#82 The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler (Vintage)

Nick Hornby is one of my favourite writers, but I’m going to have to stop taking his advice about books to read. The front of my copy of The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler, sees Hornby proclaiming it is ‘brilliant, funny, sad and sensitive”, while the reverse sees the effusive writer of the likes of Fever Pitch saying ‘My favourite writer, and the best line-and-length novelist in the world, is Anne Tyler”.

It’s statements like those which influence my book selections for this challenge, but much like One Day, I find that, unfortunately, Hornby’s tastes don’t tally with my own.

I can’t entirely blame Nick. The Accidental Tourist is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated novel, so it’s clear that at least some critics agree with Hornby rather than me, and William Hurt, Kathleen Turner and Geena Davis starred in an award-winning film of the same name. But while the story was entertaining enough, it never gripped me. It was never funny enough or poignant enough to generate in me the emotional response that others have apparently experienced.

Like How to Talk to a Widower, the main character is a man recovering from grief, in his case the death of his son. He is a guidebook writer for businessmen who have no intention of seeing the sights of the places they visit, but just want to know about their home comforts – the Accidental Tourist in question. But he’s also an accidental tourist in his own life, a man who is unable to engage with others and loses his marriage as a consequence.

Into his life enters a bizarre dog trainer, who gives him the strength to rebuild his life and lead to him having to actively make a decision on how he wants to spend his remaining days, but I was never significantly moved by the ups and downs and twists and turns. Sure, there were times I raised a chuckle, but I never reached the emotional highs and lows Nick hinted at. It’s my loss, I know.

So, rating time:

#82 The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler (Vintage) - 6/10

Next up: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck (Penguin Group)

Click here for the full list of books so far, and their rating

#81 Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley (Vintage)

“Our library,” says a character in Brave New World in reply to a question as to whether the shelves have any Shakespeare, “contains only books of reference. If our young people need distraction, they can get it [elsewhere]. We don’t encourage them to indulge in any solitary amusements.”

It’s a paragraph which sums up Brave New World, Aldous Huxley’s classic view of a future in which the majority of people have not a care in the world, where war and conflict has been eradicated – but where people have merely become automatons. The contrast is provided by the savage reservations, where people have complete freedom but are forced to live primitively, forcing the conclusion that with technological progress comes a loss of liberty – a concept with which any Blackberry user would quickly concur.

Appropriately enough for this blog, literature features strongly in Brave New World. The title of the book is taken from The Tempest (Shakespeare is prominent throughout) and reading itself is a form of rebellion.

The beauty of Brave New World is its satirical subtlety. Huxley could have laid his vision of a Dystopian future on with a trowel, but it’s the smaller points which have the greatest impact. The founder of the new world order is Henry Ford, who has become a religious icon, so people exclaim ‘Ford!’ instead of ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’ and make the sign of the ‘T’ (for the Model T Ford) instead of the cross.

The most disturbing elements relate to the reproduction techniques now being used by civilised society and the promiscuity which is so prevalent, but rather than portray black and white, Huxley makes sure to paint many of the alternatives just as bleakly. It’s a book, like HG Wells’ The Time Machine or George Orwell’s1984, which poses many philosophical questions and is rather short on hope.

To that end, many claim some of Huxley’s writings have already become true. We have not yet got individual helicopters, but what’s ‘soma’ if it’s not Prozac or similar drugs, while amid recession we are encourage to embrace consumerism (“ending is better than mending; the less stitches, the more riches”).

If I had one criticism of Brave New World, it’s the ending. The plot – much criticised upon publication, apparently - isn’t exactly pulsating with life, and things come to a conclusion which is too neat, if still dreadful.

Overall then, Brave New World is on the ‘classics’ list for a reason. And you can read what the Friend of the Wench made of it here.

So, rating time:

#81 Brave New World, By Aldous Huxley (Vintage) - 8/10

Next up: The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler (Vintage)

Click here for the full list of books so far, and their rating

#80 The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart, by Glenn Taylor (Blue Door)

Early ‘Trenchmouth’ Taggart must be one of the most incredible characters I’ve read this year, and this novel, the story of the life of a man who is an outlaw, murderer, deadshot, inventor, woodsman, musician, journalist and much more, one of the most incredible tales.

