The Polysyllabic Spree
Encyclopedia
The Polysyllabic Spree is a collection of Nick Hornby
's "Stuff I've Been Reading" columns in The Believer
. The book collates his columns from September 2003 to November 2004, inclusive. It also includes excerpts from such authors as Anton Chekhov
and Charles Dickens
.
In it, Hornby lists the books he bought each month, and the books he actually read. For instance, he might buy Dickens, but read J.D. Salinger. He then writes a column revolving around what he read, bought, and what he intends/intended to read.
The title is a reference to the choral symphonic-rock group The Polyphonic Spree
. In the book, Hornby describes the people who run The Believer as being "all dressed in white robes and smiling maniacally, sort of like a literary equivalent of the Polyphonic Spree." (pg. 30)
There are two follow-up books, Housekeeping vs. The Dirt
(2006) and Shakespeare Wrote for Money
(2008).
Books read:
Books read:
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Books read:
Books read:
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Books read:
[¹] The author here inserts a footnote: "I bought so many books this month it’s obscene, and I’m not owning up to them all: this is a selection. And to be honest, I’ve been economical with the truth for months now. I keep finding books that I bought, didn’t read, and didn’t list."
Books read:
Books read:
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
's "Stuff I've Been Reading" columns in The Believer
The Believer (magazine)
The Believer is a United States literary magazine that also covers other arts and general culture. Founded and designed in 2003 by the writer and publisher Dave Eggers, it is edited by Vendela Vida, Heidi Julavits and Ed Park...
. The book collates his columns from September 2003 to November 2004, inclusive. It also includes excerpts from such authors as Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
and Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
.
In it, Hornby lists the books he bought each month, and the books he actually read. For instance, he might buy Dickens, but read J.D. Salinger. He then writes a column revolving around what he read, bought, and what he intends/intended to read.
The title is a reference to the choral symphonic-rock group The Polyphonic Spree
The Polyphonic Spree
The Polyphonic Spree is a choral symphonic pop rock band from Dallas, Texas that was formed in 2000 by Tim DeLaughter. The band's sound relies on a variety of vocal and instrumental color by featuring a choir, flute, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano, guitars, bass, drums,...
. In the book, Hornby describes the people who run The Believer as being "all dressed in white robes and smiling maniacally, sort of like a literary equivalent of the Polyphonic Spree." (pg. 30)
There are two follow-up books, Housekeeping vs. The Dirt
Housekeeping vs. The Dirt
Housekeeping vs. The Dirt is a 2006 collection of essays from The Believer written by Nick Hornby. It follows on from another collection of columns from the same magazine entitled The Polysyllabic Spree....
(2006) and Shakespeare Wrote for Money
Shakespeare Wrote for Money
Shakespeare Wrote for Money is a collection of English author Nick Hornby's "Stuff I've Been Reading" columns for The Believer...
(2008).
September 2003
Books bought:- Robert LowellRobert LowellRobert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
: A Biography - Ian HamiltonIan Hamilton (critic)Robert Ian Hamilton was a British literary critic, reviewer, biographer, poet, magazine editor and publisher.... - Collected Poems - Robert LowellRobert LowellRobert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
- Against Oblivion: Some of the Lives of the 20th-Century Poets - Ian Hamilton
- In Search of J. D. SalingerJ. D. SalingerJerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
- Ian Hamilton - Nine StoriesNine Stories (Salinger)Nine Stories is a collection of short stories by American fiction writer J. D. Salinger released in May 1953. It includes two of his most famous short stories, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor". Nine Stories (1953) is a collection of short stories by American...
- J. D. Salinger - Franny and ZooeyFranny and ZooeyFranny and Zooey is a book by American author J.D. Salinger which comprises his short story, "Franny", and novella, Zooey. The two works were published together as a book in 1961; the two stories originally appeared in The New Yorker in 1955 and 1957, respectively...
- J. D. Salinger - Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An IntroductionRaise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An IntroductionRaise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction is a single volume featuring two novellas by J. D. Salinger, which were previously published in The New Yorker: Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction . Little, Brown republished them in this anthology in...
