Coalescent, by Stephen Baxter
Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
My thought process as I started this book wound up being very similar to when I read The Lord of the Rings. See, it took me four tries (spread over several years) before I finally made it through Bilbo's birthday party. Once I got past that, I finally managed to get through the series. With Anathem, I kept going "OK, if I can just get through this clock-winding scene, I sense some fascinating stuff in the offing." And I was right. Really interesting book. You just have to get past the clock-winding. :-)
Moving Mars, by Greg Bear
ANATHEM is there on the guilt stack, its spine cleared and uncracked. Maybe when I finish these Buckell books I'll hit it.