(which, as I'm sure has been pointed out before, is in no way random). Anyway...

The Damned United - David Peace
I haven't actually finished this yet, but I'm on about day 34/42. I have to say, for all the hype, so far I'm disappointed. The writing is very much in the style of "I did this. I feel this. I didn't like this." which was very powerful in James Frey's A Million Little Pieces but here, renders events fairly dull.

On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Again, something which didn't live up to my expectations. Events occur at such breakneck speed that I'd imagine the best way to read it is as Kerouac wrote it; in one huge chunk. Bits of it were very exciting and evocative though, just perhaps not best digested on hour-long train rides.

A Quiet Belief in Angels - R J Ellory
A novel about the life of a boy who grows up in a small American Town in the 30s which is rocked by murders of local schoolgirls. Eventually, the killings come to dominate his thoughts and he spends his life trying to solve the mystery. A real slow-burner, but well worth persisting with for the excellent last hundred pages or so.

Red Riding (Parts one and two) - David Peace
I found these hardgoing but persevered. It wasn't always easy to know which character was narrating at any one time and I found the graphic violence quite sickening. Having said that, I will read the remainder of the series as they were an absorbing read.

A tale etched in blood and hard black pencil - Christopher Brookmyre

I like Brookmyre. He build characters you can believe and can be very funny. This is a bit of a diversion from his usual secret agent stuff. It switches between following a group of children through their school careers and how they end up as adults. A really good read and introduced me to all sorts of Scottish dialect terms.

All in the mind - Alastair Campbell
I'm about halfway through this. It's quite a moving account of mental illness seen through the eyes of a depressive psychiatrist and his patients.

Collected Stories - David Leavitt
Nearly finished this book I bought mainly because it was half price. I adore short stories, and these are beautifully written, though best avoided if you are not entirely comfortable with the love that dare not speak it's name.

This Is Not About Me - Janice Galloway
I haven't read any of her fiction, but this memoir makes me want to seek it out. And according to my elders and betters, is a very accurate reflection of growing up in a Scottish seaside town in the 50s/60s.

Rome Burning - Sophie McDougall
Second in a trilogy based on the premise that the Roman empire never ended. You'll either think that sounds brilliant or completely rubbish, but it works well as a way of making points about the modern world - racism, religion, technology, terrorism, etc.

Spilling The Beans - Clarissa Dickson-Wright
Autobiography of the Fat Lady still above ground - not well-written but she's had quite a life (born very wealthy, abusive father, youngest ever female barrister, spiral into alcoholism and semi-homelessness, works in a cookery bookshop, "the rest is history") so it rolls along smoothly enough. Definitely not for vegetarians or hunt protesters though...

World's Fair - E.L. Doctorow
An evocation of childhood life in depression-era New York. This had been on my "to read" pile for years (I bought it straight after reading "Ragtime") and I found it engaging enough, but very slight, to the extent that I wondered if I was missing some Big Metaphor or other. A few weeks later I'm still not sure...

Eat The Rich - P.J. O'Rourke
A random mention of O'Rourke somewhere reminded me there were still a few books of his I hadn't read, so I caught up with his economic tour of the world whist G20 was going on, which proved a nice counterpoint to events. It's 10 years old now but it's still very relevant in many respects, hilarious of course, and I even understand more economic theory than I did before, so it's educational too!

I'm now on Umberto Eco's "The Name Of The Rose", just to lend some element of Literature to proceedings...

Silas Marner - George Eliot

There's been a vogue recently for practical books on thriftiness and cheap living in these uncertain times whilst commending a way of life based on the simple pleasures and the bosom of family. I've studiously ignored them all not realising that Silas Marner would comprehensively underline the value of ethical living in a way that I doubt any book written today ever could without sounding pejorative and hollow. Marvellous and deeply moving.

Martian Time-Slip - Philip K Dick

A strange trip indeed. One of the few Dick books I hadn't got round to reading, it falls into the category of his books where the ideas and setting are brilliant but are not fully supported by the story and characters. There's the usual Dick pre-occupations of a listless marriage, a welcome female distraction and a humanised nemesis but the sci-fi element seemed perfunctory.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning - Laurie Lee

A re-read. The lull and the storm of the Spanish Civil War. It is a poet's book and the pleasure is chiefly derived from the descriptive vignettes throughout his travels. A vivid book that reinforces the idea that the past is another country.

