What books do you read apart from brewing ones?

I saw elswhere, a topic asking what we did between beers/brews. I read. Lots. Sometimes I forget which book laying around is which. So I thought I'd start a topic on what books we read besides ones on brewing.

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OK I'll go first then..
[center]Reading the OED
Ammon Shea[/center]

Once again, I'd judged a book by it's cover. As a result this book sat in my top drawer (Not even the shelf ) for months before I picked it up. Ammon collects dictionaries, and his girlfriend edits dictionaries. Recently he ordered the Oxford English Dictionary, all 20 volumes, 21730 pages of it, and sat down and read it.. He then wrote a book about it (the OED), and the experience of reading it. Not many authors make me laugh out loud, but this guy had me laughing audibly every few minutes. Here's one reason why.

" Peristeronic (adj.) "Suggestive of pigeons." (OED)

Although I did spend the better part of a year of my life reading this dictionary, and in doing so lost some of my eyesight and much of my mind, it was certainly not in vain. After all one cannot put a value on such things as knowing a word that is defined as "suggestive of pigeons".

[center]My score. 8[/center]

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Good topic Lloydie - I love reading especially if there are some laughs involved. "Reading the OED," sounds like a book I would never pick up but it sounds as though I should.

[center]Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister
Jonathan Lynn & Anthony Jay[/center]

There are only a few books that actually stay on my bookshelf and that I re-read. Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minster are the books I use between reading books. In other words, when I have just finished a book and have nothing else to read, I nearly always grab one of these. They are bloody clever, very funny and very true - too true! These books should be compulsory reading for anyone living in or considering a democracy. Democracy, while good, has some amusing faults.

There are a heap of other books that stay on my bookshelf and that I re-read at least every few years but the above are the easiest and quickest. I also have my favourite thrillers, business books and a few esoteric genres. I might slip these in later in the thread.

Your topic title though asks for Book Reviews. The next book I am going to read (once I have done Yes Minister again) is, "The Boat to Redemption," by Su Tong. He is the same guy that wrote, "Raise the Red Lantern," which you may have seen the movie of. Top stuff!

I saw Su Tong speak at a Sydney Writer's Festival thing my sister dragged me to last week. It was actually really good. I bought the above book for two reasons. Firstly, the movie of, "Raise the Red Lantern," was excellent. Secondly, his translator was hot and I would really like to sleep with her!!!

I'll let you know how it goes.

The book that is.


PP

P.S. Keeping in the spirit of the thread, I'll come back in a few days and with a good quote from one of the "Minister" books. Too tired now to dig one up.

• • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Australia
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• • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Australia
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