# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - December 2023 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [December 1, 2023, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931 "2023-12-01T01:31:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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 5, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/21 "2023-12-05T00:57:18Z")
Finished the latest Murderbot book _System Collapse_ by MArtha Wells. The title is somewhere between a spoiler and a pun for the book. I never thought I’d ever be SO invested in the bromance of a bot pilot and a security construct, but here we are. And I am happier than I have words to express that ART is staying in the story. ---
**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 5, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/22 "2023-12-05T19:32:38Z")
Finished _Reflections on the Psalms_, by C. S. Lewis, which was interesting. Now I’m reading _A Calm & Normal Heart_, by Chelsea T. Hicks. ---
**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 6, 2023, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/23 "2023-12-06T03:10:36Z")
Started John Scalzi’s _Starter Villian_… not sure if I like it yet or not, but it has cats in it. (Sadly no kaijus tho) ---
**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 7, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/24 "2023-12-07T00:05:24Z")
Finished _A Calm & Normal Heart_, by Chelsea T. Hicks. The best story in it was “A Small Urge”. Now I’m reading _Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words_, by Jenni Nuttall. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/25 "2023-12-07T16:23:50Z")
I’m looking for a book recommendation. My wife and I are going to gift each other a book for Christmas that we will each read so we can discuss it. It doesn’t have to be anything Important, but certainly worth our time. She adores Ann Patchett, character-driven stories, and generally prefers a narrative about good, redeemable people (rather than “let’s delve into all the horrible things that have happened to me that made me the broken person I am”). I do worry that anything I choose will be something she’s read, as she doesn’t keep a list outside of her brain… I’m looking at the following, and am open to suggestions: Castle of Water, by Dane Huckelbridge The River, by Peter Heller So Long See You Tomorrow, by William Maxwell Light Perpetual, by Francis Spufford ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2023, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/26 "2023-12-07T16:32:50Z")
Just finished _Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries_ by Heather Fawcett which I found readable but ultimately pointless. Now on to (hopefully, based on the previous book in the series) cozy fantasy book _Bookshops & Bonedust_ by Travis Baldree ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2023, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/27 "2023-12-08T15:28:21Z")
**Fractal Noise** Christopher Paolini A gigantic hole is discovered on an uninhabited planet and a team is sent to investigate, including the main character, a man grieving the recent death of his spouse. Of course, the mission to the hole - which is done on foot for reasons, does not go well at all. There are accidents, conflicts, etc… Good book Recommended. ---
**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 8, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/28 "2023-12-08T19:40:50Z")
Finished _Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words_, by Jenni Nuttall, which was interesting. My favorite word was “lorester” or “lorestress”, both of which meant (centuries ago) a woman who was a teacher. Now I’m reading _Nebula Awards Showcase 2009: The Year’s Best SF and Fantasy, Selected by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America_, edited by Ellen Datlow ---
**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 8, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/29 "2023-12-08T20:30:39Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Started today on [Hemlock Island](https://www.amazon.com/Hemlock-Island-Novel-Kelley-Armstrong/dp/1250284198/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y2YT7RIC856S&keywords=hemlock+island&qid=1701696589&sprefix=hemlock+island%2Caps%2C385&sr=8-1), by Kelley Armstrong, a novel about a group of people I don’t give a damn about, fixin’ to get their asses killed on an isolated island. Finished Hemlock Island. I never did give a damn about any of the characters, and quite a few of them did get their asses killed. The writing style wasn’t great, and there was too much boring relationship drama. But it passed the time. I might give the author another chance. ---
**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 8, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/30 "2023-12-08T20:45:10Z")
**Munch** , I haven’t read the four books you mentioned, but given your wife’s tastes, off the top of my head I’d recommend: _To Kill a Mockingbird_ by Harper Lee, the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic about childhood and injustice in the Depression-era South. _The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency_ by Alexander McCall Smith, a collection of folksy tales about Botswana’s first female detective and her varied cases. _The Killer Angels_ by Michael Shaara, another Pulitzer winner, about the Battle of Gettysburg and the men who fought it. _A Long Way Down_ by Nick Hornby, a comic novel about four would-be suicides who meet on a London rooftop one night and become unlikely friends. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/31 "2023-12-10T21:18:07Z")
I recently finished the most recent Murderbot, which was good fun, and am now reading _Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries_, so I have nothing new to contribute to the thread! ---
**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 11, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/32 "2023-12-11T00:17:19Z")
Finished _Starter Villian_ by John Scalzi. The book could have used some editing in the set up part but once the explosions started it was no stop from there. Up next _Paladin’s Faith_ from T. Kingfisher. ---
**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 11, 2023, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/33 "2023-12-11T01:05:07Z")
Finished _Nebula Awards Showcase 2009: The Year’s Best SF and Fantasy, Selected by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America_, edited by Ellen Datlow. My favorite story was “Titanium Mike Saves the Day”, by David D. Levine. Now I’m reading _Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death_, by Laura Cumming. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/34 "2023-12-11T01:09:38Z")
Finished _Bookshops & Bonedust_ by Travis Baldree, which I found perhaps _too_ cozy. Next on my TBR read is _Talonsister_ by Jen Williams, but the first few paragraphs are not catching my interest… I wish I had _Paladin’s faith_, T. Kingfisher rarely disappoints. May be I’ll reread something, dunno. ---
**Author:** ![2outta3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2outta3/32/15520_2.png) [@2outta3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2outta3)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/35 "2023-12-11T01:28:16Z")
# Slay (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Book 30) by Laurell K. Hamilton. In this one she got back to the right mix of action and love life that made her earlier novels in the series so popular (IMHO). ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/36 "2023-12-11T01:46:15Z")
Update: I went and got _Paladin’s Faith_, and I’m currently reading it, I can resist anything except temptation… ---
**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 11, 2023, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/37 "2023-12-11T02:03:40Z")
I finished listening to _Slow Horses_ by Mick Herron. I found it to be a decent story, but there were a whole lot of sub-plots and the action jumped from one to another, and I found it hard to follow the action. Perhaps it was because I listened to only an hour a day while I was working out; had I read it in longer increments, I might have enjoyed it more. But if and when I get the opportunity, I’ll watch the TV series. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/38 "2023-12-11T14:50:43Z")
**The Kalahari Typing School for Men** Alexander McCall Smith Part of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, but no real mystery involved. A sort of pleasant slice of life look at Botswana. Recommended ---
**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 11, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/39 "2023-12-11T15:56:13Z")
Started today on [Julia](https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Novel-Sandra-Newman/dp/0063265338/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CJ5231471R7Y&keywords=julia+by+sandra+newman&qid=1702309815&sprefix=julia+by+%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1) by Sandra Newman, a retelling of George Orwell’s 1984 from a different character’s point of view. Pretty interesting so far. ---
**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 11, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931/40 "2023-12-11T17:22:18Z")
I finished _This House_ by James Graham, a British political play, and the audiobook of _Little, Crazy Children_ by James Renner, true crime about an Ohio stabbing murder. Neither particularly wowed me. I’ve started but am now taking a break from _The Burning World_ by Isaac Marion, a sequel to the pretty good zombie romance _Warm Bodies_, since it’s not really grabbing me yet, either. I’ve turned instead to the true crime history _Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI_ by David Grann, recently made into a movie by Scorsese, De Niro, DiCaprio and several other notable Slovenian Hollywood folks. The book is okay but isn’t really living up to its rave reviews for me so far. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2023-edition/993931.md?page=3)