What are you reading outside your genre?

[Lith]

My non-fantasy reading these days is mostly manga, westerns, and NW history. Oregon has a fascinating geological history that I had no idea of until recently.

 

[JFLewis]

I've been reading the Ender books by Orson Scott Card as well as the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.

 

[Anthony G Williams]

I'm currently reading two books, one fiction and one not.

The novel is The Naming of the Dead, by Ian Rankin, one of the long series of crime stories featuring Inspector John Rebus of Edinburgh CID. Gritty and very literate.

The other one is The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts, by Finkelstein and Silberman. This is an unusual read for me, since I'm not religious, but I am interested in archaeology. The book compares what the Bible says with what archaeology is revealing, and is quite fascinating. It has no pro- or anti-religious bias, but is an academic work written by, well, a couple of academics...

 

[alternicity]

I really enjoyed Masks by Fumiko Enchi, and Radiance by Shaena Lambert.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Lately, the majority of my non-SFF reading has been in the area of older mystery novels ... Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, Georgette Heyer.

 

[RcGrant]

Reading material that is currently open next to my bed:

"Great Expectations" (again!)
"Lolita" (again!)
"The Art of Happiness"
"How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth"
A couple of Yaoi Press manga...
aaaaand

a load of old issues of "Fortean Times".

 

[Boneman]

After a gap of two years I've just restarted Shantaram - unbelievable prose, unbelievable storytelling, and breaks all the rules...

 

[ventanamist]

What a good thread. I can't let this fade away.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling - definitely his best book. If you want to create a meaningful, colourful, believable fantasy world, then immerse yourself in Kipling's India. it's exotic and truly fantastical, and it really did exist.

John le Carre. Why hadn't I discovered him before? I'm slowly going through all of his books. poignant, seedy, tense and voyeuristic. I wish I could write like that.

Kazuo Ishaguro. All of them. No, one to go I think. You finish then realise that there is at least one more novel hidden inside that slowly reveals itself to you. Don't understand? Read him, then you will.

Currently enjoying reading Lovely Bones.

 

[J-WO]

a load of old issues of "Fortean Times".

Amen to that! I can't read through an issue of that without getting at least one idea for a tale. It even beats New Scientist in that regard.

 

[HareBrain]

Just started The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, historical fiction set in the Dutch enclave in Nagasaki at the end of the 18thC. After a slightly difficult first chapter, it's been brilliant so far -- so many sentences and phrases to admire and be envious of, but never at the risk of overshadowing character or story. Hoping it keeps it up.

 

[J-WO]

They talked about that one on Radio 4 recently.

 

[Steve S]

I try to read a range of non-fiction as well as novel and short stories, though I tend to focus on areas that relate to the book I am writing. I read a considerable amount of history (and natural hisotry) books. I also like, for inspiration, to read books relating to artists whose work I like; the Taschen range are a good general introductiow/overview of an artist and their life/work.

 

[Toby Frost]

I was briefly ill with a bug, and read Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis and Farewell my Lovely by Raymond Chandler to cheer myself up. They were both brilliant and I'm better now. Hooray!

 

[J-WO]

Read Martin Amis and you'll relapse.

 

[gadgetmind]

I tend to read mostly science fiction books, but also huge numbers of magazines, journals and web sites on science, space and computing. I also read books that give me a glimpse of the world beyond the pampered west, such as "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations" by David Landes, and pretty much anything by Raj Patel.

As a result, my book has a lot of characters that are machines, the science is all hard (I either know or strongly suspect it will work), and the relationship of 1st and 3rd worlds has changed but not improved.

As for the football, well that all comes from the dream: I don't care for the sport, but some of my characters do, and deeply, so I've had to work hard to convey that.

Ian

 

[Langadune]

I'm primarily a sci-fi guy and don't stray from my genre often, but lately I find a good deal more value in variety than I used to. I reread "Band of Brothers" and "Citizen Soldiers" occasionally. At least once a year, I read "The Descent" by Jeff Long which--in case you don't know--bears no resemblance to the movie of the same title. I also pick up "Lonesome Dove" but not unless I'm willing to commit.

I also enjoy Dean Koontz... easy read and the stories draw me in, although after awhile the books can seem to blur together.