The Odd Women - George Gissing
A fascinating novel that addresses the burgeoning feminist movement of the 1890s amid Gissing's usual themes of poverty and the unhappiness of (most) marriage. Gissing created some of the best, most realistic female characters in Victorian fiction - a million miles removed from Dickens' feeble creatures.

Rabbit Run - John Updike
I read this for the book club I belong to, and was sort of looking forward it as it was the first Updike I've read. And… it's pretty rotten. OK, Updike can turn a good phrase, but he doesn't know when to hold back. There are admittedly a few brilliant set pieces, but the pacing is slack and the characters utterly mundane. Quite how he got three more novels out of his Rabbit character I can't imagine, but I'm not bothered about finding out.

Watchmen - Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons
Reread this after 20 years in anticipation of the film (which I haven't seen yet). I'd forgotten what a brilliant piece of work this is - although the climax still doesn't quite feel 'right'.

On the go:

Peter Ackroyd: London - A Biography.

Fascinating (and huge) history of the city viewsed as a living, developing organism (hence 'biography' rather than 'history'), continually ravaged by fire and rebuilt. Wonderful.

Geoff Nicholson: Bleeding London

(I'm on a bit of a London tip at the moment). Terrific, funny, discursive look at the Sheffield hardman, come to town to avenge his stripper girlfriend's rape, the London tour-guide who decides to walk every street in the book (literally), and Judy Tanaka, who connects the two, and is convinced that her body is turning into a living representation of the city. You'll never look at an A-Z the same way again.

Geoff Nicholson: Still Life with Volkswagens

(I'm on a Geoff Nicholson tip too, he's hugely under-rated). More history come fiction by Mr G. This time, in the follow-up to Streetsleeper, Barry Osgathorpe takes to the road again in Enlightenment, his souped up VW Beetle. A mad MP, the Ferrous Kid and a group of neo-Nazis is hot in pursuit. But who is going around the country blowing up Volkswagens?

... but not much more

Currently reading

- Rabbit At Rest by John Updike
Liking it a lot, but I think the thing about the Rabbit books is that, if you were fortunate enough to read them when they were initially published, they probably felt like full on masterpieces then. As time goes by they naturally get less timely and so their impact lessens. However this doesn't make it a bad book by any stretch of the imagination.

Recently read

- The Race by Richard North Patterson
A liberal leaning republican senator (surely an oxymoron?) tries to gain the presidential nomination against a born again Christian and an establishment party figure. The result is reams of exposition interrupted by occasional unconvincing action sequences. Hoping for a literary West Wing, was disappointed. His other books, No Safe Place, Protect and Defend and Balance of Power are far better.

- The Honoured Society by Norman Lewis
Classic history of the Sicilian Mafia covering the first half of the twentieth century. Norman Lewis may be the best writer you have never read in your life. Will definately lookout for more books by him.

- Picadilly Jim by PG Wodehouse
As good as any book by Wodehouse. I've read about twenty of them.

by Luke Haines. I was never an Auteurs fan but this book was an enjoyable- albeit bitter- read nevertheless. Bit of a berk though isn't he? And undeniably one of life's 'lance corporals' ( even if he appears to think he's a General ).

'The Unforgiven' by Rob Bagchi and Paul Rogerson. A history of Leeds United which is illuminating when read in conjunction with 'The Damned United'. Indeed, Peace himself dubs this 'the definitive book about the definitive Leeds team'. So there.

'How to Read Montaigne'. No author. Part of the 'How to' series. I love Michel de Montaigne but when I saw this slim tome I wondered if I'd read him incorrectly over the years somehow. Turns out not. Phew.

I live in Budapest, and buy second-hand books in English fairly regularly. My reading habits are, therefore, as near to random as you will find, as I just pick up what I fancy the look of. Here's my three:
-The world is flat- Thomas Friedmann
I am still reading this book on globalisation. It makes some good points, states the obvious at times, and, at times, simply expounds disastrous policies based on Thatcherism and Reaganomics. Quite annoying!
-Until I find you by John Irving
Very dark in places. Sometimes amusing. A superb read, but not easy.
-The killing ground by Jack Higgins
I do enjoy Jack Higgins for a good, but fairly superficial read. Well set-up, but fairly disappointing by his standdards.

mostly exploring my ever deepening obsession with cinema.

James Whale by James Curtis. A biography, not of the 'well-known radio personality', but the director of Frankenstein, Invisible Man. Fascinating look into less well-known corners of Classic Hollywood.

