What's everyone reading?

[KiwiHopeful]

I had a chance to get my hands on a first printing of The Wasp Factory for $20. At that time, I was in graduate school and it seemed like an indulgence I couldn't afford. By the time I talked myself into it, someone had already grabbed it.

If you haven't read anything else by Banks beside TWF or Complicity, you should pick up his new one, The Crow Road, or Whit. They're much more tame but equally engaging.

MB, you should check out O'Brien's 'The Things They Carried.' IMHO, it's one of the best collections of short fiction ever written. It reminds me a lot of Hemingway's 'In Our Time.' It has a lot of the same themes about going to war and coming home from war.

[kokopeli]

Originally Posted by ebianca

on eof the best i've read is A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer and the 2 that follow on from it.

I read those Dave Pezler books a few years ago. Call me heartless, but I wanted to slap him myself by the end. Something about his tone really made me take a dislike to him.

I read an interview with his siblings, who gave a very different version of events to that described in the books. I'm not saying that he didn't have a rough time, but his family's view was that you shouldn't believe everything you read.

I usually keep my books, but I gave those ones to a charity shop and watched Coronation Street instead. Now you all know how much I hate that!

[selchie]

I've just started Fluke by Christopher Moore. I've been curious about his books since hearing of his comic Blooksucking Fiends series. A friend had Fluke to loan, so I tried it. So far it's OK, but I'm not in love yet.

My most recent good read was Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I tend to read at bedtime, and get sleepy after a few pages. This doesn't help with really remembering details, so I'll have to reread this one.

[Dawn]

Gaz is reading the Dune trilogy again and I have just finished reading 'The Jesus Dynasty', a book by an historian and archeaologist researching the origins of the real Jesus of Nazareth. Vair vair interesting.

Starting on 'Your True Purpose in Life' next - essays by leading philosophers and the most inspirational thinkers of all time. So my posts should be considerably more intellectual from here on in - as if that's vair vair possible!!

[KiwiHopeful]

I end up rereading 'Dune' about every 18 months or so. I have to admit to being only lukewarm on the rest of the original series, though.

[kokopeli]

I have two incredibly tatty and well-thumbed books which I seem to pick up whenever I'm between other books.

The first is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. The other is Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. Brilliant, the pair of them.

[selchie]

I agree that Dune was the best, though I'm not a recurrent reader. Motorcycle Maintenance is thought provoking, and worth repeat perusals.

I've been listening to a lot of literature lately because I try to keep busy. Librivox.org is a great way to catch up on the "classics" while washing dishes.

[KiwiHopeful]

I started Zen as an audiobook, but couldn't really get into it. Maybe I'll give it another shot.

While laid up with a pretty good head cold this week, I listened to a good part of 'The Areas of My Expertise' by John Hodgman (the PC guy from the Apple commercials). OMG! Funny, funny, funny. If you've ever read any of Steve Martin's stuff, it is very similar. He has that same mock-pompousness with a slightly threatening undercurrent.