Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

I've just bounced off Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky. The novel's interesting premise wasn't gripping me, and about 150 pages in I was having difficulty figuring out who was who. (Part of the trouble is that, for various "real life" reasons, my reading of this book was interrupted several times. I'm something of a "daily rhythm" reader, and if that rhythm is upset I have a hard time regaining the momentum.) I'll attempt the book again at a later date. I loved its predecessor, A Fire Upon the Deep. (Deepness is actually a prequel-of-sorts to Fire, although the connections are really tenuous.)

I've switched genres entirely, and am now reading Barbara Paul's mystery novel Kill Fee.