- J. D. Salinger - The Ern MalleyErn MalleyErnest Lalor "Ern" Malley was a fictitious poet and the central figure in Australia's most celebrated literary hoax. The poet, and his entire body of work, were created in one day in 1944 by writers James McAuley and Harold Stewart as a hoax on Max Harris, Angry Penguins, the modernist magazine he...
Affair - Michael Heyward - Something HappenedSomething HappenedSomething Happened is Joseph Heller's second novel . Its main character and narrator is Bob Slocum, a businessman who engages in a stream of consciousness narrative about his job, his family, his childhood, his sexual escapades, and his own psyche.While there is an ongoing plot about Slocum...
- Joseph HellerJoseph HellerJoseph Heller was a US satirical novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His best known work is Catch-22, a novel about US servicemen during World War II... - Penguin Modern Poets 5 - CorsoGregory CorsoGregory Nunzio Corso was an American poet, youngest of the inner circle of Beat Generation writers...
/FerlinghettiLawrence FerlinghettiLawrence Ferlinghetti is an American poet, painter, liberal activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers...
/GinsbergAllen GinsbergIrwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
Books read:
- All the Salingers
- In Search of Salinger and Lowell
- Some of Against Oblivion
- PompeiiPompeii (novel)Pompeii is a novel by author and journalist Robert Harris published by Random House in 2003. It is a blend of fictional characters with the real-life eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 that overwhelmed Pompeii and its surrounding towns. Pompeii is especially notable for the author's...
by Robert HarrisRobert Harris (novelist)Robert Dennis Harris is an English novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter.-Early life:Born in Nottingham, Harris spent his childhood in a small rented house on a Nottingham council estate. His ambition to become a writer arose at an early age, from visits to the local...
(not bought)
October 2003
Books bought:- A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard YatesRichard Yates- People :*Richard Yates , English comic actor* Richard Yates , 13th Governor of Illinois , U.S. Senator from Illinois , U.S...
- Blake BaileyBlake BaileyBlake Bailey is an American writer. He has written biographies of Richard Yates and John Cheever, and is the editor of the Library of America omnibus editions of Cheever's stories and novels.-Personal:... - Notes on a ScandalNotes on a ScandalNotes on a Scandal is a 2003 drama novel by Zoë Heller. It is about a female teacher at a London comprehensive school who begins an affair with an underage pupil...
- Zoë HellerZoë HellerZoë Kate Hinde Heller is an English journalist and novelist.-Early life:Heller was born in North London as the youngest of four children of German-Jewish immigrant Lukas Heller, who was a successful screenwriter. Her mother was instrumental in keeping up the Labour Party's "Save London Transport...
(released in the U.S. as "What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal")
Books read:
- Being John McEnroeJohn McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
- Tim Adams - Stop-TimeStop-TimeStop-Time, published in 1967, is a memoir by American author Frank Conroy, and tells the story of his poor childhood and early adulthood, growing up in New York City and Florida. Focusing on a series of moments from his life, the book combines traditional fictional devices such as scenes while...
- Frank ConroyFrank ConroyFrank Conroy was an American author, born in New York, New York to an American father and a Danish mother. He published five books, including the highly acclaimed memoir Stop-Time, published in 1967, which ultimately made Conroy a noted figure in the literary world... - The Fortress of SolitudeThe Fortress of Solitude (novel)The Fortress of Solitude is a 2003 semi-autobiographical novel by Jonathan Lethem set in Brooklyn and spanning the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. It follows two teenage friends, Dylan Ebdus and Mingus Rude, one white and one black, who discover a magic ring...
- Jonathan LethemJonathan LethemJonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels... - Desperate CharactersDesperate CharactersDesperate Characters is a 1971 American drama film produced, written, and directed by Frank D. Gilroy, who based his screenplay on the 1970 novel of the same name by Paula Fox.-Plot:...
- Paula FoxPaula FoxPaula Fox is an American author of novels for adults and children and two memoirs. Her novel The Slave Dancer received the Newbery Medal in 1974; and in 1978, she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal. More recently, A Portrait of Ivan won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 2008.Her... - Notes on a Scandal - Zoë Heller
- Where You’re At - Patrick NeatePatrick NeatePatrick Neate is an award-winning British novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and podcaster.-Early life:Born and raised as a Roman Catholic in South London, he was educated at St. Paul's School and Cambridge University. He spent a gap year in Zimbabwe and has since returned to Africa on many...
