The death of Kurt Vonnegut makes me realise how much I miss reading. I never make time for it anymore. Since I got my car park space at work and then the advent of the ipod, Sky+ and things like Word magazine, not to mention endless blogs, forums and eBay, reading has taken a seat so far back it cannot be seen with the naked eye.
I used to be a voracious reader. I had various long journeys to and from work and could read a book a week no problem. If I was really into it I'd read it when I got home too. But I never read in bed. No, I've always liked either a mag or a bit of telly late at night.
I can't even remember the last thing I read. But when I look down one of those lists of novels you must read, or classics as voted for by the readers of Carp, Pike and Perch magazine, I've covered pretty much everything. I still buy books, and cannot resist a second hand bookshop, always coming out with something. But I'm worrying I'll never properly read again unless i ditch the car, have a longer journey to work or go deaf. And I have a houseful of books to choose from. It's criminal.
So while I'm in reading mood, here are some of my fave authors.
John Updike. Have you read the Rabbit books? If not, you must, probably my favourite books of all time. The American dream
is by turns sour and sweet. Some of his earlier novels are hard work, like The Poorhouse Fair, but worth a look, as is the one set slightly in the future, a more recent work. Can't remember what it's called.
Philip Roth. Another shatterer of the American Dream. American Pastoral, I Married A Communist, Portnoy's Complaint, all worth reading.
Iris Murdoch. All her books are the same really, and if you can get past the odd names she gives her characters and the strange places they live, there's a story there, usually a battle between good and evil and something of great religious significance. The Time of The Angels, A Severed Head, The Bell, The Sandcastle, Under The Net, The Black Prince, Bruno's Deam and especially The Sea, The Sea are all worth reading.
Magnus Mills. Books about men painting sheds or putting up fence posts, and all fantastically well-written stories about people. The Restraint of Beasts is the best, and Three To See The King and All Quiet On The Orient Express come highly recommended.
George Orwell. Especially Coming Up For Air.
Malcolm Pryce. His Aberystwth series of books are hilarious, exploring the underbelly of this Welsh town, the illicit industries and nefarious characters his private eye runs into. Rob Brydon would be great in the lead role if these are ever made into TV shows.
Kingsley Amis. The Green Man, The Old Devils (set in Wales - I like any books set in Wales). A good old fashioned writer, they don't make them like this anymore.
Douglas Coupland. Skip Generation X and go straight to All Families Are Psychotic and go from there. A great ear for dialogue.
Angus Wilson. Late Call is a really clever book, very much of its time. It's the 60s and a retiring hotelier couple leave their seaside life and move in with one of their children and his family in a new town, with everything that entails.
Others enjoyed include Michael Frayn, whoever wrote The Corrections, DBC Pierre's Vernon God Little (well I liked it), Muriel Spark, Martin Amis, Richard Allen, Jonathan Safran Froer, Michael Ignatieff's Scar Tissue, The Bell Jar, and countless others.
That does it. Tomorrow, I'm starting a new book.
5 comments:
You do love books about middle-class misery, don't you? I used to read voraciously, too, but then my journey to work turned into one long enough to read a tabloid, and that was that. I've had Will Self's Book of Dave on the bedside table for almost a year, and much as I love him, I've got through three chapters and will have to start again. And I can't see myself finishing the current tome, Eric Sykes' autobiog. Last book I realy enjoyed was Carl Hiaasen's Skinny Dip.
I loved the two Will Self books I read, How The Dead Live and My Idea Of Fun, but I've not read any others. I do see him recycling at Nine Elms Sainsbury's, smoking his pipe while his kids pop the trash into the bottle bank. You've gotta love him.
The last book I think I read was I Start Counting by some woman. It's the book that was made into the film starring Jenny Agutter. And very good it was too.
'some woman'. Brilliant.
Give my regards to Will. He is my number-one literary pin-up (I have him alongside a pic of Nicolas Cage in Wild At Heart on the kitchen wall; horse-faced men all), and my best birthday was the one where I saw him in Soho and almost swooned. Give Great Apes a go.
I used to be a big reader, but stopped when I gave up smoking about 5 years ago. I'm scared that if I read, I'll have to start smoking again...
I think I'll risk redicovering Mr Vonnegut though.
Nothing's worth starting smoking again for, Suicide. I was doing so well lately on the no smoking during the day thing, then went on holiday and it all went to pot. Still, you've got to have some pleasure in life.
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