It was my day off today and, foolishly, I thought I'd pop out for some innocent book-browsing...and it *was* innocent, until it turned out that it was Border's 20% off day for students...and that I'd just gotten paid. Consequently, as you can see, books got bought. This necessarily involved defrauding Border's with my out-of-date NUS card (I cunningly covered up the date with my thumb) and smiling a winning smile at the geekish boy behind the counter. (I'm clearly missing my calling as a criminal mastermind.)
It's a yummy pile don't you think? Jessica at Bookslut has been singing the praises of Edna O'Brien so long that I couldn't resist In the Forest, the story of a fanatical murderer who kidnaps an artist and her young son, and I was recently recommended The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald as a brilliant historical novel. Tis' a fictionalisation of the life of Fritz von Hardenburg (a.k.a. the Romantic poet Novalis) and his relationship with his 12 year old wife, and apparently Fitzgerald's greatest novel - hopefully a good place to start with her. Browsing over her titles in Borders I was more than tempted to stock up, there were so many tempting sounding blurbs...but I know I should sample first. Two of the others - Property by Valerie Martin and Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - have been on my radar for a while. I've picked them up and put them down again on many occasions, but today they just seemed right. And Walter Scott's Waverley is actually part of something much bigger - the first book in my reading plan for 2006-7, which takes in 24 classics, as well as a literary, indepth reading of the Bible. More on that, along with my proposed lists, at the weekend, as well as some extended thoughts on the Booker Prize.
Very shortly now, I'm glad that Kiran Desai scooped the prize - I'm not quite finished with The Inheritance of Loss yet but what I have read is undeniably excellent. Thankfully, the tragedy of last year's award wasn't repeated (how in all conscience could a judge rule that Banville's The Sea, an accomplished but unluminary novel, was superior to Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro or The Accidental by Ali Smith, both astounding?) Still, the result is a little bitter sweet. First, I feel sorry that Kiran Desai should win when her mother, Anita, who has been writing exemplary fiction for the last 50 years (I hope you're reading this Nobel judges) has been denied three times. Second, my heart goes out to Sarah Waters, who always deserves to win major mainstream awards and never quite manages it. In this case The Night Watch was a really strong piece, and showed that Waters' has the ability to vary her style and setting without loosing her strong, startling voice.
Admittedly, I thought that all the shortlisted novels were deserving this year and wouldn't have been sorry to see any of them win, although Hisham Matar would have been a surprise (too topically political for the Booker I think). I didn't feel any of the horror I did at Zadie Smith being shortlisted last year, or of the gentle ambivalence I experienced over Julian Barnes' Arthur and George. Hermione Lee and her judging panel did a good job, no less than I would have expected from the venerable lady.
~~Victoria~~