h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Currently I'm on the last volume of Tony Benn's diary

Started a bilingual version of The Merchant of Venice yesterday. I'll be through it today probably.

In what French or Enlish or both?

I'm reading, and really enjoying, Martin Chuzzlewit. Dickens was a very funny man

Er, English and German .

No wonder you're struggling then.

These Tri-ligual people give the rest of us a bad name as slackers etc. etc.

I wouldn't describe myself as trilingual, otherwise I wouldn't need a bilingual version of Shakespeare .

What for the German or the old English

For both actually. I guess I would have understood but half of what I read if I had only a German or an old English version.

Well the fact I've seen a representation of the play a couple of years ago may help a little. They played it in Norwegian, though (naaah, just kidding - it was French allright).

I didn't say Love in the Time in Cholera was bad, just that I read it very fast ... as it happens I quite enjoyed it - wouldn't make it into my top 21 though ... The Amulet of Samarkand on the other hand certainly would!

Now reading Goulds Book of Fish ...

There; I'm through with the Merchant of Venice . I'll start Witches Abroad tonight, certainly.

I've just started "After the Ice" by Steven Mithen. Just a history of Humanity from 20,000 BC to 5,000 BC, when it stopped getting interesting. So far, so good.

Currently in the middle of Disgrace by JM Coetzee, but have Night Watch still burning a hole in a shelf somewhere. Gave up on the Lem. Too bleedin' interlekchal loike.

Alright, I'm about to start reading Love in the Time of Cholera.
Solely because you guys keep mentioning it!

After seeing Ruby Wax so lyrical about it (sorry, couldn't resist) on Saturday night on The Big Read - and unable to reconcile the work of brilliance she described with the pile of poo that I remembered it being, I am currently plugging away at The Catcher in the Rye (in the few spare seconds I have)

I have to say that my first assessment was right (IMO) and I would almost rather gouge out my own eyes than have to finish it. But only almost.

As it was my birthday on Sunday I treated myself to "Clockwork Orange", "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "Solaris" (Fortunately they re-released the novel proper, rather than rehash it for the Clooney film version) and, oh, what was the other one, some Philip K.Dick thing (I've only read "Do Androids..." up to know)

Started Robin Hobb's "Fool's Fate" a couple of days ago

Just finished Great Expectations, after feeling that yet again, I've read too few of the books on a 'best of..' list. (Also read Wind in the Willows the other week).

Wind in the Willows is great and not what I expected.

Great Expectations - I agree Dickens has great comic skills but they are only used sparingly in this novel. The twists and turns are as varied as (for me) they were unexpected.

**Warning** I was reading a Wordsworth Classics edition (I think, the £1 a pop lot) which had the whole plot in the blurb - so if you haven't read the book but plan to, don't read the blurb!!!)

In a weird way, it kinda reminded me of the story 'Flowers for Algernon'...

Just about to finish The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy (fairly certain of the title!) which is an easy read.

Not sure what will be next.

Just starting Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair", having seen his books enjoyed on this thread several times.
Have also dug out Brian Greene's "Elegant Universe" to supplement the TV show currently trying to explain string theory.