A.C. Tillyer: An A-Z of Possible Worlds
A remarkable thing. A boxed set of 26 separately bound short stories, one for each letter of the alphabet, all set in imagined, disturbing, fantastical, Kafka-esque worlds. BS Johnson, Borges and Franz fans should rejoice. It will be published for Christmas. I think it could be huge. (*****)
Joel Grey: 01:03
Quirky collection of pictures taken from his mobile phone. Some great images. (***)
Gyrdir Eliasson: Stone Tree
A beautiful collection of very short stories. A treasure of a book to return to year after year. (****)
Bob Burke: The Third Pig Detective Agency
Unfair of me to rate this as I published it but Ethan has given it 4 stars. Chapter 10 almost had him wetting himself. (****)
- Clifton Robbins: Dusty Death
As far as I can tell this is a long lost crime novel from the 1930s. Hardly anything about it or the author online. There isn't even a jacket to be found anywhere. I thought it was great - a murder mystery tied in with opium smuggling and scandal at the League of Nations for good measure. (****)
Andrew Kaufman: All My Friends are Superheroes
How has this one passed us by? A work of adorable genius. Buy it, borrow it, steal it but just make sure you read it. I am willing to bet it will be your surprise read of the year. I read it on the train home the day I received it and spent the whole evening smiling. (****)
Leo Tolstoy: The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Nothing technically wrong with it but nothing actually happens either. Well, Ivan dies but that is about it. I appear to have missed the point. (**)
Knut Hamsun: Dreamers
Heaps of rustic charm in this classic from Norway. (***)
Chris Priestley: Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror
Wonderfully scary stuff for kids. Genuinely frightening stories to put the wind up 'em. (****)
Erlend Loe: Naive. Super
I was charmed by this sweet, off-kilter story. (****)
Dag Solstad: Novel 11, Book 18
Norwegian existentialism. Not as bad as it sounds. (***)
Alex Williams: The Deep Freeze of Bartholomew Tullock
This was our bedtime read with the kids. We had this US edition, in the UK it is called The Storm Maker. Ethan particularly enjoyed this tale of a land where it never stops snowing. (***)
John Karter: The Profit
A parable which transplants Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet into the modern corporate world. A neat attempt to update a classic. (***)
Anthony Caleshu: Churchtown: The Tale of Suzy Delou and Faye Fiddle
Bizarre tale of geriatric sexual deviancy. (***)
- Keith Scales: The Cloverleaf Development
Fargo-esque smalltown murder mystery. (****)
Effie Gray: Selling Light
Excellent novella. The Highest Tide meets The Juggler. (****)
Various: Little Roasts
Four short stories in a neat little edition. The first was excellent. The second and third very good. The last didn't work for me. A reasonable return on an hour's reading. (***)
Leonore Schick: Lizard
Very odd, somewhat bizarre and a little muddled but has a certain Kafkaesque appeal. (***)
Richard H Thaler: Nudge
A genuinely thought provoking first half. Rather dull second half. (***)
Lars Saabye Christensen: The Half Brother
A genuine modern classic. Challenges John Irving at his best. (*****)
Dave Allan: Sticky Wisdom
Another business book with sound ideas but a bit too much marketing-speak in the explanation. (***)
Stephen C. Lundin: Fish!
