The Good Citizen Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) Not sure how many I read last year, but its amazing when you look back at your bookshelf and see how many you actually get through. I have one challenge for 2012 to read all 7 volumes of Proust - In Search Of Lost Time "The complete story contains nearly 1.5 million words and is one of the longest novels in world literature." I am bit daunted by this so rather than chicken out I thought I'd put it in writing as a challenge! I bought the first volume last week so I hope I enjoy it! Anyway here is a proper list for 2012: January 1 1Q84 - Murakami 8.5/10 One of the few books I have reserved and purchased the day it came out as I love Murakami's fiction, everyone should have a pet author and he is mine at the moment. He is just consistently enjoyable, maybe only Norwegian Wood could make it in an all time top 10 but most of his books would make my top 50. Volume 1 and 2 finished off over Christmas and Volume 3 just crept into 2012 and so the first entry on my list.... 2 Ham on Rye - Bukowski 10/10 I assume this is a play on Catcher in the Rye as its similarly a coming of age tale. Where as I was underwhelmed by Salinger's more famous novel I absolutely loved this and couldn't put it down. I already read the post office by Bukowski last year which takes this character into working life so probably the wrong order to read it as this follows his childhood though a physically abusive father , debilitating acne though to the emergence of alcoholism. Chianski is a true American Anti Hero, constantly going against the grain, irrepressible, stubborn and all too often his own worst enemy. What could be a harrowing and oppressive read is genuinely uplifting due to Chianski's razor sharp humour in the face of whatever life throws at him and an eternal belief that just given half a chance he could take on the world. Edited January 19, 2012 by The Good Citizen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Citizen Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) 3. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: Murakami Very similar to 1Q84 in many ways (or vice versa as 1Q84 came later) the character of Ushikawa appears in both. Similar themes from crossing over into parallel worlds, lost loves and even a definite recurring ears fetish that Murakami always seems allure to. I was listening to Robert Johnson this morning on my way to work, the same song rewritten time and again, luckily its a good song. The same could be said of Murakami's back catalogue. 8/10 4. Voyage: Steven Baxter (As recommend by Karsa Orlong Edited January 19, 2012 by The Good Citizen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 4. Voyage: Steven Baxter (As recommend by Karsa Orlong Hope you enjoy it, Matt If you don't, I'll be hiding behind the bookshelves over there ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I have one challenge for 2012 to read all 7 volumes of Proust - In Search Of Lost Time WOW. I wish you good luck and I hope you enjoy it. I will definitely want to know how it was for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 What an awesome undertaking! I hope to read all of In Search of Lost Time one day, too, but it'll probably take me a decade. Great review of Ham on Rye. I bought this recently myself; I haven't read any Bukowski before. Looks like I picked a good'en! I'm hoping to read more Murakami this year, and I have a few Stephen Baxter novels on my TBR pile (not Voyage, though). I look forward to reading your reviews this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Great review of Ham on Rye. I bought this recently myself; I haven't read any Bukowski before. Looks like I picked a good'en! That's a good book to start with, I would say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Citizen Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks all, I've made a start on Voyage Karsa, only 60 pages in but tonight I should get chance to make a hole in it! After that I must start Proust otherwise I will keep putting it off all year! Ha My son's mother blogs on her book reading so Dylan (my son) tells me, I haven't told her about this site as she would laugh at my efforts! I finally read Catch-22 last year Kylie after the 3rd attempt (first attempt about 15 years ago in 6th form!). It is undoubtedly a great book, and funny, if a little long. I think it could have made its point in about 200 pages less than it needed, a must read though (eventually!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Citizen Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 I've left my copy of Voyage on the bus this morning, what a numpty I'd got about 200 pages in and really getting into it, they'd just left Earth's gravitational orbit too. Duh, I'll have to buy another copy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Citizen Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) February (Ordered another copy of Voyage off ebay so I'll finish it eventually ) 5 The Lambs of London Peter Ackroyd - 8.5 This was a short (240 pages in an isis large print edition is pretty short!) but really enjoyable novel set in 19C London around the discovey of a range of lost shakesperian artifacts and the public commotion it quickly causes. Based on genuine historical figures, Charles and Mary Lamb, it suprised me, with a little help help from Wikipedia, how much fact was woven into the fiction. Admittedly a better grounding in Shakespeare would have been useful to appreciate some of the prose and quotes from his plays and how it related to the story line. Alas, the bard's work goes completely over my head and I probably would have finished this quicker if I didn't spend half the time rereading the extracts from his plays trying to work out what they actually meant! It didn't detract from a well crafted story however and Ackroyd crams plenty of life into his characters. For all the strained social conventions of Victorian England, it still drew me in and I genuinely cared about their fates. It was impessive what can be accomplished in so few words. Edited February 5, 2012 by The Good Citizen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Citizen Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Next up 6 In Search of Lost Time - Proust And while I'm making my way through that... 7 The Atrocity Exhibition - JG Ballard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Best of luck with the Proust efforts, I'd love to read In Search of Lost Time, some day.. we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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