The Plot Against America - Philip Roth

Another book that my mom insisted I read for a long, long time. And this time around one that I was keen to read (both Jewish and suburban, yay!) but I just didn't get around to buying it for a long time...

Besides liking it for the obvious reasons (Roth's writing, the story of the Jewish people of Newark, etc.) it's one of those fictional accounts that actually made me learn things about history. While I'm acutely aware of the fact that Lindberg was never the president of the US, there were plenty of things I didn't know about him, or Henry Ford, for instance.

Obviously the book is relevant and current, but I feel like I would have enjoyed this thoroughly regardless of the historical period we live in. And why Roth never won the Nobel prize is beyond me, though getting a Pulitzer is not exactly easy (or shabby)...

Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell

And to think that there was a time when I thought very little of Orwell. That was because I had only read Animal Farm (and didn't exactly love it) and heard an old member of the International Brigades fighting in the Spanish Civil War label him a "fucking tourist" when asked about Orwell's contribution to the war (an absolutely priceless moment!).

Much like everyone, I'm not quite sure how much of what Orwell tells in this fictional work of non-fiction actually happened or not, but it surely is thought-provoking and compelling. It is also probably one of those books that won't leave a permanent mark on me, but one whose overall sense will remain memorable.

And I don't know why, but I have the feeling it will remain on my shelf for longer than the very similar The Road by Jack London will (disclaimer: I did like The Road, but it's now with a pile of other books parked in my wardrobe as they are looking for a new home - with the second child coming around I'm now more determined than ever to have books only on my IKEA Billy and nowhere else in the flat!)



London Fields - Martin Amis

Another of those books that remained on my bookshelf for century because of their intimidating size. And another that I thoroughly enjoyed in the end.

I have to say I was actually kind of happy to find out that London Fields was not actually set in London Fields, as I struggle a fair bit with how fashionable the "hipsterland" between North and East London is.

The premise of the novel (a narrator, a murderer, a murderee and a foil) is genial, at least in my humble opinion. The prose is virtually flawless, and some passages might be among the best in recent British literature.

Sure, Nicola Six is an improbable character (to say the least!), and I could have done without the dystopian elements (not quite sure whether they really need to be there, to be honest), but London Fields remains a great book.