I've actually read Anathem (it was my first Stephenson) and while I liked it quite a bit, I am enjoying Cryptonomicon even more. I think that Anathem suffers a little bit from not having the narrator's voice, so it isn't nearly as funny. I do love the world of Anathem and the ending is pretty insane. My understanding…

Yes agree about the present stuff! That is what annoys me the most about the Randy chapters. I do a lot of eye rolling when reading them. I do have a long break coming up, so I might just give the Baroque Cycle a try. I'll see you again in a year.

Oh shit! I'm a failure, I still haven't finished Cryptonomicon, but I'm so close! Only a couple hundred pages to go. I normally don't read this slowly, but I'll blame work (it has been particularly busy this Fall).

Did you see that they recently found the wreckage of the HMS Erebus? It was the other ship in the expedition with the HMS Terror, and is supposedly in really great shape for being on the bottom of an ocean for over a hundred years. I was way too excited when I found out.

I'm a big fan of Karen Armstrong and her writing on religion. Another book by her which is a pretty easy read and has informed a lot about how I think about spirituality and religion is a Short History of Myth. If you like Armstrong, I'd recommend it.

I had hoped to finish Cryptonomicon by now, but alas it is long and work is busy. I also blame Friday Night Lights which I just started watching and find very addictive.

Then you would probably really enjoy it. It is pretty much Zeb's story so far, but I haven't finished it yet.

I actually know a lot of people that really like the movie, but for some reason I just have a terrible reaction to it.

I've really been enjoying the audio book version of MaddAddam. It doesn't necessarily add a whole lot but it is still a Margaret Atwood novel and the Zeb chapters are especially fun.

So was the Legends of the Fall movie just a really terrible adaptation of the story? You give the novella a nice review, but I absolutely hate, hate, hate the movie. That and Armageddon are the only movies that make me so actively mad that I end up yelling at the screen.

Slaughterhouse Five is one of the only Vonnegut novels I haven't read and it is probably his most famous. I should probably get on that.

Same here Scrawler, it ended up being my favorite when it came back around and I almost quit reading the book because of how much I disliked the Ewing first chapter. That to me is a testament to a great book.

This is only my second Stephenson, but I have been warned about his terrible endings before so am prepared. Math is not my strong point so right now I also just kind of skip over those parts but haven't gotten to any crazy math sections yet. My favorite parts really are the Shaftoe chapters, they almost remind of a…

Great book. Formed my view on teaching quite a bit and also made me somewhat terrified to have children. I should read it again now that I am older and supposedly wiser.

I'm about a quarter of the way through Cryptonomicon. I like it more than Anathem, much stronger narrator, much better characters. Even though I really enjoyed the world of Anathem, the characters never grabbed me.

The only Pynchon I've read is Crying of Lot 49 and what struck me the most is that it had some of the most beautiful prose (if not the most beautiful prose) I have ever read, but I think I'd have to read it again to find any deeper meaning. From others reactions to him, it seems like he veers between really clever and…

I love the Remains of the Day movie and have been wanting to read the book, but also want to read Never Let Me Go (I've never read any Ishiguro). I was actually going to start with Never Let Me Go, but it sounds like Remains might be a better starting place? What didn't you like about it?

I like fantasy but have been really resistant to Outlander. Maybe because it seems like a Harlequin Romance novel wrapped in a fantasy series? Maybe that isn't a bad thing? If you do start it I'd be curious what you think.

That is a great name for a diner! Spoilers: Of course, you must have a baby chicken chained in the basement of the diner that you make all the customers look at after they've eaten there a set number of times. It's the only way to make it truly successful.

Is V for Vendetta your first Alan Moore? I'd also really recommend From Hell, which is my favorite of his. I'm sad that most people only know it as a not very good Johnny Depp movie.