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I've had a lot of down time recently, and I've been reading more books than usual. Here are some that I've finished.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series (Doug Adams)
I read all of them. They're light, fun reading. They don't take themselves too seriously and often don't make much sense. Not exactly literature. Good if you just want to read something and don't care to think too hard about it.
Men At Arms (Terry Pratchett)
A strange novel set in Pratchett's Discworld. My first encounter with Pratchett's odd humor. Enjoyable, but I'm not sure if I'll go back to the Discworld books.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Doug Adams)
Marginally more serious and less goofy than the Hitchhiker's series, but still funny and somewhat implausible.
Several short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
Including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These were all very enjoyable once I adapted to the older English writing style. The story Olalla was rather strange and hard to understand.
Stephenson is one of my favorite authors, though some aspects of his writing bother me. Cryptonomicon was well researched and contained lots of good cryptography discussion. The story itself was mediocre; the climax was weak and the ending was unspectacular. However, at 900+ pages, I suppose he couldn't have gone on much longer. Maybe if he'd ditched some of the out of place and annoying sex he would have had room for a better ending. Overall, though, I thought this was a great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in cryptography, particularly in a historical perspective.
I saw the movie long ago, but I just recently read the book. The book is many times better. Somehow the conclusion didn't really leave me satisfied; perhaps I'll pick up the next in the series and continue.
A fast, light read. Story of an environmentalist who pisses off chemical companies. They retaliate. Amusing at the beginning, fast paced at the end. Enjoyable.
Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson)
A story about life after the development of nanotechnology. Written with a slightly unusual style, but very easy to follow. Imaginative and relaxing.