- Feel Like Going Home - Peter GuralnickPeter GuralnickPeter Guralnick is an American music critic, writer on music, and historian of US American popular music, who is also active as an author and screenwriter. He has been married for over 45 years to Alexandra...
- The People’s Music - Ian MacDonaldIan MacDonaldIan MacCormick was a British music critic and author, best known for Revolution in the Head, his forensic history of The Beatles which borrowed techniques from art historians, and The New Shostakovich, a controversial study of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich...
- A Tragic Honesty - Blake BaileyBlake BaileyBlake Bailey is an American writer. He has written biographies of Richard Yates and John Cheever, and is the editor of the Library of America omnibus editions of Cheever's stories and novels.-Personal:...
(unfinished) - How to Stop Smoking and Stay Stopped for Good - Gillian RileyGillian RileyGillian Riley, born in 1945, is an English food writer. She is a leading authority on the history of Italian cuisine. She wrote the Oxford Companion to Italian Food and edited and translated the work of Giacomo Castelvetro.- Works :...
- Quitting Smoking - The Lazy Person’s Guide! - Gillian Riley
November 2003
Books bought:- Bush at WarBush at WarBush at War is a 2002 book by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward recounting President George W. Bush's responses to the September 11 attacks and his administration's handling of the subsequent War in Afghanistan...
- Bob WoodwardBob WoodwardRobert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post.... - Six Days of WarSix Days of WarSix Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East is a 2002 non-fiction book by American-Israeli historian and Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, chronicling the events of the Six-Day War fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors...
- Michael B. Oren - GenomeGenome (book)Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters is a 1999 popular science book by Matt Ridley, published by Fourth Estate.The book devotes one chapter to each pair of human chromosomes. Since one chapter is required to discuss the sex chromosomes, the final chapter is number 22...
- Matt RidleyMatt RidleyMatthew White Ridley, FRSL, FMedSci is an English journalist, writer, biologist, and businessman.-Career:... - Isaac NewtonIsaac NewtonSir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
- James GleickJames GleickJames Gleick is an American author, journalist, and biographer, whose books explore the cultural ramifications of science and technology... - God’s Pocket - Pete DexterPete DexterPete Dexter is an American novelist. He was the recipient of the 1988 National Book Award for Fiction for his novel Paris Trout.-Biography:Dexter was born in Pontiac, Michigan...
- The Poet and the Murderer - Simon WorrallSimon WorrallSimon Worrall is an English rugby league footballer for Toulouse Olympique in the Co-operative Championship he previsouly played for Leeds Rhinos and rugby union for Leeds Carnegie.His usual position is second row or at loose-forward....
- Sputnik SweetheartSputnik Sweetheartis a novel by Haruki Murakami, published in Japan, by Kodansha, in 1999. An English translation by Philip Gabriel was published in 2001.-Plot summary:The plot features three main characters: Sumire, Miu, and 'K'....
- Haruki MurakamiHaruki Murakamiis a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and Jerusalem Prize among others.He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature... - Lie Down in Darkness - William StyronWilliam StyronWilliam Clark Styron, Jr. was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work.For much of his career, Styron was best known for his novels, which included...
- Leadville - Edward PlattEdward PlattEdward Cuthbert Platt was an American actor best known for his portrayal of "The Chief" in the 1965-70 NBC/CBS television series Get Smart...
- Master GeorgieMaster GeorgieMaster Georgie is a 1998 historical novel by English novelist Beryl Bainbridge. It deals with the British experience of the Crimean War through the adventures of the eponymous central character George Hardy, who volunteers to work on the battlefields....
- Beryl BainbridgeBeryl BainbridgeDame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge, DBE was an English author from Liverpool. She was primarily known for her psychological novels, often set amongst the English working classes. Bainbridge won the Whitbread Awards prize for best novel in 1977 and 1996; she was nominated five times for the Booker... - How to Breathe Underwater - Julie OrringerJulie OrringerJulie Orringer , is an American writer and lecturer born in Miami, Florida. Her first book, How to Breathe Underwater, was published in September 2003 by Knopf Publishing Group...
