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You are here: Backpacker Resources > Travel Books > Top 5 Books for November 2009

Top 5 Books for November 2009

1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
   

   At the risk of turning into a stereotypical, hormonally tortured teenage girl, Twilight is an enthralling read. The writing style is well and truly appalling and the plot is without question - contrite and contrived, yet just like the literary heroin spewed out by Dan Brown, it’s impossible to put down. You point of perspective is Bella – a dull and clumsy victim of puberty who moves out of her mother’s home and into her father’s town. Here she impossibly becomes the most interesting girl in the world and a point of obsession for local vampire, Edward Cullen. Their doomed relationship is a thinly veiled metaphor for the virtues of chastity and about ninety percent of the text is unnecessary, narrative fluff but somehow the tale makes you care about the outcome. Throw in a few brushes with death, line up another super hero suitor for the sequel, add a pinch of heartbreak and stir well with some major motion picture momentum, and you have one guilty pleasure, ready to read. I’ll let you know how the second instalment works out next month.

   Twilight by Stephanie Meyer is published by Atombooks (paperback; £6.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

2. The United States of McSweeney's: Ten Years of Accidental Classics edited by Hornby Nick & Horowitz Eli
   

   Now this is a book you can unashamedly flaunt on a plane, train or automobile. This title is made up by the best and brightest short stories sent into McSweeney's Quarterly Concern – a somewhat regular publication in America – since 1998. Picture every writing style imaginable, throw in a few that you’ve never come across before, shape it with the editorial expertise of Nick Hornby and you have a pretty clear idea of what you’re investing in. Hot Pink by Adam Levin is one of the many delicious, brain feeding treats contained within these pages and it’s a tale told from the perspective of Jack. Jack is a teenager with something of a crush on Nancy Christamesta’ however between Jack and Nancy stands her 6ft 5in giant of a father. The age determined tiers of propriety in American are wonderfully conveyed with awkward exchanges aplenty and by the end of this particular tale, you’re unwittingly rooting for Jack to bypass the giant, and have his wicked way with Nancy.

   The United States of McSweeney's: Ten Years of Accidental Classics edited by Nick Hornby & Eli Horowitz is published by Penguin (hardback; £20.00). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

3. Legend Of A Suicide by David Vann
   

   As the title suggests this read is somewhat heavy but the avenues explored by Vann make it worth the wading. Your central theme reflects the impact on a boy when his father takes his own life. The results are explored through various incarnations of the same character and while this may seem confusing at the beginning, it’s no worse than a few rounds with Sebastian Faulks in A Fool’s Alphabet. Roy is the most moving creation from Vann, demonstrating through a split in reality what happens when father Jim leaves him behind, and the almost vengeful alternate dimension where Roy beats him to it and serves up a dose of – this it how it feels. This is a beautifully constructed book and an example of writing as a craft, refined by journalistic experience.

   Legend Of A Suicide by David Vann is published by Penguin (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

4. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
   

   This one comes to you from the same author who gave the world the ever so slightly insipid – The Time Traveler’s Wife. Her Fearful Symmetry however packs more of a punch and the tale of the disinterested Poole twins draws you in, almost immediately. The idea of life beyond suburbia holds no draw for Julia and Valentina, however when a previously unknown aunt passes away, that all changes. The lucky pair inherit said aunt’s apartment in London with a view of Highgate Cemetary – however this isn’t all they inherit. Think Friends mixed in with Tales of the City and The Secret Life of Us, and you’re half way there. Above lives a character with OCD and a penchant for crosswords, and below lives their Aunt’s estranged lover. Even the cemetery throws up a fair few ghosts from the aunt’s past, making this a rewarding tale of the unexpected!

   Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger is published by Jonathan Cape Ltd (paperback; £16.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

5. My Shit Life So Far by Frankie Boyle
   

   He’s well known in the British Isles as the cynical cornerstone of top BBC show, Mock the week. My Shit Life So far goes beyond the show to give you guys a glimpse at Frankie’s Glasgow roots, a rather rampant teenage sex drive, his first job in a mental hospital and more. As you probably guessed from the title, this guy is beyond inappropriate and is famous for championing cynical new TV programs such as: "Celebrities On Acid On Ice: just like Celebrity Dancing On Ice, but with an opening sequence where Graham Norton hoses the celebrities down with liquid LSD." His view on London’s hapless, public transport fare hiking mayor is also welcome: “Voting for Boris Johnson wasn't that different to voting for a Labrador wearing a Wonder Woman costume.” If you like dark humour, you’ll love this mocking autobiography.

   My Shit Life So Far by Frankie Boyle is published by Harpercollins (hardback; £18.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

- Rob Savage