344. Uncanny X-Men 1997 - Scott Lobdell, Joe Madureira, John Ostrander etc. 7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 735 pages
Another good year for the flagship title - UXM #340 - 350 & Annual 1997, Magneto #1 -4, Imperial Guard #1-3, Punisher #12-16, Marvel Fanfare #4-5, Spider Man - The Venom Agenda and Marvel Valentines and Holiday Special. The year sees Bastion and Operation Zero Tolerance, the team in space against the Phalanx... and the killer The Trial Of Gambit, amongst other things, one of the best being Punisher's 'Total Extinction' storyline.
345. X-Men 1997 - Scott Lobdell, Ben Raab, Carlos Pacheco etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 441 pages
X-Men #60-70, Flashback, Annual 1997 and Crimson Dawn #1-4.
346. Deadpool classic 1997 - Joe Kelly, Ed McGuiness etc. 4/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 421 pages
Deadpool #1-11, Annual '97 and Deadpool Flashback '97.
347. Cable classic 1996-1997 - Jeph Loeb, Ian Churchill, James Robinson, Randy Green, Ladronin etc. 7/10Marvel Entertainment Group, 583 pages
Collects Cable #27 - 49, Cable Flashback '97 and Captain America #6.
348. X-Man 1997 - Terry Kavanagh, Roger Cruz etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 427 pages
X-Man #33-43, Annuals '96 & '97, All Saints Day and Amazing Spider-Man #420
349. Generation X 1997 - Scott Lobdell, Chris Bachalo, James Robinson etc. 7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 476 pages
The innovative and superlative tale of the new Academy continues, with the amazing issue #25 with Black Tom Cassidy, as well as the likes of Emplate, Jubilees amazing performance against Bastion and the other Operation Zero Tolerance escapades; the truth about 'M' and lots more in ...Generation X # 23 -33, Gen X Flashback '97, Annual '97, Marvel Team Up #1 with Spider-man, Incredible Hulk Annual '97 and the Day Dreamers Limited Series with Artie, Leech, Howard the Duck and Man-Thing.
350. Private Eyes - Jonathan Kellerman 6/10
Headline (Hodder Headline), 598 pages
Alex Delaware & Milo Sturgis # 6. Ex-patient Melissa from 10 years previous, contacts Delaware about her agoraphobic mum, Gina (who'd had been the victim of an acid attack before Melissa's birth) who subsequently disappears. With the help of Milo, Delaware begins an investigation into the disappearance finding a multitude of suspects in Gina's life. Another great case, but once again tended to have so much detail at times, it was often difficult to maintain interest.
351. Heroes Reborn: The Return- Peter David and Salvador Larocca 7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 106 pages
The final resolution of the impressive Onslaught series, reveals the 'dead'/lost heroes whereabouts and with the aid of The Celestials, Dr Strange, Loki(!), Spiderman and Franklin Richards, how and if they are returned to Earth. Peter David, once again, in my opinion, proves he is the best writer to ever scribe for Marvel with this powerful, emotional and awesome tale of growth, recovery and survival... with the rest of the Onslaught series, some of the best work ever produced by Marveldom in my opinion.
352. X-Men Unlimited 1996-1997 - Howard Mackie, Terry Kavanagh, George Peres etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 527 pages
X-Men Unlimited # 10-17, Peter Parker # 84, Juggernaut, Incredible Hulk #454 - #457 and Silver Surfer #123
353. Essential Wolverine 1997 - Larry Hama, Lenil Francis Yu, Anthony Winn etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 531 pages
Included the final issues of the superlative run of Larry Hama, covering most of Wolverine's 'feral' phase after the failure of Genesis' attempt at re-bonding him with Adamtium and the actual Bastion V X-Men story of Operation Zero Tolerance… Collects Wolverine #102.5, Flashback '97, #109 -119, Annual '97; Tooth & Claw #1-3, Logan Path of the Warlord, Logan Shadow Society and Doombringer and Marvel Fanfare #2.
354. X-Force classics 1997 - J F Moore, Ben Raab, Adam Pollina etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 541 pages
Collects X-Force 62-72, X-F Flashback '97, Annual '97, New Mutants Truth Or Death, Domino #1-3 and Beast #1-3.
