I was encouraged by a contact from rainbowgirl to think again about the books I read or have read when I read her blog.  I was surprised to see that she had read some of the books I had read considering that she at age seventeen and me at age nearly sixty-seven I had some idea that she would like books so much different from my taste.   Wrong! I'm pleased to say.  Yes, I did thing that Pullman's story was a bit weak but the middle volume was excellent; and I too enjoyed and still do enjoy The Hitchhiker's Guide but do not recommend trying Arthur Dent's method of learning to fly - it hurts.  Lord of the Rings is one along with The Hobbit, CS Lewis Narnia stories and the Alice stories as well from Carroll. 

I can recommend The Half Men of O by Maurice Gee, The Life of Pi as a must read and try Catch 22 which is barmy; and also by Heller God Knows - but read a little about the Biblical David first.  As a man who has read all of Shakespeare's works, acted in a Henry V and is currently, among many other projects re-writing Hamlet from the point of view of an infinite number of monkeys, who also writes poems I also have read many books and continue to do so.  Current read is Varney the Vampyre having also for many years enjoyed Dracula and Frankenstein. 

I also dive into romances and such classics as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and its counterpoint The Far Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, taken a look at Albert Camus - La Peste - and read Les Miserable, The Naming of the Rose and such quaint stories as The Thirteen Clocks and  The Wonderful O.  

My reading covers all areas from thrillers, Crime, Comedy, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Autobiography, Biographies, academic reading for subjects ranging from History to Modern technology; in fact anything that interests me.  Most importantly although we have the interenet as a most useful resource I still take pleasure in sitting down somewhere and reading a book .  In this way I discovered that Mills and Boon also have much to offer because when you research the genre you learn how they work and understand the need and apepal of the market. 

The world of literature from wherever you approach it is rich with pleasure and knowledge and its is great to hear from young people who appreciate the media.  Okay so rainbowgirl is not entirely unique but she is refreshingly exciting and has a lively and witty blog which I put down to her eclectic tastes.   As a Teaching Assistant at a Secondary school working with post sixteen students I meet young people with wide reading tastes who are also willing to read beyond their interests.  Rainbowgirl has reminded me of that.  Thanks.