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

Unfortunately, psychocandy, I'm into Hornblower, Sharpe and Aubrey. I've got most of Sharpe, half of Aubrey and three out of the nine Hornblower books. We also inherited a number of Bolitho books (like Hornblower and Aubrey). Some of them are quite tatty, so I'm thinking of replacing them. There are 28 of them, and the author's still writing! We have 18 Bolitho books.

Put together the missing Sharpe, Aubrey, Hornblower and Bolitho and I'll need at least one more bookshelf, possibly two. I recently decided not to treat myself to a collection of books because I'm running out of space as it is!

Isn't it awful!

Most of my series are fantasy stuff, so I've got heaps of Marion Zimmer Bradley, a few Terry Brooks series, the Discworld stuff, all of the History of Middle Earth, and we've recently got an eight-volume Elric series (Michael Moorcock) because I found one at the library for a quarter, and it was volume six of eight.

But if you're thinking about MZBs Darkover series, at least they don't really follow on from each other too much.

Sharpe... I was ok until the new one came out - now I have to read them all again.

I like all of MZB's series. The Darkover ones are great. I should re-read those sometime soon, too.

Currently just polishing off the last few chapters of "Gullivers Travels" (the full & unabridged version of course.)

I'm struck by how modern the writing seems for early 1700s. (Far easier to read than most of that heavyweight Victorian stuff I've tried, and the occasional odd spellings or archaic grammar are no problem at all.) And of course this is no children's book - it's proper satire - you should see how J.Swift attacks lawyers!

I've just finished 'Attack of the unsinkable rubber ducks' by Christopher Brookmyre. Usual stuff, right wing/religous-nutter bad guys, great patter, set in a believable Glasgow. Good dirty fun, really enjoyable to read, if ultimately a bit lightweight. Finished Goldfinger, which I found quite disappointing. It wasn't very believable, even given the ridiculous world James Bond lives in.

I think a trip to the library's in order, they have have (see previous post) about the last half dozen in the Aubrey-Maturin series...

I'm still reading Broken God, but I've now also started on The Reavers by George MacDonald Fraser. As the reviewers said, it's not up there with the best of Flashman, but it's still very enjoyable. Fraser abandons his usual scrupulous historical accuracy and includes a lot of modern references (the setting is the England-Scotland border in Tudor times), which I found off-putting to start with, but it grew on me.

I whizzed through 'Watchmen' this week after watching the movie trailer...

"I've just finished 'Attack of the unsinkable rubber ducks' ..."

So that is connected to this?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-464768/Thousands-rubber-ducks-land-British-shores-15-year-journey.html

Nope. Unsinkable rubber ducks are silly* beliefs.








*religious. *SO* not going there on this thread.

I'm reading Friday by Heinlein

Having finished (and wept tears of blessed relief) the 4th and final part of the Teenage Vampire Monstrosities (the Twilight saga by Stehpanie Meyer)

I am now reading The Tree Wakers by Keith Claire. Which, I now realise, is a book for teenagers. Still it seems interesting.

I'm also reading The Daybreakers (the 6th of the 17 Sackett novels) by Louis L'Amour. Now it's moved from Elizabethan travellers to the real point of the stories: the wild west.

And reading to the Gruesomes this week: The Hobbit. I've told them the gist of the story, and they liked the LOTR films. So I'm fully expecting that they will swell the ranks of -lovers. (sorry, Ed)

"Resume With Monsters" by William Browning Spencer. The protagonist is an unlucky guy who's gone through a series of soul-destroying jobs. Why are these dull clerical jobs at corporate giants so soul-destroying? Because the System is run by Lovecraftian beasts who intend to subjugate all of humanity, of course.

I'm about halfway into it, and so far, it's great fun and really well written.

I finaly got around to Philp K. Dick specifically the man in the high castle.

That's one I especially liked. What do you think of it so far? Dick wrote the book using the I Ching, with no pre-planning or notes or anything. He has a few things to say about the reliability and usefulness of the I Ching, but I wouldn't want to spoil the book for you if you haven't finished it yet.

I like it so far. The jewelry people are just about to aproach Childan about selling there stuff.

>> I've just finished 'Attack of the unsinkable rubber ducks' by Christopher Brookmyre. <<

Ooh, lookie-look! There's new Brookmyre to be had! Last one I read of his was The Sacred Art Of Stealing...a quick browse of his site shows there's four new ones I haven't read!

Perfect pulp for a plane trip to Germany! Off to stock up!!!

Someone mentioned about reading series of books in the right order: I've been fortunate enough to catch both Brookmyre and Banks (Iain/Iain M) with their very first novels, so have been able to follow their careers in real time. I almost managed the same with McEwan, but after reading his first (-ish) I skipped several before going back to his earlier work. And I've *still* never read The Comfort Of Strangers.

RF

I am currently half way through Kipling's Kim. I really enjoy it, though the language gives me some troubles, me, not being native English speaker and all...
Talking about series, I just came back from London where I bought the first book from the Avignon Quintet, which I've been planning to start for ages!
I also got Flowers for Algernon, which sounded very interesting - anybody hear read it?
All in all, with another half-read book on my bed-side table, I am on for an excellent reading-summer!

Yup, I've read flowers for Algernon. Not sure whether it's poignant or depressing, or both. Still a good read though.

Recently, I've been reading...

Graceling, by , a proof due for release in January. Good book, I'm going to buy it, after having read it.

Another fantasy, about a faerie spell breaker / detective story (look for spellcrackers.com for the title). Also a proof, due for release this month. I'm buying that as well.

Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but "The Island of the Sequined Love Nun" by Christopher Brook. I liked it enough to buy another couple of his books.

Currently reading "The Scent of Shadows" by Vicky something. First of a series of 'Zodiac' books. Pretty good so far.

>"The Island of the Sequined Love Nun" by Christopher Brook

Christopher Moore? I've read that one, it was pretty entertaining.
I've read a few of his others, too. I enjoyed "Practical Demonkeeping" the most.

Finished "Resumes..." and now I'm reading "Let's All Kill Constance", the third of three "noirish" novels by Ray Bradbury. I've never read this one before, but the other two are excellent so I expect this will be, too. Haven't read a bad Bradbury yet.