355. Excalibur classics 1997 - 1998 - Ben Raab, Salvador Larocca, Mel Rubi etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 669 pages
The end of an era, ending with the marriage of Captain Britain and Meggan and the three Americans returning to the States to rejoin the X-Men. Excalibur # 105 - 125, Flashback '97, Kitty Pryde Agent of SHIELD and Colossus.
356. Girlfriend In A Coma - Douglas Coupland 6/10
Harper Perennial (Harper Collins), 280 pages
A 17 year old girl, Karen thinks she sees vivid images of a dark future, and the following night she falls into a coma… This book is well described by an Amazon reviewer, who said it was like starting one book and finishing another! An eco-metaphysical fable warning mankind about its drive towards efficiency and emptiness and how it is has truly conquered the planet. What? Read this very interesting book, and you'll see what I mean.
121, Scaredy Cat - Mark Billingham. Slightly cheating since it was in an omnibus with Sleepyhead:o lol
122. Kensuke's Kingdom - Michael Morpurgo
123. Frozen in Time - Ali Sparkes
124. Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane
125. Tooth and Nail - Ian Rankin
126. Goose Girl - Shannon Hale
127. Strong Poison - Dorothy Sayers
128. Tell No One - Harlan Coben
130. Autumn Term - Antonia Forest. I'm in a school story mood:D Want to read the rest of these but they're hard to find. Boo!
131. Indigo's Star - Hilary McKay. Second book in the Casson family series. Really like them so far, think there's 3 more
132. Going Back - Penelope Lively
133. Penelope - Penelope Farmer
134. The Giver - Lois Lowry
135. The School at the Chalet - Elinor Brent-Dyer. Hadn't read this before, now I want to read more.
Haven't been reading so much lately due to some hectic real-life stuff, but here is number 71:
71) "Starting Over" by Tony Parsons. A funny (as in peculiar) book. It took a while to get going, then I really enjoyed about the last third and couldn't put it down at that stage. It's about George, a 47 year old policeman who gets a heart transplant from a 19 year old donor, and how this changes his life in unexpected ways. The book was a little disjointed in some ways for me, it seemed to jump around a lot in a weird way.
Overall, I still enjoyed it and would give it about 7/10.
72) "Betrayed" by Lyndsey Harris with Andrew Crofts. Horrible true story about a little girl betrayed most cruelly by someone very close to her. Can't say too much more without spoiling it. I could not put this book down.
278) Flying By the Seat of My Pants - Marsha Marks
279) The Slap - Christos - Tsiolkas
280) The Checkout Girl - Tazeen Ahmed
281) Lost Innocence - Susan Lewis
Sorry about all the X-men related books, but as I have done my 210, I have set myself a target of reading all the X-books dated up to the year 2000 by the end of the year.
356. Girlfriend In A Coma - Douglas Coupland 6/10
Harper Perennial (Harper Collins), 280 pages
A 17 year old girl, Karen thinks she sees vivid images of a dark future, and the following night she falls into a coma… This book is well described by an Amazon reviewer, who said it was like starting one book and finishing another! An eco-metaphysical fable warning mankind about its drive towards efficiency and emptiness and how it is has truly conquered the planet. What? Read this very interesting book, and you'll see what I mean.
357. Maverick - Jorges Gonzales, Jim Cheung, Leo Fernandez etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 360 page
Collects the Maverick one-shot and Maverick #1 - 12.
358. Classic X-Factor 1997 - 1998 - Howard Mackie etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 610 pages
Collects X-factor # 130 -149. Flashback '97, Marvel Fanfare #6, Sabretooth: Back to Nature and Strong Guy Reborn
359. Cable Classic 1998 - Casey Jones, Jose Ladronin etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 405 pages
Collects Cable # 50 - 62, Cable & Machine Man Annual 1998 and Bastion & Machine Man Annual 1998
360. Generation X 1998 - Larry Hama, Terry Dodson etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 396 pages
Generation X #34 - 46, # 1/2, Holiday Special 1998 and Generaion X: Underground.
361. Deadpool classic 1998 - Joe Kelly, WalterMcDaniel, Pete Woods etc.7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 431 pages
Sublime, genius, innovative, incredible! All rise at the altar of a genius series… from dark comedy to existentialism, from a Baby's First Book to a universe wide drama, from modern pop-art referencing to mutha-cussing… there's nothing like Deadpool! Capturing the 'Drowning Man' and 'Payback' stories as well as the prologues of 'Dead Reckoning'. Collects Deadpool # 1/2, #12 - 26, Death & Deadpool Annual 1998, Deadpool Team-Up and Baby's First Deadpool Book.