Yet more research. Has some good concepts but a bit wanky in how it gets them across. (***)
Malcolm Gladwell: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
More research. Very interesting but not quite as compulsive reading as Blink. (***)
Michael Kimball: Dear Everybody
A wonderfully clever, funny and moving novel. A collection of unsent letters from a young man who has committed suicide. (****)
Andy Stanton: Mr Gum in the Hound of Lamonic Bibber
Perhaps not quite as satisfying as the full-length novels but as a World Book Day title for a quid I really can't grumble. (***)
Neil Jordan: The Dream of a Beast
I must confess I didn't have a fucking clue what was going on. (**)
Jan Blensdorf: My Name is Sei Shonagon
Worth seeking out by Japanophiles who like a quick read. (***)
Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book
If I am being completely honest the kids enjoyed it a lot more than me but it was still a cracking good bedtime read. (****)
Sarnath Banerjee: Corridor: A Graphic Novel
Interesting concept but a bit slight. (***)
David Markson: This is Not a Novel
Unusual, experimental and great fun to read. (****)
Richard Blandford: Flying Saucer Rock 'n' Roll
The best book I have read about growing up in the 90s. Also, one of the few great novels about being in a rock band. (****)
Sue Cook: Force of Nature
Thought provoking novel that looks at the implications of IVF and embryo donation. Does a great job of making it highly readable and thoroughly entertaining. (***)
John Kotter: Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
Another bloody business parable, but at least this one has pictures to keep me awake. (***)
Esteban Echeverria: El Matadero
Another di Giovanni translation, this time of a 19th century Argentinian story called The Slaughteryard. (****)
Jorge Luis Borges: El Hacedor
Otherwise known as The Maker, in English. I actually read a new translation from Norman T di Giovanni which is only available to read online. (****)
Stona Fitch: Printer's Devil
Dark and disturbing. An alarming new discovery. (***)
Sebastian Beaumont: The Juggler
Confirms his position as of the of two or three most exciting British writers around at the moment. I was captivated throughout and didn't want it to end. (*****)
Tom Markert: You Can't Win a Fight with Your Boss: And 55 Other Rules for Success
Frighteningly old school. Work long hours, play the game, wear expensive suits, don't befriend your work colleagues. You might be successful if you follow those rules but you'd also be a bit of a twat. (*)
Ken Blanchard: The Leadership Pill
At least this one offers a bit more than the bloody obvious but it is still pretty much common sense really. (***)
Ken Blanchard: The One Minute Manager Balances Work and Life
More timewasting nonsense that you don't need to read. All in the name of research. (**)
Jenna Jameson: How to Make Love Like a Porn Star
Excellent (genital) warts and all memoir from the biggest porn star in the world. (****)
Spencer Johnson: The One-Minute Teacher
Research for the book I am writing. A case of flogging a dead horse called Franchise with this one. (**)
John Connolly: Dark Hollow
Excellent crime novel. Dark and disturbing. (****)
Emily Bearn: The Great Escape
Proved a popular book at bedtime with the kids and a pleasure to read aloud. Not as good as the first Tumtum & Nutmeg book though. (***)
David Bellos: Georges Perec: A Life in Words
A decent biography of a remarkable writer. A bit dry and academic at times but its got all the facts in the right order so I mustn't grumble. (***)
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Hobbit
Apart from breaking off into song every chapter or so and the annoyingly archaic language in places this proved to be a most enjoyable read for the whole family. My Gollum voice was particularly good, Andy Serkis watch out. (****)
Vikas Swarup: Q and A
A tad clunky in places but such a great story that you forgive it anything. (****)
Ron Hansen: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
A genuine masterpiece. Quite stunning. Unforgettable. Please read this book. I am asking you nicely. (*****)
Elizabeth Baines: Balancing on the Edge of the World
A short collection of short stories. Very good ones too. (***)
Sjon: The Blue Fox
Beautiful. Haunting. Remarkable. (*****)
I have voted but it was such a struggle to choose just one. Will go back to mine now and put up a link back to this post.
Posted by: DJ Kirkby | May 16, 2008 at 06:54 AM
Are these titles listed in ranking order Scott? I guess I was the only judge to nominate Brian Moore's The Doctor's Wife then!
Posted by: John Self | May 16, 2008 at 07:37 AM
Touch choice, but it's got to be Cloud Atlas.
Posted by: Angie | May 16, 2008 at 07:42 AM
Touch choice, but it's got to be Cloud Atlas.
Posted by: Angie | May 16, 2008 at 07:44 AM
Tricky one. I voted for Cloud Atlas too because I thought it was so stunningly original and unique. The only novel I've read in years that actually made me want to write an A-level-style essay about its brilliance!
Posted by: Lucy Diamond | May 16, 2008 at 08:52 AM
Oh and I voted for Colm Toibin's The Master. 2004 was a damn good year for the Booker, with Mitchell, Hollinghurst, Toibin, and Gerard Woodward's magnificent I'll Go to Bed at Noon. Any of them would have been a worthy winner (in fact three of them might have been a more worthy winner than the one that did clinch it).
