I saw the Charlie Rose program yesterday in which he interviewed Michael Crichton about his new novel, Next. I have not read it, but it sounds good.

The author has an M.D. degree from Harvard and this book apparently deals with genetics; I have enjoyed several of his other books so I will look for this one, too.

I chose to be patriotic and go with a Canadian collection of short stories:

"Home from the Vinyl Cafe", by Stuart McLean.

It seems to be available at Amazon in the US and UK, not that I'm telling you where to get your books...it might be in libraries too... You can also buy the book from the CBC website. "The Vinyl Cafe" is a weekly radio program and there are a number of story collections ...

This was a fine book and all the books that follow in the "The Cat Who Could..." series. Qwill, a reporter who befriends a cat who then helps him to catch the bad guys.

I'm a cat-person myself so I fully believe the story ;) Sometimes you get a better answer when you talk to a cat rather than talking to yourself.

Reading the story now gives ...

I can tell after only 100 or so pages that this is one of those books that's going to make me want to be a better person. Has anyone else read this book?

Niko has picked

The cat who could read backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun

Well I must put my hand up and admit that I didnt get through this book! I've been trying to think why not. Of the bits I've read, about a third, I enjoyed Richard Russo's style of writng quite gentle and relaxed; I found the subject matter interesting and from a perspective and way of life (small town provincial) I had never thought about before. There is some humour, not side-splitting stuff but some passages ...

Hi all,i tend to read at work,well in my van as i'm a mobile service engineer when the physical fatigue kicks in which is normally after a couple of hours.I don't read over fast especially when the vision starts to go dodgy in the afternoon.
I go for the sci fi,horror,fantasy stuff which is generally an easy read.I started to read Dean Koontz but i've got a bit fed up of him.
I've just finished ...

Just in case anyone missed Cagso's choice:

The Risk Pool by Richard Russo

Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Risk-Pool-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0679753834/sr=1-1/qid=1160928949/ref=sr_1_1/104-7869071-5342304?ie=UTF8&s=books

Amazon.co.uk:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Risk-Pool-Richard-Russo/dp/0679753834/sr=1-22/qid=1160942589/ref=sr_1_22/202-8798677-6153469?ie=UTF8&s=books

I don't know Richard Russo so this will be an experience. :) Mine's on order!

How about 17 December to compare notes?

Everyone breathing in the UK in last 20 years is aware of Douglas Adams's work most notably of course The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - and most of us just love it! So I just cant quite understand why I never read this book before? Anyway that means I came to this novel with high expectations. It was to be witty, funny and intelligent and have a geat use of English. The characters were ...

I'm reading a book right now by Bill Bryson called "A Walk in the Woods". It is sooooo funny (gratuitous American Pie reference) and extremely well written. I recommend to anyone. Great read.