Books: 2006

Books I have read and finished in 2006:

January 2006:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling
Absolutely stunning. I am completely in love with Harry Potter.
February 2006:
Gangs - Tony Thompson
Fantastic. I've written a review here.
March 2006:
Siren Rising - James R Blandford
P J Harvey biography. Could have been a LOT better. Review here.
The Magician's Nephew - C. S. Lewis
A nice introduction to the Narnia Chronicles.
April 2006:
Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis
Absolutely amazingly brilliant. Review here.
One Hundred Strokes of the Brush Before Bed - Melissa P.
Worth reading. :0)
May 2006
The World's Greatest True Crime - Colin Wilson (ed.)
Really quite cool. Loads and loads of interesting information... I really enjoyed it. Review here.
June 2006
The Rules of Attraction - Bret Easton Ellis
Grynnie got me this. Phenomenal. I now want to read every, single last book Bret Easton Ellis has written, including his semi-autobiographical account, Lunar Park. But apparently you need to read all his novels first before reading that.
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers - Jim Dwyer / Kevin Flynn
Absolutely superb. This book will stay with me for a long time.
July 2006
Companero: Life and Death of Che Guevara - Jorge Castaneda
I finally finished this, about 3 years after I started it!!! Review here.
August 2006
Smacked - Melinda Ferguson
The true and harrowing tale of a Johannesburg junkie. Strangely enough, I'd rather seek her out at a meeting and listen to her share than read the end of the story. I made a once of exception to the rule that I must finish the books I begin. I really was happy to skim through the last third of the book. Despite saying this, I really do recommend you run out and read this book now.
Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palaniuk
A great introduction to this author - I will definitely be reading more of his stuff.
Catch Me A Killer - Micki Pistorius
An absolutely phenomenal account of serial killers in South Africa. Pistorius is considered one of the best profilers in the world, by the best profilers in the world. She has worked with and learned from the most talented profilers at the FBI, and is perhaps single-handedly responsible for the numerous records South Africa has broken in the solving of serial crimes and the speedy apprehension of serial killers. I own another one of her books and a second one is doing the rounds in my books club, and so I hope to eventually read each and every one of her books.
September 2006
The Edible Woman - Margaret Atwood
I've been reading Margaret Atwood for 15 years now, and I have been so moved by so many of her books (Cat's Eye, Handmaid's Tale & Surfacing, to name a few). I'm pleased to say that this book has not disappointed in any way. It is absolutely masterful, almost erotic in places, full of symbolism and intent. It's classic Atwood and has me wanting to haul out all of my older books and re-read them. (And I don't often re-read books). It is amazing to see how much her writing has changed as she has grown older, but it is equally astonishing that I'm well into my 30's now and her books still have the same hold on me, no matter in which stage of her life she was writing them. This is an important author, as much now as she was in the 70's. Read all of her books.
October 2006
An Unpopular War - J H Thompson
Just A Boy - Richard McCann
November 2006
Bodily Harm - Margaret Atwood
I'm having a bit of trouble deciding how I feel about this book. Maybe I'll return another time.