(two copies)
Books read:
- A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates - Blake Bailey (completed)
- WengerWengerWenger is one of two companies that have manufactured Swiss Army knives. Based in Delémont, Wenger was acquired by rival Victorinox in 2005.- History :The history of Wenger S.A...
: The Making of a Legend - Jasper Rees - How to Breathe Underwater - Julie Orringer
- Bush at War - Bob Woodward (unfinished)
- Unnamed Literary Novel (abandoned)
- Unnamed Work of Nonfiction (abandoned)
- No NameNo Name (novel)No Name by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century novel revolving around the issue of illegitimacy. It was originally serialized in Charles Dickens's magazine All the Year Round before book publication.-Plot summary:...
- Wilkie CollinsWilkie CollinsWilliam Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He was very popular during the Victorian era and wrote 30 novels, more than 60 short stories, 14 plays, and over 100 non-fiction pieces...
(unfinished)
December 2003/January 2004
Books bought:- Moneyball - Michael LewisMichael Lewis (author)Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An...
- Saul and Patsy - Charles Baxter
- Winner of the National Book Award - Jincy WillettJincy WillettJincy Willett is an author and writing teacher currently living in San Diego, California. She has written short pieces for various anthologies and periodicals including the Winter 2006 issue of Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern and Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules...
- Jenny and the Jaws of Life - Jincy Willett
- The Sirens of TitanThe Sirens of TitanThe Sirens of Titan is a Hugo Award-nominated novel by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., first published in 1959. His second novel, it involves issues of free will, omniscience, and the overall purpose of human history...
- Kurt VonnegutKurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early... - True Notebooks - Mark SalzmanMark SalzmanMark Joseph Salzman is an American writer. Salzman is best known for his 1986 memoir Iron & Silk, which describes his experiences living in China as an English teacher in the early 1980s....
Books read:
- No Name - Wilkie Collins
- Moneyball - Michael Lewis
- George and Sam: AutismAutismAutism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
in the Family - Charlotte Moore - The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
February 2004
Books bought:- Old SchoolOld School (novel)Old School is a novel by Tobias Wolff. It was first published on November 4, 2003, after three portions of the novel had appeared in The New Yorker as short stories....
- Tobias WolffTobias WolffTobias Jonathan Ansell Wolff is an American author. He is known for his memoirs, particularly This Boy's Life , and his short stories. He has also written two novels.-Biography:Wolff was born in 1945 in Birmingham, Alabama... - Train - Pete DexterPete DexterPete Dexter is an American novelist. He was the recipient of the 1988 National Book Award for Fiction for his novel Paris Trout.-Biography:Dexter was born in Pontiac, Michigan...
- Backroom Boys - Francis SpuffordFrancis Spufford-Early life:He studied English Literature at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, gaining a BA in 1985.-Career:He was Chief Publisher's Reader from 1987-90 for Chatto & Windus....
- You Are Not a Stranger Here - Adam HaslettAdam HaslettAdam Haslett is an American fiction writer. He was born in Kingston, Massachusetts and grew up in Oxfordshire, England, and Wellesley, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Swarthmore College , the University of Iowa , and Yale Law School . He has been a visiting professor at the Iowa Writers'...
- Eats, Shoots and Leaves - Lynn Truss
Books read:
- Enemies of PromiseEnemies of PromiseEnemies of Promise is a critical and autobiographical work written by Cyril Connolly and first published in 1938.It comprises three parts, the first dedicated to Connolly's observations about literature and the literary world of his time, the second a listing of adverse elements that affect the...
- Cyril ConnollyCyril ConnollyCyril Vernon Connolly was an English intellectual, literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine Horizon and wrote Enemies of Promise , which combined literary criticism with an autobiographical exploration of why he failed to become the successful author of... - What Just Happened?What Just Happened?What Just Happened is a satirical comedy-drama directed by Barry Levinson & starring Robert De Niro.What Just Happened is an independent film, produced by 2929 Productions, Art Linson Productions and Tribeca Productions, and was released on October 17, 2008.The film is based on the book, What Just...
