# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - December 2021 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [November 30, 2021, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243 "2021-11-30T18:53:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [December 20, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/61 "2021-12-20T14:58:56Z")
I’ve read a lot of new sf authors stuff in the past week, but I haven’t got them here to cite. One thing I read recently was **The Green Planet** by J. Hunter Holy, which is the pen name used by Joan Carol Holly (undoubtedly to overcome the prejudice against female authors). She wrote about a dozen books between 1959 and 1977, along with some ephemera like a _Man from U.N.C.L.E_. novel. She was only 50 when she died. She also ran writing groups and was treasurer of the SFWA for a while. She was never a big name in SF, and the only reason I picked up her book was because I had read a comic book adaptation of _The Green Planet_ that was published by Charlton comics back in 1962. (It was reprinted once in the 1990s). I found out eventually that the comic had been based on a novel, and have wanted to read it. [![](https://isfdb.org/wiki/images/7/7e/THGRNPLNTT1961.jpg) ](https://isfdb.org/wiki/images/7/7e/THGRNPLNTT1961.jpg) [https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=347151](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=347151) It really is unusual, in a lot of ways. Aside from Classics Illustrated and its imitators, most comic books didn’t do adaptations of books that hadn’t been made into movies, and especially not science fiction. There had been a couple of adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom novels, but that’s about it. Charlton comics would itself adapt Jungle Takes of Tarzan starting in 1964 9apparently in the mistaken belef that it was now public domain), which inspired the Gold Key adaptations of Tarzan a year later. And Marvel and DC would be adapting pulp fantasy and science fiction books and stories beginning around 1970. But in 1962 this was virtually unheard of. Furthermore, J. Hunter Holly has never exactly been a household name. I could understand adapting Tarzan, who was well-known. And the works by Robert E. Howard and the science fiction authors that started getting their stories adapted in the 1970s were well-known through the many paperback editions of their works by large publishers. But Holly’s book had been published in paperback by Monarch Books, a second- or third-tier publisher (It had been published in hardcover by Avalon Books, but that was probably even more obscure). Looking through Charlton’s list of publications, I can find no other case of such an adaptation. Why they chose to adapt a relatively obscure book by a relatively obscure author I have no idea. Maybe they thought they could do so inexpensively, and this was a trial to see if they could make a regular practice of turning SF novels into comics. If so, it wasn’t a success, apparently. This was the only case. The cover art was by Dick Giordano (who was an artist and editor with Charlton), who later went on to greater fame as an editor at DC comics and , through his Continuity company, with many other publishers. But the interiors were done by other Charlton regular artists. They seen to have adapted to spaceship from the one drawn by Ed Emshwiller for the cover of the Avalon hardcover. Looking through the comic again after many years, and after having read the novel, it’s surprisingly faithful, although they’ve cut out some gore and deaths and streamlined the story. I find it unsatisfying as science fiction, with too many unanswered questions. Her aliens feel uncomfortably like American Indians, with echoes of stereotypes that played well in 1961, but not very well today. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2021, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/62 "2021-12-20T15:29:35Z")
Two new books, and with this, I’ve finished my “Read 75 books in 2021” Goodreads challenge: [The All-Consuming World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54864319-the-all-consuming-world). It’s a “ragtag band of ne’er-do-wells get back together for one last mission and take on an overwhelming empire” story, set in space, where all the ne’er-do-wells are cloned women with various love affairs, and the empire is enormous AI battleships, and the prose veers wildly between expertly-wielded SAT vocabulary and fuck. I counted 13 fucks on one page, and 4 on another, and all the other pages were somewhere in between. Pretty fun, but I kinda thought Gideon the Ninth did it better. [We Could Be Heroes](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53288436-we-could-be-heroes?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Rox7AyVHtc&rank=1) did not do it for me. It’s yet another modern novel that plays around in the superhero genre, and the basic schtick–an amnesiac supervillain and an amnesiac superhero team up to investigate their shared past–isn’t bad at all. But the prose was really clumsy, the dialogue was tin-eared, and none of the plot twists were remotely surprising. I’ll be honest, if I weren’t trying to finish my challenge, I probably woulda put this down. I also started [The Will to Battle](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33517544-the-will-to-battle?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=1Ciqernmus&rank=1), but Ada Palmer’s story just didn’t grab me this time. I read the first two volumes, and they’re definitely challenging reads. It’s been long enough that I don’t remember much about the characters or plot, and Palmer doesn’t exactly handhold for getting back into it, and I put it down. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/63 "2021-12-20T16:23:48Z")
**The Revolutionary Genius of Plants: A New Understanding of Plant Intelligence and Behavior** Stefano Mancuso This short, lavishly illustrated, non technical book describes some recent research in how plants react to their environment. While this is an intriguing topic (Plants have memory ? Apparently, yes) and parts of it are interesting, the book is not particularly well-written. It wanders off on tangents like why some people enjoy spicy food that have little to do with the main idea. Not really recommended ---
**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:** [December 20, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/64 "2021-12-20T16:30:29Z")
Finished _The Woman in Cabin Ten_ by Ruth Ware. A decent read, with an interesting plot, but, IMO, a totally unsatisfying ending. Now I just started _The Dark Hours_ by Michael Connelly. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/65 "2021-12-20T18:29:37Z")
