Sue said:-
> Cool thread! Can't wait to see what everyone else is reading.
I'll have to jump in and drag it all down a notch then :)
I'm a bit of a sci-fi/fantasy fan myself. I really like
being able to just switch off the real world and go
"somewhere else". Just occasionally, a book will get me
to the extent where I need to go that somewhere else as
often as I can. It's nice :)
So, of late: Lord Of The Rings (having told Garret he ought
to read it, I then thought perhaps I ought to re-read it
again, it being some 15 or 20 years since I last read it).
"Zodiac", by Neal Stephenson. Stephenson doesn't really write
science fiction, nor science future as such, more "science
in a year's time." Most of his stuff is fast-paced, fun,
tongue in cheek, and usually something you can almost
imagine happening. For a possible view on how the 'net
might go, dig out "Snow Crash". It's a hoot, but eminently
possible and thought-provoking too. I've also started
reading "Cryptonomicon" but ground to a halt when work
started intruding on my reading time.
Perennial favourites include things like the original
Magician series by Raymond E. Feist. The first three
are almost as treasured as LOTR, and the books he co-wrote
with Janny Wurts are pretty fine too.
Asimov - the robot / Elijah Bailey series.
Various poofy stuff: "New Boy" by William Sutcliffe was a
hoot. "Two Gentlemen Sharing", by William Corlett (I think!)
was equally funny, painting a fairly accurate picture of
English country village thrown gently onto its ear by the
arrival of a pair of... you get the picture. I was also
recommended to read "Vanity Fierce" but got bogged down in
the middle, and then work intruded again.
Anything by Stephen Fry - "Moab is my Washpot" being his
absolutely side-splitting autobiog. If you haven't yet,
do.
Right now? "Secrets and Lies" by Bruce Schnier. Non-ficton:
Security, crypto, etc. Looks like a good book if you're interested
in this sort of stuff. I have to be... Oh, and a pile of
reference stuff about HTML, JavaScript, PHP, PERL, and so
on. I find myself with my nose in these books more than I'd like.
Right, I'll stop yakking now. But if you get the impression
I could spend each and every day lounging in a hammock in
a sunny conservatory with a pile of books... you're right.
(Oh, that, and have someone there to feed me olives and keep
my wine glass brimmed... volunteers? :)
Cheers,
--Chris (Cambridge, UK)
