The Ig still strives, still seeks and finds and still never yields.

An exceptional year of reading in 2023, if I can judge it in those terms - a record of 111 books read and little if any self-published Kindle unlimited post-apoc/zombie/flu type series that I can succumb to and possibly distorts the numbers.
Some to be fair are decent, but I feel that I have kind of exhausted that genre and far too many 'proper' novels still await me.

I don't set myself any goals of such, though my personal TBR read is still a high %.
The 'problem' as such is a decent local city library network where I keep reserving recommendations from other 75'evrs that sound interesting.

Will be limiting acquisitions personally again due to non-existent bookshelf space and feel yet another cull is in order to restore some semblance of order to my bookcases.
In my tidy house, they do stand out a bit.

Highlights for me last year:

Our Spoons Came From Woolworths (Virago Modern Classics) by Barbara Comyns
Foster by Claire Keegan
Homer And Langley by E. L. Doctorow
Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Troy Little (graphic novel)
The Kerracher Man (Non-Fiction) by Eric MacLeod
The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss by Dr. Jason Fung
Love On The Dole by Walter Greenwood
Uncle Dysfunctional: Uncompromising Answers to Life's Most Painful… by AA Gill
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: A Novella by Fredrik Backman
Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster by Andrew Leatherbarrow
O Brother by John Niven
Cologne & Coffee by Darcy Hoover
Drunken Baker by Barney Farmer
The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth by John Robb.

Best fiction: Demon Copperhead: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
Non-fiction: The Wager by David Grann

After the dramatization of Grann's 'killers of the flower moon' and 'lost city of Z' could do with one of The Wager.

No disappointments as such, but did discover that the world of Latin American author's magic realism is not for me. Tried a number of the big hitters from South America, but just got bored/annoyed. Even as a old school horror fan, fantasy novels never really floated my boat.

Previous years and stats:

2010: 54:
2011: 32:
2012: 46:
2013: 36: R8
2014: 76: L16 R4
2015: No review 53:
2016: https://www.librarything.com/topic/212975 66: L21
2017: https://www.librarything.com/topic/212975 67:
2018: https://www.librarything.com/topic/280916 52:
2019: https://www.librarything.com/topic/309753 83: 4 re-reads, 28 library, 46 Kindle.
2020: https://www.librarything.com/topic/315456 96: 11 Re-reads, 9 Library, 72 on Kindle.
2021: https://www.librarything.com/topic/328308 103: 16 Re-reads 29 Library 69 Kindle
2022: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341684 90: 21 Re-reads, 41 Library, 39 Kindle
2023: https://www.librarything.com/topic/347810 111: 7 re-reads, 49 Library, 47 Kindle - 27 from Kindle Unlimited

Leave for something...

Happy reading in 2024, Ignatius!

Welcome back, Ignatius!

>4 FAMeulstee: Thankyou Anita & Frank.

and

>5 drneutron: Thankyou Jim.

1. The Caretaker: A Novel by Ron Rash -l

A rather a disappointing novel by Mr Rash, and probably the 'weakest' he's written - certainly in terms of a plot. Language is great as to be expected, especially at the start, but the plot is doomed to fail and surely obvious to the protagonists. I predicted the ending after the major development and I'm sure others would as well.

Was hoping for a bit more hillbilly noir myself.

2. The Wall: LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019 by John Lanchester -l

Good UK based dystopian tale - have reserved some more of his works on the strength of this.

Easy read without too much unnecessary waffle which I'm getting increasingly annoyed with, an unwilling to tolerate.

Author's REIGN IT IN! Editors - tell them ... less is often more (in most things actually)

3. Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez -l

An author recommended to me by Adam Nevill - got a collection of stories previously that I was unmoved by. This had more plaudits so borrowed from the library, these were def. better - although a prevalence of bad things happening to children in most of the stories was rather disturbing - a few though meandered around without much atmosphere till the payoff which sometimes wasn't logical or explained.

Jury def still out on (Latin American) magical realism, even in a horror-ish form.

On that note gave up (for now) on Shadow of the Wind after 150 pages, too much other material to be getting on with, and 7 library renewals (ahem) says it all ... read it or return it, so chose the latter.

4. The Bee Sting: Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023 by Paul Murray -l

Great novel and deserved shortlisting - a families tale of regret told from all members points of view with each section adding missing parts that change the narrative. Very cleverly done.

Should be 5 stars but again too long 650 pages - a lot could have been trimmed off as was unnecessary to the tale, and the ending loses 1/2 star - can't say more without spoilers.

