J.G. Ballard, The Drowned World*
A. Christie, Third Girl
J. Harding, Alpha Dogs
C. Louvin, Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin brothers
N. Mailer, The Naked and the Dead
S. Owen, The Rice Book
S. Rushdie, The Enchantress of Florence
N. Silver, The Signal and the Noise
Tricky month this for BOTM. Literary credibility would make me put down Mailer (though neither Anna nor my parents had ever heard of it); career enhancement (because I am sure my incoming Director reads this), would require me to name Alpha Dogs; and a general sense of being a la mode would say Silver. They were all good, especially Silver, but it didn't quite have enough politics in it for my liking. So BOTM is for Young's hefty tome on English Folk-rock. It wasn't without flaws - too long (they always are), a slightly confused chronological approach in the middle sections and a lack of reference tables (I could have done with one just to keep track of the member of Fairport Convention) - but it was a great read, with a lovely turn of phrase (of which I've highlighted elsewhere my favourite). I'm off to buy the works of Mr Fox [actually this is surprisingly hard].
