My Reading List 2006
Another year, another loada lavlee books read. I can’t be bothered with doing the in depth top ten stuff this year so here’s just a list of what I read in 2006, in, more or less, the order I read them.
Generation X - Douglas Coupland
Return of the Timewaster Letters - Robin Cooper
Profit Over People - Noam Chomsky
The Boy Looked at Johnny - Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons
The Call of the Wild - Jack London
The World According to Mike Leigh - Michael Coveney
Introducing Gilbert and George - Robert Rosenblum
The Weeping Women Hotel - Alexei Sayle
Hoo Haa’s and Passing Frenzies - Francis Wheen
Pocket Essentials: German Expressionist Films - Paul Cooke
Pocket Essentials: Cyperpunk - Andrew M Butler
The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene
England is Mine: Pop Life in Albion - Michael Bracewell
1926 General Strike: Workers Taste Power - Peter Taafe
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Mark Haddon
Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
Sex and Sensibility - Julie Burchill
Interference: Tapehead Versus Television - Jim Shelley
In Persuasion Nation/The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil
- George Saunders
Year-end-ennui prevents me writing too much about them now I’m afraid (though you may well not be afraid.) What I will say is that I enjoyed every one of them, and with the qualified exception of Taafe’s tome, there’s not one I wouldn’t be happy to recommend (and even that does have its qualities, so I shan’t be mean, yes, I’m recommending them all.) There were several favourites, I don’t think I could pick out one. Probably none of these would make my all time faves list, but there have been many great moments of elucidation and delight in the above.
Jack London, for all his flaws, was a thrilling discovery. The ridiculously long overdue reading of Vurt and Generation X lived up to hopes. Thoughts on Greene and Waugh are here. I was dreading Anne Frank’s diary would end up in the worthy but dull category, and I was taken aback at what a wonderful, funny and likeable personality comes over, making the tragedy all the more poignant. Eagle-eyed readers will spot that only the works of George Saunders, Alexei Sayle and Peter Taafe were actually new out in 2006. So, shoot me. Sayle I reviewed here, a review of Saunders will be coming up soon.
A good reading year in all, here’s hoping the next one is even better, and my wishes to that end go out to all Spike and Splinters readers too. Have a wondrous one.
Other Splinters posts of interest:
- New On Spike - August 2006
- Reading list
- Contradiction in terms
- Red Pepper and General Strike book review
- New Stuff On Spike
Make A Comment: ( 2 so far )
2 Responses to “My Reading List 2006”
Blogaulaire
January 1st, 2007
Thanks for the thanks Blogulaire. “All over the map” is correct, and a lot more honest than “eclectic” (although I prefer “all over the shop” me’sen.) The G&G book is good for the images only; Rosenblum’s analysis seems a bit off the mark for me(he seems for instance, to think they are politically radical!?) I never reviewed Scoop; would’ve been biting off more than I could chew I think. London is very much the macho hero icon, and I can certainly see why he ain’t for everyone.Maybe he does deserver another go from you though
As for a more graphical Spike? Well; you’d have to take that one up with the “gaffer”.
Ben G
January 2nd, 2007
Thanks for your list, Ben G. — Both you and I seem to be all over the map this last year.
I tried to save the links for future browsing. The Gilbert and George (Rosenblum) link says nada about the book, but I will keep looking.
I will definitely read the Evelyn Waugh book Scoop (did you review it? - I’ll check that as well).
This year I sold off my Jack London books to people who got turned on by him. So, I’ll re-read him; but be warned that I think I’m into the mode of ‘anti-hero to the macho hero icon’ which may make me negative toward London. We shall see.
Is there any chance that you folks at Spike could be more graphic. I’d like to see your attention to Pop and writers like Coupland expressed photographically. I have not seen very many arresting images anywhere over the past 12 months of 2006 (except for my own which are starting to bore me)!
There is definitely room in 2007 for exploring the ‘New Erzatz’. My modern Chinese grocery store owner showed me a Google Globe view on his flat screen of a satellite image of my home. — Problem is that it showed both a tree (whose leaves blocked a view of the neighbour’s place) and my red car parked in front of the drive — but it is winter here (no leaves) and the red car was junked months ago! So much for this realtime imagery from outer-space!
I think that there is where we are going with high-tech communication: new ways to stay out of synch.