I might have to cheat to win this year (By cheat I mean read some of the manga I have piled up here). I reread _Not an Elf_ by Madeline Kirby. Liked it much better this read than the first time, even for a very low action series this one was even less action than the prior books. Started _The Body at Bucaneer Bay_ by Josh Lanyon. This is the 5th in her cozy mystery series Secrets and Scrabble. I like her characters and their enthusiasm toward life, her mystery plots are well done too. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/66 "2021-12-20T18:32:49Z")
Finished **The Guest Book** by C.L. Pattison. Those who read my posts will know I am a avid fan of psychological thrillers. This is a good story of a newly wed couple being forced to stay in a sleepy village en route to their honeymoon destination after a storm caused all trains stop running. All the passengers are given a list of various different guest accommodations as it happens to be a popular tourist spot. This couple decide to stay at a place no one else is because it was not on the list. But it is somewhere the husband has a connection with. And there sets into play a honeymoon that turns into a nightmare. I enjoyed this read. It is relatively short but quite gripping. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2021, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/67 "2021-12-20T18:37:29Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > I might have to cheat to win this year (By cheat I mean read some of the manga I have piled up here). Heh. If it’s got chapters, I count it. My list is primarily books for adults, but there’s a good dozen or so kids’ books in there. I don’t figure cheating is possible on something like this. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/68 "2021-12-20T19:13:45Z")
I was joking really, I have one short story, a couple novellas and a graphic novel read this year. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/69 "2021-12-20T19:33:33Z")
The public library pulled back my audiobook of _Never_ by Ken Follett, so I’m taking an involuntary break from that, and have now turned to _The Eagle Has Landed_ by Jack Higgins. It’s a ripping yarn about a Nazi plot to kidnap Winston Churchill while he vacations in a country home on the rustic Norfolk coast. I read it back in the Seventies and enjoyed it, and it still holds up well. ---
**Author:** ![Gnupterry424](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gnupterry424](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gnupterry424)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/70 "2021-12-20T22:36:55Z")
Currently on Discworld, specifically Lords and Ladies. However I am totally open to suggestions. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/71 "2021-12-20T23:16:43Z")
Welcome! Is this your first Pratchett or are you scrolling through them? ---
**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:** [December 21, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/72 "2021-12-21T14:24:43Z")
Started today on [The Haunting of Gillespie House](https://www.amazon.com/Haunting-Gillespie-House-Darcy-Coates/dp/172822179X/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3MCYV6N8C76F&keywords=the+haunting+of+gillespie+house&qid=1640096170&sprefix=the+haunting+of+gillespie+house%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-3) by Darcy Coates. All right so far. I recently read something else by this author that was only okay, but the writing isn’t terrible and she’s written a bunch of spooky-type books, so I want to like her. Welcome, @Gnupterry424! ---
**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:** [December 21, 2021, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/73 "2021-12-21T21:02:19Z")
I enjoyed a book called Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K. J. Parker (who also writes as Tom Holt). It reads like a Discworld novel, although without magic. Finished _Submerged_ , edited by S. C. Butler and Joshua Palmatier, an anthology of SF and fantasy. My favorite story was “Go with the Flow” by Esther Friesner, with “Rust in Peace” by Seanan McGuire a close second. Now I’m reading _Unplayable Lies: The Only Golf Book You’ll Ever Need_, by Dan Jenkins. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/74 "2021-12-21T23:37:31Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > I enjoyed a book called Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K. J. Parker (who also writes as Tom Holt). It reads like a Discworld novel, although without magic. I haven’t read that one but I read the sequel _How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It_. It was hilarious and I did not see the twist at the end coming. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2021, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/75 "2021-12-22T00:29:52Z")
Coincidentally, I bought that book a few days ago! I’ll be reading it soon. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/76 "2021-12-22T18:20:50Z")
Finished _Hail Mary_ by Andy Weir, which I liked enough to return to _Artemis_, which I’d given up on half way. Turned out I liked that as well. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/77 "2021-12-22T20:42:48Z")
We’ve all had these moments, haven’t we?: [I Brought A Book by Peter C Vey](https://condenaststore.com/featured/i-brought-a-book-peter-c-vey.html) ---
**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:** [December 22, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/78 "2021-12-22T22:18:14Z")
Story of my life! I forgot my Kindle this morning so almost didn’t stop for breaakfast after dropping off a friend at the airport. I mean what’s breakfast without something to read?!! And on that note: I finished _Body at Buccaneer’s Bay_ by Josh Lanyon. Not bad, a cozy in every sense of the word, still a fun read. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/79 "2021-12-23T14:43:50Z")
Started this morning on [Cackle](https://www.amazon.com/Cackle-Rachel-Harrison/dp/0593202023/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DZR0TL7X7TBP&keywords=cackle+rachel+harrison&qid=1640269710&sprefix=cackle%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-1) by Rachel Harrison, about a woman starting a new life after a breakup, and meeting a new friend who seems to be a witch. I’ve been reluctant to pick this one up because of the dumb title, but I’m really digging it so far. Cozy and amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243/80 "2021-12-23T16:45:13Z")
I am currently reading Legacy of the Darksword, apparently the fourth book in the Darksword Trilogy. Um, yeah. I had read the first three books and had no idea there was a fourth one until this year. Apparently it’s as old as the other ones (all in the late 1990s) but it takes place after a prolonged timeskip. Wikipedia doesn’t mention it as part of the trilogy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2021-edition/955243.md?page=5)