362. Essential Wolverine 1998 - Warren Ellis, Chris Claremont, J F Moore, Lenil Francis Yu etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 478 pages
Wolverine #120 - 132, Annual 1998, Black Rio, Elektra #15, Shadows and Light and Days of Future Past #1-3. A strange year with the brilliance of Ellis' 'Not Dead Yet' and the superb 'Shadows & Light' to the very very average return of Chris Claremonnt and finishing off with Nicieza's brilliant portrayal of the effects of spousal abuse.
363. Alpha Flight volume two - Steve Seagle, Duncan Rouleau, Steve Lobdell etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 553 pages
Alpha Flight (volume 2) #1-20, Alpha Flight and The Inhumans annual 1998 and Big Hero Six #1-3. As ever it is Steve Lobdell that shines through with the wonderful Japanese based thee part Limited Series 'Big Hero Six'.
364. Uncanny X-Men 1998 - Steve Seagle, Chris Bachaol, Howard Mackie etc 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 755 pages
Collects X-Men # 351 - 362, Uncanny X-Men and Fantastic Four Annual 1998, Team X 2000, Pint-sized X-Babies, Gambit volume two: #1-4, Longshot, Daredevil # 371 , X-Men - The LIberators # 1- 4, X-Men & Alpha Flight volume two: #1-2 etc.
365. Quicksilver - Tom Peyer, John Ostrander, Joe Edkin etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 491 pages
Quicksilver #1 -13, Avengers #7, Captain America #8, Iron Man #7, Heroes For Hire #15-16 and Quicksilver & Heroes For Hire Annual 1998.
366. Private Eyes - Jonathan Kellerman 6/10
Headline (Hodder Headline), 598 pages
Alex Delaware & Milo Sturgis # 6. Ex-patient Melissa from 10 years previous, contacts Delaware about her agoraphobic mum, Gina (who'd had been the victim of an acid attack before Melissa's birth) who subsequently disappears. With the help of Milo, Delaware begins an investigation into the disappearance finding a multitude of suspects in Gina's life. ANother great case, but once again tended to have so much detail at times, it was often difficult to maintain interest.
47. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (re-read, interesting)
48. Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy (fancied something lightweight so re-reading this for the 3rd time)
127. Strong Poison - Dorothy Sayers
128. Tell No One - Harlan Coben
130. Autumn Term - Antonia Forest. I'm in a school story mood:D Want to read the rest of these but they're hard to find. Boo!
131. Indigo's Star - Hilary McKay. Second book in the Casson family series. Really like them so far, think there's 3 more
132. Going Back - Penelope Lively
133. Penelope - Penelope Farmer
134. The Giver - Lois Lowry
135. The School at the Chalet - Elinor Brent-Dyer. Hadn't read this before, now I want to read more.
136. The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips - Michael Morpurgo
137. Pernament Rose - Hilary McKay
138. A Candle in her Room - Ruth Arthur
139. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
140. Letters from Father Christmas - JRR Tolkien
141. Caddy Ever After - Hilary McKay. So sad there's only one more Casson book to go:o
142. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum. Had never read this before, just seen the film.
143. Looking for Alaska - John Green
72) "Betrayed" by Lyndsey Harris with Andrew Crofts. Horrible true story about a little girl betrayed most cruelly by someone very close to her. Can't say too much more without spoiling it. I could not put this book down.
Numbers 73 - 75 are a a re-read for me, but the last time I read them was about 10 years ago. They are a trilogy by an author called David Lodge, as follows:
73) "Changing Places" by David Lodge.
74) "Small World" by David Lodge.
75) "Nice Work" by David Lodge.
I'd forgotten over the years how much I love these three books!
They are billed as "campus novels", dealing as they do with life at the fictional University of Rummidge (Rummidge is based on Birmingham). The first novel tells us the story of an exchange between English Lit lecturer Philip Swallow of Rummidge and an American English Lit professor, Morris Zapp (of fictional Euphoric State Uni, thought to be based on Berkley in California). It's set in 1969 and looks at the student politics of that era, but is also very funny and Swallow and Zapp's personal lives are most entertaining.
