Tinkers, maps, gays, criminals. Wait, come back.
Last year for Christmas I was given a book called Tinkers by Paul Harding. I only picked it up as back up for the train home this year but once I started it was impossible to put down (and I had pretty much nothing else to do). It's a great story about an old man dying and clocks. There's more to it than that but... spoilers etc.

Also last year I was given a great book called The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen. It's about a young boy who's a genius and a cartographer. It has a lot of footnotes and a lot of maps.

I'm currently reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. It's incredibly funny. A series of short stories about his life in America and France, about growing up and things that happen along the way. The kind of book that makes people look at you like you're crazy while reading on public transport.

Last one is the Parker novels by Richard Stark. I got my Dad the first one (Point Blank/The Hunter) which subsequently led to him snapping up any and all copies of books in the series in preparation for retirement. These are addictive, compact, economically written crime capers. Parker is an anti hero but you root for him anyway. He's nasty but he knows what needs to be done. There are 24 of them, some better than others but all worth a read.
(cannonfodder fodder for cannons on, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 14:51, 3 replies)

I like David Sedaris
( Ring Of Fire A petty, drooling belming butthurt retard., Fri 6 Jan 2012, 15:00, closed)

David Sedaris is just as funny in person
And quite short as well. Very observant, like one of those small birds you see around that always look like they're plotting something.

Every time any of my friends mentions needing a sign for something, one of us always pipes up with a bit from 'Go Carolina'.
(louveciennes , Volvospotter, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 15:56, closed)

Thank you...
for reminding me about David Sedaris. He's brilliant! R4 ran a little series of his monologues last year, and they were the funniest thing I've heard in aeons.
( parttimebabe is almost there..., Fri 6 Jan 2012, 16:24, closed)