Another pet literary hate tbh, which I believe is shared by most.

two more John Lanchester books from the library, an early novel and collection of short stories.

Nothing special 3/3.5 stars at best.

5. Mr. Phillips by John Lanchester -l

6.Reality, and Other Stories by John Lanchester -l

Needed a quick break from the infamous House of Leaves so polished off an old kindle unlimited book that way lying around.

7. Trans-Siberian Adventures: Life on and off the rails from the U.K. to Asia by Matthew Woodward -ku

A self-published train travelogue (eek) but having read another of the author's books it's entertaining, well written and ploughed through it in a day. Often find the travel 'heavyweights' like Theraoux et al, sometimes hard going so this was a pleasant change.

Back to House of Leaves ; 40% through - in pages anyway which like the House it describes is not proportionally relevant to the length of the story or time to be spent reading it ...which has only just occurred to me.

I'll leave a full review when finished, but it's one of the most unique novels I've read without being (too) pretentious - though some might think this - and the 3ish different stories aren't difficult to separate.

8. The Brain Leeches and Other Eldritch Phenomena by Tim Curran -ku

A compilation of stories - some I was already familiar with - from various other compilations that Mr Curran has contributed to. A fair amount of stories in here and some are Curran's typical gorefest fare, but as the book progresses they get far more ahem 'lovercraftian' - the last two especially pushing that vibe, with the very last being a riff on Mountains of Madness and being longer in length. I've been reading this for a while and finished due to taking a break from House of Leaves - if you choose to get this I'd read the stories here from the back and stop when they get too weak.

9. Doppler by Erlend Loe

More light fare, for a HOL break. Start had potential, but last 1/3 wasn't great. Failed to understand the plaudits for this and another for the charity shop pile.

10. House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski -l

Most unique novel I've ever read - certainly not horror though - the main tale was more of JG Ballard type affair - reminiscent of Report on an Unidentified Space Station.

Truant's tale more a Bukowski-esque drama with supernatural overtones.

V.Last page - post lengthy index - affected me though in a strange way.

Was taken back to find out it was published a decade ago - very surprised I hadn't heard of this by now and took a recommendation from Adam Nevill to bring it to my attention.

The 3 interlinked stories are not difficult to separate and while there is some filler (the excessive academic papers being quoted) its not that difficult read.

I'll be recommending this to folk - already to the librarian on duty when I returned this - but with all caveats.

11. Close to Midnight by Mark Morris -k

Overall a weak collection of horror-ish stories, purchased as only 99p from Amazon and had an Adam Nevill story I hadn't read. Not one of his best, his 'area' but the style of the telling was like nothing I've read from him previously - in a bad way. Couple of ok tales but a 3 star effort at best.

12.Cold Quiet Country by Clayton Lindemuth

From my own TBR pile - a exceptional first novel; set in Wyoming but with a distinctly Southern Gothic feel. A bit of supernatural element that - as others on here have noted - was a tad out of place although didn't ruin the tale. Not a happy book though.

13. Decline And Fall (Twentieth Century Classics S.) by Evelyn Waugh

Another TBR - not my usual fare, but was a freebie I acquired. Satire obv. and also rather dated but had some humorous moments. Can't see my checking out the author's other works though.

Iganatius I just wanted to stop by and say welcome back to the group. Somehow I missed you before now.

>13 PaulCranswick: thankyou Paul. Always nice to see you here.

14. Capital by John Lanchester -l

Little bit dated now and some of the characters are a wee bit too stereotypical but a very enjoyable tale and the pages (nearly 600) fair flew by. Basically the developing lives of a group of residents on a street from all walks of life and linked characters to them. Surprisingly the character you would expect to hate - Roger, the banker in the city on a silly money salary you feel somewhat sympathy for, although it could be due to his loathsome materialistic wife. Hint of politics but only that.

After my - at times demanding - recent fictional choices this was a welcome change.

update: reviews to follow:

15. Sonny's Blues (Penguin 60s) by James Baldwin - r

Another quick re-read before Charity shop donation. Them shelves aren't going to clear themselves. (see what I did there ...IGMC)

16. Unreal City by Michael Smith -r

A re-read before passing onto a friend - this a true modern day flaneur's stroll through London and Paris.

17. The Devil's Footprints by John Burnside -l

JB can certainly write, and this tale set in Fife (his home county - though feels more like further NE Scotland Aberdeen way) is a dark tale of loss, alienation and stubbornness. To steal from another LT reviewer: 'The narrator seems like a character from a Richard Ford short story, with limited self-knowledge, as he attempts to piece together the elements of his life. He is affected by a strange lassitude, and a matter-of-fact approach to the various horrendous events of the story, which include his "murder" of an older bully in high school.' Recommended.

