Christmas Books II
A further selection of the best and most overrated books of the year; chosen by some of The Spectator's regular contributors
John Osborne
I rarely pass judgment on novels for the simple reason that I feel unqualified to 10 so. Recently I mentioned this to a literary editor, who clearly regarded such reticence as pussy-footing mock modesty: I ye never heard that excuse before!' So, unpersuaded by the comic paradings of the Booker Prize, I have chosen four non- fiction books, in particular because they were so skillfully written. This is a gift which now seems to be generally disregard- ed, but as time goes on, I am increasingly Impressed by anyone who can manage to Commit even half a decent sentence to a postcard.
City Lights by Keith Waterhouse (Hod- der, £14.99) is a revelation of a world only Just snatched from a grieving generation, a poetic lament and companion to John Bet- Jeman's Letters (Methuen, £20, £9.99). The theatre book of the year is Claire Tomalin's Mrs Jordan's Profession (Viking, £18), and the surprise, to me, Julian Critchley's A Bag of Boiled Sweets (Faber, £17.50), prov- ing that not all politicians are mad, bad and dull dogs to know.
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