# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - February 2023 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [January 30, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072 "2023-01-30T21:10:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/41 "2023-02-13T17:45:46Z")
I’ve been reading _True Biz_ by Sara Novic. It feels a little weird to listen to it as an audiobook, because it’s set in a residential school for the deaf. It’s mostly a coming-of-age story. Two of the three main characters are students at the school and the third is the headmistress. I’m not terribly familiar with deaf culture and I’m really enjoying this introduction. ---
**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 14, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/42 "2023-02-14T14:32:32Z")
Started last night on [What Lies in the Woods](https://www.amazon.com/What-Lies-Woods-Alice-Marshall/dp/1250859883/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PFMH24UZKRVN&keywords=what+lies+in+the+woods&qid=1676384831&sprefix=what+lies+in+the+woods%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-1) by Kate Alice Marshall. It’s a novel about three girls; one was attacked by a serial killer when they were young, and their testimony sent him to prison for life. But apparently it wasn’t the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Pretty good 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:** [February 14, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/43 "2023-02-14T23:27:56Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > …We are in St Martin, so I began rereading **Elmore Leonard** ’s _Rum Punch_, (the novel Tarintino base _Jackie Brown_ on). I first read it my first time on the island and I reread it each time I’m here. This is my 16th (?!) time. I love the story, and it is a perfect beach read. I like both the book and the movie very much. To put you in the mood: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UbH3hSS1xCY/maxresdefault.jpg "Jackie Brown OST-Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbH3hSS1xCY) ---
**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 15, 2023, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/44 "2023-02-15T01:58:14Z")
🙂 Yes! ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/45 "2023-02-15T02:13:02Z")
Finished Fairy Tale which to be honest was a slog. Now mad honey. ---
**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 15, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/46 "2023-02-15T02:35:07Z")
I finished _Rum Punch_ (aka _Jackie Brown_ even though the stewardess is named Jackie Burke in the novel) on Friar’s Bay Beach. Man, Elmore Leonard was really something. Started _Blonde Faith_ by **Walter Mosley**. This is Mosley’s eleventh Easy Rawlins book spoiler: also his last. I’ve read the first ten but couldn’t find #11 until just recently. Loving it so far. ---
**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 15, 2023, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/47 "2023-02-15T14:36:57Z")
Finished _Introducing Elsa Maxwell: How an Irrepressible Nobody Conquered High Society, Hollywood, the Press, and the World_, by Sam Staggs. Meh. Now I’m reading _Round Up the Usual Peacocks_, by Donna Andrews. ---
**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 15, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/48 "2023-02-15T15:52:21Z")
I finished _Swordheart_ by T. Kingfisher. I seriously laughed so hard in a couple places that I hurt myself. ⚔ 😆 ---
**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 16, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/49 "2023-02-16T14:37:02Z")
Last night I finished What Lies in the Woods. I didn’t like any of the characters, and I figured out some of the twists before they were revealed. But there were more to come! By the end, I wasn’t even sure what really happened. But it was a decent read nonetheless and held my interest. Next I started [The House in the Pines](https://www.amazon.com/House-Pines-Novel-Ana-Reyes/dp/0593186710/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676557150&sr=8-1) by Ana Reyes. It wasn’t as well written as What Lies in the Woods, and after a couple of chapters, I realized I’d lost interest. However, it was too late to start another book, so I flipped through the remainder, reading a couple of paragraphs every other page until I reached the end. I have a pretty good idea what it was all about. I noticed that this book, more than any other on my library account, has a long hold list. There must be some buzz about it, but I don’t know why. Started this morning on [The Talking Parcel](https://www.amazon.com/talking-parcel-Gerald-Malcolm-Durrell/dp/0001848283/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12RD7Z1XGDZZV&keywords=the+talking+parcel+gerald+durrell&qid=1676557045&sprefix=talking+parcel%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1), a children’s book by British author Gerald Durrell. In topic and tone, it reminds me very much of Five Children and It, by Edith Nesbit. I call that a good thing. ---
**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 17, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/50 "2023-02-17T18:55:24Z")
Finished _Round Up the Usual Peacocks_, by Donna Andrews, which was okay. Now I’m reading _Norwich: One Tiny Vermont Town’s Secret to Happiness and Excellence_, by Karen Crouse. ---
