I have a rule a try to follow. Well, actually, I have several, such as 'do not slap the guy ahead of you on the pavement upside the head for walking at a glacial pace', but the one I'm referring to now is just as hard to keep. This rule is; I try to read one book I really, really, want to reasd, followed by one I feel I should read. The decision on what I should read is based on prevailing attitudes in the literary press and recommendations. I do hold that all writers should read a lot and read widely, however kids and work, plus writing itself, means the amount of time I can actually read is tiny compared to a few years ago.Which leads to moments of weakness like I'm having now.I have just finished 'Descent of Angels' by Mitch Scanlon, book, um six, I think, in Games Workshop's Horus Heresy series. The series is pure IP geekiness, I'll admit to that. And the different novels' quality varies from author to author, from the creative giant Dan Abnett and down. 'Descent of Angels' was one of the better books, and I enjoyed the ride, putting it on the shelf after the last page and picking up my next read, in this case 'Atonement' by Ian McEwan. I've found I'm a fan of McEwan's without actually reading any of his novels, thanks to reading and watching numerous interviews, and have two books of his on my shelves. Of the two, Atonement has the better reviews, so that one t was..... until I realised the next book in the Heresy series was another by Dan Abnett.It took me all of 27 seconds to decide that time is short and books are not.I'm loving the book, bythe way. Abnett can set the scene of a war within a page. The man's a genius. Michael