18. The One That Got away: My SAS Mission behind Iraqi Lines by Chris Ryan -l

Having seen the dramatisations of the infamous SAS mission that went wrong, and read one of the books that the MOD tried to ban (from one of the captured members), finally read the story of the one who escaped. It's remarkably un-gungho - which I believe is the opposite of the famous Brave 2 zero book - and so the more believable for it.
Find it somewhat ironic though, that the MOD trains it's elite troops to survive under any circumstance and invest so much in their military 'development' but then gives them crap gear and poor intel ... which comes across rather heavily in the book and a major reason for the failure.

One scene is a bit questionable - was never in the post-op briefing apparently - but as an escape story, it's up their with the best.

- will review shortly

19. The Mercy Boys by John Burnside -l
20. Simon: The Genius in My Basement by Alexander Masters -l

March.

21. The Syndicate by Clarence Cooper Jr.
22. Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters -l

more reviews required - too busy reading it seems ...

23. The Increment by Chris Ryan -l

Decent thriller from the author of "The one that got away" - see above. Not sure if the author had 'help' here in writing but if not he's a natural writer considering he was a Special Forces soldier for many years. Looks like he has written a fair number of books as well.

24. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez -k
25. The Insanity of Gambling 2 – Consequences by Christopher Raddings -ku -r

Not sure why I re-read this from KU - pretty badly written and a tragic tale of a long term gambler.

26. Black Star, Black Sun (Black Shuck Signature Novellas) by Rich Hawkins -k -r

Saw this on my kindle - had forgotten the plot so re-read. Usual quality bleak fare.

27. Alectryomancer and Other Weird Tales by Christopher Slatsky -ku -r

Another re-read - think I enjoyed the first time on a sort of Mark Samuels vibe but kinda of washed over me a bit second time round.
Often the way, with horror(ish/weird fiction is that the background and characterization is good but invariable the pay off is weak or non existence.

28. America: The Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges -ku
29. Fallen Soldier: A Survival Horror Short Story by Rich Hawkins -ku

at some point I'll get around to reviews ....

30. Year of the Zombie - various -ku
31. Saving the Planet and Other Stories by Theodore Dalrymple -ku
32. Embargo and Other Stories by Theodore Dalrymple -ku

You’re making good progress! Year of the Zombie sounds intriguing. Is it available somewhere? Touchstone’s not there.

>19 drneutron: Thanks Jim; yes, just need to find time to write a few quick reviews now.

Year of the Zombie - link is : https://www.librarything.com/work/31850445/book/259962006

Cough, Amazon link

https://www.amazon.com/Year-Zombie-David-Moody-ebook/dp/B079KHB11C/

It's a collection of short tales/an excerpt/novella's from a number of author's that I've heard of - a compilation from Amazon of mostly Kindle Unlimited self published types but does include one of my fav authors - Rich Hawkins. He does bleak VERY well, esp. a British rains a lot bleakness - his prose seems too capture our landscape and climate very well.
If you like Cormac's 'The Road' this https://www.librarything.com/work/19758452 is similar(ish) and is my favourite of his works.

For the book itself - couple of weakish tales, but for the most part, very good and like TWD- it's the human character development that is explored, with the undead merely a prop or backdrop. Made me want to check out a couple of the author's other books which is always a good sign.

Think though I've read enough Zombie stuff now ....;) - but every time I return to K.U though, something of that nature finds it's way into my downloads.

33. The Frighteners by Stephen Laws -ku

An author that I really should have read by now, yet hadn't even heard of him till recently thanks to LT and a couple of small press re-issues - and considering my reading background (a British horror author in the vein of James Herbert in the 80's) - amazed that his books weren't in my local library as a teenager. When you compare the number of owners of books on here from those respective authors -a 10 fold difference -I'm wondering whether publising/distribution deals were an issue ? Certainly 2nd copies even of his paperbacks can still command a decent price. Thankfully a few of his books have now appeared on Kindle Unlimited so I downloaded what I could. This is def more a thriller with supernatural overtones rather than a horror story - very tightly paced and had me reading at night till my eyes went. Final payoff was a bit meh though to me which was a shame. Prefer my supernatural conclusions to be plausible obviously ...others may see it differently though.


34. This Rotten World: Up in Flames: 8 by Jacy Morris -ku

but Mr Ig; I thought you said you were done with Zombie self-published KU books ? hmmm....well yes but this was latest in a series that I've been reading for a couple of years and was very very good in my defence.

