shbloggin'

Thursday, August 23, 2007

What are people reading (besides this page) at the moment?

In the last few months I've read (this is fast reading, for me):

  • V for Vendetta (graphic novel) - Alan Moore and David Lloyd
  • Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
  • The Chinese Language: Its History and Current Usage - Daniel Kane
  • The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
  • Life of Pi - Yann Martel
  • The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists - Neil Strauss
  • Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (Didn't finish. Got about 1/3 of the way through and decided that it was boring me. May finish later.)
  • Shyness & Love: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment - Brian G. Gilmartin (Read/skimmed chapters of this, then abandoned it. I could identify with his definition of 'love-shy' - but I can't relate to many of the personality attributes that these men also supposedly have. The credence he gives to new-agey, pseudoscientific bollocks put me off as well.)

Currently I'm reading:

  • Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut

Next in the queue:

  • The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett
  • Survivor - Chuck Palahniuk
  • The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett
  • Choke - Chuck Palahniuk
  • The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel
  • Maybe one of the Doom novels, heh.

Anyone have any brilliant-must-read recommendations?

Saturday, August 04, 2007

For the record...

I just read Life of Pi. It took me a year and two months to get round to reading it - but I didn't need a whole month once I did read it. I finished it in about 3 days.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the places and the animals. The first part of the novel has made me just a little bit more likely to visit India someday. I found most of the second part of the novel quite gripping and, in places, moving. The demise of one of the characters felt a bit contrived.

I could understand and sympathise with the protagonist's religious views, though not quite enough to save me from my consummate heathenism.

Yeah, I'd say it's worth a read.