righty.  Bookcrossing unconvention thing tomorrow, so thought I'd give you a list of the books I'm taking to release there.  You know - in case you're interested.

 

'Titus Groan' - Mervyn Peake.  Yeah, I know it's a classic, but I just couldn't get going with this and so I've decided to let it go.  I've just picked up copies of all 3 of the books in the trilogy at Oxfam, so I'm planning to read it at some point.  Honest...

 

'The Caine Mutiny' - Herman Wouk.  More famous as a film starring Bogart.  I had to read this when I was at school.  It's surprisingly good actually.  Surprising to me anyway.

 

'Acts of Betrayal' - John Trenhaile.  Never read this, but I delight in the knowledge that I stole it from my old headmaster.  Looks shit.

 

'Sabbath's Theater' - Philip Roth.  My first Roth and I picked it up on a whim.  It's brilliant and disgusting.  Sabbath is such a vivid creation that he practically crawls of the page into your lap.

 

'High Fidelity' - Nick Hornby.  My favourite of his books, and a half-decent film. 

 

'Fever Pitch' - Nick Hornby.  About the best book ever written about Arsenal, although that's probably not saying all that much, is it?  Not really about football at all.  Crap film.

 

'It's Not About the Bike' - Lance Armstrong.  He doesn't seem like an especially nice guy to me, but he's undeniably a brilliant athlete in one of the toughest sports in the world and this is quite an inspiring story.  I want him to win his 6th Tour this year.

 

'Persuasion' - Jane Austen.  A bit dull and certainly not her best.  Follows the usual formula.

 

'Good Omens' - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman.  Very funny indeed.  Or at least it was when I was 16.

 

'The Lost Gardens of Heligan' - Tim Smit.  Nice gardens in Cornwall, but crap prose style.  Unreadable, even.

 

'Sense & Sensibility' - Jane Austen.  More of the same from JA.  Quite good, as it goes.

 

'Northanger Abbey' - Jane Austen.  JA does satire, the cheeky scamp.

 

'Notes from a Small Island' - Bill Bryson.  Funny.  He has a soft-spot for us brits, you know.  He's practically one of us.

 

Not sure how many books I'll be bringing back.  Hopefully less than I take - I've got bloody hundreds of the things to read as it is.  Should drink some beer though, eh?

 

Have been working at home today.  I got what I wanted done, but it's pretty hard you know.  It's easy to waste away the day when you are in the office... that's allowed.  But when you are at home, there is so much other stuff you can be doing that I am just overwhelmed with guilt and work harder.  Ah well.  Had the Open on the radio anyway.

 

Right.  Sun's making a rare appearance, so I reckon that I'm going to try and make it out for a quick jog.

 

toodlepip.