**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 19, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/51 "2023-02-19T15:06:11Z")
Finished _Norwich: One Tiny Vermont Town’s Secret to Happiness and Excellence_, by Karen Crouse, which was okay. Now I’m reading _Mad Blood Stirring_, by Simon Mayo. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2023, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/52 "2023-02-21T18:51:16Z")
**London Rising: The Men Who Made Modern London** Leo Hollis A history of the English capital from roughly 1640 to 1700, focusing on five men - John Locke, John Evelyn, Robert Hooke, Christopher Wren, and Nicholas Barbon - who contributed to the development of the city. Interesting and well-written. 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:** [February 21, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/53 "2023-02-21T19:05:36Z")
Finished _Mad Blood Stirring_, by Simon Mayo, which was okay. Now I’m reading _The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrow_, by Steven Novella, with Bob Novella and Jay Novella. ---
**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 21, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/54 "2023-02-21T19:25:27Z")
Started today on [The Spite House](https://www.amazon.com/Spite-House-Novel-Johnny-Compton/dp/1250841410/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39L3HZU0X9F7A&keywords=the+spite+house+a+novel+johnny+compton&qid=1677006946&sprefix=spite+house%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1) by Johnny Compton. A family who is in hiding from some mysterious trouble takes a job caretaking a haunted house for a large sum of money. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/55 "2023-02-22T18:05:10Z")
On paper, I’m reading Charlie Jane Anders’ [All the Birds in the Sky](https://www.amazon.com/All-Birds-Charlie-Jane-Anders-ebook/dp/B00W190RPG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1677088849&sr=8-1). On kindle, I’m reading Hilary St. John Mandel’s [Sea of Tranquility](https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Tranquility-Emily-John-Mandel-ebook/dp/B099DRHTLX/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1677088933&sr=8-1). They’re both pretty weird and I’m really enjoying both of them. These are my first books by these authors–I’m sure I’ll be looking for more. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/56 "2023-02-22T18:44:36Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > On kindle, I’m reading Hilary St. John Mandel’s [Sea of Tranquility](https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Tranquility-Emily-John-Mandel-ebook/dp/B099DRHTLX/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1677088933&sr=8-1). ( **Emily** St. John Mandel) _Sea of Tranquility_ was weird and fun. Let me know your opinion when you finish. Her previous book, _The Glass Hotel_, had a similar feel and even shared a few characters. And her book _Station Eleven_ is in my top 10 of all time list. If you like _SoT_, I think you’d like both of those. ---
**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 23, 2023, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/57 "2023-02-23T23:56:54Z")
Finished _The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrow_, by Steven Novella, with Bob Novella and Jay Novella, which is a good introduction to the subject, and which I would’ve liked more if I hadn’t already read elsewhere about pretty much all of the topics in it. Now I’m reading _Sewer, Gas, & Electric_, a science fiction novel by Matt Ruff, written in 1990, and set in the “distant future” of 2023… ---
**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:** [February 24, 2023, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/58 "2023-02-24T00:52:36Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Finished _Digging for Richard III_ by Mike Pitts. Overall a well written book, definitely aimed to a lay audience. I, personally, would have like more time spent on the post uncovering science, but his explanations did cover all the bases. I saw this at the library today and almost got it, but then I turned around and saw _Roots_ on the shelf behind me. I checked that one out instead. It’s been on Mt. TBR longer. ---
**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 25, 2023, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/59 "2023-02-25T00:02:15Z")
😆 I understand! ---
**Author:** ![fordgt100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fordgt100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fordgt100)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/60 "2023-02-25T09:25:39Z")
I’ve been reading Flannery O’Connor, The Complete Stories. Its confirmed something I have always suspected. She was not only the greatest writer to ever come from America, she is one of the greatest writers that ever lived. Someone once said that rather than compare her to other modern writers, she should be compared to someone like Sophocles. I agree, there is nothing else that even comes close. Yes, some of her terminology is not PC, but it’s the language that was used in The South in her time period. Some of the funniest and most profound writing I have ever read. Her characters, no matter how crazy they may be, are just so human. She wrote dialogue that sticks in your mind forever, especially in Everything That Rises Must Converge, The Life You Save Must Be Your Own and Good Country People. There is really no one else to compare her to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072.md?page=4)