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

oh and on the Vonnegut entry - and on getting 24 footnoes through!

'Technical'...O'Brian's style has been described as 'total immersion'. Note how he never explains. And note how the dialogue and even much of the narration are in an early C19th idiom. I never have a clue what's going on in the naval manoeuvres...but it doesn't matter. As the series goes on, more is made of Stephen Maturin's similar lack of ability to comprehend nautical matters.

Only 24? That ties it with A4113811.

But both are beaten by A3100168

fantastic

I'm a great believer in footnotes and it gets me in trouble in PR

Musicophilia Oliver Sacks

Music has pathways into every part of our brain, even the motor parts beyond our conscious will. Frozen Parkinsonians can still dance. Mutes can still sing.

The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Berresford Ellis. Looking at the "Also available" list I'm amused to find that of its sixty-ish stable-mates nine have the word "erotic" or "erotica" in the title. It seems such a nice, sweet, scholarly book as well.

Blog post about my weekend book buying extravaganza:
http://bonoboworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-favourite-shop.html

Neil Gaiman's 'Neverwhere'

There are a couple of used bookshops near my home that are arranged like that one in the photos. Great for finding random things. I can't walk out of the place without a sack full of things I didn't know I wanted to read before. I found the same "Joys of Yiddish" book at one of them once, but my former roommate took it with when he moved away.

I'm reading the Penn Jillette novel "Sock" discussed previously. I'm almost halfway into it, and have enjoyed it very much so far.

seeing those photos made me think of a couple of places that I'd been to before too but ones in the midlands and the other in cornwall

I'm reading the Skeptical Environmentalist just now for my dissertation. It's very, very impressive, on a first reading, saying that global environmental problems are incredibly overstated. On further research, however, many of the statistics used are part of a raging debate, one-sided and simply inaccurate. He slams 'greens' for selective and dubious statistics and reportage, and then indulges in it himself.

One example is how he finds increasing then decreasing deforestation for economies which are growing over time. Basically, deforestation happens while countries are poor, and then gets better once they're richer. More detailed analysis of the same data shows no such effect (my dissertation supervisor has written a couple).

Another is global warming. He slates the IPCC for going through different scenarios, all giving various costs for GW, and then uses one figure ($5 trillion) for every outcome. The source he got it from doesn't appear the most respectable one either.

that shop looks fantastic.

I've just started Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Fantastically hilarious!

Jon Courtenay Grimwood - End of the World Blues

>>Cold Comfort Farm

'I saw something naaasty in the woodshed.' <biggrin'

I've never read "Cold Comfort Farm", but I've heard of it. Looked it up this morning- it sounds fantastic! I've added it to my ever-growing list of Things To Read.

Ben Hur by Lew Wallace, though it looks a bit like hard going. I'll see how I get on with it.

just about to read, borrowed from a friend

Don't Hassle the Hoff - the Autobiography

yes, I want to know all about The King Of The Internet (TM)

I've just finished "I Never Knew That About London" by Christopher Winn - full of interesting facts and factoids about London (watch out, the QI thread! ).

Now I'm reading "Do Ants have Arseholes?"

RF

Sho, would you please let me know what you think of the Hoff? I've picked it up and put it back at least three times at Borders. If just one person recommends it, it's mine.

Sure - I'm sure it won't take long!