Time for a quick round-up of some of the books I’ve been reading.
I’d recommend investing the time in reading Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children. It’s hard to believe that the book is over twenty years old now - it seems more relevant than ever.
Midnight’s Children traces the life of India itself. The narrator is born on the stroke of midnight at the same moment that India achieves independence.
I was reading this book at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan were at their worst. I couldn’t help but feel that if the book were being written today, Salman Rushdie was about to have an all too convenient and final ending handed to him.
I finished reading Midnight’s Children just before I left for my few weeks of sun in Arizona. Just as well - I hate travelling with an almost finished book.
When I travel, especially by ‘plane, I like to have a good Cyberpunk book at my side. There’s something about airports and airplanes that intersects so well with grungy near-future stories.
This time, I took along Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
I had heard that the book was something of a classic in the Cyberpunk world. I can see why. It’s very imaginative, very exciting and surprisingly, very funny.
You have to love a book where the main character is named Hiro Protagonist.
It’s not quite in the same league as Neuromancer, but Snow Crash is a fun read. A must for geeks in transit.