Furthermore, in my ongoing promotion of the fine and overlooked works of Brian Moore, I have to point out that after being shortlisted for the prize in 1976 for The Doctor's Wife, the book was ruled out of contention by one of the judges, Mary Wilson, on the grounds of its explicit sexual content. And if that hasn't piqued your interest, nothing will.
Posted by: John Self | May 16, 2008 at 09:08 AM
John, I will be posting up a few bits and pieces related to the shortlist in the coming days, such as the books just outside the 10, books that only received one vote and so on.
Posted by: Scott Pack | May 16, 2008 at 09:11 AM
Wierd, I didn't actually post two identical comments, but it looks like I did! Did I mention I voted for Cloud Atlas? :)
Posted by: Angie | May 16, 2008 at 10:19 AM
It's a good list with only Mills standing out as being not of the same quality. I would have put Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance on there instead.
Shall enjoy weighing up the relative merits of these.
Posted by: dan | May 16, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Cloud Atlas by a mile (though some other great books here)....his writing is unique and he's probably the only author I actually read slowly - because I can't bear to miss a single perfect sentence. I still can't believe it didn't win. Wrong. Just wrong.
Posted by: Exmoorjane | May 16, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Tough choice, looks like Cloud Atlas by a country mile. Was hoping to see A long long way on yer list, but how and ever, Butcher Boy for me by a nose from Cloud Atlas, with McGahern a close 3rd. I love this shit!!
Posted by: iain mullen | May 16, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Tough choice, looks like Cloud Atlas by a country mile. Was hoping to see A long long way on yer list, but how and ever, Butcher Boy for me by a nose from Cloud Atlas, with McGahern a close 3rd. I love this shit!!
Posted by: iain mullen | May 16, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Cloud Atlas is breathtaking and gets my vote. With Fingersmith by Sarah Waters a worthy runner up.
Posted by: Caroline | May 16, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Cloud Atlas, because I've never approached a book with as much cynicism (hmmm, how can he call this a 'novel') and been so completely won over, by the form, and the writing. And also, in retrospect, it is such a deep pleasure to feel so involved with a story and its characters that you forget completely about the author.
Posted by: Lynne Rees | May 16, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Cloud Atlas(Is this getting to be a habit?)because of the way the form never gets in the way of the narrative although they oh so cleverly interreact with each other. I never thought I could read sustained lengths of 'futurespeak' and not only understand them but enjoy them hugely.
I also enjoyed Atonement (before the film was a twinkle in the director's eye) and Fingersmith. But in the end it just has to be Cloud Atlas.
Posted by: Sally Z | May 16, 2008 at 12:05 PM
I've gone for Magnus Mills, a cracking and unique read that's not overwritten, not tricksy, not too lah-de-literary-dah, and absolutely compelling. Missed off the list - Tibor Fischer's Under The Frog which I think is really terrific and Michael Frayn's Headlong.
Posted by: alex | May 16, 2008 at 12:48 PM
Cloud Atlas, definitely. Can't say I've read all of the others on this list, though I might start working my way through them, but Cloud Atlas is the most stunningly brilliant book I've ever read, ever, so I'm pretty certain it would still be my favourite after reading the rest of this shortlist. How it didn't win the Booker I'll never understand.
Posted by: womagwriter | May 16, 2008 at 01:00 PM
My own feeling is that Cloud Atlas didn't win because brilliant as it is, in the end the whole didn't make more than the sum of the parts. The textual onionskin structure aside, the elements didn't have enough to link them other than the overall theme of subjugation and the slightly pointless motif of a crescent-shaped birthmark. And I couldn't get along at all with "Sloosha's Crossin' and Everythin' After" or indeed "The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing." But brilliantly written otherwise.
The other reason is that it was up against some very brilliant books that year (2004), probably the strongest shortlist in recent years.
Womagwriter has just commented that she hasn't read all the others, and I was about to blush with embarrassment as I too voted without having read them all... then I checked and realised I have read them all. Phew, honour is satisfied! (Well, I have read them all if starting Graham Bloody Swift's Waterland three times and never being able to finish the damn thing counts.)
Posted by: John Self | May 16, 2008 at 01:10 PM
'Souls cross ages like clouds cross skies' - from the very end of the Sloosha's Crossing section. That's what ties the whole novel together, and to my mind, makes it far, far more than the sum of its parts.
