# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - April 2022 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [March 31, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053 "2022-03-31T16:16:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/41 "2022-04-22T18:25:29Z")
Last night I finished _Pompeii_ by Robert Harris. It was ok but not great, although I did learn a fair amount about everyday Roman life at the time the volcano blew. Now I’ve started David Sedaris’s second collection of diary entries, _A Carnival of Snackery_. It’s got some laughs but so far is off to a slow start. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/42 "2022-04-22T22:34:13Z")
Just finished **Night Trains: The Rise and Fall of the Sleeper** by Andrew Martin. Very niche book but if you like trains and spent a fair amount of time going on journeys on European railroads this is a nice book to read. It’s written in a way to shift back and forth from the author’s own anecdotal experience trying to recreate old-fashioned routes in the present day while also going into a lot of well-researched history about these type of trains. Information which ranges from very technical detail about how they functioned, to social history regarding the importance in society and the kind of people who worked and traveled on the trains in those days, as well as some quirky references to the portrayal of sleeper trains in popular culture. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/43 "2022-04-23T13:59:03Z")
Finished _Far Sector_ , which is a Green Lantern graphic novel written by N.K. Jemisin. It was okay. The art by Jamal Campbell is outstanding, though. Now I’m reading _Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History_, by Richard Thompson Ford. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/44 "2022-04-25T12:55:02Z")
Started today on [The Creepypasta Collection: Modern Urban Legends You Can’t Unread](https://www.amazon.com/Creepypasta-Collection-Modern-Legends-Unread/dp/1440597901/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YXBKF66UWMVN&keywords=the+creepypasta+collection&qid=1650891054&s=books&sprefix=the+creepypas%2Cstripbooks%2C71&sr=1-1). I’ve read the first three or four stories, and they try so hard, bless their hearts. But nothing’s moved me yet. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/45 "2022-04-25T13:00:21Z")
Just finished _Sabriel_ by Gabriel Nix. It was fun and entertaining. Def encouraged me in my ambition to be a necromancer in my next life. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/46 "2022-04-25T19:08:04Z")
Finished _Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History_ , by Richard Thompson Ford, when was interesting and which I would have liked more if I hadn’t already read many of the modern cases of people who protested dress codes and laws. Now I’m reading a Weird Western anthology called _Straight Outta Tombstone_, edited by David Boop. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/47 "2022-04-25T20:53:08Z")
A couple of nights ago I finished _Leviathan Falls_, the final book in the Expanse series. If you liked the previous books, you’ll like this one. I really enjoyed it, although nothing in it was lifechanging. Amos remains my favorite character. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/48 "2022-04-25T21:36:48Z")
Finished _Amongst Our Weapons_ by Ben Aaronovitch, the 9th Rivers of London series. And it was quite good, I liked it better than a few of more recent ones. One of the plot points wasn’t wrapped up, so I wonder if that’s going to figure into the next book. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/49 "2022-04-26T12:00:35Z")
I have one question: Did Beverley have her baby? ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/50 "2022-04-26T13:20:26Z")
BabIES, yes she did. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/51 "2022-04-26T13:53:46Z")
I finished [quote=“Meurglys, post:37, topic:962053”] _The Cartographers_ by **Peng Shepherd** [/quote] which was very readable but the premise at it’s core didn’t seem fully thought through and I thought the ending was weak. Now onto _This Fragile Earth_ by **Susannah Wise**. In the near-ish future all the integrated tech society runs on stops working and, as society collapses around them, a small family decide to get out of London and head for the wife’s home village. Enjoyable so far, even if they haven’t actually left London yet. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/52 "2022-04-27T01:13:03Z")
Read _Mrs Pollifax on Safari_ by Dorothy Gilman. Mrs Pollifax never fails to delight, especially when doing a third act Mulan impression! The book is well paced, nicely plotted with just enough fluff, but not so much that it slows the pace down. The characters are decently 3 dimensional, even if a couple border on superhero status. Not something if you’re looking for realistic espionage or even James Bond level of spy/action story, but a pleasant couple of hours read if you just want a snack. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/53 "2022-04-27T13:34:31Z")