"Small World" is set 10 years later on the English Literature conference circuit. It moves on to new characters such as young Irish academic Persse McGarrigle, but Swallow and Zapp still feature quite prominently and we find out what has happened to them in the intervening 10 years.
The third novel in the trilogy is set in 1986 and moves on again to other characters, one of whom, Robyn Penrose, is a lecturer in English Lit at Rummidge - so Professor Swallow is still involved, though in a much lesser role. Professor Zapp also appears in a sort of cameo.
They are excellent, excellent books, especially "Nice Work" which I could not put down. They are very funny books, but also look at the politics of each era and also relate to famous novels in English literature; if you are well read in classic English literature you will notice this.
35. Incident at Badamya by Dorothy Gilman - This is more of a regular fiction book than a mystery, but it was fascinating. The book was about an event (ca. 1950 attempt of China to spread communism) and a country (Burma) about which I know little. There were perhaps too many Burmese bits of conversation, and usually I'm a sucker for bringing in foreign phrases, but it did help evoke the atmosphere.
36. A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks - thought-provoking
286) Nemisis - Jo Nesbo
287) Confessions of a GP - Benjamin Daniels
My prospects of hitting 300 books by the end of the year while still difficult have been boosted as my Christmas holiday plans (Med cruise) have been thwarted by the snow and ice at Heathrow:(
So I have nearly two weeks at home and the bad roads etc mean I will spend most of it at home.
Comments
Have to get a wiggle on if I want to make 100, Its not looking good.
345. X-Men 1997 - Scott Lobdell, Ben Raab, Carlos Pacheco etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 441 pages
X-Men #60-70, Flashback, Annual 1997 and Crimson Dawn #1-4.
346. Deadpool classic 1997 - Joe Kelly, Ed McGuiness etc. 4/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 421 pages
Deadpool #1-11, Annual '97 and Deadpool Flashback '97.
347. Cable classic 1996-1997 - Jeph Loeb, Ian Churchill, James Robinson, Randy Green, Ladronin etc. 7/10Marvel Entertainment Group, 583 pages
Collects Cable #27 - 49, Cable Flashback '97 and Captain America #6.
348. X-Man 1997 - Terry Kavanagh, Roger Cruz etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 427 pages
X-Man #33-43, Annuals '96 & '97, All Saints Day and Amazing Spider-Man #420
349. Generation X 1997 - Scott Lobdell, Chris Bachalo, James Robinson etc. 7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 476 pages
The innovative and superlative tale of the new Academy continues, with the amazing issue #25 with Black Tom Cassidy, as well as the likes of Emplate, Jubilees amazing performance against Bastion and the other Operation Zero Tolerance escapades; the truth about 'M' and lots more in ...Generation X # 23 -33, Gen X Flashback '97, Annual '97, Marvel Team Up #1 with Spider-man, Incredible Hulk Annual '97 and the Day Dreamers Limited Series with Artie, Leech, Howard the Duck and Man-Thing.
350. Private Eyes - Jonathan Kellerman 6/10
Headline (Hodder Headline), 598 pages
Alex Delaware & Milo Sturgis # 6. Ex-patient Melissa from 10 years previous, contacts Delaware about her agoraphobic mum, Gina (who'd had been the victim of an acid attack before Melissa's birth) who subsequently disappears. With the help of Milo, Delaware begins an investigation into the disappearance finding a multitude of suspects in Gina's life. Another great case, but once again tended to have so much detail at times, it was often difficult to maintain interest.
351. Heroes Reborn: The Return- Peter David and Salvador Larocca 7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 106 pages
The final resolution of the impressive Onslaught series, reveals the 'dead'/lost heroes whereabouts and with the aid of The Celestials, Dr Strange, Loki(!), Spiderman and Franklin Richards, how and if they are returned to Earth. Peter David, once again, in my opinion, proves he is the best writer to ever scribe for Marvel with this powerful, emotional and awesome tale of growth, recovery and survival... with the rest of the Onslaught series, some of the best work ever produced by Marveldom in my opinion.