Posted by: womagwriter | May 16, 2008 at 02:28 PM
Difficult one - but Swift's WATERLAND got my vote...sorry John!
Posted by: Clare D | May 16, 2008 at 05:44 PM
Difficult one - but Swift's WATERLAND got my vote...sorry John!
Posted by: Clare D | May 16, 2008 at 05:45 PM
Have just blogged about at greater length, but from this list my vote would go to either Never Let Me Go or The Master.
Posted by: Jenny | May 16, 2008 at 05:47 PM
no stephen king?
Posted by: | May 16, 2008 at 07:27 PM
Butcher Boy is a great book, and one that didn't spring to mind, but I went with Atonement -- I think it might be the best novel of the last 25 years, so...
I really hope giving it to McEwan for Amsterdam three years earlier didn't influence the jury's decision, because I agree with Scott that Amsterdam was undeserving.
Posted by: JMW | May 16, 2008 at 07:52 PM
I wrote about this on my blog a bit ago, but of my shortlisted favourites "Illywhacker", "The Handmaid's Tale", "The Good Terrorist," "Earthly Powers," "Utz", "A Long, Long Way" didn't make your list either! which leaves me with "Atonement" and "Cloud Atlas". Has to be David Mitchell then since "Atonement", though better than "Amsterdam" is a little too nostalgic for me. Seems your reviewers have a short memory, too many recent novels for my taste. But good to see a world beyond "Midnight's Children".
Posted by: Adrian | May 16, 2008 at 08:36 PM
Adrian, as one of the 'judges' it's not so much that I have a short memory as that most of the shortlisted books I've read have been from recent years. I was -4 years old when the Booker began, and only really started reading Booker-type books in the early 1990s, so it's inevitable that my choices were going to be weighted toward the last couple of decades. I have of course read earlier titles, but it's easier to get caught up in the hype and read several shortlisted titles for a given year when it's happening around you!
Oh and of your list, I couldn't finish Illywhacker (Oscar & Lucinda remains the only Peter Carey I have finished - read twice in fact - and I've tried all his other novels but one) or The Handmaid's Tale, so they weren't likely to make my list of nominees. Others might have named them but not ranked them high enough to make the final tally.
Posted by: John Self | May 16, 2008 at 09:59 PM
The problem with public polls like this is that you can only vote for books you have read, which means that the big sellers tend to get the nod over other books which may be of higher quality but that simply didn't sell in such high numbers. I, for example, can only vote for Atonement, Cloud Atlas, Waterland or Never Let Me Go. I'd be interested to see in this comments strand people say not only which of the books they voted for but also which they were choosing between. (As it happens I haven't decided yet which of those four will get my nod as I thought they were all good but none of them favourites of mine.)
Posted by: Marie Phillips | May 16, 2008 at 10:49 PM
Why we cannot vote for two or three? I voted The Master of Colm Toibin but i feel so bad leaving Ishiguro and Sarah Waters out. I'm surprised though that Cloud Atlas gathers so many preferences - not that the book isn't a worthy one but i do suspect that its vote represents mostly a particular fashion of hype view.
Toibin is amazing also as person - nothing to do with the usual 'english' retinence, you know :)
Posted by: poppy | May 16, 2008 at 10:50 PM
Well, I've read six of these (i.e. not McGahern, Ishiguro, McCabe and Waters; of these I want to read the McGahern and I don't want to read the Ishiguro, or indeed, any Ishiguro). Of the six, I'd choose The Restraint of Beasts, which strikes me as just as much a tour de force as Cloud Atlas, and far less showy. I didn't like Atonement - of McEwan's work, I'd rather have seen A Child in Time or Black Dogs on the list. I've got a lot of respect for Barnes, but don't think A and G is one of his best, and I don't remember Waterland well enough to know whether this is my fault or the book's. My second choice would be The Master.
Posted by: Charles Lambert | May 17, 2008 at 07:11 AM
I've only read 4 of these but with no hesitation I went for Cloud Atlas. Reading it made me open my eyes wider with every page, and I swear there was some sort of sparking happening inside my head!
Posted by: jem | May 17, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Maybe i'm more affected by the greek translation of Cloud Atlas than i thought (it just doesn't read and got the worst reviews here)- it's not an excuse enough though, i had read it before in english and i didn't get any sort of 'sparkling'. It was very good, indeed but The Master has such a subtlety and finesse in its subject's handling that it really needs a true master for it.
