# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - February 2022 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [February 1, 2022, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722 "2022-02-01T03:43:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/21 "2022-02-06T23:23:17Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Finished _Pronto_ , by Elmore Leonard. Mayhem in Miami and Italy involving sports bookmakers and the Mafia. **Kayaker** was right last month, it is a great Raylan Givens tale. This seems to be the book that introduces Givens, him being a US Marshal from coal country in Kentucky. I’d never heard of the Givens character before, but it seems there was a TV series on FX about 10 years ago. I was living in Thailand at the time, so missed that. But he is a good character and the subject of at least one other book that I know of. > > Next up is _A Time for Mercy_ , by John Grisham. Actually, I think I once read a third book of Leonard’s that Givens may have been in. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/22 "2022-02-07T20:51:55Z")
Yes, he’s in _Pronto_, as well as a short story, and the novels _Riding the Rap_ and _Raylan_. For more on the character: [Raylan Givens - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raylan_Givens) I’m now about a third of the way through Jack Higgins’s _The Eagle Has Flown_, a 1991 sequel to his (much better) 1975 WWII thriller _The Eagle Has Landed_. Turns out, a key character from the first book, described quite clearly there as having been shot and killed… survived! Pretty much feels like Higgins wanted to cash in again on a popular early book of his. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2022, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/23 "2022-02-09T14:26:46Z")
Finished _Iron Sunrise_ , by Charles Stross, which I enjoyed. I would’ve liked it better if one of the key characters hadn’t annoyed me so much. I may read _Singularity Sky_, which this book is a sequel to, since my husband assures me that the character I can’t stand isn’t in it. Now I’m reading _Mergers and Acquisitions: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned on the Wedding Pages_, by Cate Doty. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/24 "2022-02-09T19:16:16Z")
**Oaxaca Journal** Oliver Sacks Oliver Sacks is a world-famous neuroscientist who has written several books on the mysteries of the human brain. And he is really, really into ferns. A veritable pteridophile. In this short book he documents a trip to the region of Oaxaca, Mexico with other fern fans to explore the area, with an obvious emphasis on botany. Although he also talks about the human history of Oaxaca, it is mostly about ferns. Although I don’t know my licopodium from my dryopteris, I found the book quite enjoyable. Next time I’m out walking I’ll try to pay more attention to these organisms. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/25 "2022-02-10T20:34:36Z")
**The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance** Ross King The fascinating story of Vespasiano di Bisticci, who rose from humble origins to become the most important manuscript dealer in 15th century Florence, a friend to kings and poets eager to acquire copies of Cicero and Plato. Of course, he was also among the last great manuscript dealers, because a few hundred kilometers to the north, Gutenberg and his movable type changed the book world forever. Enjoyable and interesting book. Recommended. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2022, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/26 "2022-02-10T20:54:06Z")
Ooooo! I need to look into that one. I’ve enjoyed the other Ross King books I have 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:** [February 10, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/27 "2022-02-10T21:51:26Z")
Finished _Mergers and Acquisitions: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned on the Wedding Pages_ , by Cate Doty. Meh. Now I’m reading _How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It,_ by K. J. Parker. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2022, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/28 "2022-02-10T22:59:20Z")
Finished _The Rest of Us Just Live Here_ by Patrick Ness. I honestly expected the book to be more “Free Guy” and a lot less Judy Blume. The book has pacing issues, stuff happens and then nothing much happens. The middle part was about as boring an tedious as I would think the life of an extra on a Marvel set. But the end is well paced and nicely climatic. He does have a good ear for teens, both their dialogue and motivations were believable. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/29 "2022-02-10T23:23:56Z")
Yes, I’ve read several of his books. All enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![lawf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@lawf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawf)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/30 "2022-02-11T09:36:18Z")
Picked up TC Boyle’s short fiction anthology titled [Stories II](https://www.google.com/books/edition/T_C_Boyle_Stories_II/hLkBDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover) this month. The volume of his output is staggering; this collection alone stands at 900+ pages, and then there are the novels too. This collection is very idiosyncratic. I particularly liked My Pain Is Worse Than Your Pain. Another staggering fact is that the collection features only his published stories. How someone could get published so often baffles me. Other than that, I’ve taken up some introductory (101-level) materials on Logic. At the moment, I’m focusing on [transductive reasoning](https://www.bartleby.com/learn/free-expert-answers/what-is-transductive-reasoning) in particular. Reading a short fiction anthology is great this way; it gives me the feeling of engaging in something sustained, as with reading a novel but also gives me enough room to read other things. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2022, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/31 "2022-02-11T13:13:03Z")