352. X-Men Unlimited 1996-1997 - Howard Mackie, Terry Kavanagh, George Peres etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 527 pages
X-Men Unlimited # 10-17, Peter Parker # 84, Juggernaut, Incredible Hulk #454 - #457 and Silver Surfer #123
353. Essential Wolverine 1997 - Larry Hama, Lenil Francis Yu, Anthony Winn etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 531 pages
Included the final issues of the superlative run of Larry Hama, covering most of Wolverine's 'feral' phase after the failure of Genesis' attempt at re-bonding him with Adamtium and the actual Bastion V X-Men story of Operation Zero Tolerance… Collects Wolverine #102.5, Flashback '97, #109 -119, Annual '97; Tooth & Claw #1-3, Logan Path of the Warlord, Logan Shadow Society and Doombringer and Marvel Fanfare #2.
354. X-Force classics 1997 - J F Moore, Ben Raab, Adam Pollina etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 541 pages
Collects X-Force 62-72, X-F Flashback '97, Annual '97, New Mutants Truth Or Death, Domino #1-3 and Beast #1-3.
355. Excalibur classics 1997 - 1998 - Ben Raab, Salvador Larocca, Mel Rubi etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 669 pages
The end of an era, ending with the marriage of Captain Britain and Meggan and the three Americans returning to the States to rejoin the X-Men. Excalibur # 105 - 125, Flashback '97, Kitty Pryde Agent of SHIELD and Colossus.
356. Girlfriend In A Coma - Douglas Coupland 6/10
Harper Perennial (Harper Collins), 280 pages
A 17 year old girl, Karen thinks she sees vivid images of a dark future, and the following night she falls into a coma… This book is well described by an Amazon reviewer, who said it was like starting one book and finishing another! An eco-metaphysical fable warning mankind about its drive towards efficiency and emptiness and how it is has truly conquered the planet. What? Read this very interesting book, and you'll see what I mean.
127. Strong Poison - Dorothy Sayers
128. Tell No One - Harlan Coben
130. Autumn Term - Antonia Forest. I'm in a school story mood:D Want to read the rest of these but they're hard to find. Boo!
131. Indigo's Star - Hilary McKay. Second book in the Casson family series. Really like them so far, think there's 3 more
132. Going Back - Penelope Lively
133. Penelope - Penelope Farmer
134. The Giver - Lois Lowry
135. The School at the Chalet - Elinor Brent-Dyer. Hadn't read this before, now I want to read more.
64. A Christmas Carol (Dickens)
65. Shatter: The Children of Man (Elizabeth C. Mock)
72) "Betrayed" by Lyndsey Harris with Andrew Crofts. Horrible true story about a little girl betrayed most cruelly by someone very close to her. Can't say too much more without spoiling it. I could not put this book down.
279) The Slap - Christos - Tsiolkas
280) The Checkout Girl - Tazeen Ahmed
281) Lost Innocence - Susan Lewis
357. Maverick - Jorges Gonzales, Jim Cheung, Leo Fernandez etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 360 page
Collects the Maverick one-shot and Maverick #1 - 12.
358. Classic X-Factor 1997 - 1998 - Howard Mackie etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 610 pages
Collects X-factor # 130 -149. Flashback '97, Marvel Fanfare #6, Sabretooth: Back to Nature and Strong Guy Reborn
359. Cable Classic 1998 - Casey Jones, Jose Ladronin etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 405 pages
Collects Cable # 50 - 62, Cable & Machine Man Annual 1998 and Bastion & Machine Man Annual 1998
360. Generation X 1998 - Larry Hama, Terry Dodson etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 396 pages
Generation X #34 - 46, # 1/2, Holiday Special 1998 and Generaion X: Underground.
361. Deadpool classic 1998 - Joe Kelly, WalterMcDaniel, Pete Woods etc.7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 431 pages
Sublime, genius, innovative, incredible! All rise at the altar of a genius series… from dark comedy to existentialism, from a Baby's First Book to a universe wide drama, from modern pop-art referencing to mutha-cussing… there's nothing like Deadpool! Capturing the 'Drowning Man' and 'Payback' stories as well as the prologues of 'Dead Reckoning'. Collects Deadpool # 1/2, #12 - 26, Death & Deadpool Annual 1998, Deadpool Team-Up and Baby's First Deadpool Book.
362. Essential Wolverine 1998 - Warren Ellis, Chris Claremont, J F Moore, Lenil Francis Yu etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 478 pages
Wolverine #120 - 132, Annual 1998, Black Rio, Elektra #15, Shadows and Light and Days of Future Past #1-3. A strange year with the brilliance of Ellis' 'Not Dead Yet' and the superb 'Shadows & Light' to the very very average return of Chris Claremonnt and finishing off with Nicieza's brilliant portrayal of the effects of spousal abuse.
