011. Violette Leduc: The Lady and the Little Fox Fur (1965, tr. Derek Coltman, 1967)

Story of Parisian beggar finding a fox fur and how it changes her life. Really unusual style with zippy sentences that often require a double take. Very poetic, never boring. Worth a look.

010. Antonio Tabucchi: Requiem (1991, tr. Margaret Julla Costa, 1994)

Curious fever dream of narrator wandering a deserted Lisbon, calling up life‘s loose ends and unanswered questions, in anticipation of meeting his guest. Enjoyed it, but feel I could get more by reading Pessoa

009. P.G. Wodehouse: The Pothunters (1902)

Wodehouse‘s debut, like much of his early work, are the tales of schoolboys and their larks. This one introduces characters and loosely wraps their lives around some trophies‘ theft. Lighthearted tale with occasional flashes of humour.

008. Marcel Proust: ISOLT vol 1: The Way By Swann‘s (1913, tr. Lydia Davis, 2004)

Something of a mountain to climb, with this being merely the set-up of the story to come. But throughly enjoyed a daily session, taking a leisurely stroll through the past, soaking up the details.

007. Bel Olid: Wilder Winds (2018, tr. Laura McLaughlin, 2022)

Slim volume packing sixteen stories, exploring relationships, body image, sexual awakening, visibility, refugees, and more from a feminine perspective, often with revolutions simmering in the background.

006. Robert Edric: Field Service (2012)

Lightly plotted tale about the creation of war cemeteries in France after the Great War, focusing on the humanity of those whose duty it is to bury the recovered dead against those in power who make a pageant of it. Okay, but uneventful.

005. Georgi Gospodinov: Natural Novel (1999, tr. Zornitza Hristova, 2005)

Bulgarian pomo about a writer trying to deal with his divorce. Lots of fun diversions (botany, books…even a bible for flies!) in this puzzle box of a book, but muddy on the ‘Natural Novel‘ concept.

004. Muriel Spark: The Comforters (1957)

A tale of two halves, with a woman hearing the novel being typewritten and the other following a crime caper. Mixed feelings on this one as enjoyed the metafictional elements but couldn‘t get on with the more whimsical side.

003. George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)

Classic dystopia showing that Orwell was more polemicist than stylist. At one point it says the best books tell you what you already know; this lays it out effectively. Additional essay adds optimistic note to its bleak vision.

002. Carrie Tiffany: Mateship with Birds (2012)

Exploration of sexual maturity on an Aussie dairy farm, looking at unrequited love between an older couple plus his ‘birds & bees‘ lessons with her teenage son. Interesting enough, but the prose-poem style felt distant.

2022: 001 - BRIAN MOORE - An Answer From Limbo (1962)

In NY, a wannabe writer selfishly focuses on his work at the cost of friends and family. Arguably too many viewpoints as it jumps about, but Moore definitely on form with his characters, notably the Irish mother. Enjoyed, didn‘t love.