This time it’s to make an A to Z list of books you’ve read, first one into your mind, no cheating. Here’s where I get to give thanks for XENO by D F Jones (Science Fiction Book Club, 1979) and – after much head-scratching and the iron self-control required not to turn and scan the bookshelves – Gerald Durrell’s A ZOO IN MY LUGGAGE.
I read the challenge from Good Dog about half an hour ago and I’ve got the full list now – I defy anyone who’s put on the spot not to stop everything and tackle it right away. It’s an open invitation so anyone can have a go. The rules are:
1. Go through the alphabet, and for each letter, think of a book you’ve read that starts with that letter (A, An, and The do not count).
2. You must write down the FIRST book you think of for any given letter.
3. You must have actually READ the book.
4. If you think of a more impressive-sounding book for a particular letter, you CANNOT change to the more impressive-sounding book.
ALL IN COLOR FOR A DIME Richard Lupoff & Don Thompson
BILL THE GALACTIC HERO Harry Harrison
CONGO Michael Crichton (one of his worst)
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP Philip K Dick
EVERY MAN AN ENEMY William Howard Baker (Sexton Blake)
FARADAY’S FLOWERS Tony Kenrick
GREAT EXPECTATIONS Charles Dickens
HIGH CITADEL Desmond Bagley
IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN Maurice Sendak
JUST WILLIAM Richmal Crompton
A KISS BEFORE DYING Ira Levin
LORD OF THE FLIES William Golding
MARATHON MAN William Goldman (coincidence, honest)
THE NESTLING Charles L Grant
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY Kendal Burt & James Leasor
THE POWER AND THE GLORY Graham Greene
QUEST OF THE DAWN MAN J H Rosny
RODNEY STONE Arthur Conan Doyle
SOLARIS Stanislaw Lem
THURSDAY ADVENTURE John Pudney
UNDER MILK WOOD Dylan Thomas
VOICE OF OUR SHADOW Jonathan Carroll
THE WHITE DACOIT Berkeley Mather
XENO D F Jones
THE YOUNG VISITERS Daisy Ashford
A ZOO IN MY LUGGAGE Gerald Durrell
Now, back to work…
5 responses to “Curses! Tagged Again”
"High Citadel"
Loved that book!
When I was twelve.
I should try it again, and discover whether I should be proud of, or embarrassed by, my pre-pubescent tastes.
My first Bagley was LANDSLIDE but I think, in retrospect, my favourite was the one set in Iceland, the title of which is escaping me right now… RUNNING BLIND? I do recall a decent location-shot TV adaptation with Stuart Wilson and an Icelandic female lead, back in the days when we used to do that kind of thing quite well.
Great list, and you found an X title Desmond Bagley brings back memories. Always seemed to be reading the books during summer holidays along with the likes of Colin Forbes and Alistair MacLean. It makes me think of all the books I had to let go over the years due to various moves and there being no room to bring them along.
Oh dear. There are a couple of mine which I wish hadn't been the first to mind…
Be proud, 'cause it takes guts for anyone who cares about prose to make it all the way through KANE AND ABEL… but isn't the fun is in the Rorschach-like nature of the test? Anyone whose list is all Nobel laureates clearly has no love in their heart. Or they've cheated.