Diversions

Last year I banned myself from fiction. I had so much anthropological reading to do and, aware that I tend to get totally absorbed in whatever novel I'm reading, I thought it was best not to start anything that wasn't school work. That's not to say I completely stuck to the ban. I read Junky by William S Burroughs when on holiday in Brisbane, Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls, Black Swan Green by David Mitchell and The Boy In The Stripped Pyjamas by John Boyne. But considering I am usually a voracious reader my restraint was definitely evident.

Since the end of February this year (when I finished my studies) I've enjoyed a fair amount of reading (don't worry Dad, I'm still reading plenty of anthropological journals!). I started with Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo etc). Once I'd finished those John kindly gave me a £20 Amazon gift voucher, and I promptly bought (and read) The Death of Bunny Munro (Nick Cave), The Road (Cormac McCarthy), and The Manchurian Candidate (Richard Condon). Once those were done I picked up Die Trying by Lee Child, which John had been given for Christmas while waiting for my next book to arrive: Room by Emma Donoghue. Both of those are now done and dusted.

I'm about to start Cormac McCarthy's Border Trillogy (All The Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain) and after that will have to find something else to read.

I'll review a few of these books when I have time. Many of them were brilliant but I've discovered that I have a definite preference for seriously bleak books. I've never enjoyed "chick lit" and for years have had an obsession with espionage books (Len Deighton is my hero). And as I've grown older I have more of an appreciation of the use of language in writing - I like my books to be well written.

That being said, I'll read pretty much anything. Wombat told me once that she didn't like recommending books for me to read because I only read literature, but I pointed out to her that I tend to just keep quiet about the fluffy books I've read. The entire Twilight series, for example. Plus all of Harry Potter, and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels.

But the point here is: I have a little bit of that £20 left. What book should I read next?

Comments

[SuburbanLush]

I always see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in stores and can't remember whether I've read it or not! Could be tempted by True Blood though (and now that I think of it, maybe I should pick up some more Dexter novels!).

[wombat]

I've just read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon which you may have read already but if not definitely should. It won't keep you going for long though so if you'd like something that will keep you reading busy for longer (but is definitely 'fluffy') try the True Blood series.