have the Robertson Davies Deptford Trilogy on my tbr. I have heard that his other trilogies are good, too. I haven't read anything by him myself yet.

You are really zooming along with lots of interesting books. :)
--BJ

@whitewavedarling & billiejean: thanks for the feedback! I keep this up for myself, but it's great that other people are reading it. For my part I'll keep updating with what should hopefully be some interesting reads.

44. Metropole by Ferenc Karinthy. This was quite a dark, claustrophic sci-fi-ish story. I'm not sure I totally got it, but the writing (and translation) were excellent. With no real dialogue and only one really significant character it could easily have been boring, but Karinthy draws you in to this nightmarish world.

45. The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way. This graphic novel by the lead singer from My Chemical Romance shows real promise as the start of an endearingly twisted take on the superhero-team book. Looking forward to vol. 2.

46. White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty. I really loved this. The narrative flows with the language, recalling Patrick Neate and Chuck Palaniuk in its concious subversiveness.

47. 13 Things That Don't Make Sense by Michael Brooks. A really fascinating book: the author covers some of the biggest mysteries in modern science, from the cosmological to the microscopic. And without ever being patronising or confusing. My only complaint might be that homeopathy appears to be included just to make up the numbers.

48. John the Revelator by Peter Murphy. I really enjoyed this book. It's narrated by its teenage protaganist as he grows up in rural Ireland. The cover blurb is a bit breathless, but it remains an engaging debut. In subject matter and tone it reminded me of some of Iain Banks's work (I'm thinking the Wasp Factory, but it's been a while so I might be confusing two or more titles), which is certainly no bad thing.

49. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. Unlike Michael Brooks's book above, which revels in contradiction, here Ben Goldacre sets out to bebunk the bad science unleashed on a willing public by "journalists" who it seems are often inept at best. His aim is to broaden our understanding of how sience works as well as how it doesn't, and he manages it in a highly amusing manner. Definitely read this book, and definitely check out his weekly blog at badscience.net.

So... nearly there. It looks likely to end on a bum note too, although I'll withold final judgement for another 100 or so pages.

50. Among Thieves by Mez Packer. As you can see above, I didn't really love this book. The story is told from several different narative veiwpoints, and I found the switch between different voices disrupting. Particularly as I didn't find them very convincing. But this may have been because they weren't given time to breathe. Once the story had progressed, and the characters had bedded down, it became more engaging and I'm glad I persevered to the end.

And since this is "My first year with Library Thing" I'm going to continue to...

51. Memoirs of a Master Forger by William Heaney. This book was really excellent: published by Gollancz and marketed as fantasy, it is really a more down to earth look at one man battling with his demons, both literal and metaphorical. One I would strongly recommend.

52. Paranoia by Daniel Freeman and Jason Freeman. This is a fairly scholarly look at paranoia in society, addressing particularly the question of whether or not it is increasing. The authors offer much to support their hypothesis, along with some interesting asides on our ability to judge risk. Overall a brisk and chatty excursion through interesting territory.

53. Walking on Glass by Iain Banks. A bit of a slow burner, but well up to Banks' usual standards. It was a bit more sci-fi than I was expecting considering that this is Banks writing without the "M", but an interesting premise.

54. The Genius and the Goddess by Aldous Huxley. I really enjoyed this book. It's the only Huxley I've read other than Brave New World, and I have to admit I was surprised it was so good; I thought Huxley was a bit of a one-trick pony. This book is really more of a novella - less than one hundred pages with no chapter breaks. The pacing and story are good and writing excellent. I'll be looking for more of his work.

55. White Devils by Paul McAuley. This is an excellent science thriller, from an author who writes predominantly Sci Fi. This shows in the strength of his premise, as well as his willingness to let his imagined world reveal itself, rather than cramming in too much expository dialogue. And the pacing doesn't suffer from the intelligent plot, although the ending is less revalotory than it perhaps should have been.

Overall though, if you're a fan of Crichton then you would probably enjoy this too.

So it's the end of the first year! Been a bit slack updating, so here are the last batch:

56. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
57. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
58. Che: a Graphic Autobiography by Spain Rodriguez
59. Me Cheeta: the Autobiography (by James Lever)
60. 2001: a Space Odyssey
61. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
62. Y: the Last Man Book One

And seeing in the new year with The Name of the Rose.

Been a pleasure!