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

Just read last week the new Salman Rushdie's "Shalimar the clow", very good. And also the "Three Kings" trilogy from john L. Chalker.

I am now reading "Evangelho segundo Jesus cristo" of the only portuguese literature nobel prize winner. Very hard to read, but worth the try.

Next i am hoping to get the last book of terry pratchett.

Have just finished something or other by Kingsley Amis. Ghastly. As ever, you end up convinced the man's a pervert. The Egyptological Society or some such. Don't bother.

"The Egyptologists". Very funny book. Classic Amis.

RF

I have three new books to read:

Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
The Meaning Of Tingo, by Adam Jacoit de Boinod
Blood & Sand, by Frank Gardner

Which should I tackle first? Any thoughts? Anyone read any of these books?

RF

Sorry RF, I've not read any of those so I can't offer an opinion on your starting book. I visited my wonderful charity book shop again today and got another 4. Going away from my usual type of read, I'm starting with Memoirs of a Geisha and will then go onto a Joanne Harris book - she wrote Chocolat, which I loved. Can't remember what this one is called but I'm guessing she likes her food themes because this one is something to do with crepes!

Oh, Atlas Shrugged! I shall be interested to see your reaction to that!

Ayn rand was basically a cult leader by the end of her life.

There is a lot to be said about that book (1200 pages in my edition, 10c from a second hand shop in the 90s)

Yes. There's a *lot* to be said about Ayn Rand.

Personaly I'd be interested in how you get on with Blood and Sand. Have read quite a few autobiographies but not that one. Let me know when you've finished it.

Just started 'Spoken Here: Travels Amongst Threatened Languages' by Mark Abley.

Hello Aurora,

I was going to advise you to persevere with Pi - but you've finished it. I hated the island, but probably that's my extremely simple world view coming through, and ridiculous desire to understand and explain everything.

It is one of my favourite books, it is wonderful.

It is also the only book which has caused me to go and buy some bananas and find out if they float. It is the first thing I ask of people who have read the book:

"so, do bananas float?"


So, do they?

(To clarify to anyone who hasn't read The Life of Pi: Pi's story has very few verifiable aspects when it comes to the matter of insurance - one is the ability of bananas to float)

I love the book - Richard Parker is a superb creation.

Cheers,

G

I just finished "The Atrocity Archives" by Charles Stross, a long novella. I'm not usually a fan of horror a la Stephen King, but this was a mix of a lot of things. I agree with this reviewer at Amazon:

QUOTE

The novel is a neat mix of horrific fantasy -- demons and Lovecraftian monsters and the like -- with smart contemporary SF. Add aspects of spy thrillers and Dilbertian office comedy, and throw in Nazis and nasty Islamists and a very secret branch of British Intelligence. It's told very wittily, though the central horrors are still pretty scary. The overall tone is snarky and fun, not horrific.

END QUOTE

I think Douglas Adams would have liked it.

*IS* there a last book of Terry Pratchett?

SC

No. They're actually written by computer.

RF

Atlas Shrugged, aka as the Libertarian Bible, is a good book -- as long as you recognize when the character has mounted their soapbox, and skip ahead 2-3 pages...

Seriously, Ayn Rand is good, just "windy".

But then, who *is* John Galt?

SC

Hmm. Interesting opinions that people have about Ayn Rand.

Me, of course, am a total thickie, and didn't realise any of this before ORDERING THE BOOK FOR MYSELF. Why did I do that? Bob knows.

So, er, yes, thank you people. Now I'm going to read the book and judge for myself.

RF

Ayn Rand is foul, foul stuff. Don't get me started!

Finished Life of Pi last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't really know what to make of it yet, I suspect I'll mull it over over the next few days.

Gave up on Vernon God Little. I think some Rebus is in order. I quite like them, and I need something straightforward at the mo.

Ooh! I really liked Vernon God Little - even though I didn't think I was going to. I thought of him as a modern-day Holden Caulfield.

I didn't have to persevere with reading Life of Pi, gadarene. It was one of those books I could hardly stop reading. You do realise you've made me want to go and buy a banana just to see if it floats?

I've just finished re-reading Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson. Not sure what to read next.

I copp[ed out and started reading The Meaning Of Tingo. Good train reading, but probably won't last me long.

If the weather's nice tomorrow, I may take Atlas Shrugged to the park with me and make a start on it.

RF