> This type of topic may have been done before, but the timing seems right...
>
> So, what books have you been reading or have read recently that are worthy of mention?

I'm slogging my way determinedly through Stephen Donaldson's first Thomas Covenant trilogy; I'm currently in book 2. It's not the most funnest reading I've ever done, but Donaldson has some stature in the world of fantasy lit, and I wanted to be able to say I've read some of his works.

Last summer I read, and greatly enjoyed, Stephen Lawhead's "Pendragon" cycle of Arthurian novels.

Then there's _Ilium_ by Dan Simmons, the first book in his new far-future sci-fi duology. Simmons is, IMO, an amazingly inventive and proficient writer. His content is often R-rated, but the sheer scope of the world he envisions is so amazing to behold that I don't really mind that much.

Having enjoyed Neal Stephenson's _Cryptonomicon_, I've tried to get into his new Baroque Cycle trilogy, but either it's just too dense for me or vice versa. I'll give it another go eventually.

In non-fiction, a perennial recommendation of mine is _The Modern Mind_ by Peter Watson. This is one of the most readable history books I've ever encountered. It covers the entire twentieth century, focusing on scientific advancements and spending a gratifying amount of time on the amazing breakthroughs in physics at the turn of the century.

And now, I'd like to solicit some recommendations from everyone else. I've been wanting to read up on cosmology lately. Is there a good book (accessible to lay folk) that explains things like the relative merits of Big Bang theory versus the steady-state model of the universe, and is fairly up to date? Also, can anyone recommend a good book on twentieth-century American political history?

Iss "full cardboard jacket" achar