Anathem and other readings since my last post

I listened to Anathem, all 28 discs. It was awesome, but probably my least favorite Neal Stephenson book. Only because of the topics. The writing, research, and character development were still excellent. It held my interest throughout. There were some segues that seemed a little forced, or maybe purposely cut out by the editors? They were literally like...."and then some stuff happened".....and then back into the detailed story. Kind of weird, but obviously those parts didn't contain anything all that pertinent because I still understood the flow and info.

So yeah, it was worth reading. But it makes me want to read Cryptonomicon again...

Also read SHORT HISTORY OF A SMALL PLACE, a book my friend Sandy recommended. First book by T.R. Pearson that I've read. Loved it!

THE KNOWN WORLD - wow this was great too. Well written (obviously - it won the Pulitzer), but I liked it because it told stories of slavery from a different perspective. Slaves owned by other former slaves who bought themselves out of slavery, and then bought slaves. Interesting, and sure made me think about some of the long-term ramifications of slavery in general. Primarily, the breaking up of families.

SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET (audio) - This was abridged, which just annoys me. I'm sure it would be interesting to hear the whole thing. Maybe one day I'll read it.

INTERPRETER OF MALADIES - This one was out of stock, so I still haven't read it.

FERMATA - A long, long time ago, I read a book called MEZANNINE by Nicholson Baker. I didn't remember what it was really about, but I've always remembered that I liked it a lot. I did remember that the whole book took place while this guy was riding down the escalator , and that it talked tons about minutia. Like...staplers. And drinking straws. So anyway, FERMATA did have some of those characteristics. It's quite risque, though, which is fine with me to an extent but I didn't expect it. It's about this guy who can stop and start time, and he's the only one that can move around during that time. And the things he does during that time.

MY YEAR IN IRAQ - by the guy that was the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority - the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. I thought it was very interesting. Made me want to read more about Sadam. Dude was NUTS.

COLD SASSY TREE - Another good summer, Southern book. Heard about it for a million years...glad I finally read it.