The author has changed the approach of his last 3 in the series - starting again/a reboot from the outbreak in a different location and this has paid off. Characters are well developed, again TWD are more of a prop and it's the disintegration of moral standards in the living that are on show here.

35. Ferocity by Stephen Laws -ku

Usual author binge on discovery esp as only have limited KU time length... I basically re-subscribed for a month to get the new Adam Nevill book that comes out tomorrow. Longer than that and I'll keep reading Zombie fare no doubt at the expense of my own TBR pile and library stuff.

Ferocity is again not a horror but a sort of loosely gangster(ish) thriller with a slight supernatural overtone involving the existence of big cats. The predator family not an overfed tabby.

Unable to expand on the plot without spoilers but there is a theme of loss throughout - although for both protagonists is maybe a touch unbelievable and only really has relevance for one.

A def 3.5 star job. Have now ordered Chasm by him which I believe is his best book.

Apr.

36. All the Fiends of Hell by Adam Nevill -ku

Obviously inspired by The Day of the Triffids, War of the Worlds and an element of the Quiet Place; this should have been perfect fare for me. Yet I was somewhat disappointed, despite being a lover of post-apoc/dystopian fiction and I'm trying to ascertain why. It's very adjective heavy - always a criticism of the authors books in my view - and whilst there are only so many ways of describing an ominous red sky, it was almost getting to mirror the worst bits of Lovecraftian excess in places. Thankfully nothing eldritch was mentioned though.... Characterization was good but something for me, just didn't gel and I can't really explain more without plot spoilers. For all the end of days horror described and it really is an end of days horror situation, I didn't get the overwhelming feeling of dread that Mr Nevill usually does so excellently and in places without surpass. Kept my attention but felt the whole story was too one directional somehow and dragged in places, despite the events all happening at a frantic pace. A 3.75 stars job.

37. The Venue: A wedding novel by T.J. Payne -ku
38. The Haar: A Horror Novel by David Södergren -ku

Two rather silly horror novels I pulled from KU before my subs ran out on the strength of Amazon reviews. Enough to believe that they weren't the author's friends.

First was entertaining despite being the most unbelievable thing I've ever read (and that includes my Zombie stuff) and the second I thought was going to be a Scottish version of the Mist (that's what the haar is) but wasn't great and somewhat OTT.

Am reading some of Theodore Dalrymple's stuff alongside for something a bit more thought provoking and intellectual.

39. China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power by Rob Gifford -l

An engaging travelogue along one major road in China and the author's interactions with the locals (he speaks Mandarin fluently I gather after many years in the country) with a lot of relevant history thrown in. It's a slightly old book now (2008) and obv. a lot has changed in China since then from a political angle but an informative and thought provoking read.

40. 2034: A Novel of the Next World War by Elliot Ackerman -l

Rather apt reading at this moment in time and all the more worrying for it. A future China vs USA WW3 scenario mapped out as a series of escalating events. The 'saviour' country has been criticised from many for being implausible - at the present that is certainly true - and some of the plot holes regarding future tech are rather obvious and certainly not explained.
It still was a gripping tale though and hopefully not going to become anything like reality.

Reviews to follow ....yeah, we've heard that before ...

41. Chasm by Stephen Laws

May

42. A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby -l

A proper 'classic' of old-skool travel writing and the book that launched his literary career. A very British 'expedition' of drive across Europe/Asia then attempt a mountain WAY out of your league - after a couple of days mountaineering teaching in Wales - then venture into a hidden corner of Afghanistan where even the locals are wary of travelling. Some nice self-deprecating humour without it being laid on thick, and the last line is a classic (esp. in the context of what they had done) when they meet the legendary Desert explorer Wilfred Thesiger.

43. The Lost Weekend (New York Classics) by Charles Jackson -l

We seem to think - to a degree - that accounts/memoirs of alcohol/drug abuse are a relatively recent thing. Certainly not so here in this 1944 account of an alcohol binge from which an famous film was made. Engrossing and different due to the time setting, the writing certainly not dated either - it's proof that the demon drinks hold on us has always been so.

yes, and more to review ...and another Kindle Unlimited sub has somehow been purchased, primarily to check out Kealan Patrick Burke, no zombie fare though. That's a promise.

44. So Late in the Day: The Sunday Times bestseller by Claire Keegan -l
45. Seldom Seen in August by Kealan Patrick Burke -ku
46. Around the World in the Cinemas of Paris by Theodore Dalrymple -ku
47. Garden of Fiends: Tales of Addiction Horror by Jack Ketchum -ku