I’m not going back to that Creepypasta book. The blurb on the cover says, “If you place this book back on the shelf now, you’ll save yourself!” I think they meant to add the word, “TIME”. Started today on [Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments](https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Mysterious-Ailments-Edinburgh-Nights/dp/1250767792/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1651066330&sr=8-1), by T.L. Huchu, second in his Edinburgh Nights series about a ghost talker. Great narrative voice and some nice words to say about dung beetles. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/54 "2022-04-27T14:53:49Z")
I read [Convenience Store Woman](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38357895-convenience-store-woman?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=trXeAWkXOD&rank=1) by Sayaka Murata this week and absolutely adored it. It’s about a 36-year old single woman who works part-time in a convenience store. Her friends, family, and coworkers are all up in her business wondering when she’s going to settle down with a man and find a “real” job. The book takes a closer look at what it means to be different and not living up to social expectations, but it’s ultimately a fun and light-hearted read. Also short, at 110 pages. I highly recommend it. I started in on two new books just yesterday. I have high hopes for [My Sweet Audrina](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/805023.My_Sweet_Audrina?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=vPFF6hjhim&rank=1) by V.C. Andrews. I read _Flowers in the Attic_ by the same author and was absolutely drawn into the horror, creepiness, and melodrama of that story. I’m hoping for the same over-the-top, guilty pleasure factor in this novel. Also started reading [Bad Feminist](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18813642-bad-feminist?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=8qVJWvbDA8&rank=1), a collection of essays by Roxane Gay. As with the other book, I’m hoping for the same trademark style I’ve seen in her previous book. Gay wrote a memoir (_Hunger_) on the experience of being plus-size in America. Despite touching on some deep issues, the book was very readable and the prose flowed quickly. It was entertaining and enjoyable to read, even as it was educational. I’m hoping for more of the same in this offering. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/55 "2022-04-27T15:03:03Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > I have high hopes for [My Sweet Audrina](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/805023.My_Sweet_Audrina?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=vPFF6hjhim&rank=1) by V.C. Andrews. Oh my. I’ll be interested to hear what you think! I read it like fifty times when I was a teen, but the cringe factor is high. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/56 "2022-04-27T18:58:28Z")
David Sedaris’s second collection of diary entries, _A Carnival of Snackery_, got off to a slow start but I’m enjoying it much more now and am about a third of the way through it. Sedaris reads most of the audiobook, but Tracey Ullman, for no particular reason that I can figure out, reads some, too. A good chunk of it is set in London and she certainly does better British accents than he does. > [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Just finished _Sabriel_ by Gabriel Nix. It was fun and entertaining. Def encouraged me in my ambition to be a necromancer in my next life. I remember my niece reading that back in the mid-Nineties. She really enjoyed it, too, although it didn’t lead her down that particular career path… that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/57 "2022-04-27T21:09:01Z")
I read Convenience Store Woman years ago and also enjoyed it. Just finished _Straight Outta Tombstone_ , edited by David Boop. The best stories were Alan Dean Foster’s “The Treefold Problem” and Maurice Broaddus’ “Dance of Bones”. Now I’m reading the latest in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series, _Where the Drowned Girls Go_. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/58 "2022-04-28T18:05:17Z")
Finished _Where the Drowned Girls Go_ by Seanan McGuire, which was interesting. Now I’m reading _Remembering Woolworth’s: A Nostalgic History of the World’s Most Famous Five-and-Dime_, by Karen Plunkett-Powell. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/59 "2022-04-29T15:19:15Z")
Oh, well, I finished _This Fragile Earth_ by **Susannah Wise** but it had descended into nonsense by the end of it. Now reading the much better _Sea of Tranquility_ by **Hilary St.John Mandell** - got through the first 50 pages before work this morning! It spans 500 years or so in quite widely separated episodes, starting in 1912. Characters or events in her previous _The Glass Hotel_ are referenced, and I think events from _Station Eleven_ will come into play as well, but i haven’t got there yet. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2022, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053/60 "2022-04-30T03:06:06Z")
I will get the new thread up tomorrow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-april-2022-edition/962053.md?page=4)