What I’m reading…

Books are great. They take you into worlds that you’d never otherwise visit, show you sights that you wouldn’t ever dream of until someone takes you by the hand and says “Look”. Books can make you laugh, make you cry, make you angry, inform you. Within their pages there are millions of stories, billions of characters just waiting for you to discover them.

If you don’t read, then I feel sorry for you, because you’re missing out on so much. Not only all the magic contained within the pages, but also the pages themselves. As physical objects, books offer a tactile, sensual experience that can’t be matched by TV or the internet. Don’t be one of those people that says “Oh yeah, I saw that movie”, be one of those people that says “Oh yeah, I loved that book”.

I’ve been keeping this list for a little while now – since about the middle of 2007 – and it’s getting quite long, so I’ve split the books into years (at least roughly – not sure exactly where the split came between 2007 and 2008) and have split the current year into months. The most recent stuff is always at the top, and the top-most book is either the one that I’m currently reading or the one that I have just finished.

That’s about it; why are you still reading this page? Go and read a book! You’ll be glad you did.

August 2010
162 (35) : Theodore Boone by John Grisham

July 2010
161 (34) : The Catcher In The Rye by J D Salinger
160 (33) : To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

June 2010
159 (32) : In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
158 (31) : Strange Wine by Harlan Ellison
157 (30) : A Dark Matter by Peter Straub

May 2010
156 (29) : Changes (Dresden Files 12) by Jim Butcher
155 (28) : Turn Coat (Dresden Files 11) by Jim Butcher
154 (27) : Small Favour (Dresden Files 10) by Jim Butcher
153 (26) : Ghost Story by Peter Straub

April 2010
152 (25) : Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub
151 (24) : The Clocks by Agatha Christie
150 (23) : Duma Key by Stephen King
149 (22) : Shades Of Grey by Jasper Fforde

March 2010
148 (21) : The Queen and I by Sue Townsend

February 2010
147 (20) : Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years by Sue Townsend
146 (19) : Adrian Mole And The Weapons Of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend
145 (18) : The Saint In London by Leslie Charteris
144 (17) : The Saint Intervenes by Leslie Charteris

January 2010
143 (16) : The Saint Meets His Match by Leslie Charteris
142 (15) : Saint Errant by Leslie Charteris
141 (14) : Enter The Saint by Leslie Charteris
140 (13) : Queen Camilla by Sue Townsend
139 (12) : Number Ten by Sue Townsend
138 (11) : Aberystwyth Mon Amour by Malcolm Pryce
137 (10) : Gridlock by Ben Elton
136 (09) : Popcorn by Ben Elton
135 (08) : Indecent Exposure by Tom Sharpe
134 (07) : Ten Little Niggers by Agatha Christie
133 (06) : The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
132 (05) : Ford County by John Grisham
131 (04) : Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case by Agatha Christie
130 (03) : Blott On The Landscape by Tom Sharpe
129 (02) : Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years by Sue Townsend
128 (01) : True Confessions Of Adrian Albert Mole by Sue Townsend

2009
127 (54) : The Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
126 (53) : The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend
125 (52) : The Red House Mystery by A A Milne
124 (51) : The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
123 (50) : Assault On England by Nick Carter
122 (49) : The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower: Vol VII) by Stephen King
121 (48) : Song Of Susannah (The Dark Tower: Vol VI) by Stephen King
120 (47) : Wolves Of The Calla (The Dark Tower: Vol V) by Stephen King
119 (46) : Wizard And Glass (The Dark Tower: Vol IV) by Stephen King
118 (45) : The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower: Vol III) by Stephen King
117 (44) : The Drawing Of The Three (The Dark Tower: Vol II) by Stephen King
116 (43) : The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower: Vol I) by Stephen King
115 (42) : Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
114 (41) : Whit by Iain Banks
113 (40) : I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
112 (39) : The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
111 (38) : Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
110 (37) : Generation A by Douglas Coupland
109 (36) : Smoked by Patrick Quinlan
108 (35) : Just After Sunset by Stephen King
107 (34) : Necrophenia by Robert Rankin
106 (33) : Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
105 (32) : The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
104 (31) : The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World by Harry Harrison
103 (30) : The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
102 (29) : Elvis – The Novel by Robert Graham & Keith Baty
101 (28) : Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
100 (27) : Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
099 (26) : Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
098 (25) : Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
097 (24) : Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett
096 (23) : Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
095 (22) : Pyramids by Terry Pratchett
094 (21) : Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
093 (20) : Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
092 (19) : Mort by Terry Pratchett
091 (18) : Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
090 (17) : The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
089 (16) : The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
088 (15) : The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
087 (14) : Roots by Alex Haley
086 (13) : The Ghosts of Sleath by James Herbert
085 (12) : Dead Air by Iain Banks
084 (11) : Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer
083 (10) : A Most Wanted Man by John le Carre
082 (09) : Fatal Revenant by Stephen Donaldson
081 (08) : Dead Aim by Iris Johansen
080 (07) : The Associate by John Grisham
079 (06) : D Is For Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
078 (05) : Dead Right by Peter Robinson
077 (04) : Back From The Dead by Chris Petit
076 (03) : Dead Cert by Dick Francis
075 (02) : The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter
074 (01) : Dead Simple by Peter James

