Anathem by Neal Stephenson, which is working out to be something truely amazing so far. I have high hopes but it is going to be a big slog!

Just read Wildacre by Philipa Gregory. Started off ok but went downhill fast. (I kept reading thinking it'd get better - it didn't.) Hated the 2 main characters - they had no redeeming features. And the story - unbelievable and tedious with lots of unerotic sex. There's not many books that make my eyes droop, but this one did. There's 2 more in the series and I wont be reading them.

So anyone who did/didn't like A Thousand Splendid Suns, did you also like/not like The Kite Runner? (I love the Kite Runner so I'll know whether to read his next book.)

And regarding Catch 22. I also started it quite a few times and didn't like it. Then one day I started and just kept reading and really enjoyed it. I think it's one of those books that you've got to be in a particular state of mind to read.

My 10 year old was reading the 3rd book from the "Emily the Strange" series, and asked me to explain some things that are listed in one of the last pages of the book. The list included quite a few references to contemporary popular culture (some punk bands names, some movies, some books), and listed there was "Finnegan's Wake", by James Joyce. Of course, after explaining what it was to her, and its influence on literature, she asked me "So did you read it ?". My sad answer was "well, errr...actually not...yet".

So I'm suffering Finnegan's Wake, which is extremely hard to read.

I loved the kite runner and a thousand splendid suns, it wa not light reading not because it was hard to read but because of the awful things the author describes...

I read the Favored Child of Philipa Gregory and ended up chucking it across the room!
I enjoyed A Thousand Splended Suns and the Kite Runner, and the Book Thief is another really good read.

I will start The Corrections by J. Franzen later in the afternoon. I have quite high expectations after Freedom (yes I love going backwards in authors' chronologies - so it's harder to pull the hipster comment "X was soo much better before").

Also, I'm skimming through a massive vegetarian cookbook, and, to compensate, re-reading Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It has rained a lot, let's just put it like this.

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus.....

Level 26 from Zuiker

The Corrections does go on a bit about the American health insurance situation, but is otherwise a good read, although hefty.
I'm now reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, which is a series of anecdotes, of which the title story, about learning French, had me laughing out-loud. Some of the other stories had me thinking 'so what?'.

Tuesdays with Morrie, for the second time now!

I switched to The Snowman by Jo Nesbo...currently liking it

"Geschichte der Schweiz in ihren Klassenkämpfen" by Robert Grimm (1881 - 1958) and "Riverworld" by Philip José Farmer.

I like a lot of Farmer's stuff - something to look for is The Dungeon series, six books ... wonderful series, with some intriguing characters - and an interesting look at paradox, predestination and time-travel.
Last read it ages ago, will have to check whether it made it into the limited space I was allowed for books ...

Oh David Sedaris. Love his sense of humor although, yes, he's pretty random sometimes. Still I remember giggling on a train ride reading Me Talk Pretty, and a lot of funny stares

john niven - the second coming

i liked kill your friends more, but still its funny as ....

Finished World Without End and I have to say I am major disappointed...

Started Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts today. Have been reading books about India/Burma for a while, but it's the first one about recent India... Let's see where it takes me.

The Penguin History of the USA.

Extremely well written history book ! It will take some time to finish it though ...

Interesting (and unbelievable because it's true) story, but not the best written book. I did enjoy it still.

I did notice it is a bit heavy on the methapors which makes it look a bit like a lady romance, but let's wait and see. After the previous book, I'd read anything (of course with the exception of "The Unconsoled" by Kazuo Ishiguro, the only book I never managed to finish because it was just that bad.)

I didn't care too much for Ishiguro's 'Nocturns' either.