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

Bill Bryson's fairly comprehensive Short History of Nearly Everything. It's not short, I'll tell you that, but it's a great read. I can't verify the science in it, clearly but it's persuasive.

I'm going to get Dave Gorman's Googlewhack adventure at the weekend, which will be my 'next in queue'.

Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre. I'm loving this book. Slightly bizarre subject for a comedy, very different style but very funny and thoroughly enjoyable.

I gave No1 son that Bill Bryson book, he is really enjoying it. He has an extraordinary memory and often suddenly comes out with stuff, so I thought it would fill in any gaps. I shall be testing him later

I got the new Cornwells for Xmas, Bernard and Patricia's books. But as I was in Xmas mode, I decided to re-read Rosamund Pilcher's Winter Solstice.

Then I shall start Bernard Cornwell's Heretic.

Finished The Amber Spyglass yesterday. Wow!

Here's my prediction: in 50 years' time, The Harry Potter books willhave been out of print for 30 years. His Dark Materials will be enjoying the sort of respect currently enjoyed by LOTR and Narnia books.

I sure hope you're right..
As for me, I'm currently reading Vonnegut: God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.

Right now...I'm reading "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse...

"Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel" by Scott Adams

"Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynn Truss

"The Last Pope" by John Hogue

"Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams" by Sylvia Plath

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce

I have a whole pile of books that I haven't even started yet as well.

Two on the go at the moment.

"Ymir's Flesh" by Alby Stone. A look at the Germanic creation myths from various sources - Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Gothic, Indo-European, Sanskrit, etc. Interesting, if you like that sort of thing.

"House of Atreides" by Brian Herbert - a prequal to Dune.

The Sexual Life of Catherine M (Part research, part therapy)

next on the list: PTerry's Monstrous Regiment, and Nick Webb's DNA Biog "Wish You Were Here" (booth Xmas gifts)


Whereas I _should_ be reading my A+ text book

Ah. I found the others I have:

"Dude, where's my country?" by Michael Moore.

"Lady Killers" by Joyce Robbins (a collection of the stories of 100 female murderers).

And I am still reading "Out of It" by Stuart Walton, which is a book on intoxication culture.

Finished Vernon God Little which is superb - excellent parody of American media culture - very funny - I highly recommend it.

Just started The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton.

Eleanor of Aquitaine by Marion Meade. It's pretty good, but Ms Meade's use of English is a bit strange sometimes. (She's American, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised.:P)

Also reading A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie.

Bedtime reading: Northern Lights (2nd time) by Philip Pullman. Better this time, now I've read the Amber Spyglass, I'm picking up all sorts of things I didn't notice in this first time round.

In the living room: MOAB is my Washpot by Stephen Fry. His autobiography (first part?) which is most excellent.

To the Gruesome Twosome: Peter Pan by JM Barrie - also excellent

Lunchtimes at Work: Downsize This by Michael More. What's to say? It's a great read

Squeezed in between everything else: LOTR. *shrugs* well, I haven't read it this year yet.

Just finished "Sophie's Choice", by William Styron.

I'll start Arturo Perez-Reverte's "The Queen of the South" today, I guess, together withe "The Oxford Book of Sonnets".

Just starting a couple of books of travel writing I got for Christmas
"Wayward Women" and "Unsuitable for Ladies", both by Jane Robinson and about intrepid (and not so intrepid) female travellers through the years. Good stuff. Makes me want to go book a holiday

Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro

The story of what happens when you let a book on how to be perfect takes over your life

Paul Auster - The book of illusions. Stuck in the middle after a fight with my ex-partner who gave it me for chrimbo!!

Backroom Boys by Francis Spufford.

Brilliant description of surprising British technology. Concorde, Rocketry, Vodaphone, the Human Genome Project, Beagle 2

F

At work: Forever by Pete Hamill
At home: McNally's Dare by Vincent Lardo
For bedtime: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett