Ok Simon, so here’s my favourite book at the moment “The Accidental Tourist” by Anne Tyler. It’s great and as an added bonus I got it free from a really great shop in Hay-on-Wye. Anyway, give it a go and let me know what you think.

I agree that Harry Potter is over-rated - in fact when I got the first book as a birthday gift, I started reading it about 4 times before I eventually went out and bought all the rest of the series (so far), and read them all in one go out of a sense of duty. I have to say that I’m not remotely interested in what happens to the lot of them, but as a Cub Scout leader I feel I need to be abreast of current trends.

My favourite is Tropic of Ruislip by Leslie Thomas but it’s very closely followed by Goodnight & Loving and Departures & Arrivals by the same author. The good thing about them is it takes very little brain capacity to read them which in my case is a massive advantage.

Simon - my favourite book is the Penguin “Complete Sherlock Holmes” which has all of the SH stories conventiently chronologically in a single volume.

However, I’m guessing you’ve already read the equivalent of that, so next on the fave list comes anything by Jules Verne.

Finally, if you could do me a favour, please read “Foucault’s Pendulum” by Umberto Eco, and explain to me what the hell it is about. I got halfway through and gave up before my brain caved in.

On an entirely unrelated note (as this Blog entry is), I scored 140 on the BBC “Test The Nation” IQ proggy this evening. Can anyone reading these comments beat this braineous score?

hi simon
my fav book is notes from a small island by bill bryson
great little book by a very witty and observant man
keep up the good work
mac

My favourite book ever is “An Equal Music” by Vikram Seth. It’s a romance about a pair of musicians.

I played the “Test the Nation” via interactive digital TV (so my score wasn’t counted on the show). I got 64/70, making an IQ of apparently 133. Last time I had an IQ test was via snail mail as a teenager, at which time I scored 140. I’m presently 26 years old.

I think I can admit that I am slightly stupider than I used to be. As a (close) friend of Simon’s, I can safely say that Simon is and always has been slightly stupid but at the same time cleverly creative and intellectual.

Hi Colin,
Are you THE Colin?

THE Colin? I don’t know. How many Colins are there? Am I to assume that I might be famous in some respect? That would be most satisfying.

Thanks for all the replies so far. I’ll read all the books suggested.

Carol - So if I go to Hay-on-Wye can I get The Accidental Tourist for free?

el10t - Yes, I have that exact edition of Sherlock Holmes. I’ve not read any Jules Verne though, so I’ll give him a go.

Colin - don’t go round calling me clever in public! You’ll ruin my reputation! And I think el10t meant are you the Colin mentioned in lots of places on this site (my America journal, for a start).

el10t - yes, he is.

Oh, and el10t, I can beat your score. I don’t know what my IQ is, but I figure anyone who doesn’t watch two hours of Anne Robinson and Phillip Schofield must be cleverer than people who do.

Good answer! You win with an IQ of 141.

I don’t think that The Accidental Tourist will be free if you go to Hay-on-Wye. I got my copy a couple of years ago. The bookshop (and I can’t remember the name of it - probably something like Hay-on-Wye bookshop or something) always has books stacked in front of the counter. When you go to pay for the vast number of extraordinarily cheap books, the cashier always says “those ones in front of the counter are free - help yourself” The first year I went I couldn’t quite believe that they would give away perfectly good books, so I only chose one based on the cover which had that kind of satin sheen that is very smooth and is found on almost all new books now, but used to be quite uncommon. My feeling was that I could at least enjoy smoothing my free book even if it was crap! It turned out to be really good though and guess what - it was “The Accidental Tourist” by Anne Tyler. Anyway, that’s my long story about how I got the book, but if you’re really hard up I’ll lend you my copy - just let me have your address.

By the way, my subsequent visits to Hay haven’t been as fruitful in regard to free books; yes, there have been plenty but unfortunately greed has gotten the better of me, and I haven’t found a really good one yet, so be warned!

I’d *love* to tell you my favourite book is “the portrait of Dorian Gray” (which is damn good), or even Salman Rushdies “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” (which is also excellent), or perhaps even “Swastika Night” by Katherine Burdekin - but I’m afraid my repressed teenage years are going to come out now…

…my favourite book is “The Wizard’s First Rule” by Terry Goodkind. The first few chapters are a cliche-ridden nightmare, but before you know it, you’re completely engrossed in the storyline, and long for a chance to be able to finish it off.

I’m afraid my favourite book isn’t intellectual either - its ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ by Douglas Adams.

Hi,

My fav. book is Illusions by Richard Bach. Depending on your perspective, it either about the second messiam or a man with an aircraft.

Also worth a read is ‘The Children’s Story’ by James Clavell. I read this book almost 20 years ago and even now in this post 9/11 world it makes chilling reading.

EAP

My fave book - is “Magic Kingdom - For Sale, Sold” by Terry Brooks - it is an excellent book about a lawyer who finds an advert for a magical kingdom that is up for sale… BTW my IQ score was 140 and I did it on the internet well before the programme on the beeb (Do I get bonus points?!?)

I enjoy reading your blogs! But my favourite books are the Swallows & Amazons series by Arthur Ransom.
I can’t believe that children were ever allowed to be as free to have the adventures that these ones do!
But it is all jolly good fun!!
You should be able to get them from the library or even second hand if you’re lucky.
ttfn
Jane
San Diego CA

Read “Johnny and the Bomb” by Terry Pratchett. I’d recommend it to anyone but it’s advisable to be able to think sideways - its about time travel and how every time someone goes back in time they create a pair of trousers, two parallel times going off side by side, because once something has happened it can’t “un-happen". Confused?! Don’t be put off, read it and you’ll love it.

By the way I have an IQ of 136…all those of us over 120 could enter Mensa - if we wanted.

Great site :)

I did supervised mensa test last week and my iq is found to be 146 (i am 26) The required iq for mensa membership is 148 so I am just below! unfortunately alyson it’s not those over 120 though I believe it should be as I feel that anyone in the top 5% (I’m top 3%) should be able to join mensa. I missed out being in top 2% by those 2 iq points and I feel as isolated as ever!!