363. Alpha Flight volume two - Steve Seagle, Duncan Rouleau, Steve Lobdell etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 553 pages
Alpha Flight (volume 2) #1-20, Alpha Flight and The Inhumans annual 1998 and Big Hero Six #1-3. As ever it is Steve Lobdell that shines through with the wonderful Japanese based thee part Limited Series 'Big Hero Six'.
364. Uncanny X-Men 1998 - Steve Seagle, Chris Bachaol, Howard Mackie etc 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 755 pages
Collects X-Men # 351 - 362, Uncanny X-Men and Fantastic Four Annual 1998, Team X 2000, Pint-sized X-Babies, Gambit volume two: #1-4, Longshot, Daredevil # 371 , X-Men - The LIberators # 1- 4, X-Men & Alpha Flight volume two: #1-2 etc.
365. Quicksilver - Tom Peyer, John Ostrander, Joe Edkin etc. 5/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 491 pages
Quicksilver #1 -13, Avengers #7, Captain America #8, Iron Man #7, Heroes For Hire #15-16 and Quicksilver & Heroes For Hire Annual 1998.
366. Private Eyes - Jonathan Kellerman 6/10
Headline (Hodder Headline), 598 pages
Alex Delaware & Milo Sturgis # 6. Ex-patient Melissa from 10 years previous, contacts Delaware about her agoraphobic mum, Gina (who'd had been the victim of an acid attack before Melissa's birth) who subsequently disappears. With the help of Milo, Delaware begins an investigation into the disappearance finding a multitude of suspects in Gina's life. ANother great case, but once again tended to have so much detail at times, it was often difficult to maintain interest.
Looks like you'll reach your 100 after all Lizzy
Hoping so! Still got a couple of weeks and hubby is now off so I might get some extra time!
284) Wish List - John Locke
Not sure if I can reach my 300 target by the end of the month
48. Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy (fancied something lightweight so re-reading this for the 3rd time)
136. The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips - Michael Morpurgo
137. Pernament Rose - Hilary McKay
138. A Candle in her Room - Ruth Arthur
139. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
140. Letters from Father Christmas - JRR Tolkien
141. Caddy Ever After - Hilary McKay. So sad there's only one more Casson book to go:o
142. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum. Had never read this before, just seen the film.
143. Looking for Alaska - John Green
Numbers 73 - 75 are a a re-read for me, but the last time I read them was about 10 years ago. They are a trilogy by an author called David Lodge, as follows:
73) "Changing Places" by David Lodge.
74) "Small World" by David Lodge.
75) "Nice Work" by David Lodge.
I'd forgotten over the years how much I love these three books!
They are billed as "campus novels", dealing as they do with life at the fictional University of Rummidge (Rummidge is based on Birmingham). The first novel tells us the story of an exchange between English Lit lecturer Philip Swallow of Rummidge and an American English Lit professor, Morris Zapp (of fictional Euphoric State Uni, thought to be based on Berkley in California). It's set in 1969 and looks at the student politics of that era, but is also very funny and Swallow and Zapp's personal lives are most entertaining.
"Small World" is set 10 years later on the English Literature conference circuit. It moves on to new characters such as young Irish academic Persse McGarrigle, but Swallow and Zapp still feature quite prominently and we find out what has happened to them in the intervening 10 years.
The third novel in the trilogy is set in 1986 and moves on again to other characters, one of whom, Robyn Penrose, is a lecturer in English Lit at Rummidge - so Professor Swallow is still involved, though in a much lesser role. Professor Zapp also appears in a sort of cameo.
They are excellent, excellent books, especially "Nice Work" which I could not put down. They are very funny books, but also look at the politics of each era and also relate to famous novels in English literature; if you are well read in classic English literature you will notice this.
10 out of 10.
A re-read.
36. A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks - thought-provoking
287) Confessions of a GP - Benjamin Daniels
My prospects of hitting 300 books by the end of the year while still difficult have been boosted as my Christmas holiday plans (Med cruise) have been thwarted by the snow and ice at Heathrow:(
So I have nearly two weeks at home and the bad roads etc mean I will spend most of it at home.
Merry Christmas!