I loved the Baroque Cycle, but it’s WORK to read…it’s huge, and it’s got about 4 million characters, historic mixed with fictional. I recommend, once you’ve actually finished the whole cycle, reading Necronomicon, if you haven’t yet…at least one surprising but familar character shows up in that one…
I went to the library today to look for some S.M. Stirling (Dies the Fire and the Nantucket ones) but our downtown branch doesn’t have them. I’m going to have to reserve them from out-county branches. I did get some non-fiction science popularizations (the Walking With… books, though they didn’t have Walking With Dinosaurs itself) and The American Language by H.L. Mencken (in an OLD edition…1948, I believe). Oh, and a book about Virginia ghosts.
That’s what I’ve heard. I ordered the other two books to give myself an incentive to keep going.
The book is engaging, for sure. My big problem will be what to do with my book groups where we share our reads every month – instead of having five or six books to talk about, it’ll be Stephenson – probably until fall.
Got it today – with a really pretty handmade card! 'Twas perfect timing – I got home too late to go to the library, and I’ll finish my current book (The Witch of Portobello, by Paulo Coelho) tomorrow.
Thanks to both you and Auntie Pam – I’m looking forward to reading this!
And when you’re finished, I’ll send you the second Garnethill book, which arrived today, courtesy of Dung Beetle! That’s assuming you like the first one.
As for me, I’ve just started on the second book AuntiePam sent, Berserk by Tim Lebbon. From the cover, it doesn’t look like the kind of horror novel I usually read, but I’ll give it a go. I can’t promise I won’t freak out and quit in the middle if it gets too gory, though!
I suspect it’s gonna be gory. I like Lebbon’s short, weird westerns, but the one novel I tried (Dusk) was way too bloody for me, right from the start. I won’t be insulted if you don’t like it.
I’m about halfway through Exile, the second Garnethill book. Maureen is at it again – investigating a crime and running into dangerous people. When I get bored I pop in a DVD or work on a quilt. I don’t go looking for trouble!
