Yes, I know the title hints at all manner of technical shenanigans. In reality, it’s just me choosing books to take away on holiday next weekand to begin reading in the evenings this weekI really need to stop watching television so much. Since stopping freelance work in the evenings, you might think I had slowed down a bit. I’m blogging again, which is one thing I guess, but I’m also watching TVsomething I haven’t really done for years.
So. Books. What have I loaded onto the Kindle? The Hobbit, by J R R TolkienThis one is really included to read to the children at bedtime. They are old enough to enjoy it now, and will no doubt delight in the tales of dwarves, elves, trolls, and dragons. The Lord of the Rings, by J R R TolkienIf we finish The Hobbit, it stands to reason that we should have something to carry on readingand I’ve never read it, so it will be interesting to compare and contrast with the movies. The Rainbow, by D H LawrenceI’m a sucker for banned booksand this was banned for years. Given the other banned books I’ve read, I’m not expecting anything controversial at all. We shall see. The Catcher in the Rye, by J D SalingerI know all about J D Salinger, but have never read any of his books. Several friends have recommended the book to me over the years, but it’s always remained just thata recommendation. Time to do something about it! Catch 22, by Joseph HellerA book I started reading a couple of years ago, but one thing and another led to me never finishing it. It’s among the shortlist of books that everybody talks about, but few people have read (unless they were forced to at college). I’ll finally get to understand what the conversations are about, and expose the hipsters that haven’t really read it. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry MillerI read this years ago, and was fascinated by the story of his time in the red light district of Paris among the working girls. Given the recent fame of “50 Shades of Grey” I thought it might be time to re-acquaint myself with an old friend. Snow Crash, by Neal StephensonI recently read “Ready Player One”, and enjoyed it immenselywhich naturally resulted in a search for similar books. Snow Crash was recommended by several friends. Fingers crossed! Little Brother, by Cory DoctorowI read a short story called “When SysAdmins Ruled the Earth” a few years ago while commuting into London, and it really captured my imagination. I’ve heard great things about Cory’s other books, so this seemed like an obvious choice to explore further. Neverwhere, by Neil GaimanI started reading this last year, but life got in the way. I need to try again, because everybody I know that has read it comments on it’s brilliance, and it’s place among books they have read as a favourite. Microserfs, by Douglas CouplandI read this years ago, and loved itand would love to read it again if time allows. It will be like revisiting an old friendparticularly as I work as a software developer (and did so during the period the books is set), so can related closely to the story.So there you go. The Kindle app is filled with a real mixturefrom science fiction, to social commentary, to erotica. I have to admit, I’m looking forward to “Neverwhere” again.