Kimbofo’s recently posted about her large reading queue. My reading queue’s pretty large too, and growing. I refuse to feel like I’m drowning in books, though – I prefer to think that I’m spoilt for choice!
In the pile:
The classical world by Robin Lane Fox
Empress by Shan Sa (an impulse buy last time I was in the campus bookshop)
In Europe by Geert Mak (birthday gift from TFP; thanks, TFP! I keep dipping into this one, and want to sit and read it all at once)
Summer sisters by Judy Blume (did you grow up reading Judy Blume, too? Impulse loan from MPOW. I walked past the new books display, it was there, I borrowed it. Hazards of working in a library)
Growing up Asian in Australia, edited by Alice Pung (another purchase from the campus bookshop. I couldn’t resist this one because there are so many stories in it. Yes, I’m weak)
The shock doctrine by Naomi Klein (bought this using a book voucher for my birthday, from my mum-in-law)
Collapse by Jared Diamond (another book voucher purchase)
Code: version 2.0 by Lawrence Lessig (Prof Lessig is going to be speaking at LIANZA and I had this vague idea of being able to ask him some erudite question if I read some of his work. Hah!)
Born digital by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser
Chinese lexicography: A History From 1046 Bc To Ad 1911 by Heming Yong and Jing Peng (the OUP page says this book cost AU$460! What!!)
Leaning against the main pile: The fabric of the cosmos by Brian Greene and Congo journey by Redmond O’Hanlon. Yes, three in this pile are Popular Penguins. I really love the series (great titles! great price! the books feel good in my hands!) and have been buying one a week for a month now. (The fourth one I have is Bill Bryson’s Mother tongue, which I have thoroughly enjoyed.) I hope Penguin releases more titles in the series.
Currently reading: The inheritance of loss by Kiran Desai (birthday gift from jadedlotus – cheers!) and At winter’s end by Robert Silverberg.
The question is, what shall I read when I’m in New Zealand? I can’t bring any of the library books with me, as that’s against library rules, and besides, they’re all a bit big and bulky. I have about a week to decide.
3 Comments
Judy Blume taught me a lot about puberty and other “interesting” teen questions! 😉
I have a list in my notebook of things to read. Should start putting some on hold now I’ve finished the last one in the pile under my bed.
I concur on the Popular Penguins. I also have the Bryson and it does have a nice feel. I’m a couple of chapters in but Samuel Johnson keeps distracting me 🙂
What do you make of The Inheritance of Loss? Here’s how I blogged it at the time:
This is a pretty good novel, but I doubt it was the best novel of the year despite winning the Booker.
As is common in Anglo-Indian fiction, the main themes are migration, the clash of cultures and the resultant struggle to find one’s own identity. The writing is perhaps a tad over-elaborate but the characters are engaging and some of the imagery is striking.