Eagerly anticipating the first edition (J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In the Rye, 6:30pm, 29th of April @ Cassette #9) I asked Amber to share three of her favourite pieces of writing with v3 readers.

So, without further ado here are three of her favourite (note: 3 of her favourite, not her 3 favourite) books, along with an excellent commentary as to why:

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

Reading Murakami feels a bit like joining a secret club. You’ll get hooked on his words, will start talking passionately about his work; and eventually meet other people who feel the same way (in the pub, on a train, in the park). Voices will be excitedly raised and you’ll all start gesticulating wildly – illustrating your love for one of Japan’s most adored writers. Sputnik Sweetheart is a slim volume that encapsulates Murakami’s signature magic-realism and his wonderful characterization. It chronicles the love triangle of three Tokyo-ites: the unnamed schoolteacher narrator; his best friend Sumire, a Jack-Kerouac loving writer; and Miu, an older businesswoman. The trio find their lives entangled and a trip to Greece sees Sumire – the Japanese word for violet – vanish off the face of the earth. The language simply fizzes (transcending the possible pitfalls of translation) and the anxieties ring true; resulting in an intimate and truly satisfying read.

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Published in 2003, Pattern Recognition is Gibson’s first contemporary novel. I had been a long time fan of Gibson’s cyberpunk tomes – especially Neuromancer and the Bridge trilogy; so was keen to pick a copy of this up. I’m thrilled I did. Pattern Recognition is a thriller filled with Gibson’s adjective laden yet laser-sharp prose. It follows the story of Cayce Pollard, a brand strategist with an allergy to logos. She travels to London, Tokyo and Moscow in a quest to hunt down the creators of a series tantalizingly mysterious film clips that have been littered across the web. The novel is all about the innate human need to find (and create) patterns in life, and the infiltration of corporate symbology into our personal lives. If you posses even a passing interest in digital culture, you should read this and the sequels; Spook Country and the soon to be released Zero History.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

Perfume is an evocative 1985 literary novel about Grenouille, a Parisian orphan who disturbs and is rejected by other people because of his distinct lack of personal odour. Contrary to this, he possesses the extraordinary ability of being able to discriminate and catalog scents. Süskind too has a remarkable ability – to make you interpret the world differently, using your nose. I read this book one hot, sticky summer while holidaying at a bach. Dry sweat, the yellowed pages of the book, desiccated grass, musty board games, the zest of a Pimms cup, salty fingernails and damp towels; they all became radically distinct scents. You may have heard of a film version, but please, read the book first – it’s infinitely better!

If we were to examine these books from a drinking perspective, we would find wine is central to the plot of Sputnik Sweetheart, Heineken is name checked and Sumire’s love for Keroac suggests a lot of liquor. While I have no specific reference for Pattern Recognition, I’d bet Pollards taste runs to sakes from the tiniest of distilleries and vodka from a minimalist bottle. As for Grenouille, well he drinks in the scent of virgins. Which would not be appropriate or feasible at the Book Club For Drunks.

I have to embarrassingly admit that I am yet to read a single one of these. Perhaps they are candidates for future editions of the Book Club For Drunks? That would surely give me that extra incentive to make sure I knock them back (along with a few stiff drinks).

Hey look! Some links that might be useful

• This is the event listing for the first edition on Facebook. You can RSVP and find out when and where it is, make sure that the people that are already going are attractive enough and everything.
• If you are as excited about this as I am then you probably also want to join the Book Club For Drunks group. All the cool kids are doing it.
• Amber blogs over at Code For Something. You should read it, it is good. Probably especially (but obviously not exclusively) if you are a girl. It’s good for guys too though. I am a guy. It just has more fashion/style type stuff for girls. Probably because Amber is a girl. Just read it.

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1. V3 Recommends: Kaimanawa Heli-Biking

On Saturday my riding buddy Robin and I made the pilgrimage to Taupo (or thereabouts) to check out Kaimanawa Heli-Biking. Robin had been given a voucher to do it for his birthday, and I didn’t take much convincing to go along for the adventure.

All I knew driving down was that we were going to be dropped at the top of a pretty big hill with our bikes, ride down the hill, and then get picked up again at the bottom, and that this was all going to happen somewhere in the remote Kaimanawa Ranges.

After paying (a reasonable $395), and loading and fueling the helicopter we set off on a slightly nerve-wracking 15 minute flight over native bush to the summit, which apparently would be a 3 day walk from the end of the road. After doing my best MASH impression to clear the chopper and unloading the bikes our pilot headed off into the distance leaving us in the eerie silence at 5200 feet on a near perfect day. It was a pretty amazing place to be, up on a barren rocky summit, knowing you were miles from the nearest people.

The ride down is divided into two halves. The first half of the ride starts off with a sweet shale descent down a ridge line, with a pretty sheer drop on your left. It is hard to pay attention to the trial riding in such an incredible environment. Luckily the riding isn’t particularly challenging. As you hit the scrub the ride flattens out a bit, and there are a couple of relatively short uphills (which are pretty challenging at that altitude).

The second half of the ride is the best riding, with some wide open fast sections, and a couple of long, super-fast steep sections. My arms were pumping hard, and I was getting super tired braking fingers with 10 minute+ sections of descent. When we got to the bottom the chopper whipped us halfway back up and we got to ride this second half again.

I am not sure that my photos and videos really do it justice, but here are a few from the trip:

See more pics and vids over at Flickr.

If you ever get a chance to do it, do. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Possibly Related posts:

1. The v3 Guide to Mountain Biking the Heaphy
2. A morning in the forest
3. v3 guide to a Canadian mountain bike holiday