2008
073 (42) : The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
072 (41) : First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
071 (40) : Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
070 (39) : Well Of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
069 (38) : Lost In A Good Book by Jasper Fforde
068 (37) : The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
067 (36) : Waiting For Godalming by Robert Rankin
066 (35) : Witches Of Chiswick by Robert Rankin
065 (34) : Website Story by Robert Rankin
064 (33) : Knees Up, Mother Earth by Robert Rankin
063 (32) : Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
062 (31) : Backwards (A Red Dwarf Novel) by Rob Grant
061 (30) : Last Human (A Red Dwarf Novel) by Doug Naylor
060 (29) : The Damnation Game by Clive Barker
059 (28) : Floating Dragon by Peter Straub
058 (27) : Mystery by Peter Straub
057 (26) : The Throat by Peter Straub
056 (25) : White Knight (Dresden Files 9) by Jim Butcher
055 (24) : Proven Guilty (Dresden Files 8 ) by Jim Butcher
054 (23) : Dead Beat (Dresden Files 7) by Jim Butcher
053 (22) : Blood Rites (Dresden Files 6) by Jim Butcher
052 (21) : Death Masks (Dresden Files 5) by Jim Butcher
051 (20) : Summer Knight (Dresden Files 4) by Jim Butcher
050 (19) : Grave Peril (Dresden Files 3) by Jim Butcher
049 (18) : The Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
048 (17) : Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
047 (16) : The Saint and Mr Teal by Leslie Charteris
046 (15) : Fool Moon (Dresden Files 2) by Jim Butcher
045 (14) : Storm Front (Dresden Files 1) by Jim Butcher
044 (13) : Dead Zone by Stephen King
043 (12) : Lost In A Good Book by Japser Fforde
042 (11) : The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
041 (10) : A Long December by Donald Harstad
040 (09) : The Business by Iain Banks
039 (08) : Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
038 (07) : Frankie Howerd: Stand-Up Comic by Graham McCann
037 (06) : Blaze by Stephen King
036 (05) : Charles Hawtrey: The Man Who Was Private Widdle by Roger Lewis
035 (04) : Mr X by Peter Straub
034 (03) : Abarat 2: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
033 (02) : Abarat by Clive Barker
028 (01) : The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (5 books)

2007 (Second Half)
027 : Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift
026 : Around The World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
025 : White Night by Jim Butcher
024 : The Appeal by John Grisham
023 : The Runes of the Earth by Stephen Donaldson
022 : The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde
021 : Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
020 : Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin
019 : Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
018 : Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
014 : ..according to Spike Milligan by Spike Milligan (4 books)
013 : Moby Dick by Herman Melville
012 : The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
011 : A Long December by Donald Harstad
010 : You’ll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again by Julia Phillips
009 : The Big Thaw by Donald Harstad
008 : Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman
007 : Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman
006 : Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
005 : The Princess Bride by William Goldman
004 : The Moon’s A Balloon by David Niven
003 : Bring On The Empty Horses by David Niven
002 : Houses without Doors by Peter Straub
001 : Slow Burn By Don Oakley (my review of this weighty tome is here)