Sergio Leone by Christopher Frayling. Door-stop sized biog of director who wanted to be, but probably wasn't, more than a director of Spaghetti Westerns. Entertaining stuff.

The Parade's Gone By by Kevin Brownlow. The best book on film ever written? Probably. One of the best history books too. Originally written in the 60s and a collection of interviews with directors, stars and more of silent cinema. Just brilliant and thank god someone did before they all died off.

In between for light relief I tried reading the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by, I forget who. Did not finish. Over-hyped, tedious, pile of tosh. Heavier going than any of the above mentioned. Anyone else tried it? Not a patch on Mankell.

in recent months so books that I have intended to read are still left unopened. Most recent 3 are:-

Up in Honeys room - Elmore Leonard - still the master of the crime genre but I have to say this isnt one of my favourites of his although the dialogue is still razor sharp.

We dont know what we're doing - Adrian Chiles - not an Albion fan but loved this book which explains our irrational and obsessive interest in Football teams.

Kill your friends - John? Niven - absolutely devoured this book which I thought was outrageous and hilarious in equal measures.

Next up - Burial by Neil Cross, Some People are crazy - The biography of John Martyn and Adventure on the High Teas by Stuart Maconie.

Don't read enough books these days, and not proud of it either ...

#1. William Donaldson-The English Way Of Doing Things. "A crowded, muddled novel" said his Guardian obit, but I thought it was fun nonetheless. And I really can't remember the other 2 accurately so I offer ...

#2. I'm quite a long way into Bobby Fischer goes to War, by
David Edmonds and John Eidinow, but having put it down I can't seem to pick it up again, and

#3. I've read first 100 or so pages of Philip Ball's brilliant
"Critical Mass" (see e.g. http://preview.tinyurl.com/c75kad). The prehistory of "social physics" is the most unique part of the book, and a really valuable bit of digging imo.

Now if we had a thread on our shelf of half-read books ...

(if my title is baffling see http://preview.tinyurl.com/d6ep45)

V S Naipaul - India: A Million Mutinies Now

The author interviews Indian people giving insight into their country. Read it in preparation for trip there. Does reveal much about Indian psyche and country's problems. A big read. Like short stories but true.

Anne Holt - Punishment

Norwegian crime novel. If you enjoy Scandianvian crime writers you'll probably like this, as I did.

Haruki Murakami - The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (still reading)

Highly readable modern literature. Out of work man stays at home trying to find their cat that's disappeared while his wife goes out to work. Meets strange sisters one of whom is psychic - and his life takes a strange turn. Most enjoyable.

The Turnaround-- George P Pelecanos. America´s greatest crime writer. Latest book is right up there with his best.

The History of The USA - Hugh Brogan. A short history of the US from the Pilgrims up to Watergate. Informed,original, beautifully written.

The Damned United - David Peace. I´d read it before all the hype from the movie started up. It´s ...eh . The character of Clough is great, flawed,charming, obstinate. He seems to do him justice but I found Peace´s repetitive tics distracting, just like I did when I read Tokyo Year Zero

McMafia by Misha Glenny
This came up in Word book reviews a few months back. I don't recall who reviewed it, but I thank him/her.
I've just started it and I find it both riveting and driving me to despair. This morning I read a part about the Balkan conflict where Glenny reports on how gangsters, while allied with militias that were slaughtering civilians, were happy to trade with their opposite gangs in enemy territory. So in Sarajevo the Muslim warlords were happy to trade with beseiging Serbs and then squeeze the money out of their own people through increased food prices.

Hard Revolution by George Pelecanos
Pelecanos takes us back to Derek Strange's adolescence and early working career as a policeman. Set in Washington D.C. with a background of the civil rights struggle and later Martin Luther King's assassination we are taken along the diverging paths taken by Derek and some of his contemporaries. As ever Pelecanos is strong on the background (although I did find in this novel the litany of songs and singers constantly checked, to show GP's hip credentials, slightly irritating) making the life of the city an essential component of the protagonist's lives.

