Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City

My current reading material is 28 Barbary Lane by Armistead Maupin. It's a compilation of the first three Tales of the City books, including the original, More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City. I'd picked it up a few months ago in a charity shop for £1.99. I figured I'd read it then sell it on eBay or something once I'd finished. The thing is, I'd never gotten around to reading it.

Anyway, on Saturday my iPod and Nintendo DS both ran out of battery juice on the way to work in the morning which left me with nothing to amuse myself with on the train journey home. I usually have a few books left at work for these occasions so I picked up 28 Barbary Lane to pass the time that evening. Well, wouldn't you know it, I'm hooked on this book! I've seen the TV adaptions so I already know the stories and what happens and so on, but I still gasp at the dramas and revelations or laugh out loud at the funny bits.

It's one of those books that is so good, that you never want it to end. As a result, I'm reading it as slowly as I can, you know, to really draw out the pleasure and savour it chapter by chapter, but it's not working. It's so damn good that I find myself racing through it. Some critics say that Maupin merely writes soap opera, but even so, it's terrific stuff.

Armistead Maupin was in Manchester last week, doing some book signings. I missed out as I hadn't noticed the adverts and it was completely sold out by the time I did notice the signing. Never mind, I don't know what I would've said to him though a picture of us pretending to know each other would've been a cool illustration for this post. By the way, Mr Maupin definitely knows his audience. He also managed to squeeze in a book signing session in our gay sex shop in the Village. Plus ça change.