Finished _Summer of Night_, by Dan Simmons. It was long, annoying, and mediocre. There were several animal deaths. Most took place off screen, and the ones that didn’t…well, the writing was so poor they just glanced off me. I had some trouble keeping the characters straight, but it was enough to know that there are a bunch of boy children, plus the sexy girl and the disgusting girl. Mr. Simmons had a habit of telling, not showing: oh, this guy is “the crazy neighbor”? Why? Because the author says so. This book is also put forth as being some great tale of nostalgia. As for me, I was pissed every time I realized I’d just spent five pages reading the blow-by-blow description of a dirt-clod fight, and the plot was no further ahead. The supernatural evil part didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but in the end, it all just winds up in a major gross-out. At least it wasn’t about fucking vampires, that’s the nicest thing I can say about it. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2022, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/32 "2022-02-11T15:04:00Z")
I attempted to read [The Girls](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26893819-the-girls) by Emma Cline, but quickly abandoned it. The book is beautifully written, almost like poetry, but there was very little story to it. Now, however, I’m reading two books that I am very much enjoying. [Landline](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18081809-landline) by Rainbow Rowell does a very good job of actually telling a story. It’s light-hearted and flows well: a great book for when you don’t want to focus too hard and just want to relax into a fun story. It’s about a woman who discovers that if she calls her husband using a particular phone, she can reach her husband from 15 years ago and talk to him. [A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25937671-a-mother-s-reckoning) by Sue Klebold is certainly not light-hearted – it’s the polar opposite. But the book is incredibly engaging. I mean, we think that the worst thing that can happen to a mother is that she loses her baby. Imagine if you not only lost your baby, but your baby also became notorious worldwide for killing and injuring nearly three dozen children in the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history. Imagine picking up the pieces and surviving that. Her story is told in a way that is sensitive, responsible, heart-wrenching, and honest. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/33 "2022-02-11T17:59:43Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > …At least it wasn’t about fucking vampires, that’s the nicest thing I can say about it. Hmm. I’ll try to think of a book about celibate vampires I can recommend to you. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/34 "2022-02-11T19:24:02Z")
I am throwing garlic in your general direction! ---
**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:** [February 11, 2022, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/35 "2022-02-11T19:32:45Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Hmm. I’ll try to think of a book about celibate vampires I can recommend to you. Despite innuendo and suggestion, there’s no evidence that either in the book, the 1922 film _Nosferatu,_ or the 1931 film _Dracula_ that the count himself ever attempted sexual seduction. He was literally out for blood. And, as David J. Skal made clear in his many books on the topic, Dracula was a feral predator. It was only later that his hypnotic power (and the sexual symbolism, which was always there) was interpreted as sexually seductive. You could imagine a woman giving in to Christopher Le’'s Dracula, or to Frank Langella’s or Gary Oldman’s (in fact, that’s very heavily suggested in the 1979 and 1992 films), but no the ray-faced Count Orlok in _Nosferatu_. So, yeah – pretty celibate vampires. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/36 "2022-02-11T19:36:01Z")
Best I can do is gay vampires… I started _A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax_ by Dorothy Gilman yesterday. I’m ready for cozy spy hijinks in Switzerland after a cold, dreary, smoggy January in Utah! ---
**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:** [February 12, 2022, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/37 "2022-02-12T03:24:00Z")
Just finished Agatha Christie’s _Murder on the Orient Express_ and liked it very much. I can see why it’s attracted Hollywood so much over the years. I’ve now returned to Sally Rooney’s contemporary Irish novel _Beautiful World, Where Are You,_ about two gal pals in Dublin and their work, families and love lives. Not really my cup of tea, but good enough to keep going. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/38 "2022-02-12T13:41:18Z")
It was a quick read (that’s the best I can say about it), but I just finished _The Other Hotel: You Choose_ by Jack Stroke. It’s a “choose your own story” kinda deal. I’d never read one of these, and it seemed like a cool use of the kindle platform, but the story was stupid and the whole thing a disappointment. On the bright side, I just started _Spindown_ by the hot new author Andy Crawford. I haven’t read any science fiction in years and I’m really getting into it. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/39 "2022-02-13T22:01:23Z")
Finished _How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It,_ by K. J. Parker, which was excellent and a lot of fun. Very reminiscent of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels about Ankh-Morpork and Moist von Lipwig. Now I’m reading _Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America_, by Craig Childs. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2022, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722/40 "2022-02-14T13:36:52Z")
Finished Simon Winchester’s _The Men who United the States_ on audio. Very good and wide-ranging book. I found an error or misstatement in it that I might try to write to him about, however. Now I’m on to Stephen King’s _Billy Summers_ that I picked up at the same going out of business sale. Still going through Heinlein’s _Pursuit of the Pankera_ in hardcover. It’s interesting, and carries on the Barsoom motif that the character’s names hint at much more satisfyingly than _Number of the Beast_ did, but this still feels like a slog, rather than the usual Heinlein sweep. For bedside reading, I’m still reading _The Girl in the Hairy Paw_. Glad I picked that up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2022-edition/958722.md?page=3)