# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - August 2023 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [August 1, 2023, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892 "2023-08-01T01:16:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/21 "2023-08-02T00:46:28Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > My apologies, I didn’t see the thread. > In the future, if you start the new month, link it in the current month, That way I’ll see it and not duplicate it. The month and year were in the title of the thread ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/22 "2023-08-02T04:07:25Z")
I think the point is that if you link it, it’s easy for everyone to move smoothly from one thread to the other. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2023, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/23 "2023-08-02T12:14:48Z")
Started today on a book by one of my favorite authors, Michael Koryta. [An Honest Man](https://www.amazon.com/Honest-Man-Novel-Michael-Koryta/dp/031653594X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=24SBSVZOVOZYF&keywords=an+honest+man+michael+koryta&qid=1690978123&sprefix=michael+koryta%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-1). Two storylines which will converge: A man who served a long prison sentence after accidentally killing his father finds seven murder victims on a yacht. An island boy hiding from his abusive father finds a bloody woman armed with a hatchet. There’s no way this won’t be awesome. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2023, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/24 "2023-08-02T12:26:29Z")
On pins and needles waiting for your review! ---
**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:** [August 2, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/25 "2023-08-02T19:07:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Some Japanese officers changed details of their story after they were released at the end of the war. I read a Midway book by one of the Japanese officers. It seems to me that the Japanese told the Americans what they thought the Americans wanted to hear. Yes, the authors of _Shattered Sword_, both of whom IIRC are fluent in Japanese and could read the original records, address that and other issues. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/26 "2023-08-02T19:46:40Z")
**The Count of Monte Cristo** I’m about 30% done. Not really sure what to make of it. Things were moving along fine until a guy named Franz showed up for no apparent reason, then there was a very Heart of Darkness scene in a cave, followed by some rich guys entertaining themselves with a story about gang raping bandits. I want to finish it, but it’s no longer what I would consider a relaxing read. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/27 "2023-08-02T20:43:41Z")
Finished _Lethal Tides: Mary Sears and the Marine Scientists Who Helped Win War War II_, by Catherine Musemeche, which was interesting. Recommended for anyone interested in World War II and the ocean in general–barnacles in particular. Now I’m reading a science fiction novel by Michael Swanwick called _Vacuum Flowers_. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/28 "2023-08-02T21:04:56Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > There’s no way this won’t be awesome. Thanks, I added it to my list just based on your compelling description. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2023, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/29 "2023-08-02T21:43:05Z")
Wow, thanks! I hope you like it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/30 "2023-08-03T01:49:02Z")
I vaguely recall reading “Shattered Sword” some time ago. Perhaps I will try it again. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/31 "2023-08-03T01:51:13Z")
I have begun Michael Schmidt’s “Donald Trump vs. the United States”. From 2020, it concerns people I never heard of and some currently in the news as co-conspirators. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/32 "2023-08-03T12:04:03Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > **The Count of Monte Cristo** > > I’m about 30% done. Not really sure what to make of it. Things were moving along fine until a guy named Franz showed up for no apparent reason, then there was a very Heart of Darkness scene in a cave, followed by some rich guys entertaining themselves with a story about gang raping bandits. > > I want to finish it, but it’s no longer what I would consider a relaxing read. One of the Jules Verne books I picked up for my annual Summer Vernefest is **Mathias Sandorf**. I didn’t realize that a.) This is Verne’s tribute to _The Count of Monte Cristo_ (it even has a brief foreword by Dumas’ son), and b.) It is, like TCoMC, extremely long – longer than the other Verne novels I picked up for the summer combined. It’s daunting. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/33 "2023-08-03T14:16:39Z")
One of the benefits of reading books on Kindle is you don’t have to agonize as much over how long the book is. It’s not as intimating as a hefty tome. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2023, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/34 "2023-08-03T17:28:18Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I vaguely recall reading “Shattered Sword” some time ago. Perhaps I will try it again. Hope you will. I’d be interested to know your reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/35 "2023-08-04T00:31:58Z")
I finished _The Recovery Agent_ by Janet Evanovich. Thought it would be a good adventure novel. It was not. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/36 "2023-08-04T03:01:04Z")
> [@Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - March 2023 edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/135): > > I just finished [The Dreamers](https://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Novel-Karen-Thompson-Walker/dp/0812994167) by Karen Thompson Walker. By that I mean I just now, after having stayed up late reading and then lolling in bed reading and then carrying it into the kitchen to read while feeding the cats, finished this book and then rushed right here to tell everyone. > [@Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - March 2023 edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/138): > > It sounds a little like _[Blindness](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40495148-blindness)_ by José Saramago, which is one of my favorite novels. I’ll have to give this a try. _The Dreamers_ finally came up in my hold list, and @InternetLegend is right, it’s an engrossing read. I got a chuckle because the first line of the book is a quote from _Blindness_. It was a little weird to read a book published in 2019 about a pandemic. So much mimics our experience, but then you come across jarring differences. Paper masks?? Those are so month one of a pandemic; N95 or nothing! But the pandemic was just the background. It’s really a character study of hope, tragedy, dreams, love, and loss. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/37 "2023-08-04T18:55:40Z")
Finished _Vacuum Flowers_ by Michael Swanwick. Meh. Now I’m reading _Portia: The Life of Portia Washington Pittman, the Daughter of Booker T. Washington_, by Ruth Ann Stewart. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/38 "2023-08-05T22:21:52Z")
Finished _Portia: The Life of Portia Washington Pittman, the Daughter of Booker T. Washington_, by Ruth Ann Stewart, which was okay. Now I’m reading _Tread of Angels_, by Rebecca Roanhorse. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/39 "2023-08-06T20:20:44Z")
Reading _Through Darkest Europe_ and _The World We Make_ (Turtledove and Jemison, respectively) ---
**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:** [August 6, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892/40 "2023-08-06T20:29:59Z")
Finished _Tread of Angels_, by Rebecca Roanhorse, which was okay. Now I’m reading _A Walk Around the Block: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About)_, by Spike Carlsen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-august-2023-edition/987892.md?page=3)