The Guardian Newspaper Thinks I Should Read These Books (Part I)

Heck, I don't even read The Guardian any more.

Bold means I've read it; strikethrough means I hated it; anything else is a mistake :D

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)

I have read this one--I remember being amused by the way it just ended. No endpapers, no adverts for other books, nothing. End of book--back cover. Apparently Adams had promised a shorter book than he delivered.

It's okay, but it doesn't beat out the radio series. Nothing does--none of the books, not the tv series, not the really-rather-poor film. But it's modestly entertaining, especially if you're in need of an absurdity fix.

Brian W Aldiss, Non-Stop (1958)

It's on the wishlist. Along with 122 other books.

Isaac Asimov, Foundation (1951)

Difficult to call yourself an SFF reader if you haven't read this. Some of the later or spin-off books, though--fail! I prefer the third book, myself, maybe because there was finally a female character to identify with. Although I still don't understand why she didn't just kill the Mule instead of the professor dude.

Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin (2000)

Umm, no. Tried her once, didn't like her. At all.

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale (1985)

Someone once compared my writing to Atwood's, inspiring me to pick up what's possibly her most famous book. And I hated it. What a useless bloody dweeb Offred is. She reminded me of Madame Bovary, whom I also hated with a passion. Stupid woman. No, fucking guys is NOT the solution to your problem. How long is it going to take you to learn that? Sheesh. As for the pathetic ending, DO NOT GET ME STARTED.

Why anyone would want to claim this book for SFF, when the author herself is happy for it to be placed among the literary FAILS, is beyond me.

Paul Auster, In the Country of Last Things (1987)

Don't know this one. Interesting title, though.

JG Ballard, Crash (1973)

I bought this after reading an article in the Guardian about the (then) forthcoming film. Mostly because I couldn't watch the film Right Then and I so wanted to. The best book by Ballard I've read, maybe because he sometimes manages to write about something other than himself.

JG Ballard, Millennium People (2003)

Not got to this one yet, although "Super Cannes" is in the tbr pile.

JG Ballard, The Drowned World (1962)

A bit larger than life, but okay if you don't feel the need to believe a word of it.

William Beckford, Vathek (1786)

Not heard of before.

Iain Banks, The Wasp Factory (1984)

Nope. People keep putting me off by saying how wonderful it is. I've been down that road before (Eyre Affair, for one).

Iain M Banks, Consider Phlebas (1987)

Iirc, this was an impulse purchase from the big remainder shop near Victoria Station that isn't there any more, chiz. The same shop that introduced me to PKD (and Greg Egan). I found myself inadvertently on the 'wrong side' in this novel, and the ending felt like a cheat. But then I wasn't familiar with Banks' style at that point. I was young, okay? Young! I remember that.

Clive Barker, Weaveworld (1987)

Nope.

Nicola Barker, Darkmans (2007)

Ah, the Large Book of Epic Fail. I have tried to forget it, really I have.

Stephen Baxter, The Time Ships (1995)

Nope. I don't much care for Baxter's work, truth be told. Too much like being talked down to.

Greg Bear, Darwin's Radio (1999)

Nope. See above.

Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination (1956)

I vacillated between this and Demolished Man, and DM won. Bah.

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 (1953)

Nope, although it's on the 'list of things to read if I ever get around to them'.

Poppy Z Brite, Lost Souls (1992)

See above.

Charles Brockden Brown, Wieland (1798)

Not come across this one before.

Algis Budrys, Rogue Moon (1960)

No, although I want to read more Budrys. Yes, I know there isn't much. 100+ tbr pile, okay?

Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita (1966)

Nope.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Coming Race (1871)

Nope.

Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange (1960)

Nope. Nor do I want to. Thanks anyway.

Anthony Burgess, The End of the World News (1982)

Go away Burgess.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars (1912)

Nope. Although I have read a lot of other bad SFF.

William Burroughs, Naked Lunch (1959)

Nope. The more I hear about it, the less I want to read it.

Octavia Butler, Kindred (1979)

One day. I have read something of hers, forget the title, and it made me Very Uncomfortable because of the female character accepting her slavery. Uncomfortable in a good, making me think way, not uncomfortable in a Margaret Atwood wanting to leap into the book and strangle the character way.

Samuel Butler, Erewhon (1872)

Nope. Although I get a quarter point for having heard of it.

Italo Calvino, The Baron in the Trees (1957)

Nope, although I do have another Calvino book upstairs awaiting its turn.

Ramsey Campbell, The Influence (1988)

Nope. Think I heard something of his on BBC Radio Seven, though. It had not dated well.

Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

Well, of course :D. Brought up on it, Brer Fox.

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871)

Ditto.

Angela Carter, The Passion of New Eve (1977)

Have read some Angela Carter. Not this one though. Always the way.

Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus (1984)

Ditto.

Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (2000)

Nope. Does it yell at you like Yiddish Policeman's Union does? Cos I don't like being yelled at.

Arthur C Clarke, Childhood's End (1953)

I wouldn't go so far as to say I hated it, but oh dear. The aliens work really hard to get the Earth people to accept the idea of equality. No more race, sex, creed, sexuality discrimination etc. But when they get to the Island of No Food Replicators, who does all the cooking? Why the women, of course! EPIC FAIL OF IMAGINATION, Clarkey. EPIC.FAIL.

GK Chesterton, The Man Who Was Thursday (1908)

One day.

Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (2004)

Book.Love. Even if it did make my hands Really Hurt trying to hold that mega-blockbuster of a paperback while reading. It's one of those you either love it or you hate it books, and I feel glad that I loved it. Even if the female characters are a bit feeble.

Michael G Coney, Hello Summer, Goodbye (1975)

Wasn't previously aware of this one.

Douglas Coupland, Girlfriend in a Coma (1998)

Ditto.

Mark Danielewski, House of Leaves (2000)

Ditto.

Marie Darrieussecq, Pig Tales (1996)

Ditto.

Samuel R Delaney, The Einstein Intersection (1967)

Ditto, although I have heard of Delaney.

Philip K Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)

Hmm, yeah, I think you can safely say I've read this one. Excellent Dick novel. And the source of my username!

Philip K Dick, The Man in the High Castle (1962)

One of my least favourite Dick novels. Yes, I know it won all the prizes, etc, but the I Ching knows nothing about plotting a novel. Seriously.

Thomas M Disch, Camp Concentration (1968)

The one book of his I read put me off for life. Mercifully, I've forgotten the title.

Cait Expands Her Reading

History Cait

Back to Its Roots

This drifting timber shed from a Russian cargo ship looks uncannily like a tree to me.



(gakked from BBC News video)

100+ Books 2008

So, it seems to be the time of year when I get to look back on all the books I've read. And there were a lot of them this year

As I started 2008 by entering into the 100-book challenge, I used GoodReads to keep track of what I'd read. This resulted in my 100 Books 2008 shelf.

But of course, the year doesn't end in July, and so there also had to be a More Books 2008 shelf.

The grand total stands at 177 at the time of posting. Yes, I know it says 75 on the second shelf; that's because one "book" is actually a three-book boxset :).

For those of you who don't care to slog through all those books, good, bad, and indifferent, there are also two shelves for the better books I read this year: Five Star and Four Star books 2008.

:)

I enjoyed the 100 books challenge, although at times it made reading feel more of a chore than a pleasure. Once I hit 100, it was suggested that I try for 200, but I wanted to be able to relax and read at a more leisurely pace. That was probably a good decision as it turned out, given life decided to get in the way.

The best part is, though, I still have a stack of books waiting for me :).