The Book Thread 2023

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty

This won the Man Booker in 2016. Set in LA, it's about racism.

[NamelessFaceless]

1. The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
2. Basil - Wilkie Collins
3. The Eyes Have It and Other Stories - Philip K. Dick (audiobook)
4. The Colonel’s Dream - Charles W. Chestnutt (audiobook)
5. Black No More - George S. Schuyler (audiobook)
6. The Trees - Percival Everett
7. Lady Chatterley’s Lover - D.H. Lawrence- (audiobook) (previously read)
8. My People the Sioux - Luther Standing Bear (audiobook)
9. Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie (audiobook)
10. The Life of Josiah Henson - Josiah Henson (audiobook)
11. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos (audiobook)
12. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (audiobook)
13. The Blacker the Berry - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
14. Infants of the Spring - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)

[NamelessFaceless]

1. The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
2. Basil - Wilkie Collins
3. The Eyes Have It and Other Stories - Philip K. Dick (audiobook)
4. The Colonel’s Dream - Charles W. Chestnutt (audiobook)
5. Black No More - George S. Schuyler (audiobook)
6. The Trees - Percival Everett
7. Lady Chatterley’s Lover - D.H. Lawrence- (audiobook) (previously read)
8. My People the Sioux - Luther Standing Bear (audiobook)
9. Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie (audiobook)
10. The Life of Josiah Henson - Josiah Henson (audiobook)
11. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos (audiobook)
12. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (audiobook)
13. The Blacker the Berry - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
14. Infants of the Spring - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
15. Zora Neale Hurston: Collected Early Works - Zora Neale Hurston
16. Rachel:A Play in Three Acts - Angelina Weld Grimke

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh

Inspired by a mysterious mass poisoning that occurred in a French village in the 1950s, this features a singularly unreliable narrator, maddened by frustrated desire and by envy, who seemingly confuses fantasy and memory. Much is left unresolved: the technique suited the subject matter very well, I thought.

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers

Now this is superb. Four related narratives, from the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the early 19th century and 2019, linked by St Cuthbert and Durham cathedral, founded to house his remains, but also by the supernatural, the protagonists' ancestry, and shared names. Durham is my alma mater, as some readers know, so I found the settings evocative too, but that was a bonus.

[NamelessFaceless]

1. The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
2. Basil - Wilkie Collins
3. The Eyes Have It and Other Stories - Philip K. Dick (audiobook)
4. The Colonel’s Dream - Charles W. Chestnutt (audiobook)
5. Black No More - George S. Schuyler (audiobook)
6. The Trees - Percival Everett
7. Lady Chatterley’s Lover - D.H. Lawrence- (audiobook) (previously read)
8. My People the Sioux - Luther Standing Bear (audiobook)
9. Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie (audiobook)
10. The Life of Josiah Henson - Josiah Henson (audiobook)
11. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos (audiobook)
12. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (audiobook)
13. The Blacker the Berry - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
14. Infants of the Spring - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
15. Zora Neale Hurston: Collected Early Works - Zora Neale Hurston
16. Rachel:A Play in Three Acts - Angelina Weld Grimke
17. The True Story of Ah Q - Lu Xun (audiobook)
18. The Pale Blue Eye - Louis Bayard
19. Tropic Death - Eric Walrond (audiobook)

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie

Female narrator with multiple problems undertakes road trip(s). Literary fiction content with a popular fiction delivery; I read its 300-odd pages in two-and-a-half days, so you can tell that I found it readable and entertaining.

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova

The extremely bohemian lifestyle of a crew of misfits working at the run-down Paradise cinema comes to an end when the operation is acquired by a national chain, with tragic consequences. I haven't done the strangeness of this novel justice, but as so often there's a good review in The Guardian.

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
22. Homesick by Jennifer Croft

Bildungsroman from the translator of Olga Tokarczuk's Flights, apparently based on the author's own life. I liked the chosen format of very short chapters, which serves to make this account of a troubled past curiously readable.

[UncertainSloth]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers

Now this is superb. Four related narratives, from the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the early 19th century and 2019, linked by St Cuthbert and Durham cathedral, founded to house his remains, but also by the supernatural, the protagonists' ancestry, and shared names. Durham is my alma mater, as some readers know, so I found the settings evocative too, but that was a bonus.

that sounds ace - i love ben myers, didnt realise he had a new one out

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
22. Homesick by Jennifer Croft
23. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

Second novel from the author of Shuggie Bain, set again in Glasgow and featuring the adolescent gay son of an alcoholic single mother. She sends the lad on a camping trip with two older men; the narrative switches between that and Mungo's relationship with a boy from a different Glasgow tribe. It's full of suspense and very good indeed: I recommend it, but be warned, it's a harrowing read.

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
22. Homesick by Jennifer Croft
23. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
24. Beer In The Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali

Considered by many to be a classic, this (apparently somewhat autobiographical) novel is narrated by the young English-educated scion of the poor branch of a wealthy Egyptian family. Set in the 1950s, it highlights conflicts faced by a post-colonial society and the conservative nature of richer inhabitants. Far from being heavy or worthy, though, it's really rather amusing.

