The Great 2009 Book Odyssey Part 1

Newspapers like to fill their weekend pages with supplements full of things we must do. The 100 Council Estates to Escape Before You Die, The 750 Types of Cheese You Simply Must Smell Before the End of this Week - that sort of thing. I don't normally pay that much attention to these supplements, however a few weeks ago The Guardian was running a series called the 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. I decided I wanted read as many of them as I could. However, to make it manageable I've decided to read the Sci-Fi & Fantasy segment during 2009. I know its yet another example of me nailing my nerd colours to the mast but never mind...

1) Douglas Adams - Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ***** (an old favourite)
2) Brian Aldiss - Non Stop ****
3) Isaac Asimov - Foundation *****
4) Margaret Atwood - The Blind Assassin ** (not a fan of Atwood really)
5) Paul Auster - In The Country of Last Things ****
6) Iain Banks - The Wasp Factory ****

I'd read Hitchhikers, The Wasp Factory and Foundation before, but it's always a pleasure to revisit them. I haven't read a book as riveting as the Country of Last Things for ages. It isn't a long book, but I read it in a matter of hours - its definitely worth seeking out.

Movies
X-Men: The Last Stand ***
S.W.A.T **
Outbreak ***
Assault on Precinct 13 (the newer one) ***
Unbreakable ****
(I think it may actually be his best film - better than 6th Sense)
Tigerland ***
Mission Impossible 2 ***
Wall E *****
Dances with Wolves *****
Sin City **
(I saw it at the cinema and thought it was good - on the small screen its all style and no substance)