About Me

My name is Jerry Kara and I am an unashamed bookpig. I have read over 500 novels, and my reading is only accelerating as I get older reaching one book every few days (expect this site to be updated every week – previous reviews will be deleted as I go along). As an aspiring writer (examples of my work are under the link ‘Micro Fiction’), I am always looking for inspiration from fiction as well as the chance to learn about myself, about humanity and ultimately guidance as to how to live my life.

You won’t find me reading the latest Grisham or Dan Brown. I am not after a simple yarn. I look for novels with some philosophical comment or social commentary. I revel in interesting language (thank you John Updike) and the power of this language to instil images and thoughts in our minds making literature, I believe, the most fascinating and motivating art form.

I don’t ascribe much value to literary awards as there have been many average books awarded in the past (please, no more boring Bookers) and many good books that go unnoticed. I look for interesting, original prose and have an inherent Aristotelian need for a beginning, middle and end - none of these character novels that are all ruminations and peter out in the final pages. Although these novels may have a pleasant voice they are ultimately unsatisfying for their limp ending.

As I’ve gotten older, my tolerance level for bad fiction has decreased to the point where I will burn or throw the novel out the window if it’s not living up to its promise. I’ve read only half of Ulysses and War and Peace and I hate the use of pretentious words like ‘ontological’ in PhDs. This website will be kept free of jargon with a no-nonsense conversational approach which will hopefully serve to introduce many men to literary fiction. Let me do the reading and recommending for you.

Favourite authors to look out for are John Updike (the best!), Don Delillo, Jose Saramago, Paul Auster, Tim Winton, Jeffrey Eugenides, Philip Roth, Jim Crace and among the classics – Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Nabokov (and no, I don’t like Proust or Dickens – check out ‘my top all time picks’ link for more selections). Happy reading

If you wish to contact me to discuss anything on this site, do not hesitate to email me at jerry@bookpig.net