Closest thing to an enjoyable book that I’ve had time to read in the last 12 months was Planet Law School, a book about how to succeed at America’s most demanding graduate program.
Sigh…you know, I got Stephen King’s Bag of Bones for Christmas in 1998, and I haven’t had time to read it yet.
“The Lost Continent” by Bill Bryson
ohmygod…I laughed SO hard that I had to lie down and put a damp washcloth on my eyes…whoo boy! absolutely hilarious!
Writefetus, The Lost Continient was written by Terry Pratchett. yOu need to know that to find the 7000 other hillarious books he has written.
For me, in the last 12 months, I would have to say Willian Gibson’s Neuromancer It was proabably the first piece of science fiction I have enjoyed in five years.
Does a re-read favorite count? I read Olive Higgins Prouty’s wonderful tearjerking novel “Now Voyager” again a few months ago. One of those books I enjoy all over again every few years.
10-8 - A cop’s honest look at life on the street.
** Minor hijack **
Manda JO - There is undoubtedly more than one book out there with the title of “The Lost Continent”, for Bill Bryson is most definitely the author of such a book. I read this book back around the time of its orignal publication - early 80’s?
Writefetus - If you liked TLC, you MUST read another of Bill’s more recent books. I highly recommend “I’m a Stranger Here Myself”, which is a collection of short pieces that were, I believe, originally newspaper or magazine columns. HILARIOUS! And there’s a book on tape version read by the author that is just the best. The general theme of the book is Bill’s observations upon returning to live in America after 20 years in England, but the pieces cover a wide range of subjects both mundane/pointless and more significant. He also did a book about living in Europe (Neither Here Nor There), and one about his attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail (A Walk in the Woods). I read that he has a new book coming out later this year, for which I can’t wait. Bill’s a great writer, and does excellent readings of his own work on books-on-tape (I have yet to hear anyone else do a good reading of one of his books, unfortunately). At any rate, run don’t walk to your nearest library or bookstore and check out “I’m a Stranger Here Myself”. You can thank me later, after you’ve recovered from the spasmodic fits of laughter.
And now, back to regular programming.
I’m with quadell, Fight Club was awesome.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Just to clear up a minor confusion:
Bryson wrote “The Lost Continent”
“My mind reels with sarcastic replies!” - Snoopy
Jodi
Fiat Justitia
Anything by EVE! Love ya EVE! 
Where’s my side of FUN!?
Kisses!
Ophy
Comments from me, the original poster:
Love, Me
“The Catcher in the Rye”
Yeah, yeah. I was also the last person on Earth to see the movie “E.T.”
“We are here for this – to make mistakes and to correct ourselves, to withstand the blows and to hand them out.” Primo Levi
And ladies of the club by Helen Hooven Santmeyer, picked up at a used bookstore.
A wonderful story of a small town in Ohio from the end of the civil war to the end of World War I.
Do books on tape count? (I haven’t read a whole book in quite a while.)
If they do count, then the best book I’ve had read to me as a book-on-tape in the last 12 months is the one and only Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. Better’n Kenneth Branagh and Robert De Niro. Much better’n Boris Karloff. Plus, one of the readers was Michael Page, who’s always intelligible and whose British accent always makes him sound “sophisticated” to us American listeners.
Incident at Twenty Mile by Trevanian
All the western cliches, turned on their ear. History, sociology, mining, psycho killers, romance – it’s got all of it.
“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.
That was a well-plotted piece of non-claptrap that never made me want to retch.
Sorry, I can’t stick to one! I am a bibliophile!!
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Bag of Bones by Stephen King
The Green Mile by Stephen King
Rather, I was in the position of a spore which, having finally accepted its destiny as a fungus, still wonders if it might produce penicillin.
–Ayi Kwei Armah
Just finished it last night. The Character of Physical Law by Richard Feynman. It’s a bit outdated and it’s all stuff I have learned about before, but he turns it into such a neat experience. It was like being at church(or at least what being at chyrch should feel like. ;))
Oh, I haven’t read that in ages. Did you read the sequel (I think the title was Pigs from Heaven)?
As for mine… wanders around for several minutes looking at books…umm…either Flynn by Gregory MacDonald or Taltos by Steven Brust (well, maybe one of his other Jhereg novels). Maybe…