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

Am totally completely and utterly disappointed by In Bed With...
I've read better erotic fiction by Trekkie Fan-Fic writers.


And even now today in the Guardian is comment piece about the demise of the Black Lace imprint and how erotic literature for women is probably only now available on the interweb... and they are praising this book (in bed with) as though it's great.

Save your money folks - really. very-

I'm readin Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. It was recommended to me as an amazingly good book that would start me on "an obsession with WW1 literature" and since I'm already a bit obsessed by WW1 I thought I'd give it a whirl - not loving it so far, it's ok but I'm only just through part one so I'll report back again later!

To me, that sounds like a crass recommendation; is "WW1 literature" set in that period or written in that period? I hope you enjoy the book but please pay no attention to whomever made that recommendation

I think she meant stuff set in that period - apparently she read this and has now taken to reading anything and everything about the period; factual and fiction... I don't tend to be swayed hugely by other people's recommendations anyway unless it's someone who knows me and can judge fairly well whether or not I'm likely to enjoy it

pp...

Everyone said Birdsong was great. Except me. I hated it. I was put off it by the first three pages. There's that long dscription of the house in France and its surroundings. After three pages I found I had no kind of mental picture of it whatsoever.

Thats said...the tunnel scenes have stayed in my mind.

If you want WWI literature...Pat Barker!

Reading five books at once, instead of three, as is usual.

Currently halfway through:

"Mr Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder", about the Museum of Jurrassic Technology (and halfway pertinent to my likely bachelor thesis subject)

"The Barefoot Architect", a manual for building with local materials in the southern hemisphere

"The Miracle at Speedy Motors", another one of the "No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series

"The Fantasies of Robert A. Heinlein", which has the stories from "Magic, Inc." and "The Unpleasant Profession of Johnathan Hoag" in it

And "Die Universalgeschichte der Zahlen", which is a maths history book that's really quite fascinating - I'll probably write a few entries on topics found in that one

I am almost at the end of The Girl with Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. It was recommended (and kindly lent) by a friend I visited in Italy last week. My friend kept on prising the book for 3 days, it's a crime story, first book of a sequel of 3, and I gave in at the end!

I enjoyed being reminded about places and things I've seen in Sweden, during the 8 years I lived there, but I am a bit disappointed by the story line Yes, it is kind of interesting and, at least in the beginning, the plot developed fine. But then, suddenly, the culprit was found and there were still 100 pages to go! To my greatest surprise all of a sudden another story started, a plot line that was abandoned in the first chapter!?!
I am now almost at the end and I am not sure that I like the way the author went around the whole thing. It feels a bit.. Well, forced!
That being said, I'm still going to give the second book a try and I also heard there was a movie

Just started The Poe Shadow, by Matthew Pearl(I found it clearance priced). A period thriller, it begins soon after Poe's death in 1849 & centers on his mysterious-or so Pearl makes it-demise. Since the was a bargain, I was able to buy a bottle of that Poe reading companion(of sorts) Amontillado Sherry to sip between pages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBC7Rown13Q

(I had essentially forgotten about this somehow!)

Just finished Tintentod - I'm quite sad there is no more.

I think I'll start The Book Thief later.

I've just finished I Capture the Castle. The recommendation might have come from this thread, in which case thank you! It was a really lovely book.

I'm now reading one of Steven Pinker's books on human nature, The Blank Slate.

speaking of Dodie Smith I'm off to see Dear Octopus which is a play by Dodie Smith, this Friday.

I got brownie points from the ticket sellers for knowing who Dodie Smith was.

Currently reading Jasper Fforde's second Nursery Crime novel, "The Fourth Bear". I finished the first, "The Big Over Easy" last week. Checked them both out of the library, and enjoyed them enough to possibly buy at some point. Lots of fun if you're up on nursery rhymes and cautionary / fairy tales.

Read 'Red Mars' a while back and now on 'Green Mars'. Both pretty good.

Just finishing Hornblower and the Hotspur and wondering what to read next. Maybe The Book Thief, maybe Dorfpunk or maybe Schattenpfade.

Decisions decisions!

I'm all out of lighter things to read - things where I don't have to leave the computer on to research the interesting bits

I'm stuck now. I've been trying a novel concept this week and finishing all the books I've been reading (except for Der Dativ ist der Genitiv Sein Tod - or something like that - because I've lost it)

Now I don't know what to pick up next.

Ah, that explains it. I noticed that on your PS the other day and thought "she's still on that?"

Reading something by Muriel Spark at the moment. It's reasonably amusing in parts.

If you look at my page now there's only that and the one I've just picked up: Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith.

It's his detective Arkady Renko again (from Gorky Park if anyone remembers that)

I've finished "The Fourth Bear", and quite liked it. I'm looking forward to the third in the series. I may also try some of his other books sometime soon.

This morning, I started a book Ed the Bonobo sent me: "Suzy Led Zeppelin and Me". So far, so good, considering I am not a huge fan of 1/3 of the subject matter.