I'll vote again also for Ishiguro though, i just cannot resist..:)
Posted by: poppy | May 17, 2008 at 01:27 PM
To do this properly I'd have to reread the eight I've read and have a stab at McCabe and Waters. I loved McGahern's 'Amongst Women' but had the criminally ignored 'That They May Face The Rising Sun' been on there, I would have voted for that. It's a good shortlist, and when I've made up my mind between 'Cloud Atlas' and 'Atonement', I'll get round to voting...
Posted by: David Belbin | May 18, 2008 at 01:30 PM
Dan. I must disagree with you about Magnus Mills. It may not set out to be heavy literary fodder but it is a wonderfully entertaining Kafka-esque novel and a thought-provoking read. Its lack of pretension makes it a cut above many books that have won the prize.
Iain. I found A Long Long Way to be very dry and dull and could never get past the first few pages.
John. I can actually see both sides of the Cloud Atlas argument. I loved it, and loved reading it, but I agree with you that the various parts are not pulled together sufficiently to make it the 'perfect' novel. It is a bold and exciting experiment that almost comes off. As you know my theory is that Mitchell's first three books are all short story collections that he has linked together to make into novels.
Poppy. I can't speak for Greece but I don't think Cloud Atlas was hyped over here. It did get a big push from the publisher but I felt that was down to a genuine and massive enthusiasm for its content. Hype, for me, is when the advance buzz is not matched by the book itself. I seem to recall Sceptre raving about Andrew Miller's The Optimists shortly after the success of Cloud Atlas but the book simply didn't live up to it.
Marie. I accept that to be entirely fair you have to have read all the books but there's nothing wrong in voting for any of them that you enjoyed.
Posted by: Scott Pack | May 18, 2008 at 03:14 PM
Sarah Waters deserves more votes!
Posted by: Josie | May 23, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Went for The Master, which is a very moving book. Cloud Atlas was good fun but a book structured in such an original way deserved to be backed up with ideas that were equally original.
Even more criminal than leaving The Remains of the Day off the Best of the Winners list, is leaving both - both! - William Trevor's The Story of Lucy Gault, and Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance off the Best of the the Rest list.
And even more criminal than that is not having a single book by a writer outside of Britain and Ireland. Dirt Music; A Fine Balance; Fasting, Feasting; Unless; The Beggar Maid; Remembering Babylon... In this decade alone, one third of the titles eligible for this list were by writers outside of GB&I. Judges - must do better!
Posted by: Sam | May 26, 2008 at 10:35 AM
the list seeems a touch short of women writers - you can see why the Orange Prize was invented!
Posted by: Jo | May 28, 2008 at 02:23 PM
I must admit Jo that I rarely think about the gender of an author when selecting a book to read or compiling a list like this. In fact, I am pretty sure that gender plays no part at all in my though process when it comes to books. For me, it is always the book that matters. I hadn't even worked out how many men vs women were on the list. For me, it is irrelevant.
Posted by: Scott Pack | May 31, 2008 at 12:09 PM
I hate woman writers. It's not naturul.
Posted by: Andrew Kenneally | May 31, 2008 at 02:47 PM
Or even natural. The miss-spelling is a sub-conscious indication of the degree of its unnaturalness.
Posted by: Andrew Kenneally | May 31, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Agree completely with the thing about not having read all the books, which edges it towards a popularity contest, but that doesn't mean the debate isn't fun. It lets me say this, for instance: Did I miss a section of people ranting about why A Month in the Country wasn't included? If I did, I'm really sorry for boring people. If I didn't, take my rant (friendly enthusiastic for A Month in the Country style ranting rather than angry about any other of these excellent books style ranting) as read.
Posted by: Milly Chen | June 07, 2008 at 10:03 AM
I still say Fingersmith woz robbed. Bloody Life of Bloody Pi.
Posted by: Kirsty | June 17, 2008 at 02:45 PM
Had to be Cloud Atlas in the end. Reasoning/justification here - http://geographyofhope.blogspot.com/2008/07/best-of-booker-losers.html.
Posted by: Col | July 02, 2008 at 01:35 PM