So now’s the time when I take a look back at the last several novels I’ve read and explain to you why I ranked them as I did.
Here’s how books 76 through 80 break down:
Book #76: Lucky Jim (Current Ranking: 49): I expected more from this novel. Lucky Jim wasn’t bad, but I was expecting more satire along the lines of Catch 22 or The Sot-Weed Factor, and it’s not that. Decent novel, but nothing memorable to me.
Book #77: A House for Mr. Biswas (Current Ranking: 24): Great novel set around the simple premise of a man who wants to buy a house. Poor Mr. Biswas just wants a house, and has to deal with all kinds of problems in buying one. A House for Mr. Biswas also showcases V.S. Naipaul’s incredible talent.
Book #78: Housekeeping (Current Ranking: 66): Meh. Housekeeping pretty much bored me to death. I was happy to have finished it.
Book #79: Naked Lunch (Current Ranking: 80): No. No. No. I hate this novel more than anything I’ve ever read. I hate Naked Lunch with a passion. I hate Naked Lunch more than ingrown toenails. No. No. No.
Book #80: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Current Ranking: 29): Good easy to read book about a slightly off-kilter teacher and several of her favorite female students. Interesting perspective on how our point of view changes on people as we grow older.
You can see how I’ve ranked all 80 novels on my rankings page.
How do you feel about these rankings? Am I crazy? Fairly sane?
