In reply to Andy Clarke:
> Just finished Shark by Will Self, the follow-up to Umbrella and equally brilliant in my opinion. Mind you, Self is my favourite contemporary British writer
I tried (again) to read a Will Self novel a few weeks back. Yet again, I couldn't get through the first chapter. All the words appeared to be in the wrong order. Years ago I read some short stories which ranged between utterly brilliant and incomprehensible nonsense (to me, anyway), so 'get to the end [of the first chapter] of a Will Self novel' has been on my list of things to do for years. Maybe I'll try again next decade.
I'm reading Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, (non-fiction, psychology) which is excellent and has been recommended to me for years. If everyone understood the content of this book, the world would be a much, much better place. If my boss understood only a tiny fraction of it, my life would be far better. As such, it's actually quite an infuriating read as it exposes just how much significant human behaviour - the type that affects others, like management and policy - is totally irrational and counter-productive. Frankly, that's obvious, but the detailed reasons why are fascinating.
The last novel (well not really, novella?) I read was When the Professor Got Stuck in the Snow by Dan Rhodes, who I'm a fan of. It's quite amusing, but not his best. I think Timoleon Vita Come Home is the best thing he'll write. I haven't read a good 'serious' novel in a little while, perhaps this thread will throw something up (as the non-fiction one needs breaking up a bit, there's only so much stats you can be interested in at bedtime).