Whats everyone reading?

[exilewood]

Just read "Way Station" by Clifford D. Simak. - read it in the bath, took me about an hour. Bloody good book.

[TordelBack]

This is how great Peter Hamilton's Judas Unchained is:

(MILD SPOILERS, IN THAT IT NAMES NO NAMES)

Today, he'd turned a star nova to neuter the greatest threat the human race had ever faced, then gone on to work out how to save thirty-two billion human lives; now he'd found out the war which had destroyed their stars was mostly his fault to begin with.  'Oh holy fuck'.

This is at least one of the reasons I read SF. 

And I'm only halfway through.  What a book.

[radiator]

I was in a charity shop the other day and spotted a hardback called The Book of Predictions, which after flicking through, I decided I had to buy.

It was published in 1980 and contains predictions made for the (then) next 50 years by scientists, writers (including, as it turns out; Philip K Dick, Timothy Leary, Joe Haldeman and Isaac Asimov) and best of all, 'psychics'. The predictions tend to be either hilariously and endearingly naive, unremittingly bleak, or just plain bonkers. Occasionally there is also something too accurate for comfort. It's very clearly written in the late 70s era and very much in the shadow of the Cold War - every other person suggests some form of nuclear holocaust is inevitable, and everyone seems to think we would have a space colony by now. Pretty much all of them fail to predict the internet revolution, though one pundit does sort of foretell the invention of iTunes - albeit in laughably archaic terms. It certainly makes 1980 seem like a very long time ago!

There's something funny on every page - best £1.35 I have ever spent!

[O Lucky Stevie!]

I was in a charity shop the other day and spotted a hardback called The Book of Predictions, which after flicking through, I decided I had to buy.

Stevie wants one!

Or, failing that, perhaps you could arrange for Karen Gillian to read him your copy tucked up in bed each night?

[Hoagy]

American Gods by Neil Gaimen

The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien

Planet Hulk.

[TordelBack]

The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien

Now there's a book.  As have I no doubt mentioned before, one of the reasons I bought my albatross house is because it was in a place called deSelby.

Planet Hulk is pretty good too, but I ain't buying a house there.

[one_mad_dog]

Hellblazer : Original Sins TPB by Jamie Delano. Really enjoying it so far.

[Kerrin]

The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien

Now there's a book.  As have I no doubt mentioned before, one of the reasons I bought my albatross house is because it was in a place called deSelby.

Planet Hulk is pretty good too, but I ain't buying a house there.

Possibly my favourite book bar non. I think I've got three different editions floating about the place in various states of repair, time for a reread over Christmas methinks. At-Swim-Two-Birds is also a fantastic literary romp but can bewilder some readers.

[TordelBack]

At-Swim-Two-Birds is also a fantastic literary romp but can bewilder some readers.

While I slightly prefer The Third Policeman as whole, At Swim Two Birds does have my favourite Flann O'Brien line [paraphrased from bad memory]:  "Your conclusion is fallacious, being based upon licensed premises".

[Kerrin]

 

Great, now I'm going to have to reread that as well TB. Thanks a bunch.

[Hoagy]

The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien

Now there's a book.  As have I no doubt mentioned before, one of the reasons I bought my albatross house is because it was in a place called deSelby.

Planet Hulk is pretty good too, but I ain't buying a house there.

Did you also use deSelby's reference guide to housing when buying said house?

The book itself was recommended to me by a Belfast Chile.On top of that, Anthony Burgess highly recommends the author and comparisons to James Joyce have enthused my reading, him. So far I'm on the road to the Police barracks having just met the "tricky looking man". And already I'm seeing an influence on Ted Hughes' Crow.

[HOO-HAA]

COUNT ZERO by William Gibson. Also reading Jack O'Connel's noir classic, WORD AS FLESH. Picked up a load of GNS from Forbidden Planet, including the wonderful FELL.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh. Good stuff

[HOO-HAA]

Warren Ellis' FREAKANGELS.

And here's me thinking I didn't like steampunk...

[TordelBack]

I'm reading The Father Christmas Letters to my sprogs tonight, an early and unexpected present from the brother-in-law.  Talk about keeping kids spellbound!  I'd planned to read just the one, but now I've apparently entered into some contractual readathon.  For all his alleged crimes against literature that Tolkien knew exactly what captures a kid's imagination.  And he could draw.