Now taking your bookings
I'd forgotten just what it was like to break in a fresh installation of Windows. I'm the sort who'll relentlessly tweak and configure a system until it feels right to me, which means that raw install of Windows seems strange and alien as though I'm using somebody else's computer (which technically I am, although that's neither here nor there).
Still enough of that. Here's a quick question for you: What have you been reading lately? It's not that I'm short of reading materials, indeed I seem to have developed the habit of buying books and then keeping them stacked around unread until the mood suits me which means I have a fair few to choose from. It's just that I'm hankering for something different. All the books I have are all books I'd choose to read, you see, and given that I'm not in the mood to read any of them (yet, that is - that mood will strike me eventually), it logically follows that I must be in the mood for something I wouldn't normally read. Oh, I could turn to Amazon I know, and also I have a book of books to read for just these occasions) but it's all a little too mechanical and impersonal. Besides, I'm nosey - I'm genuinely curious to know what you've been reading. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours.
So what have you got? What's out there? What would you recommend? What did you like? What did you loath?
Let's hear it.
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Well, as (I suspect) the slowest and lowest volume book-reader who regularly visits this site, I feel the need to reply first. Odd that, innit.
I recently read the much praised "A Game of Thrones" by George R R Martin. Hated it. With a passion. Story mechanism: write up character as smart, clear-thinking and admirable; put them in an interesting and tricky situation; mentally retard said character for the duration of the scene; watch the results. If I hadn't been on a Boeing 757 at the time, I'd have thrown the book out the window during a particular scene about half-way through it. You should give it a try - I seem to be in the minority on this one :-)
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. Yeah, I admit it, felt I ought to. Quite entertaining, though having read a lot of Gaiman, I feel spoiled when it comes to writing styles.
The entire Miles Vorkosigan Saga by Lois Mcmaster Bujold. Very good fun. Space opera which eems to be written a little tongue-in-cheek, which suited me quite well :-)
Funnily enough I started reading "A Game Of Thrones" a couple of years ago. I read the first chapter and though I wasn't terribly keen on it, I'd every intention of finishing it... until I left it in the departure lounge of O'Hare airport.
Accidentally of course.
Well, 2 recent reads. First one, Jeremy Clarkson's The World According to Clarkson, which if you find his humour to your liking, it's a good read. And the other the Defence Industrial Strategy white paper, which I'm unable to say what I really think of it!
As for reading The DaVinci Code, saw the film last night and that's put me off reading the book.
I find it hard to invest time in books these days, as I feel cheated at having to read in dribs and drabs around the kids instead of feasting on a book as I used to. However, my lastest read is Anne Patchett's Bel Canto, which I loved. However, since Mark introduced me to her as a writer, I expect he's already read it ... highly recommended comes 'Wings on Things', an early level reader (my daughter's latest accomplishment) and Eoin Colfer's 'The Supernaturalists' (my son). Personally, one of the best trilogies I've ever read is Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials - written for children but without a patronising word or thought in it. It deals with honour, truth and, above all, duty - a word which few of us, adults as well as children, truly understand these days.