The Book Tower
debut novel coming soon

Although I’m only about 100 pages into Nicola Barker’s Darkmans I’m enjoying the ride immensely. And, at over 800 pages, it’s going to be a long one. But it’s already shaping into a very readable and satisfyingly strange novel.

Darkmans is 5/1 to win this year’s Booker Prize. Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach is 3/1, and although it’s a book I really enjoyed – and although McEwan is a writer I love and respect – I would really really like Barker to win.

I like a book to challenge, I like it to provoke and I like a book to be – sometimes – unusual. So far Darkmans is pushing all the right buttons…

Comments [3]

The answer to the recent literary meme is The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

Incidentally, Radcliffe’s novel is featured in Dr. Peter Boxall’s 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I had a look through the list and after a quick calculation I realised I’ve only read roughly 9% of the books listed. So I went back through the list and found ten books that I’ve promised myself to have read by this time next year:

Everything Is Illuminated – Jonathan Safran Foer
The Tin Drum – Günter Grass
The Bell – Iris Murdoch
In a Glass Darkly – Sheridan Le Fanu
Steppenwolf – Herman Hesse
Quartet – Jean Rhys
At the Mountains of Madness – H.P. Lovecraft
Titus Groan – Mervyn Peake
Lord of the Flies – William Golding (I know!)
The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien (I know, I know!)

I didn’t spend too long on my choices. I think I just need to get reading.

By the way, I wouldn’t say that this is the definitive list, but who can?

Comments [5]

In the last few days there’s been good and bad news in the science fiction world.

Read Ups and Downs for Science Fiction [1]