Provided you don't kiss me: 20 years with Brian Clough by Duncan Hamilton.
Hamilton was the football writer on the local Nottingham paper during Clough's years at Forest. He was a first hand witness to the rise, the glory years and the decline of the Forest and Clough. Subject to Clough's mercurial moods he'd find himself exiled and then recalled to the fold. An excellent companion to The Damned United (book and film) with the added virtue of contemporary veracity. A fascinating insight. You also get a lot on Peter Taylor. The recounting on watching a match in Taylor's company and recalling Taylor's astounding ability to size up the abilities of every player on the pitch indicated to me the gulf the exists between me as a fan and the professionals.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - Crystal Zevon

Biography of Warren Zevon. I'm only 75 pages or so in and there have been no hair raising/hell raising stories yet but I'm fully expecting them.

Last three were -

California Fire and Life - Don Winslow

Thriller about the people who try to scam insurance companies into paying false claims. Thoroughlly enjoyed this!

Dying Light - Stuart Macbride

Another thriller....Aberdeen Police this time. I know it's only fiction but I've now read four of his books and going by him, there'd be only half the population of Aberdeen left. Murdered prostitutes, drug gangs and deliberate fire starters are only some of the problems for Grampian Police Force. Very funny too....gallows humour I think it's called.

The Many Lives Of Tom Waits - Patrick Humphries

I didn't learn an awful lot from this book as I've already read two other Waits biographies. Nonetheless, it was a good read and covers everything right up to and including Orphans.

Damned United - David Peace

I bought the book, didn't read it, saw the film, started the book and stopped about half way. Mrs Jung is reading it now. I though the Clough documentary on ITV recently was more enjoyable than the film and the book.

V For Vendetta - Alan Moore

Saw the film, which was fun, started the book and stopped, finding the print a bit small and the story hard to follow (*), read the next book down, started again. Then stopped.

(*) I recently read The Watchmen and didn't notice the big squid.

Night Work - Steve Hamilton

A thriller from a US writer, bought for £1 in a sale. Not bad at all. I was quite surprised at who the murderer was.

"Homicide" by David Simon. Great, dense book. If you like The Wire etc.

Started but gave up about 100 pages into "The Secret Speech" by Tom Rob Smith. It was trash. Very bad trash.

"Get Smashed!: The Story of the Men Who Made the Adverts That Changed Our Lives" by Sam Delaney. Basically it felt like three magazine articles stuck together. It was okay but hardly anything great.

Currently I'm reading "The Google Story" by David A Vise. It's been interesting so far.

The Gargoyle - Andrew Davidson
Misanthropic porn star awakes from a coma to find that his penis has been burned off in a car crash - ironic. Then he meets a woman who may or may not be his soul-mate from 13th century Germany - though most likely she's a mental patient who's taken a shine to him. Unfortunately this peaked a good 200-pages before the end so I was left unsatisfied. I'd expected better staying power considering the subject matter.

Made in America - Bill Bryson

The history of modern America told through its language with entertaining digressions on a dizzying array of subjects. Did you know that the word jumbo, as in large, comes from Victorian celebrity elephant Mumbo-Jumbo housed in London Zoo. Poor Mumbo-Jumbo was killed after being hit by a train.

The Yiddish Policeman's Union - Michael Chabon

Truly great book set in an alternate Jewish homeland of Sitka, Alaska. Hilarious lines and touching sadness on every page, I can't recommend this highly enough.

The Riders-Tim Winton Not quite as good as "Dirt Music" but still a terrific read

Dead Man Walking-Gerald Seymour-typical fasr paced thriller by the author of "Harry's Game"

Enduring Love-Ian McEwen-I know there are differing opinions on Mr McEwen on this site. For me he can do little wrong.

The Abstinence Teacher-Tom Perrotta-American surburbs satire-pitting Born Again Christians against agnostic sex education teacher.

Currently reading Uncut's book of the year "Lush Life"-Richard Price-brilliant dialogue set on the streets of New York.

Stasiland - Anna Funder- Excellent extraordinary accounts of ordinary lives in East Germany.
In the name of Rome- Adrian Goldsworthy- A collection of short biographies of ancient Rome's greatest Generals.
It- Stephen King - A gang of kids grow up and come back to their old town to confront a childhood evil. I always think of King as being a bit trashy, but then I read him again and correct myself. A fantastic storyteller.

Here are mine:
Dino Buzatti - The Tartar Steppe. Strange and prophetic (written in 1938) novel in the vein of JM Coetzee
Kazuo Ishiguro - The Unconsoled. Infuriating novel about a famous concert pianist but for some reson could not put it down and will probably have to re-read
Kate Buford - Burt Lancaster. Superb biography of the screen legend. He seems to have been a total bastard.

