[March 2016]: What are you reading?

[TarionzCousin]

I just started City of Stairs, the book before City of Blades. I think Robert Bennett Jackson should be better known than he is. His writing is excellent and he seems pretty cool, judging by his blog.

I'm halfway through City of Stairs. It's very interesting and well done so far.

 

[Nellisir]

I'm halfway through City of Stairs. It's very interesting and well done so far.

I think I liked City of Blades better than Stairs, but both were really good. They're related but not direct sequels (different protagonist), and there is stuff in Stairs that would've made Blades a little clearer had I read them in the proper order.

On a different note, I picked up Broken Time by Maggy Thomas as a quick read before getting into Cryptonomicon, and now I can't put it down. I'm 3/4 of the way through it and have literally no idea how it will end, which is awesome.

 

[Richards]

The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria by Laura Joh Rowland. It's one in a series of mystery novels featuring Sano Ichiro, a samurai in feudal Japan in charge of solving mysteries for the Emperor. So basically, it's a police procedural mystery novel, with the interesting twist of taking place in 1693 in Edo, Japan. I bought three of these novels all at once (earlier ones in the series I had missed; they're all pretty much stand-alone), and was amazed to see there are now like 15 or 16 in the series.

Anyway, they're fantastic reads for anyone up for a bit of samurai detective fiction.

Johnathan

 

[Eltab]

"Art of the Deal" (done), "Art of the Comeback" (on hold at library), "Crippled America" (starting).
Can you tell that my state has a LATE primary?

"Aircraft Carriers of the World" for lighter reading. I like military history.

Nothing right now game-related; waiting for my Public Library to pick up "Curse of Stradh" so I can put that on hold.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Just started Swords and Scoundrels (The Duelists Trilogy) by Julia Knight.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Currently reading Brett's The Warded Man. Really digging the world-building on this one so far.

 

[Nellisir]

I'm...I dunno. A third of the way through Cryptonomicon? It's not exactly a slog, but it's not gripping me and so far I've got absolutely no idea what the plot is. We just seem to be meandering along. I'm afraid if I put it down I won't ever pick it back up, so I'm plugging along, but...sheesh. A tiny bit of conflict would be nice.

 

[Jhaelen]

I'm...I dunno. A third of the way through Cryptonomicon? It's not exactly a slog, but it's not gripping me and so far I've got absolutely no idea what the plot is. We just seem to be meandering along. I'm afraid if I put it down I won't ever pick it back up, so I'm plugging along, but...sheesh. A tiny bit of conflict would be nice.

Many of Stephenson's novels initially have this effect on me. I still remember when I read 'The Diamond Age: A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer' that it took me about 200 pages before I finally understood everything that happened on the first page. Anathem is similarly cryptic (unless you're cheating and consult the glossary). Cryptonomicon's still among my favorite books, mostly because of the protagonists's unique, somewhat autistic perspective on the world, i.e. seeing math everywhere, and not really caring about anything else.

I did give up on his Baroque Cycle after the first novel, though, pretty much for the same reasons you're giving for Cryptonomicon. I just didn't look forward to another two massive volumes of stuff to slog through in the small hope of something similar to a plot to eventually evolve.