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

you's are making me want to pull 'clockwork orange' down off the shelf. difficult? some. the film? bad. (most films of books are.) i picked up 'Clint (the life and legend)' by patrick mcgilligan today and i'll be looking for his bio of jack nicholson pronto. clint is clint eastwood, of course.

Just finished reading the God of Small Things and have started inhaling "Under the Skin" by Michael Faber ... absolutely extraordinary - just when you think you've got an idea of what's going on something else is thrown into the equation - took in 150 pages yesterday without drawing breath ...

Currently reading "Foucaults Pendulum" by Umberto Eco. And probably will be for the Christmas break and most of January . Not the easiest book I've ever picked up!

Currently taking a break from "serious" reading, and am enjoying "The Fall of Atlantis" by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Just started Fire Ice by Clive Cussler, James Bond style action adventure.
Recently read The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, nightmare to read (entirely in ye olde english) and messed my speach for weeks. does anyone else find their speach going funny after reading a book or seeing a film. Lord of the Rings being a good example

*finds this old thread, dusts it down, sits back and begins to type...*

"Religion, Spirituality and the Near Death Experience" (Mark Fox - signed)

"The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill" (comp. Dominique Enright)

"Night Watch" (PTerry - signed)

"Bored of the Rings" (A Harvard Lampoon)

some of these were Christmas presents, some bought out of genuine interest as well as working with the author's fiancée and some were part of a job lot I was getting for friends as part of my Christmas shopping - see if you can tell which one's which?

Just finished "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card (wooah...VEEEERY good...) and I'm always in a perpetual state of re-reading the Hitchhiker's Guide series

Darth Zaphod

Currently reading "Season of Blood" by Feargal Keane. Just the thing for the festive season

For those of you who like detective stories, or hitting people over the head with big metals sticks, I'd recommend:

The Fencing Master [Arturo Perez-Reverte, Margaret Jull Costa (Translator)]

Currently reading 'McNally's Chance' (I think) by Vincent Lombardo at home, 'The Last Hero' by Pratchett for bedtime, and 'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson at work. I've had a lot of trouble getting into this one, I've been at it for over a month and I've only just started chapter 18. I see several other people have read it and the reviews are generally good... I just don't see a plot developing yet. I should persevere? Eventually it's worth it?

On the subject of carb addicts a few led's back, I've just recently finished Jennifer Weiner's 'Good In Bed' which was fantastic! I was solidly convinced for the first half of the book that it was written by someone I know about me . Written by someone who truly knows what it's like to be one of us. It was her first book, and I had asked for her second for Christmas but didn't get it. That's okay though, I'll be stuck on 'Snow Crash' for awhile....

I liked 'Snow Crash', and must confess I didn't find it all that difficult. Like most cyberpunk, though, plot takes a back seat to feel and atmosphere, particularly as Stepehnson is particularly interested in chaos theory, which appears to affect the characters in Snow Crash more than a little - but really, what's not to like about a book where the lead character is calleed Hiro Protagonist?

'Ice Age', his next book, was even better.

Though I've not yet started 'Cryptonomicon'. It is a little scary in it's bulk, and for some reason keeps making me think of 'Gravity's Rainbow', an experience I'm anxious not to repeat... If you find stepehson a little hard, try Jon Courtenay Grimwood, who writes excellent cyberpunk with buddhist overtones in ReMix and RedRobe, and Islamic overtones in his newest series, beginning with 'Pashazade'.

I'm presently working my way through Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone', and very splendid it is too.

Have just started 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' by Kate Atkinson.

Just started Maurice and his amazing Educated Rodents.

Also on my way to finishing the Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel radio scripts (entry now in PR ).

Ooh - forgot to mention just finished The Wasp Factory prior to picking up Maurice...

The Danger by Dick Francis (my 'book at bedtime'). War and Peace by Tolstoy. Sharpe's Trafalgar by Bernard Cornwell.

Stupid White Men by Michael Moore. Excellent read.

Oh I love Dick Francis, and the Danger is one of my favourites, gripping right to the end.

I've just finished Dead Famous by Ben Elton (laugh out loud funny but truthful at the same time) and have started Fury by Salman Rushdie (both Christmas books)

Shortly I'll be reading Hemmingway's Chair by Michael Palin (hubs got that for Christmas)

I am reading My name is Red by Orhan Pamuk - a Turkish murder mystery set among the calligraphers and minaturist's of the Sultan's court. It is so beautifully written and translated that it is complete joy to read. I urge you to read it.

I am then going on to read Mina's Christmas pressie - Do not pass Go, which is about the London monopoly board. Thanks Mina!

I'm currently reading 'How to be Good' by Nick Hornby, which was a Christmas present It's OK, although I don't think it's as good as 'High Fidelity' which I really enjoyed.

Before that I read 'The Silmarillion', and I have a *huge* stack of books still waiting to be read