A gentleman called Mark Hodkinson has written a fantastic book called ‘No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy’. Amongst many other things in its pages he ponders the impossibility of actually being able to read the number of books he has lovingly collected in the amount of time he has left on the planet.

Taking that thought as my guide I have tried to be as selective as possible in deciding the books I still want to read. Given that, rather unimaginatively, I have largely been using Google to find lists such as the Penguin Books 100 must read classics to help. Figuring that if these books are recommended by such seasoned readers and have often been popular for centuries they must have something going for them.

Currently that has left me with Catch 22 by Joseph Heller as next up. These lists can throw up problems though. Huge volume such as Moby Dick, Les Miserables and Ulysses make regular appearances. Are they worth the time investment set against all the other myriad possibilities? And don’t even get me started on War and Peace.

I remember downloading it to my Kindle a while back and sitting quietly reading it on a two hour coach journey. Disappointing doesn’t ever cover the realisation on arrival at my destination that I had only completed one per cent of it! Some other time maybe.