Holiday reading

On a slightly happier topic...

Over the holiday I read:

"By Hook or By Crook" by David Crystal - a book exploring the languages of Britain while driving through Wales. Not bad; well-written, even if not all that memorable in the end.

"Stars in my pocket like grains of sand" by Samuel R Delany. I've wanted to read this for a while now, but haven't been able to find a copy. Apparently the Brisbane City Library system has almost none of his books. So I picked this one up second hand at Salamanca Markets and read it. It was good. Science fiction, of course, set in a distant future with humanity spread across 6000 star systems, and explores the differences in human cultures that have evolved. I'll need to read it again to get a better idea of what its about.

I also picked up "Hells Gates" by Paul Collins, and "Pashazade"and "Effendi" by Jon Courtenay Grimwood, but haven't read them yet.