- Art LinsonArt LinsonArt Linson is an American film producer, director and screenwriter.He was born in Chicago, Illinois. His directorial debut was the 1980 comedy, Where the Buffalo Roam, which was loosely based on stories by Hunter S. Thompson and starred Bill Murray as the writer... - Clockers - Richard PriceRichard Price (writer)Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers and Clockers.-Early life:...
- Eats, Shoots and Leaves - Lynn Truss
- Meat Is Murder - Joe PerniceJoe PerniceJoe Pernice is an American indie rock musician and writer, who has fronted several bands, including the Scud Mountain Boys, Chappaquiddick Skyline and the Pernice Brothers....
- Dusty in Memphis - Warren Zanes
- Old School - Tobias Wolff
- Introducing Time - Craig CallenderCraig CallenderCraig Callender is a philosopher of science and professor of philosophy at the University of California, San Diego.In 1997 he obtained his PhD from Rutgers University with a thesis entitled Time's Arrow,; his thesis supervisor had been Robert Weingard....
and Ralph Edney - PLUS: a couple of stories in You Are Not a Stranger Here; a couple of stories in Sixty StoriesSixty Stories (book)Sixty Stories collects sixty of Donald Barthelme's short stories, several of which originally appeared in The New Yorker. The book was first published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1981.-Stories:...
by Donald BarthelmeDonald BarthelmeDonald Barthelme was an American author known for his playful, postmodernist style of short fiction. Barthelme also worked as a newspaper reporter for the Houston Post, managing editor of Location magazine, director of the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston , co-founder of Fiction Donald...
; a couple of stories in Here's Your Hat What's Your Hurry by Elizabeth McCrackenElizabeth McCrackenElizabeth McCracken is an American author.McCracken, a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, graduated from Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts, earned a B.A. and M.A. in English from Boston University, an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa, and...
.
March 2004
Books bought:- The Amateur MarriageThe Amateur MarriageThe Amateur Marriage, published in 2004, is American author Anne Tyler's sixteenth novel.-Plot summary:The plot concerns the marriage of Michael Anton and Pauline Barclay, who meet when he tends to her bloodied brow in his family's grocery store, located in a primarily Eastern European conclave in...
- Anne TylerAnne TylerAnne Tyler is an American novelist.Tyler, the eldest of four children, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her father was a chemist and her mother a social worker. Her early childhood was spent in a succession of Quaker communities in the mountains of North Carolina and in Raleigh... - The Eclipse - Antonella Gambotto
- The Complete Richard HannayRichard HannayMajor-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, DSO, Legion of Honour, is a fictional secret agent created by Scottish novelist John Buchan. In his autobiography, Memory Hold-the-Door, Buchan suggests that the character is based, in part, on Edmund Ironside, from Edinburgh, a spy during the Second Boer...
- John Buchan - Selected Letters - Gustave FlaubertGustave FlaubertGustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
- Vietnam-Perkasie - W. D. EhrhartW. D. EhrhartWilliam Daniel Ehrhart is an American poet, writer, scholar and Vietnam veteran. Ehrhart has been called "the dean of Vietnam war poetry." Donald Anderson, editor of War, Literature & the Arts, said Ehrhart’s Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir, is “the best single, unadorned, gut-felt...
Books read:
- Some of Flaubert’s letters
- Not Even Wrong - Paul CollinsPaul Collins (writer)Paul Collins is an American writer, editor and associate professor of English at Portland State University. He is best known for his work with McSweeney's and The Believer, as editor of the Collins Library imprint for McSweeney's Books, and for his appearances on National Public Radio's Weekend...
- How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World - Francis WheenFrancis WheenFrancis James Baird Wheen is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster.-Early life and education:Wheen was born into an army family and educated at two independent schools: Copthorne Preparatory School near Crawley, West Sussex and Harrow School in north west London.-Life and career:Running...
- Liar's PokerLiar's PokerLiar's Poker is a non-fiction, semi-autobiographical book by Michael Lewis describing the author's experiences as a bond salesman on Wall Street during the late 1980s...
- Michael LewisMichael Lewis (author)Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An... - Some of GreenmantleGreenmantleGreenmantle is the second of five novels by John Buchan featuring the character of Richard Hannay, first published in 1916 by Hodder & Stoughton, London...