Pete McCarthy - The Road to McCarthy. A splendid ramble on the far-flung nature of Ireland and the Irish, with many digressions. Excellent.

Donald E. Westlake - Put A Lid On It. Funny crime caper, great dialogue, tight plot.

John Szwed - So What : The Life Of Miles Davis. Like any good book about music, it made me go back and listen to the records. Excellent book.

(I've been lucky with the last 3! 2 clunkers just before that)

Currently reading:

Clinton Heylin: Revolution In The Air

I'm around one-hundred pages in on this at the moment; roughly around "Freewheelin'". Don't particularly want to judge it at the moment, but I'd would like to point out that "despite its allusive title, (Revolution in the Air) is not an attempt to emulate Ian MacDonald's comendable work on The Beatles".

He has a point. It could be argued that it's more like the older, university educated cousin of "A Hard Day's Write".

Last Three Books:

1. David Peace: The Damned United.

Technically, I've still not finished this, and have only managed to get to day twelve, thirteen, so far. Quite disappointed by it, considering the hype it'd been getting.

2. Danny Wallace: Friends Like These.

Like all good travel books, this was read in one sitting; and like all good Danny Wallace books, made me smile. He's a poor man's Dave Gorman when it comes to this kind of thing, but I like them both.

3. Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre.

Probably best fiction I've ever read. So, I had to read it again a couple of months ago, to remind myself of its quality.

Last 3

'Funeral in Berlin' by Len Deighton. Not sure. But then I'm not that fussed with the spy genre in general. I was engaged enough in it and enjoyed the climax, and I liked Harry Palmer's attitude, but didn't feel it was a classic in any way.

'America' by Alistair Cooke. In essence it's an extension of the narrations which accompanied his original historical documentary series originally broadcast in the '70s. But what prose, and what a fundamentally enthralling tale it is. Compact and not particulary exhaustive but brilliantly written. A joy.

'Letter From America' by Alistair Cooke. As you've guessed I enjoyed the above so much I had to read more by him. Again crystal unfussy prose (these were written to be read out to a broad audience obviously) painting a huge number of small images of American life and attitude. You would need more than a passing interest in the subject matter to read them all in one hit of course but the quality of the writing is stunning.

Now reading David Copperfield which hasn't mentioned Washington DC once so far.

... where a certain level of grip is a must - so that rules me out of any literary posing.

Currently reading

The Road Home by Rose Tremain
About migrant workers in London. Early days but enjoying very much. High quality writing and a page-turner.

Last 3 finished

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
A most unusual fantasy novel and a retelling of the ballad. Some 80-90% of the novel follows young Janet through her career at a midwestern university in highly realistic terms while we gradually realise that something very odd is going on. If you've heard the Fairport Convention track then you know the basic story but this intelligent tale which places the Unseelie Court at an American University in the 1970s is fresh and different. Disregard the cheesy cover.

The Death Maze by Ariana Franklin
Basically this (and it's predecessor Mistress of the Art of Death) is "Bones" in Medieval times. Unlikely? yes but the setup is hadled very amusingly in the first book and is at least possible if not likely. Both books are highly entertaining and backed by good historical research. In both books the outstanding character is the astoundingly vibrant Henry II who steals every scene. The author is wise to use him sparingly.

The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin.
A re-read for me for my book group. Golden age crime from the man who in his day job wrote the scores for the Carry On & Doctor films. His detective Fen brings irritation to a high art, but this is jenerally light and amusing stuff - good on Oxford which hasn't changed as much as you'd think.
But they don't half drink a lot, his characters....

...so can't afford any new books - instead, a whole world of copyright-free classics are all mine, and best of all, in electronic form, they don't make your arm ache with the weight of 'em. The first three are on the Kindle...

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds Charles MacKay. Considering it was written in 1841, this is a surprisingly modern read, which MacKay looks in depth at Financial Disasters, Alchemists, Witches and the Crusades. The chapter on Financial Disasters alone shows that there is nothing new under the sun, and it's extra-ordinarily relevant to today's mess. The Crusades bit was equally fascinating. Highly recommended, especially for free!

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes You can't beat a bit of SH and DrW.

The Canterbury Tales I'm sorry, this is graspingly pretentious, but I am reading TCT (in Middle English). It's a bit like reading "Trainspotting" - once you get past the dialect and learn the basics of the language, it's really rather wonderful. I'm turning into my dad...help!

