Literature; what are YOU reading, and why?

[betamax]

As a sort of spinoff from my reccomendations in the George Bush thread, I was wondering what you fluffy lot like to read when you are not posting, playing, chilling...

My favorites:

The Flashman Papers Vol. I-XI- by George Macdonald Fraser. The continuing adventures of Victorian England's most celebrated Bastard and scoundrel.

Flashman was the bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays, ressurected here, because, lets face it, he was always a better character You get to see the great movements of history through the jaded eyes of this womanising, murdering amoral rougue. Great adventures, and a few laughs.

The entire Discworld series. By Terry Pratchett. I broke no arguments about this, I consider this man a raving genius.

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Pretty obvious this one. I cut my reading teeth on this series. I learned to read by reading the bible, then i got better by reading these. Everyone should read it at least once, if only to decide whether they like it or not

Various Star Wars expanded Universe novels. Some are good, some are not. Timothy Zahn's trilogy beggining with "Heir to the Empire" is the best so far.

Anything by Michael Moore.

Does anyone else have any recommendations?

[cyric100]

No recommendations and indeed, calling it literature is stretching the point, but I am re-reading the first four Harry Potter books in preparation for the release of the 5th book.

Sad, I know... but they read somewhat like the Enid Blyton books I remember from my yoof.

[Muttley]

Manically reading anything I get into my hands, lately mainly bios and music mags... Usually quite like the classics even if my interpretation of classic books might be a bit broad...

[Kosmischeboy]

"More cock, More cock, Michael Moorcock she cried!" in the words of the immortal Half Man Half Biscuit!

You can't beat a bit of mr moorcock particularly the Jerry Cornelius books, masterpieces every one of em!



At the mo i'm readin "wreckers of civilization" cool book about genesis p orridge and throbbing gristle/coum. very good stuff! and the classic album book on never mind the bollocks based on the tv series, thats really interesting in a trainspotter kinda way, amazin how many different versions of Anarchy they recorded!

[venusian]

Anything novel length by Will Self, particularly "How the dead live" and "Great Apes". Glen Duncan is also a favourite - very intense and tightly strung, good for long reads where one can maintain the tension.

"Love and Nausea" by David Wilson is extremely funny but the git's only written this one book. From the back cover: "The only thing Deborah was really passionate about was Marks and Spencer. She believed in Marks and Spencer more than she belived in Democracy, with an intensity that at first had complete thrown Robert. She'd stood in the kitchen at Fiona's party and started saying that 'only Marx has got it right'. He'd been impressed by her certainty and commitment and it wasn't until they'd been to bed together that he'd found out she'd been talking about the department store." A wonderful three-way clash between bohemia, suburbia and limbo.

What else? Most of Iain Bank's stuff. Most of Babara Vine's. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, but only the first time through.

All of Douglas Adams' though there's not nearly enough of it.

[dtj]

I'm currently on my third run-through of Brian Greene's astonishing tome "The Elegant Universe."

I am on the threshold of truly understanding string theory.

[WalterMß]

I'm currently reading The Silent Blade, by R.A.Salvatore: 7th volume of dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden's adventures in the world of D&D®'s FORGOTTEN REALMS™.

The book before was Schnitzler's Double Dream, the novel which Kubrik based himself on for his Eyes Wide Shut.

Then there was Dan Simmond's HYPERION tetralogy: Hyperion, Hyperion's Fall, Endymion and Endymion's Wake (though I can't find 3rd volume in italian*, so I couldn't begin the 4th).

Many many books before, I had been reading H.P.Lovecraft's complete works three times consecutively... for two years.

By the way: the only book whose english I seriously had problems with was W.Gibson's Neuromancer: it used a mix of current american slang, neologisms and a pseudo-futuristic invented slang, throughout the whole book. Currently, it is the one english document I can say I couldn't read.

* Obviously I can read english books, but whenever I begin a series of books I must continue straight on with the same language, edition and -possibly- cover type.

[PVB]

Does the Blitz Basic 3D manual count?

[HGFB]

I've just finished Terry Pratchett's latest "Wee Free Men" and excellent stuff it is.

I'm currently working my way through "Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson.

After that I'll either move onto a Doctor Who book I have outstanding or the latest R.A.Salvatore book - "The Thousand Orcs".

In June I'm off to "The World's Largest Bookstore" in Toronto to get myself a full set of Piers Anthony's "Incarnations of Imortality" series and any Robert Heinlen books they have that I don't.

[Boo]

Not reading anything at the moment, but I'm fervently anticipating the next novel in the Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/). Feels kind of demeaning calling it fantasy but there you go.

[illlogickill]

When you say the word "Literature", I'm assuming it is being used in the loosest possible terms. I'm currently giggling my way through Monty Python's Flying Circus - Just The Words ( Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 ) which I picked up from Oxfam a few weeks back for only £2.99.

@ The Blackmail sketch.

"And now...a letter...a hotel registration book...and a series of photographs...which could add up to divorce, premature retirement, and possible criminal proceedings for a company director in Bromsgrove. He's a freemason, and a prospective Tory MP...thats Mr S. of Bromsgrove...£3,000...to stop us revealing your name, the name of the three other people involved, the youth organisation to which they belong, and the shop where you bought the equipment."

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ilk
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"Chin up. Work hard. Take no shit. Spread love. Make love. Be happy. They'll never see it coming!!!" - Ginger : THE WiLDHEARTS
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[daedelas]

I've just finished Nothing But Blue Skies by Tom Holt,He writes some wonderfully bizarre stories and talking of bizarre Robert Rankin writes some wonderful stuff,I particularly enjoyed the Armageddon trilogy.
As mentioned earlier in the thread Pratchett can do no wrong.

[Wumpus4x4]

Believe it or not, "War and Peace" because apparently it's supposed to be good so I'm slogging through it in a somewhat erratic and laboured fashion. I've got a couple of Tom Holt's lined-up (never read any, but he's supposed to be pretty inventive and funny), last finished Pratchet's "Night Watch" and before that Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd". For Orc-free contemporary literature I'd also recommend anything by Carl Hiaasen.

[stark]

currently reading: isabel allende - house of the spirits
recommended authors: stephen donaldson( well, i like 'the chronicles of thomas covenant' so there *blows a big raspberry*), michael marshall smith,neil gaiman,brian lumley ( the 'necroscope' series), kerouac(esp 'on the road' ) kafka ( esp 'the metamorphosis') ooh oooh julian may (saga of the exiles), the original dragonlance trilogy, terry pratchett, robert heinlein ( dirty old bastard ) craig thomas ( 'the bears tears' is a great cold war novel), william gibson, arthur c clarke and finally, but by no means least, colin dann ( the animals of farthing wood )

[Jon]

John Irving is an excellent author - i would recommend 'A prayer for Owen Meany' and 'The Cider house rules' but i believe all his books are ace. Also if you like a bit of a trip factor to the books you read and aren't put off by a style of writing thats lets you create your own surroundings to an extent then Carlos Castenada is well worth checking out, 'The teachings of Don Juan' etc are personal favourites.