booklish booklist #6
Aka: Dad's choice! Yep, my lovely Aussie-dwelling pater is sharing his top six today and very lovely it is too. Except- ever hear of any women writers, Dad? The photo on the left is a genuine snap of my Dad sunbathing (Dad? he looks more like a Mummy, ha ha ha!) and the cartoon on the right is an Yahoo avatar he made- amazingly true to life... love you, Dad! :) On with the list!For Esme With Love and Squalor - JD Salinger
Just edging out 'Catcher[in the Rye]' these nine short stories show how JD is a master story teller who invented great characters. Also introduces Seymour, the brilliant and enigmatic Glass family guru.
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The first 'heavy' and 'foreign' book I read and probably the most influential. Wonderful; when I'd finished I just read it again. All the suffering and ultimate enlightenment, a truly great book.
Hitler, My Part in his Downfall - Spike Milligan
A few others come very close, but for me, this account of Spike's army life, the first of a 'six book' trilogy, is the funniest book ever.
L'Assommoir - Emile Zola
Another from my foreign writers phase. From the Rougon-Maquart cycle which inludes a nearly selected 'Germinal', these 'realistic' novels appeal to my taste for things kitchen-sink drama-ish.
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist - Robert Tressell
A truly inspirational book and who could argue with Ricky Tomlinson's "best book ever"? Say what you like but this book is one reason why I could never vote Tory. [-Proud of you, Dad!]
Notes From a Small Island - Bill Bryson
This book came close to Spike's as the funniest ever for me. A very observant and witty American's way of making an entire nation laugh at ourselves.
Next time: My stepmum Gem shares her top 6... coming soon!
