On The Beach, by Nevil Shute
The cool cover sucked me in, and I wasn't disappointed - this was really good. The title was somehow familiar but it wasn't 'til after reading it that I discovered that a couple of film adaptations had been produced. It's a story following the lives of folks in Melbourne soon after a nuclear war, as they wait for the radioactivity to sweep into the southern hemisphere and wipe out the remainder of humanity. Charming, no? Actually it really is. The end seems inevitable but they do have some time to live a little before it arrives.. what do they get up to? What would you do? That's where the fun is. Okay well it's not all good times, but there are no mad dashes for fallout shelters (what are they?) or for clean air (ah, who needs it). I loved The Stand and the way that it showed civilisation crashing down to a close but this is completely different and in its own way just as interesting.
The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy
Brilliant but very tragic and sad. Somehow I never got around to reading this before now, but I'm glad that I finally have. After taking in its almost relentlessly cynical observations of human nature though I think I'll need some time out with a few light happy stories or something. Even the happier/funnier moments were tinged with sadness, knowing the tragedies that were to follow. I guess that's no accident, with the way the story swings back & forth in time like a pendulum until it finishes with the central unforgivable act that marks the beginning of the end.. Well worth reading though. I loved catching the little back & forth references thrown in everywhere, and I especially loved Arundhati Roy's ability to channel the crazy little thought processes of children. She's well and truly in touch with her inner child, woe be to the little bugger that ever tries to put one over her. Can't wait 'til she releases the second book, be damned if I'll wait as long to get around to reading it.