Has anyone read China Miéville's Kraken? It sounds AWESOME.

I love the way he's described the magic system in it, but I'm not large with the Miéville love. I'll probably give this one a try tho.

I didn't find The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo all that slow, but I did skim the libel/corporate stuff. Or, I guess, the whole thing seemed slow, but that felt right for the story and the environment. When I finished I was like "that was good..." but it's been two years since I read it and I haven't felt any real desire to pick up the other two or see the movie.

Apparently I am totally disconnected from the zeitgeist.

I liked the libel stuff. I'm not sure why. But I definitely liked the first book more than the second (haven't gotten to hornet yet) so I seem to differ from most.

I have a theory that you like the books according to what genre you prefer: mystery (1), thriller (2), legal thriller (w/ a hint of caper) (3). It's just a theory. I like all three, and didn't find the libel stuff slow, but I think they are very different books.

Gris, I usually only see you here or in Movies, so happy wedding! And honeymooning! And marriage!

Gris, I usually only see you here or in Movies, so happy wedding! And honeymooning! And marriage!

Yes. This.

Books I read on vacation:

The Poisoner's Handbook - awesome history of forensic science via jazz age New York true crime stories. The author has described it as a chemistry textbook disguised as a pulp detective story, which is spot-on.

The Bucolic Plague - also awesome, if a very light read. Finished this one in two days because the writing is so breezy and fast. Made me want to buy a goat farm.

Brasyl - best of the lot by far. If you tried Anathem and couldn't make it through (or if you did read Anathem and loved it) check this one out instead. It's a different take on the many- worlds theory but just as engrossing. The other books it reminded me of are the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons. Really strong world and character building AND quantum physics. Loved it.

Congrats Gris. Happy honeynmoon!

The Poisoner's Handbook - awesome history of forensic science via jazz age New York true crime stories. The author has described it as a chemistry textbook disguised as a pulp detective story, which is spot-on.

This book really is awesome. I read the first few chapters of it a while back and then wandered away from it, but I really must go back to it.

Congrats, Gris!

Thanks!

I have nothing literary to add to this thread. The Sword of Shannara still feels like the LOTR but it's moving away, slowly.