Watchmen for the N'th time - I've just unpacked all our books post move, and had to give this a read again. There's something new to be spotted each time, and it really is extra-ordinarily clever.

Clockers - Obligatory (and marvellous) Richard Price epic.

I have quite a few books "on the go" at the moment (hardly ever finishing any though) so its simpler to list most recent purchases:

Due Considerations by John Updike
His most recent (and final) collection of essays, reviews and short pieces - typically he would produce these large volumes every decade or so. What I love about his writing is the way he celebrates the ordinary and everyday (rust; shoulderblades; having a drink of water when you're really thirsty etc.). Truly life-affirming.

Mainlines and Bloodfeasts (I think) by Lester Bangs
I always enjoyed Bangs since first reading him in the NME many years ago, on tour with the Clash. He actually talks crap most of the time but its usually entertaining crap, whichis fine by me.

Amis & Son by Some Bloke (too lazy to check - sorry)
Impulse buy. The Amises don't seem to be too popular round these parts. I like them (Martin somewhat more than his dad)

Last 3 in order were

Stan Lee - Excelsior
Paul Weller - The Changing Man
Glen Matlock - I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol

Currently reading
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre - some great debunking from Guardian columnist

previously:
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini - story of two Afghani women struggling through the regimes and cultural background of their country... good, but as the characters are all black or white (goodies/baddies), it sometimes seems like high class Catherine Cookson.

Grant 41 - Lost & Found. I consider Granta a book - though it's sort of a mag. It has new writing and reportage, but like a mag you have to keep up or they start piling up... so it can be a bit of a chore if you aren't in the mood. This one had some good writing. However, as I have no shortage of books to read, I am thinking of cancelling my subscription.

Glad to see the Massive seem to have a healthy mix of reading rather than just music or manly-non-fiction!

... an Open University Module on 20th Century literature texts and debates so I've really been reading what I'm told to read. The last three in excruciating detail down to the last comma, rhyme and allusion have been:

Seamus Heaney's New Selected Poems 1966-1987.
Interesting observations on variously: rural Ulster life, the sectarian divide and curiously, unearthed prehistoric cadavae.

Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman.
A 1001 Argentinian nights, gay seduction and Hollywood B movies in a totalitarian state that considers child molestation infinitely preferable to a political opposition.

Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
Nothing happens ... twice! Or does it? Shhh! Can't go further lest anyone nicks my ground breaking analysis for an essay that still has 9 hours to go before the end of the shut off date.

Looking forward to my summer reading and following up some of the suggestions above.

Currently reading
Adventures on the High Teas by Stuart Maconie. Good book, appalling title. (See today's Maconie thread for more)

Last three

1. What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn. Excellent first novel about loneliness and loss. Woud recommend it thoroughly.

2. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now: My Student 80s by Andrew Collins. Not a great book by any means but I loved it, because it 'spoke to me' about my time at University in the 80s. Recommended to any other blokes who were at Universiy in the mid-late 80s. I'm sure anyone else would find it all a bit trite.

3. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Fabulous novel, about a Greek-American haemaphrodite and her/his family history. Won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003. Was recommended to me by my mum!

Fitzgerald, Scott. F; Wodehouse P.G; De Lillo. D;

Everything by all the above

Will that be all? Right, I'll be off then

Saga by Rail, Ireland by JIC Boyd.
Only alerted to this little gem by his Telegraph obit:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4980928/JIC-Boyd.html
Pooteresque tales of the post war Irish railway system illustrated with the authors atmospheric photographs. Quietly amusing.

The Adventures of Mr.Thake by Beachcomber
More squibs from the master of comic prose.

And, if only to prove that every silver lining has a cloud,
Into That Darkness:from mercy killing to mass murder by Gitta Sereny.
Interviews with, amongst others, Franz Stangl the Commandant of Treblinka.
Sereny's dispassionately probing interviews and ruthless intellectual honesty peel away many layers of self deception to expose the black heart of Nazism.
All courtesy of Wandsworth council's brilliant library service.

Big Bang - Simon Singh. My pathetic attempt to understand some science, having totally failed to do so at school.

La Chute by Albert Camus. Last read it for French A level 30 years ago - now reading it for enjoyment. Important for Mark E. Smith I believe.

Diffordsguides - Cocktails #6 - 2000 cocktail recipes. With all this talk of recession and swine 'flu, I need a few drinks.