#35 All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy (Pan Books)

If it's bleak wilderness you're after, and a lament for life in the old west and roaming free under the stars, then look no further than Cormac McCarthy, who infuses his novels with more introspection than even Clint Eastwood could handle.

All The Pretty Horses is known as one of his finest novels, one of the Great Modern American Novels to give it its full title, but I enjoyed No Country for Old Men more.

There are some similar themes, the loss of what used to be an honourable way of life and a distrust of more modern ways, not mention events spiralling out of control, but, unlike main character John Grady Cole and the innate connection he has with horses, I struggled to connect with the other two main characters.

To precis the plot, teenagers Cole and his friend arrive in Mexico determined to live the noble life of cowboys, hook up with a strange boy with a magnificent horse who gets them into trouble, and eventually prison, whereby the aunt of Cole's ill-fated love, the daughter of a rich rancher, frees them in exchange for the girl agreeing never to see Cole again. I told you it was ill-fated.

The novel is rich with quiet contemplation, with men doing what what they've got to, 'the right thing' no matter the consequences, but strikes a bum note with the third character, the disruptive Jimmy Blevins. Cole is so circumspect and cautious, with good reason (except when falling for the girl), it's never quite clear why his judgement fails so spectacularly regarding Blevins, even when his friend warns him. With the girl, he recognises trouble will follow but makes his decision because of his feelings: with Blevins, there is no such conflict or potential reward, which just makes his choices all the more baffling.

McCarthy brings to life a world whose days are numbered, and writes wonderfully about the horses, of which those who aren't pretty are still valued. But as a book, this is a scrub rather than a stallion.

So, rating time:

#35 All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy (Pan Books) - 7/10

Next up: The Ministry of Fear, by Graham Greene (Vintage)

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

#34 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain (Penguin Books)

The fact that I'm currently reading another novel by Cormac McCarthy, hot on the heels of books by Bret Easton Ellis and Mark Twain, might indicate the destination for my current holiday - I've got a bit of an American theme going on.

Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is often overlooked in favour of its sequel, the celebrated classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and that's exactly why I've returned to the former. I read Huckleberry Finn many years ago, but omitted its forerunner, the tale of Tom Sawyer.

Tom Sawyer is often referred to as more of a children's book than Huckleberry Finn, and the 'adventures', a series of mischievous scrapes and escapades involving the protagonist and his chums, which invariably end in trouble - and Sawyer receiving some form of discipline - certainly appealed to this reader's boyish side.

I can't help feeling that the above is damning Tom Sawyer with faint praise, however, because it's a far weightier book than some give Twain credit for. For all the pranks and episodes, including the famous whitewashed fence story, you're never far away from a feeling of lost childhood innocence, and the awareness that inequities in your youth will be repeated tenfold as an adult.

Twain even refers to this in his preface: "Although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account."

With murder, slavery, starvation and the dangers of alcohol never too far away, there is a much more serious side to the book, and even taking into account the fact that Twain was writing in 1876, I find it difficult to believe that Stephenie Meyer or JK Rowling would use as many long 'adult' words in their own books primarily targeted at younger readers, but which have garnered a large adult readership.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the most enjoyable books I've read so far this year, and was much needed after a run of novels in the past month or so which, while perfectly fine, have never really scaled the heights.

So, rating time:

#34 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain (Penguin Books) - 8/10

Next up: All The Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy (Pan Books)

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

Joan of arc-h rival

I'm jealous, and I'm not afraid of admitting it.

This 100-book challenge may have started out as a bit of fun - and remains so, in many ways - but I have to admit the Friend of the Wench is beating me on all fronts.

Not only is he ahead of me in terms of the number of books read, he recently received the gratification of an author he had read - the author of the very first book he tackled this year, in fact - contacting him via his blog to express her thanks.

What's more, Joan Lennon, for it is she, wrote what a great idea such a challenge was, and went on to reveal her current literary plans and wish him all the best with completing his task.

I'm therefore greener with envy than the Incredible Hulk. The Incredible Sulk even.

Whither Paul Auster, Cormac McCarthy, Nick Hornby, Charlie Brooker, even wrestler Mick Foley getting in touch on these very pages? Jealous doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what I feel, and you can rest assured that I intend to read the complete works of Ms Lennon sooner rather than later...

But there's more. I have learned the Friend of the Wench, not content with whupping my ass on every front, has also been entering competitions in a bid to add to his burgeoning library - and he's only gone and won.

Exactly what, I'm not sure, but the detail doesn't really matter. It's more the drip, drip, drip of constant success that is akin to water torture.