fiction files redux discussion

I just finished reading White Teeth. A couple of years ago, it seemed like everywhere I looked, people were reading it. It's been on that stack on my floor collecting dust for quite a while.

I was pretty underwhelmed by it. Not that it wasn't good. It was fine. It was just not super fabulous or "epic" as I was led to believe by the dust jacket. I'm wondering what others thought of it.

Also, it has made me wish for something with 0% religion, and I can't think of a single book that fits that bill. Any suggestions?

I have had On Beauty sitting here for a number of years but have never picked it up yet. From the looks of things it'll be a while before I do...