Far more interesting than the BBC's nauseatingly pompous 'Big Read' best 100 books (I'm not even going to link to it, so there!): The Independent's 100 Worst Books. Spectacularly funny, with some searing condemnation and not a few surprises. I'm particularly fond of Jah Wobble slamming Mein Kampf on the grounds that it's simply a rubbish read.
My vote, however, still goes to (Mitterand's love-child) Mazarine Pingeot's first novel, 'wittily' titled 'First Novel.' Utter, utter bilge, as I should have suspected from as early as the catalogue data page: 'This edition translated with the financial assistance of the French Ministry of Culture.'
Anything that requires government aid to reach translation will henceforth ring alarm bells.
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