Done with Cryptonomicon

Well, I finally finished Cryptonomicon and it was a roller coaster ride of an ending. I'm glad I perservered past the difficult first few hundred pages, because it was a story worth reading. Some interesting concepts that I hadn't thought of, too, such as a private, independent currency used solely for electronic transactions over the Internet. Also, the concept of a physical vault for sensitve electronic files located in an accomodating country with obliging laws regarding privacy. Very interesting.

So, Cryptonomicon is done and I decide to take it easy and read something light, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. And I ended up getting really ticked off at this whole "chick-lit" genre that has cropped up over the last decade. I'm referring to the Bridget Jones books, The Nanny Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada and the list just keeps growing. These books are really just name-dropping exercises in fluff. They are long on designer names and conversation but very light on anything of substance, character or plot.

I'd stop reading them except that I feel like I'm missing out if I haven't read the latest one. Which is why I'm really mad! I've been suckered into reading these books, but I don't feel like I've gained anything in return. And for comparison's sake, I read Confessions of a Shopaholic in about a day and a half, not any concentrated reading time, just on the elliptical, while cooking, and before bed. Cryptonomicon, on the other hand, took me WEEKS! So with Confessions, I wasn't even entertained for very long. Thank goodness I bought it at a garage sale.

I'm going to swear off chick-lit, and find a good book to read.