The Bookers to avoid reading

1972 G

1974 The Conservationist

1974 Holiday

1985 The Bone People

1988 Oscar and Lucinda

1991 The Famished Road

1992 Sacred Hunger

2003 Vernon God Little

The Bookers worth a read, although not necessarily enjoyable

1971 In A Free State

1980 Rites of Passage

1994 How Late It Was, How Late

1995 The Ghost Road

2001 The True History of the Kelly Gang

2009 Wolf Hall

2012 Bring Up The Bodies

The Bookers I’m indifferent towards

1969 Something To Answer For

1973 The Siege of Krishnapur

1979 Offshore

1986 The Old Devils

1996 Last Orders

1999 Disgrace

2004 The Line of Beauty

2010 The Finkler Question

2011 The Sense of an Ending

Lost Booker Troubles

The Bookers I would recommend and may read again

1970 The Elected Member

1975 Heat and Dust

1976 Saville

1977 Staying On

1978 The Sea, the Sea

1981 Midnight’s Children

1982 Schindler’s Ark

1983 Life & Times of Michael K

1984 Hotel du Lac

1987 Moon Tiger

1989 The Remains of the Day

1990 Possession

1992 The English Patient

1993 Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

1997 The God of Small Things

1998 Amsterdam

2000 The Blind Assassin

2002 Life of Pi

2005 The Sea

2006 The Inheritance of Loss

2007 The Gathering

2008 The White Tiger
2013 The Luminaries

My Booker of Bookers

In a sort of conclusion to this project, I thought that I would produce my own Booker of Bookers – it was interesting to peruse the list of winners to see those that I remember fondly, some with distaste and a few of which I have no recollection of at all!  It’s a good thing that I’ve maintained this blog so I can remind myself…

I’ve found the process of writing the reviews an interesting one.  I have definitely been more mindful while reading than I usually would, which made the reading experience more fulfilling.  I found it a sometimes challenging, but mostly rewarding experience to reflect upon and formulate an opinion of the books.  It was interesting to discover how if I didn’t like one, instead of just dismissing the book or the author, I felt as though I must be missing a subtle yet crucial aspect of the novel.  This then stimulated me to undertake research including gauging other people’s views and opinions, which I often found enlightening.  Equally, when I liked a book I felt as though I had to justify this favour and therefore explored my preferences more deeply which was also informative. 

One of the most compelling aspects of this ‘journey’ has been the range of novels including within the Booker alumni and the scope of creativity expressed in these 46 books (47 if you include the Lost Booker).  And bearing in mind the Booker winner, shortlist and longlist are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of fiction writing produced every year (of variable quality admittedly!), the scale of just fiction publishing seems vast!  However, I do find it rather a shame that even winners of such a prestigious award have sometimes fallen out of print, disappearing into the realm of secondhand bookshops and out of library circulation.  Still, I do find it comforting that somewhere in the vast stores of central library stores these books are gently kept alive and when requested can be retrieved and read.

So anyway I’ve split them into four groups :

1. Bookers I’d recommend and may read again,

2. Bookers I’m indifferent towards

3. Bookers worth a read, although not necessarily enjoyable

4. Bookers to avoid reading.

So here you go, this is how I feel now, although this may well change over time…let me know any views - if you agree or disagree...!  And I'm sorry but I've found it impossible to pick an absolute favourite...good thing I'm not a Booker judge!