Pocket Penguins - 70 years With Penguin Publishing

[D_Davis]

Over the next few months (year?) I'm going to read all of the 70 titles in Penguin Publishing's Pocket Penguin series, as I buy them.

I'm looking forward to this as it will introduce me to many authors and subjects that I wouldn't normally read.


"Good books for all."

The momentous vision of Penguin founder Allen Lane back in 1935. To celebrate the 70th birthday of Penguin's paperback revolution, we've published 70 Pocket Penguins, great reads at a price worth celebrating.http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/happybirthdaypenguin/images/boxset_large.jpg (http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/happybirthdaypenguin/html/list.html)

I'm starting with The Snobs, a small collection of short stories by Muriel Spark.


What I've Read:

36. The Snobs - Muriel Spark (recommended)
40. Design Faults in the Volvo 760 Turbo - Will Self (recommended to fans of Ballard)

[ledfloyd]

is there a list of these titles somewhere?

[D_Davis]

is there a list of these titles somewhere?


Woops - forgot to include the link above.


Here it is:
http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/happybirthdaypenguin/html/list.html

[D_Davis]

http://www.shakes.cz/data/var/images/id/f/208672.jpg

The second story in The Snobs, "The First Year of My Life," is excellent; one of the best short stories I've read this year. It has a very cool SF angle, and once again Dame Spark has wowed me with the way she handles so many different conventions and genres. The story is about a baby who never smiles. It also postulates on a theory that young babies are omniscient, and are able to connect and know everything that is going on around the world. Very well written, and it reminded me of something that J.G. Ballard might have written, only it contains more empathy.

Broken record time...I cannot recommend Muriel Spark enough. She is truly a masterclass author - unparalleled as far as I am concerned. It's really cool to see her popping up more often on my Goodreads feed; a sometimes-poster at match-Cut - Space Oddity (I think) - just finished and rated very highly a Spark novel, and it seems like more and more people I'm connected with are discovering her and reading her. That is a very good thing.

This small collection seems like a good introduction to Spark, although I would recommend The Driver's Seat. Both are short and can easily be read in a morning, but The Driver's Seat has a greater impact.

[Irish]

Very much looking forward to your review of In Defence of English Cooking. ;)

[D_Davis]

Very much looking forward to your review of In Defence of English Cooking. ;)

So am I!

:D

I'm looking forward to reading a lot of these. What a great way to read a bunch of new authors and genres/subjects. I love the small time investment.

[D_Davis]

http://bookcoverarchive.com/images/books/design_faults_in_the_volvo_760 _turbo.large.jpg

This was my first experience with Will Self's fiction, and I'll probably be seeking more. The influence of J.G. Ballard can be felt oozing and dripping from every page; even the title of this two-story collection is Ballardian to the extreme. Self is more crass and explicit than Ballard was, but that makes sense given that he is from a younger generation.

http://www.ballardian.com/this-most-astonishing-penumbra-will-self-on-jg-ballard


" I’ll declare my colours, I think [Ballard is] probably the most significant and influential — or among a handful of the most significant and influential — writers of the English language since the second war"

However this is not to say that Self lacks his own voice, because he most definitely has a unique thing going on. I'm not sure how representative these two stories are ("A Story for Europe" being the other) of Self's body of work, but if they are any indication of his voice I am sure that I will appreciate more from him.

[Marley]

Broken record time...I cannot recommend Muriel Spark enough. She is truly a masterclass author - unparalleled as far as I am concerned. It's really cool to see her popping up more often on my Goodreads feed; a sometimes-poster at match-Cut - Space Oddity (I think) - just finished and rated very highly a Spark novel, and it seems like more and more people I'm connected with are discovering her and reading her. That is a very good thing.

This small collection seems like a good introduction to Spark, although I would recommend The Driver's Seat. Both are short and can easily be read in a morning, but The Driver's Seat has a greater impact.

This might have been me -- I've been on a Spark marathon and recently read both The Comforters and The Driver's Seat. Both were enticing reads although I have to give the upper hand to the latter for being totally insane. I still have no idea what to make of it but hope to crank out a review soon. I wrote a review for The Comforters if you are interested, Davis. Right now I am in the process of reading The Ballad of Peckham Rye which is proving to be hilarious and subversive; a common trait of Spark's writing. I have you to thank for encouraging me to read her work. It may not always perfect but her economic prose, irreverent wit and stylistic virtuosity makes for some superb story-telling. I'll be sure to check out The Snobs next.

Best of luck on your project and I'll be following closely. :)

[D_Davis]

I recently purchased Peckham Rye; it sounds great. I think it is her imperfections that make her such a unique author with a genuinely interesting voice. She takes chances, and is very human in her approach.