What Are You Reading??

Reviews for "The States":

"A stunning debut!"
- Washington Post

"Colorful primer, a must read!"
- Idaho Tribune

"GUY GOT SOME KINDA PROBLEM!"
- New Jersey Chronicle

Forgiving Ararat, Gita Nazareth

What is God, What is Love, What is Justice? Has Germans, Jews, one or two Arabs, and takes place in a claustrophobic and actually kind of scary spiritual plane, Shemaya Station, on or about the time of the death of the main character, which death she doesn't accept.

Tooth and Nail, Craig DiLouie.

There are enough zombie books around these days that one challenge in the reading (and probably the writing) of them is to not have the story be infected, as it were, by every other book you've read. In this book the zombs are called, without affectation, Mad Dogs, and it actually works really well. The story develops through the eyes and actions of Charlie Company the day after they are recalled from Iraq to take up a security role in Manhattan.

(Also, while the book has nothing whatsoever to do with Modern Warfare III, if you've recently played that fps, the story is really easy to visualize.)

I just finished the "Joe Pitt" series by Charlie Huston. Vampire Noir, so much better than tween vampire crap. Also a rather fascinating, scientific explanation for where the vampires came from.

Also, for  those of you who might be thinking of what to do for a Christmas lesson, Jeff Guinn's "The Christmas Chronicles" could provide somme ideas. 

I just finished reading "That Book About Harvard," and it was pretty amusing. If anyone is teaching students who are hung up on the Ivy Leagues, I'd recommend it. It definitely brings the school down a notch or two.

The last book, so far, I would like to recommend is the giant tome entitled "Europe" by Norman Davies. It is, essentially, a tour-de-force of European history that will blow your mind 

Just bought this for my mum for her b-day, and she seems very happy with it, so thank you Eric the Red! She's keen to fill in the gaps in her Euro-histoical knowledge.

Davies also has a book entitled Europe: Vanished Kingdoms (or something like that) that looks intruiging!

I am halfway through "Vanished Kingdom" and it is smashing. 

For those of you with small children, might I recommend Terry Pratchett's "The World of Poo"....it is excellent entertainment 

Bleak House.  Something about Jarndyce & Jarndyce being somewhat analogous to my employer ...masters of interminable ***** proceedings ... 
 
 

The passage contract for the dirt cheap (with 'Teacher Rate') 7-day cruise (with unlimited, All Inclusive Drinks package) I booked from Shanghai to Yokohama and back during 'Golden Week'.
 

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

There I was, reading along, thinking this is an ok space opera, it has war in the solar system, space navies, and a smidgen of detective drama, but maybe it's a little dull since the characters are a bit shallow, and I might let it go, when all of a sudden....

SURPRISE ZOMBIES!

Zombies make every book better.

Watch for the sequel, Leviathan Scratches.

The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I saw his name on the back of another book I read and picked this up. This book has had quite the effect on me and has articulated some feelings I hadn't figured out/articulated myself. Recommended.

The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I saw his name on the back of another book I read and picked this up. This book has had quite the effect on me and has articulated some feelings I hadn't figured out/articulated myself. Recommended.

have this on my shelf. will read.

"Good Omens" by Terry Prattchett and Neil Gaiman I am pissing myself laughing 

Peter Hessler's Oracle Bones

I needed something light. I like it but it doesn't impress me in quite the same way as Country Driving, which seems a more mature reflection of a long stay in China.

He's in Egypt now. I'll be interested to hear what he has to say about that!

He's in Egypt now. I'll be interested to hear what he has to say about that!

Oooo me too. That's one the of the places I was eying for next year.

Terry Pratchett's Dodger