So much to read, but such little time..

No particular category stands out for me, but I enjoy Sci-fi books far more that I do any other other medium on the subject, which baffles number of people..

However, I've just completed The Forever War, which (apart from being a metaphor for Vietnam) proved incredibly entertaining, while managing to maintain an element of plausibility from a Scientific/extra-galactic astronomy standpoint... Not that I'm an expert in that type of thing..

Currently reading Moby Dick, which is both brilliant and baffling all at once..

Ahab is fast becoming a cult favorite - I've not even met the Whale yet..

Finished To Kill a Mockingbird last week. It wasn't at all like I expected it to be, I had all sorts of wrong impressions about what it was about. I did know it was about the trial of a black man for rape, but I didn't realise how small a part of the story the trial itself took up. Almost feel I should read it again with more of an idea of what it's all about, but I'll save that for the future as I've got so much else to read!

I am about halfway through China Mieville's The City & The City. Unfortunately my copy has been ruined by a water spillage, so I'll have to take it up again when I can get a new one. I am actually a little disappointed by it so far. I kind of regret knowing about how the dual nature of the cities works before picking up the book, as the first 50 pages or so seems to rely on you not knowing and gradually making it clear how it works. Also, Mieville seems to have a reputation for stuffing his novels full of ideas, whereas in this one he has basically a couple of ideas that are admittedly quite odd and interesting, but after 200 pages not enough of a novelty to carry it above being basically a crime novel - not a genre I'm terribly interested in. I'm hoping it picks up towards the end, and I will probably give some other Mieville a go as I'm curious about his other more fantasy-style work.

Tempted by recommendations from @Mitchum, @PaulBowes01 & @Dylanwolf, I treated myself to The Iraqi Christ. 'Treated' is both the wrong verb and the right verb. It's one of those rare books that really is original & surprising. It's also one of those rare books that burrows under the skin of your brain, mind & metaphorical soul and makes them crawl. Or perhaps, looking at it from a different angle, burrows under the skin of the human condition and starts chewing it off, exposing the innards of mankind and its political systems.

I read in a state of alert - disconcerted, transfixed, startled & a bit scared. The 'madmen', the wolves, the lonely refugees in Finnish forests, ordinary people's capacity for devious & deviant violence - some of the images, oh my word.

Certain tones in the stories reminded me of Kafka and Keret, but Hassan Blasim is his own writer. If Keret’s the tenor and Kafka’s the baritone who sing front of stage, Blasim’s the bass who unnerves by singing from the deep shadows. I must read The Madman of Freedom Square. Gentlemen: thanks for sharing the recommendation. It's a treat to read something so provocative and original.