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

Currently also reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods, definately recomend it to anyone, its kind of an American version of Neverwhere (also an excellent Neil Gaiman book)

Prior to that was re-reading Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars , seeing Mars in the sky got me in martian mood again . (mental note look round charity shops for copies of Green Mars and Blue Mars)

To Sail Beyond the Sunset by Robert A Heinlein.

A great book and, I think, his last - although I might be wrong about that.

Over my summer break from The Guide (I'm still not back y'know, folks) I've re-read "Monkey," tackled "Shogun," Jasper Fforde #3 and quite a bit else besides (all of a sudden my reading speed more than doubled - I've been a bookworm for years but until this summer always a slow bookworm )

Shock Wave, a Dirk Pitt novel by Clive Cussler and Out of the Fire, forget who by...

Sho, you ever read the prelude?

There are 2 VOLUMNS of LOTR, but if you read through they are divided into 6 BOOKS and were, by Tolkien, intended as one book, but binding it all together and all in one would make a huge book that would be too hard to cary and read. So, he divided it up. See, not a trilogy

Damn, pushed post thing before i was finished and now I have to go!! I'll finish this rant later.

I meant 3 VOLUMNS. Sorry.

It was a 'suggestion' by the publishers who thought that children couldn't cope with such a big book - Tolkein wasn't happy

I shall be starting Umberto Eco's Baudolino tonight. I haven't read any of his books before so thought it was time I did.

In the mood for something a bit classic, I find myself in the middle of both Howard's End and Sense And Sensibility. Just finished a good old Jeeves omnibus, and some terrible trashy novel I got free with a magazine. Never again. I've nothing against trashy novels, as long as they have either a plot, an interesting character, an event...just SOMETHING!

Right after I post this I shall stick my nose into "The Oracle Glass" by Judith Merkle Riley...

The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant for uni

When I get a spare moment I'm going to start - "If on a winter's night a traveller" by Italo Calvino.

Clive.


A quick aside: I saw Robert Harris's new book 'Pompei' in the shops the other day...anyone read it or willing to reccomend it?

Cat-Eyes.

I have read the prelude.

And sure, LOTR can be looked at in loads of different ways: the published trilogy, the 6 books, one volume...

there is a precedent (actually, an antecedent) for having a Trilogy in more than 3 parts though...


And to stay on topic: Still plugging through the Silmarillion (because it's sooooo ) and The Handmaid's Tale. Which is still horribly scary.

Pompeii's pretty good - a little different to Harris' other books - a bit less emphasis on the "thriller" side - given that half his readership'll know what happens at the end of the book...
but it's very well done, and I didn't sit there nit-picking his Roman history to shreds (which I do quite regularly for most things that try and be classical... pains of studying ancient history)

Finally finished the Handmaid's Tale.

What a strange ending.

Hmmmmm... at least I didn't cry. I'm proud of myself for that.

What to read now, that's the question

I seriously need to get myself a copy, I can't remember the entire ending Damn having to study it, I can remember my essay but when I try to remember what happened at the VERY end I end up remembering my stupid essay.

If you're refering to the Guide 5 book trilogy, it's not really PREcedent, what with being written after Tolkien. But anyways, there's no point in continuing this debate.

Anyone know what I can read now? I'm home sick and have nothing to do but go on h2g2 and reply to stuff, and once I'm finished all the replying I can do I'm going to be very bored. Maybe I should do the homework I didn't do last night cause I was exhausted...hmmmmmm

Cat(blackcat)

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote.

The Dictionary by Mr Oxford English

Is it interesting, Parker? Personally I could never bring myself to read it, always seemed a bit daunting. People in my grade seem to believe I have, but, no, I haven't.

Just started Last Chance To See, by U42 and Mark Carwardine.