Upcoming! #1970Club Prospects

The beginning of October means it's time to start on Simon and Kaggsy's 1970 Club.

I've piled up some candidates:

Will I manage to read them all? Of course not! That's (from right to left):

Studs Terkel's Hard Times

My copy of Terkel's interview history of the Great Depression dates from 1970. As with most of his books, it's a series of short interviews with people both famous and not. I will have read some of it before, but not, I think, all of it.

Philip K. Dick's Our Friends from Frolix 8

One of the lesser-read from Philip Dick that I've never read. It could be time!

Robertson Davies' Fifth Business

The first in Davies' Deptford Trilogy, which is definitely his masterpiece.  It's set in the fictional small town of Deptford somewhere in southwest Ontario.

Ngaio Marsh's When In Rome

A late Roderick Alleyn entry from Marsh, which I haven't read. It's actually set in Italy.

Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave

The first of Mary Stewart's books about Merlin and Arthur. I will have read this some time in the 70s, but not since. But it was pretty fun as I remember.

J. G. Farrell's Troubles

Troubles is Farrell's great novel about Ireland in the immediate aftermath of WWI, (1919 and following). I read it twenty years ago, but I've lately been thinking it's time to reread Farrell's whole Empire trilogy about British imperialism. (This, The Siege of Krishnapur, and The Singapore Grip--all great). It won the Lost Booker for 1970.

and... 

John D. MacDonald's The Long Lavender Look

Another book I haven't read since the 1970s. Despite the Pink Panther's enthusiasm, this one is probably the least likely. It's from the middle of MacDonald's Travis McGee series--I've been idly thinking I should reread the series from the start...

There's three books already on the blog from 1970:

The Blessing Way. Tony Hillerman's first detective novel, set in the Four Corners area and featuring his Navajo detective Joe Leaphorn. It's a great start to the series.

Fergus. Brian Moore's novel of 1970 about a scriptwriter in LA who sees ghosts. Or something. I read it in 2021 for Brian Moore at 100 readalong. Not my favorite Moore, but a good one.

 

The Bay of Noon. Shirley Hazzard's novel is set in Naples in the post-World War II period. Jenny, needing to get away from home, takes a job as a secretary for the United Nations. A romantic quadrangle among diplomats and artists. It was short-listed for the Lost Booker that year.
 

 

 

 

Which look good to you? As of today, I think Troubles is likely candidate number 1, but the club runs from the 14th to the 20th. That's almost two weeks away yet! I can't think that far in advance...😉