Just listened to him read On Writing on CD. Damn if he can't read a book on writing like nobody's business on top of writing one... Great stuff.

In reply to this comment by dag:
Second that. I loved that book. I don't usually like non-fiction, but damn if Stephen King can't make a non-fiction guide on writing into a page turner.

In reply to this comment by blahpook:
His book, On Writing, is simply excellent.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Second that. I loved that book. I don't usually like non-fiction, but damn if Stephen King can't make a non-fiction guide on writing into a page turner.

In reply to this comment by blahpook:
His book, On Writing, is simply excellent.

^Can't wait for your new holy book to come out, Standards Messiah. The Apocalypse of Brainless Dipshittery should be a frightful page-turner. Keep me posted on its release date. I'll try to schedule my toilet paper purchases accordingly.

Currently reading Wikipedia, I brought only one book on my trip and I read it twice already. So Wiki is filling a large void, did you know that SS uniforms were designed by Hugo Boss? No wai!

As for the book, if you can call it that it's called "The Know It All Book" and basically covers topics on Science, Philosophy, History, Visual Arts, Music, Literature and Religion. A sort of refresher course, expanding horizons and completing education shindig (I totally got that off the back cover). But at least now I can say that late 19th century Romanticism is for douche bags with some certain authority.

Recently I also read Richard Herman's "Against All Enemies", this is about as airport trash as you can get, and the man is totally phoning in Tom Clancy, still a very good page turner though afterwards I felt like I simply wasted my time. I just noticed on Nexttag that he has some perverse pleasure in having the front cover of his books ripped in two, must be some stylistic thing, but god it annoyed me when I was reading the book. It's selling for less then a dollar now... its worth less then the paper its printed on.

Before leaving Kuwait I read Fear up Harsh - An Army Interrogator's Dark Journey Through Iraq which was a great first account of someone whose idealism for helping his nation win a war slowly wanes after witnessing pressure to produce 'results', using dubious techniques. It's a very human account, highly recommended reading for those trying to get an insight into how Army Intelligence operated in Iraq, both good and bad. The comments on Amazon.com are hilarious really -

"No matter how poignant, timely, or interesting Mr. Lagouranis's story may be, or how sincere and intelligent he comes across in an interview on television, we are at war, ladies and gentleman. Our soldiers' lives are risked every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Efforts such as Mr. Lagouranis's, written in the safety and shelter of the United States, undermine theirs so far away, and play into directly the hands of our sophisticated enemies."

Which shows the person hardly read the book at all.

On my last trip here I read two books of Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Tunnel In The Sky. Both excellent sci-fi books, especially the Moon Is A Harsh Mistress which reads like a manual for rebellion against an oppressive government, especially interesting if you read Starshi
p Troopers.

I also read P.D. James' Children of Men, which was adapted into the movie, and wasn't surprised that I liked the book far more then the film as it is beautifully written, far darker then the film and ends differently.

PS: If you are looking for some good Sci Fi to read, its always good to consult Hugo Award winners, here is a list on Amazon for pre-2000 winners, there is another for post-2000 as well.

PPS: I also highly recommend Life of Pi, one of the best books I read.

Now I will shut up.

Currently, reading the seventh, and final book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Sure he's not a highly regarded 'literary giant', but dangit if I don't find his books to be great page turners.

And the Dark Tower series has kept me reading right through all seven books where a lot of other books can't even get me to read all the way through. As such I would recommend the series.

As for the best book I've read recently... hmm... tough one, mostly because I forget what I've read recently really. Nope, I'd have to line up the books I've read over the past year to be able to answer that, because I just can't remember what I've read!