Adventures in Literacy!

I like to read. A lot. People that know me know this. And working in a bookshop, I tend to do it a great deal. So, what have I been reading lately? I'll show you.


JUST READ:


Running With Scissors: Augusten Burroughs

I'd always heard good things about this, but avoided it on the basis that I thought it was just going to be another "misery porn" memoir, but a recent decision to dip my toe back into the Angus & Robertson Top 100 list led me to finally pick it up. Holy crap. I could NOT have been more wrong. It was great! And not at all miserable and whiny, like I feared. Augusten Burroughs has one of those fantastic literary voices that just makes reading their stuff a pleasure, and his sense of humour is fantastic. There was one chapter that literally made me dry heave (I'm sure anyone that's read it can guess what it was...) but apart from that, I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Jesus though- talk about a bullshit upbringing. Those Finches be crazy. I'd love to know a bit more about the story behind the memoirs though, especially in regards to a revelation in the final chapter that I'd love to see followed up on. I suppose I will, when I check out his other stuff. I think I'm a fan now.


READING NOW:


The Gargoyle: Andrew Davidson

This one has been trying to seduce me for ages at work. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it just sounds like it's going to be a great read. Now, I'm only a little way in (by which, I mean, like, 20 pages) and it's still finding its feet, but it's way too early to pass any sort of judgement yet. An extraordinary debut novel of love that survives the fires of hell and transcends the boundaries of time. How great does THAT sound? I'll keep you posted...

READING NEXT:




This one has been on my "to read" list for ages. I mean, damn. It's pretty much considered one of the greatest accomplishments of the English language. So that sounds a bit fancy, right? I managed to buy a copy today, and I can't WAIT to get stuck into it. Assuming I ever actually DO, and it's not like the countless OTHER books that I've purchased on the basis of literary merit and never gotten around to reading. Like Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Once and Future King, The Prince, Moby Dick, The Lost World or The Complete Sherlock Holmes. My bookshelf makes me look a lot more well-read than I actually am...