- John Buchan - How to Give Up Smoking and Stay Stopped for Good - Gillian RileyGillian RileyGillian Riley, born in 1945, is an English food writer. She is a leading authority on the history of Italian cuisine. She wrote the Oxford Companion to Italian Food and edited and translated the work of Giacomo Castelvetro.- Works :...
April 2004
Books bought:- Hangover SquareHangover SquareHangover Square is a 1941 novel by English playwright and novelist Patrick Hamilton . Subtitled A tale of Darkest Earl's Court it is set in that area of London in 1939....
- Patrick Hamilton - The Long Firm - Jake ArnottJake ArnottJake Arnott is a British novelist, author of The Long Firm and other novels. Most of his works are crime novels, and include homosexual characters...
- American Sucker - David DenbyDavid Denby (film critic)David Denby is an American journalist, best known as a film critic for The New Yorker magazine.-Background and education:Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A...
Books read:
- Hangover Square - Patrick Hamilton
- The Long Firm - Jake Arnott
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-timeThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a 2003 novel by British writer Mark Haddon. It won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book...
- Mark HaddonMark HaddonMark Haddon is an English novelist and poet, best known for his 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.- Life and work :... - True Notebooks - Mark SalzmanMark SalzmanMark Joseph Salzman is an American writer. Salzman is best known for his 1986 memoir Iron & Silk, which describes his experiences living in China as an English teacher in the early 1980s....
May 2004
Books bought:- Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx - Adrian Nicole LeBlancAdrian Nicole LeBlancAdrian Nicole LeBlanc is an American journalist whose works focus on the marginalized members of society: adolescents living in poverty, prostitutes, women in prison, etc. She is best known for her 2003 non-fiction book Random Family...
- What Narcissism Means to Me - Tony HoaglandTony HoaglandAnthony Dey Hoagland is an American poet and writer. His poetry collection 2003, What Narcissism Means to Me, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Other honors include two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a 2000 Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry, and a...
- David CopperfieldDavid Copperfield (novel)The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery , commonly referred to as David Copperfield, is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a novel in 1850. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial...
- Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
(twice)
Books read:
- David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
June 2004
Books bought:- Donkey Gospel - Tony Hoagland
- I Never Liked YouI Never Liked YouI Never Liked You is an autobiographical graphic novel by Chester Brown, dealing with Brown's introversion and difficulty talking to others, especially members of the opposite sex....
- Chester BrownChester BrownChester William David Brown , is an award-winning, best-selling Canadian alternative cartoonist and, since 2008, the Libertarian Party of Canada's candidate for the riding of Trinity-Spadina in Toronto, Canada.... - We Need to Talk About KevinWe Need to Talk About KevinWe Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver, published by Serpent's Tail, about a fictional school massacre. It is written from the perspective of the killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son Kevin and the murders he committed...
- Lionel ShriverLionel Shriver-Early life and education:Lionel Shriver was born Margaret Ann Shriver on May 18, 1957 in Gastonia, North Carolina, to a deeply religious family . At age 15, she changed her name from Margaret Ann to Lionel because she did not like the name she had been given, and as a tomboy felt that a...
Books read:
- Random Family - Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
- What Narcissism Means to Me - Tony Hoagland
- Bobby FischerBobby FischerRobert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
Goes to War - David EdmondsDavid Edmonds (philosopher)David Edmonds is an award-winning radio feature maker at the BBC World Service. He studied at Oxford University, has a PhD in Philosophy from the Open University and has held fellowships at the universities of Chicago and Michigan...
and John Eidinow
July 2004
Books bought[¹]:- The Invisible Woman - Claire TomalinClaire TomalinClaire Tomalin is an English biographer and journalist. She was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge.She was literary editor of the New Statesman and of the Sunday Times, and has written several noted biographies...
- Y: The Last ManY: The Last ManY: The Last Man is a comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra published by Vertigo beginning in 2002. The series is about the only man to survive the apparent simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth...
Vols 1–3 - VaughanBrian K. VaughanBrian Keller Vaughan is an American comic book and television writer. He is best known for the comic book series Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways, and Pride of Baghdad, and was one of the principal writers of the television series Lost, during seasons three through five...
