I remember at eight years old waiting for The Lucy Show to start, and then someone said something about a president, the TV screen stayed black for a long time and they played boring, miserable music. I was furious - November 22, 1963

Yeah the Americans invented baseball by simplifying cricket because they couldn't manage it, and they have such short attention spans

Well, I managed 7 out of 10 (I am nearly 60 so I had time), I haven't read 3, 8 or 10. But is Cryptonomicon really science fiction? Jonathan Strange.... strikes me as being pure Fanatasy. Not that genre labels are important, but you did mention "science fiction" and not "fantasy" in your title.

I have read all but Infinite Jest, The Long Tomorrow & Gravity's Rainbow - which I had actually never heard of. Of the others the only one I didn't finish was Cryptonomicon, I ran ouit of eergy at the last 100 or so pages nd never gor back to it. I did read ALL the foundation books ans all the Dune books, but I must…