E. Catton, The Luminaries (2013)
S. Delany, Babel 17 (1966)*
Levitt, S.D., and Dubner, S.J., Superfreakonomics (2009)
R. MacFarlane, The old ways (2012)
N . Mitford, The Sun King (1966)*
G. Orwell, Essays (ed. 1984)
I've added date of publication to the book lists. I've been meaning to do so for ages, but now I look at it, it may not last - consider it a bit of an experiment. In short, a great month: Orwell, Mitford and Catton all excellent. Indeed, I can see why the Booker jury gave Catton the prize. They were however wrong (and biased towards its structural conceit); it should have gone to Jim Crace's swansong. Harvest isn't perfect: the plot is a bit weak, and the isolation slightly inconsistent. However, the work overall is a masterpiece of evocation and pitch perfect in its description of the village in question as well as the rhythms of country life. Given most people find the era before the war a bit of a stretch, this reaching back - to a period before modernity had even begun to be thought of - is timely as well as outstanding.
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