, GuerraPia GuerraPia Guerra is an award-winning Canadian comic book artist best known for her work as co-creator and lead penciller on the Vertigo title Y: The Last Man.-Career:...
, Marzan Jr., Chadwick - I Never Liked YouI Never Liked YouI Never Liked You is an autobiographical graphic novel by Chester Brown, dealing with Brown's introversion and difficulty talking to others, especially members of the opposite sex....
- Chester BrownChester BrownChester William David Brown , is an award-winning, best-selling Canadian alternative cartoonist and, since 2008, the Libertarian Party of Canada's candidate for the riding of Trinity-Spadina in Toronto, Canada.... - David BoringDavid BoringDavid Boring is a comic series and graphic novel by Daniel Clowes. It was originally serialized as issues #19 through 21 of the comic book Eightball before being published in collected form by Pantheon Books in 2000...
- Daniel ClowesDaniel ClowesDaniel Gillespie Clowes is an American author, screenwriter and cartoonist of alternative comic books.... - The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist - Michael ChabonMichael ChabonMichael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
et al. - Safe Area GoraždeSafe Area GoraždeSafe Area Goražde is a journalistic comic book about the Bosnian War, written by Joe Sacco. It was published in 2000.The book describes the author's experiences during four months spent in Bosnia in 1994-1995, and is based on conversations with Bosniaks trapped within the enclave of Goražde.Sacco...
- Joe SaccoJoe SaccoJoe Sacco is a Maltese-American comics artist and journalist. He achieved international fame through the 1996 American Book Award-winning Palestine, and his graphic novel on the Bosnian War, Safe Area Goražde.- Biography :... - Not Entitled - Frank KermodeFrank KermodeSir John Frank Kermode was a highly regarded British literary critic best known for his seminal critical work The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction, published in 1967 ....
[¹] The author here inserts a footnote: "I bought so many books this month it’s obscene, and I’m not owning up to them all: this is a selection. And to be honest, I’ve been economical with the truth for months now. I keep finding books that I bought, didn’t read, and didn’t list."
Books read:
- Train - Pete Dexter
- This Is Serbia Calling - Matthew Collin
- The Invisible Woman - Claire Tomalin
- Y: The Last Man Vols 1–3 - Vaughan, Guerra, Marzan Jr., Chadwick
- I Never Liked You - Chester Brown
- David Boring - Daniel Clowes
August 2004
Books bought:- Prayers for RainPrayers for RainPrayers for Rain is a crime novel written by Dennis Lehane, published in 1999. It is the fifth novel in the author's Kenzie-Gennaro series, focusing on private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.-Plot summary:...
- Dennis LehaneDennis LehaneDennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy... - Mystic RiverMystic River (novel)Mystic River is a novel by Dennis Lehane that was published in 2001. It won the 2002 Dilys Award and was made into an Academy Award-winning film in 2003.-Plot summary:...
- Dennis Lehane - Jesse JamesJesse JamesJesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
: Last Rebel of the Civil War - T. J. Stiles - The Line of BeautyThe Line of BeautyThe Line of Beauty is a 2004 Booker Prize-winning novel by Alan Hollinghurst.-Plot introduction:Set in Britain in the early to mid-1980s, the story surrounds the post-Oxford life of the young gay protagonist, Nick Guest....
- Alan HollinghurstAlan HollinghurstAlan Hollinghurst is a British novelist, and winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize for The Line of Beauty.-Biography:Hollinghurst was born on 26 May 1954 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, the only child of James Hollinghurst, a bank manager, and his wife, Elizabeth... - Like a Fiery Elephant - Jonathan CoeJonathan CoeJonathan Coe is an English novelist and writer. His work has an underlying preoccupation with political issues, although this serious engagement is often expressed comically in the form of satire. For example, What a Carve Up! reworks the plot of an old 1960s spoof horror film of the same name...
Books read:
- Prayers for Rain - Dennis Lehane
- Mystic River - Dennis Lehane
- Like a Fiery Elephant - Jonathan Coe
External links
- "Stuff I've Been Reading" - selections from Hornby's columns on The Believer website.