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Personal Ad # 74913

I love books, but I prefer browsing in a library (I don't know of any used book stores around here). I'm rather confused at how some stores sort their books, and they don't always have everything. Now I buy most of my books online. Not only are they easier to browse a huge selection, they're cheaper (even with shipping).

My favorite genre is fantasy, and I like some historical books (E. L. Doctorow is a current favorite). I haven't read much science fiction, though. One time I tried to read Dune, but I put it down after I saw the glossary. I know it's supposed to be good, but I wasn't in the mood to learn vocabulary from another planet. I don't read too many mainstream novels, but I liked John Irving after read "A Prayer for Owen Meany".

If you like strange things, try "Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn. I haven't read it yet, but it came highly recommended. It's about a family of circus freaks who experiment with "genetic engineering" to breed freak children, and it's written in an earnest tone that presents this as a good thing. The parents even favor the stranger children because they can bring in more customers. The main character is one of the freak children, a girl, who's not deformed enough and mostly ignored by her parents. She somehow got her brother who can do telekinesis to get a sperm from another brother's body because he's their parents' favorite, in hopes that she'll get a child strange enough to raise her standing. The next part is sort of a spoiler, but it's the most interesting part (it is NOT the ending). $$$ The child was a girl who's completely normal and rather beautiful, except for one thing--a tail. She became an exotic dancer. And I don't know what happens after that.$$$

I went on Amazon and read some of the reader reviews there. It's one of those things that people either love or hate with no middle ground. I guess the suggestion is don't read it if you're firmly entrenched in your dogma and can't keep an open mind.

"Smilla's Sense Of Snow," by Peter H�eg. WOW. I've always been fascinated by Arctic cultures & this book really helped to understand. It's primarily a mystery, but it has a subtle sci-fi edge to it; the movie made out of it with Julia Ormond & Gabriel Byrne was fairly good, too. (I'm listening to the soundtrack right now)

"Warday," by Whitley Streiber & James Kunetka. It's out of print, but if you find a copy at the library or in an old/used bookstore, GET IT. READ IT. It's semi-sci-fi, but it's fantastic. I'm not a Streiber fan; in fact, I think the man to be a quack. But the story is powerful. Written in 1984, the novel postulates a short 30-minute nuclear exchange between the US & the USSR in October, 1988. Flash-forward 5 years & Whitley & Jim decide to travel around the country to see the effects of Warday on the US & how it's changed life. Primarily written in the 1st person, it's an extremely moving story about human survival, struggle, & a hell of a primer on nuclear warfare.

The Dead Sea Scrolls. Holy Christ. I started reading these because of references to them in the anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion"....I still have yet to read them all, but what I HAVE read is MAJOR way cool. You thought the Bible was barbaric & doom-foretelling? UH-UH. The Scrolls are FULL of that shit. Even if you're not a religion or spirituality freak, you've gotta read.

There's more, but most of it is series or author stuff: Clive Cussler, P.D. James' Cordelia Gray books, Douglas Adams.....although I STILL think that "Stranger In A Strange Land" should be required reading for everyone.