Reading matter

It's not very often that I feel compelled to recommend an author or a particular set of books. Books are such a personal thing and what one person thinks is a book that should be read by the entire world population, another person thinks is fire fodder. And people read for many different reasons. Some to learn more of a subject or to better themselves intellectually, others for sheer escapism. Those that fall into the latter category will also be split into the different types of fiction.

That said, there is one book that should be read by the entire population and that is The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Possibly THE best book ever written.

But I digress as that's not the one I want to tell you about . I read for escapism so my taste lies in Science Fantasy, something I read almost exclusively, so if that's not a genre (what an up-your-backside word that is) that interests you, you might want to stop reading now!

I can frequently be found trawling through the virtual shelves that are Amazon looking for the latest by the authors that make it to my preferred list and, occasionally, I venture into the collection of books that Amazon recommends I might enjoy, given my previous purchases. Which, thinking about it, is a bit scary really. A bit of computer software is learning my tastes and preferences. But I'm digressing again.

One of the recommendations was Trudi Canavan and her Black Magician Trilogy. I bought the first, started reading and very quickly ordered the other two. It's classic Science Fantasy with magicians and and a young heroine from the slums made good in the world of magic. But there's something about the way Ms Canavan writes that grips you in from the first page and keeps you held there by the throat until you've finished. Much as I love reading, it takes something very special to make wake up early in the morning so I can pick up the book because I so desperately want to know what happens next.

So if Science Fantasy floats your boat, go buy them now!