Rites of Passage by William Golding

"He is quite unpractised in the management of spiritous liquors"

Cabin fever sets in on the long voyage to Australia. Alcohol adds to the drama. As, for the rest; well you will have to discover that for yourself. The prose is dense and yet frenetic, and my appreciation was somewhat complicated by reading in fits and starts, waiting for a plane.

The action is reminiscent of the ups and downs one experiences when tired and over stressed, circumstances akin to those of being stuck on a lengthy sea voyage in cramped quarters.

There is a definite scarcity of open space among the letters of the writer of the journal.

 4 out of 5 days that end in keelhauling can't be good.

Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford

"She had to have men at her feet; that was, as it were, the price of her - purely social - daily bread as it was the price of the daily bread of her intimates."

This is an interminably lengthy novel that has taken me the better part of the year to finish, admittedly while consuming a vast array of other stories 'on the side' as it were. Quite appropriate really given the subject matter of the bulky tale. War, adultery, self-sacrifice, honour, doing the right thing and suffering for it; there is a lot going on within its many pages.

Thankfully, the sight of Mr Cumberbatch on the cover aided my perseverance some what and I was therefore able to finally complete all 906 pages. Having enjoyed Madox Ford's The Good Soldier, I had eagerly anticipated reading his other novel for quite some time and yet a busy schedule and the thought of such a heavy tome often dissuaded me from beginning it. Nevertheless, its inclusion on every must read list meant I was destined to tackle it eventually.

Now I can tick this one off from quite a few must read lists. On reflection, it is beautifully written with some gorgeous prose. Yet it is melancholy and difficult in subject matter and did I mention that there is just so much of it? I had even traipsed around overseas with it, hoping to make a dent during a plane trip or two. That never happened and my luggage merely remained heavy thanks to its presence. I'm sure, had I been stranded on a beautiful tropical island, I might have finished it a little sooner and had a more favourable impression.

4 out of 5 times when you have lots of time you can read an epic.

Empire of the Sun by J G Ballard

"All afternoon they moved northwards across the plains of the Whangpoo River, through the maze of creeks and canals that separated the paddy fields."

As a fan of Ballard's work, I'd resisted this particular novel for quite some time, due mainly to the subject matter. Somehow graphic violence seemed more palatable at a remove, like car crashes, crazy apartment buildings and other worlds. War novels tend to be my last choice for reading material, that's just me, I find the idea that the world never learns from any of them one that is difficult to swallow.

Having got that out of the way, I have to say reading this novel inspired by Ballard's childhood traumas, certainly gives additional meaning to the bleak, lack of hope that peppers his other works. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize this is a fast paced read that also ticks off another 1001 novels entry for my list obsessive tendencies.

A young, aircraft obsessed boy growing up in the privileged ex-pat surrounds of  Shanghai has his world turned upside down by Japanese occupation. The author captures the confusion, the starvation, the horror and the loss of innocence inherent in such traumatic circumstances with such vivid attention that I almost flew through the pages.

Definitely worth a read.

5 out of 5, at times cocktail olives can be your friend.