Naked

Well, that wasn't the picture you were expecting, was it?

I have heard David Sedaris on the radio so was expecting this book to be funny. Naked far exceeded my expectations. Some of the stories in this book had me laughing out loud, tears running down my face.

I was reading this book while sitting in the sun at a local coffee shop, trying to keep the laughter down to non-embarrassing levels and not aspirate my capuccino. Two fellow patrons come up as they were leaving and asked me what I was reading that was so funny. That it was the chapter when his mom is diagnosed with lung cancer and the family copes with the news in weird and wonderful ways might have put them off just a bit.

Worth a read.

A Reliable Wife

I read a half a dozen rave reviews of this book and decided that I had to read it for myself. I wish I hadn't.

Yes, there were twists and turns and, every step along the way, I found that I didn't believe a word of it. I didn't care about the characters or find them credible. It couldn't end fast enough.

And, if you read reviews that tell you the book is set in New England, unless the state of Wisconsin has moved east in the last 20 years, it isn't.

Give it a miss.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I've just finished reading this one and couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the next one in Larsson's Millenium trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire.

Worth a read.

E=MC2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation

I know that I'm a technerd and a bit of a geek, but I really enjoyed this book.

In the true style of a biography, it starts off with the background of each of the individual components of the equation and then moves on to the lies, deceits, illicit affairs, mismanagement and misadventures of those who were involved in deriving the equation, studying it, proving it and using it. It shows the key role this equation played in World War II and how it continues to affect our everyday lives.

Worth a read.