It’s a book that while you’re reading it, you’re caught up in the bizarre twists and turns he takes, from nearly drowning as a baby and receiving the oral infection which would give rise to his nickname to his final days protecting the environment and his family. Not forgetting the alcoholism, mental instability, Blues innovator, outcast and union strike periods and more in between. But once it’s completed, you take stock and ponder just how believable it really all was.

In many ways, it doesn’t matter. I’ve read many books where so much time has been spent establishing the setting that the story itself suffers. Here, the story, a real old American take, undoubtedly takes precedence and while I’m sure the places and timeline have been exhaustively researched, it wouldn’t make much difference if they hadn’t.

Whether you enjoy The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart will depend on what you think of the main character, an anti-hero who is compelling and repellent by turns. Me, I alternated between the two, and these feelings mirrored what I thought of the book as a whole.

So, rating time:

#80 The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart, by Glenn Taylor (Blue Door) - 6/10

Next up: Brave New World, By Aldous Huxley (Vintage)

#79 Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell (Penguin Group)

Utterly brilliant.

If you’re judging the merits of the books I’m reading by the length of the reviews they generate, you’re going to be sorely disappointed in this instance because I could write for hours on the brilliance of Outliers and not do it justice. So I’m not even going to try. Suffice to say, if you haven’t read it, you’re missing out, and despite only finishing it the other day, I’ve managed to bore several people on its subject already.

A sociological study at its heart, prospective readers shouldn’t fear. Malcolm Gladwell is never anything other than a fascinating storyteller and intersperses his points, many of which are extremely provocative, with some entertaining case studies into the lives of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Canadian professional ice hockey players and Korean pilots and much, much more – even his own family.

Gladwell’s objective is to discover which factors contribute to someone’s success, whether reaching the top - and he’s talking about the very top - of a profession, can simply be down to innate talent and hard work, or whether it matters in which month of the year you were born. His investigations and conclusions are often incredible.

From the lessons educational systems can take from rice paddy fields, to the cultural causes of plane crashes, Outliers is gripping, inspirational, thought-provoking and, thanks to a wonderful writing style which regularly makes the complex seem simple, very readable indeed. Go read it.

So, rating time:

#79 Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell (Penguin Group) - 10/10

Next up: The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart, by Glenn Taylor (Blue Door)

Click here for the full list of books so far, and their rating

#78 Better Late Than Never, by Len Goodman (Ebury Press)

A bit of a bizarre addition to the canon of 100 books for the year, perhaps. However, The Wench was given Better Late Than Never, the autobiography by Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman as a joke by a friend, and given Goodman owns and runs a dance school opposite the library I regular visit, it seemed a fitting choice.

I was midway through – and struggling with – John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath at the time, and I fancied something a little easier on the brain. Goodman certainly obliges with a very readable account of his life, from East End boy to television star, and it’s a lot better than I expected. And while Goodman’s easy-going recollections and honesty are the main reasons for this, it would be churlish not to also credit ghost writer Richard Havers, who does a fine job.

Living and working near to a lot of the areas where Goodman grew up, the likes of Dartford, Welling and Blackfen, I found his early life the most interesting part of his autobiography. It’s not without humour, and there are some poignant stories which effectively convey a time and place. Goodman knows how to tell a self-deprecating tale, doesn’t hide from the poor decisions in his life or admitting the regrets he has, and comes across as a pretty decent bloke, much as he does on telly.

Unfortunately, the more the book focuses on dancing, the more I found myself switching off. Of course, you can hardly tell the story of Goodman’s life without examining the role dancing has had, but while the early days - his introduction to ballroom and Latin American and early competition success - ignite interest in the reader, the later focus on endless competitions provoked ennui.

Finally, we come to Strictly, and here Goodman wastes the rapport he has established with the reader. A couple of looks at the darker side of the BBC show apart – a moan about one of the professional dancers and a regret regarding some comments to Kelly Brook – Goodman’s previous frankness evaporates. You get the feeling he’s holding back, and even though that might not be a surprise as he continues to star on the primetime show, it still disappoints.

So, rating time:

#78 Better Late Than Never, by Len Goodman (Ebury Press) - 7/10

Next up: Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell (Penguin Group)

Click here for the full list of books so far, and their rating