{one book, two books...}

I'm getting plenty of inspiration for my reading from this mini quiz - a great idea from Stuck In A Book.

1. The book I'm currently reading:

The Ghost Map 

by Steven Johnson.

I am completely enthralled by Johnson's exploration of how the terrifying cholera epidemic in Soho, London in 1854 was traced to the Broad Street Pump. This book is a really accessible introduction to the history of epidemiology. There's a great companion web site too here.

2. The last book I finished:

Living Dead in Dallas 

by Charlaine Harris.

Eek! A vampire book... I loved the first one in the series (Dead Until Dark - {REVIEW}) and am now completely hooked on the lively, witty and well-written adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, telepath and waitress.

3. The next book I want to read:

This is tricky as I already have far too many books on the go at once, but I think I will probably bury myself in the excellent Americans in Paris: Life and Death Under Nazi Occupation 1940-1944 by Charles Glass.

4. The last book I bought:

On my Kindle: 

The Serbian Dane 

by Leif Davidsen. 

I've wanted to read this for EVER but it has been out of print or too expensive. And then it popped up for the Kindle (and for Australia, which is the really tricky part) and finally it is mine.

5. The last book I was given:

This is a funny one: a good friend of mine from the UK was on sabbatical in the US and went on a trip to Tennessee. She knows that I love awful local cookbooks and sent me a wonderful addition to my collection: Recipes and Memories from Mama Cash's Kitchen (1989). Mama Cash is Johnny Cash's mum mom. My favourite recipe involves 3 cups of hash brown potato mix and a can of asparagus soup. Needless to say, I won't be making it anytime soon. {It's a lousy photo from Amazon, sorry}