The Hunted - Elmore Leonard

Pretty good stuff.  Fast paced adventure in Israel, fugitive being chased down by the mob but soon to be retired marine comes to the rescue.  Nothing too deep but never gets bogged down, just keeps going.  

This is my first Leonard and apparently there are about a billion more some of which I look forward to trying in the near future.

7/10

A Kestrel For A Knave - Barry Hines

If you were looking for reasons to not send your children to school but would rather let them pursue their own interests instead this book would provide you with plenty.  The story telling is in the style of books you had to read in English lit classes but once you remember that you are reading this because you want to not because you have to it is entertaining and inspiring but at the same time quite depressing with a sad ending.  It will also make you really glad that you are not a coal miner.

7/10

The Good Man Jesus And The Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman

Written in Philip Pullman's usual simple style, this is a very entertaining retelling of the new testament story.  Using the ingenious idea of twins call Jesus and Christ he is able to offer rational explanations of many miraculous events but doesn't completely remove the need for the supernatural.

A very enjoyable book and an ideal subject for Pullman since in his story it is often religion's fault.

7/10

The Master And Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov

This book has two main stories which it skips back and forth between.   The first set in Moscow and the second in biblical Jerusalem.  It is a satire on communist Russian attitudes towards religion and the arts.  It is also completely bonkers.  To fully understand all the references and allusions of which there are many you would need to be Russian but you can still get a lot out of it with little knowledge.  I found the notes at the end of the book very useful..

This book has been the subject of songs by both the Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam so it must be pretty good.  I enjoyed it a lot but felt that there was an awful lot going on which passed about a mile over my head.

8/10

Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

I was not really expecting to enjoy this book too much but it is actually excellent.  It draws you into the village's life and is about the impact if the arrival of Christian missionaries.  Apparently this was one of, if not the, first African novel written in English and is very readable but has a distinctly African feel to the story telling.  One of the best and most thought provoking novels I have read in a long time.

9/10

Inherent Vice - Thomas Pynchon

Apparently this is not a typical Pynchon but it was the one in the library so it was the one I read.  It is supposed to be a dark satire on the tail end of the sixties but the main problem was that most of the characters were really really irritating.  However the detective story narrative did grip me enough to be curious enough to stick it out until the end.

4.5/10

The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea - Yukio Mishima

This book would be great if you were 18.  Reminded of the books I used to read because Richey Edwards mentioned them.  An interesting story although you can see what is going to happen a mile off but maybe that just helps to build the tension.  I am definitely going to check out the Sea Of Fertility tetralogy.

Certain shades of A Clockwork Orange which was published a year before this.

6/10

Last Evenings On Earth - Roberto Bolano

I'm not normally the biggest fan of short stories but I really enjoyed this.  All of the stories are about writers and many of them are about a character called B who I guess is the author.  Like all Bolano which I have read which admittedly is not a huge amount you get the impression that he is imparting incredibly important insights to you but in reality could be banal pretentious ramblings.   Which could be the appeal.

7/10