[HarryT]

Just come back from 2 weeks in Egypt, during which I read quite a few books:

Ripping Time/The House that Jack Built by Robert Asprin and Linda Evans

The 3rd and 4th books in the "Time Scout" series - one novel split over two books. Set in a future world in which "time tourism" is commonplace, these books tell the story of the "Jack the Ripper" murders. Very, VERY good indeed, but I'd recommend reading the first two books in the series first. All published (or were - I don't know if they're still available) by Baen.

Search for the Sun by Colin Kapp.

The first book in the "Cageworld" series. In the future, the continued growth in the human population means that mankind now lives on a series of solid concentric "shells" around the Sun. "Search for the Sun" is the story of an expedition by people from the "Mars Shell" to seek out the mythical "Sun" that is rumoured to lie at the heart of the solar system. Good SF, although Kapp's writing style is a little over the top at times.

N or M? by Agatha Christie.

Christie's 38th novel, originally published in 1941. The third book in the "Tommy and Tuppence" series of hugely enjoyable but wildly improbable "thrillers". Set in contemporary times (ie a background of the early years of WW2), this one is about hunting down enemy agents in a sleepy English seaside town.

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie.

The second "Miss Marple" novel, and Christie's 39th, originally published in 1942. An ingenious take on a classic theme of detective fiction. Very, very good indeed.

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie.

Christie's 40th novel, originally published in 1942. A young woman whose mother was convicted of murder 16 years previously asks Poirot to reinvestigate the case. Excellent.

Time's Manifold trilogy by Stephen Baxter

Wonderful hard SF by one of by the best living British SF authors. The three books in the series, "Time", "Space", and "Origin", each tell the story of the same characters, but in alternate universes. "Time" is set in a universe where humans are the only intelligent life in the universe, and explores the evolution of the human race into the unimaginably distant future. "Space" is set in a universe which is full of alien races, where expansion and the resource mining of star systems is rife. Finally, "Origin" (which I'm still reading) tells the story of the origin of the human race by manipulation of different species of hominids in alternate universes. Thought-provoking, and very highly recommended.