[NamelessFaceless]

1. The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
2. Basil - Wilkie Collins
3. The Eyes Have It and Other Stories - Philip K. Dick (audiobook)
4. The Colonel’s Dream - Charles W. Chestnutt (audiobook)
5. Black No More - George S. Schuyler (audiobook)
6. The Trees - Percival Everett
7. Lady Chatterley’s Lover - D.H. Lawrence- (audiobook) (previously read)
8. My People the Sioux - Luther Standing Bear (audiobook)
9. Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie (audiobook)
10. The Life of Josiah Henson - Josiah Henson (audiobook)
11. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos (audiobook)
12. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (audiobook)
13. The Blacker the Berry - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
14. Infants of the Spring - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
15. Zora Neale Hurston: Collected Early Works - Zora Neale Hurston
16. Rachel:A Play in Three Acts - Angelina Weld Grimke
17. The True Story of Ah Q - Lu Xun (audiobook)
18. The Pale Blue Eye - Louis Bayard
19. Tropic Death - Eric Walrond (audiobook)
20. The Homesteader - Oscar Micheaux

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
22. Homesick by Jennifer Croft
23. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
24. Beer In The Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali
25. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

Narrated by the young daughter of an extended black family in what is now Zimbabwe, this exposes some of the shocking realities of post-colonial life for black folk in general and, in a traditional patriarchal society, black women in particular. Another one for your lists, if you haven't already read it.

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
22. Homesick by Jennifer Croft
23. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
24. Beer In The Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali
25. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
26. To Battersea Park by Philip Hensher

The COVID pandemic from a south London street: the experience of lockdown; early fears of the epidemic raging out of control and causing societal breakdown; succumbing to the virus; and the effects of all this on people's wellbeing and mental health. It's well observed and the dystopian nightmare is unsettling.

[NamelessFaceless]

1. The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
2. Basil - Wilkie Collins
3. The Eyes Have It and Other Stories - Philip K. Dick (audiobook)
4. The Colonel’s Dream - Charles W. Chestnutt (audiobook)
5. Black No More - George S. Schuyler (audiobook)
6. The Trees - Percival Everett
7. Lady Chatterley’s Lover - D.H. Lawrence- (audiobook) (previously read)
8. My People the Sioux - Luther Standing Bear (audiobook)
9. Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie (audiobook)
10. The Life of Josiah Henson - Josiah Henson (audiobook)
11. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos (audiobook)
12. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (audiobook)
13. The Blacker the Berry - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
14. Infants of the Spring - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
15. Zora Neale Hurston: Collected Early Works - Zora Neale Hurston
16. Rachel:A Play in Three Acts - Angelina Weld Grimke
17. The True Story of Ah Q - Lu Xun (audiobook)
18. The Pale Blue Eye - Louis Bayard
19. Tropic Death - Eric Walrond (audiobook)
20. The Homesteader - Oscar Micheaux (audiobook)
21. Deliverance - James Dickey

[NamelessFaceless]

1. The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
2. Basil - Wilkie Collins
3. The Eyes Have It and Other Stories - Philip K. Dick (audiobook)
4. The Colonel’s Dream - Charles W. Chestnutt (audiobook)
5. Black No More - George S. Schuyler (audiobook)
6. The Trees - Percival Everett
7. Lady Chatterley’s Lover - D.H. Lawrence- (audiobook) (previously read)
8. My People the Sioux - Luther Standing Bear (audiobook)
9. Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie (audiobook)
10. The Life of Josiah Henson - Josiah Henson (audiobook)
11. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos (audiobook)
12. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (audiobook)
13. The Blacker the Berry - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
14. Infants of the Spring - Wallace Thurman (audiobook)
15. Zora Neale Hurston: Collected Early Works - Zora Neale Hurston
16. Rachel:A Play in Three Acts - Angelina Weld Grimke
17. The True Story of Ah Q - Lu Xun (audiobook)
18. The Pale Blue Eye - Louis Bayard
19. Tropic Death - Eric Walrond (audiobook)
20. The Homesteader - Oscar Micheaux (audiobook)
21. Deliverance - James Dickey
22. Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims - Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins (audiobook)

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
22. Homesick by Jennifer Croft
23. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
24. Beer In The Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali
25. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
26. To Battersea Park by Philip Hensher
27. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

From the canon of post-colonial literature, this account of British arrival in what is now Nigeria is well-told and well-written.

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
22. Homesick by Jennifer Croft
23. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
24. Beer In The Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali
25. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
26. To Battersea Park by Philip Hensher
27. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
28. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Biafran war, as experienced by two sisters and their loved ones, educated, uneducated or on the journey between the two.

[Blip]

1. The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. French Braid by Anne Tyler
4. The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
5. Mislaid by Nell Zink
6. for thy great pain have mercy on my little pain by Victoria Mackenzie
7. Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes
8. Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
9. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
10. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
11. Solar by Ian McEwan
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
14. This Other Eden by Paul Harding
15. Victory City by Salman Rushdie
16. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
18. Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
19. Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
20. The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
21. Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
22. Homesick by Jennifer Croft
23. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
24. Beer In The Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali
25. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
26. To Battersea Park by Philip Hensher
27. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
28. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
29. Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

I think we'll just say this wasn't my cup of tea, and leave it there.