# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - January 2023 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [January 1, 2023, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470 "2023-01-01T15:35:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [January 6, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/21 "2023-01-06T14:43:48Z")
Finished _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_ by Philip K. Dick, which was outstanding. Now I’m reading _What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions_, by Randall Munroe. ---
**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:** [January 6, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/22 "2023-01-06T17:06:59Z")
I’ve been jonesing to re-read _The Rook_ by Daniel O’Malley ever since _Blitz_ was announced, I just didn’t have the time … until now. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/23 "2023-01-06T17:24:32Z")
As You Wish by Cary Elwes. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/24 "2023-01-07T23:19:57Z")
Finished _What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions_, by Randall Munroe, which was unsurprisingly very funny and interesting. Now I’m reading _Eight Mules from Monterey_ by Patricia Beatty. ---
**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:** [January 8, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/25 "2023-01-08T20:53:42Z")
Not far from finishing _Fairy Tale_, by Stephen King. Enjoying 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:** [January 8, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/26 "2023-01-08T23:26:57Z")
Finished _Eight Mules from Monterey_ by Patricia Beatty. Not recommended. Now I’m reading _Deaf Utopia: A Memoir–and a Love Letter to a Way of Life_, by Nyle DiMarco. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2023, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/27 "2023-01-09T13:36:17Z")
Started today on [The Fiends in the Furrows II: Tales of Folk Horror](https://www.amazon.com/Fiends-Furrows-II-Tales-Horror/dp/1944286217/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1673270707&sr=8-2), an anthology of, you guessed it, folk horror. There is a long and scholarly foreword which defines folk horror as composed of four elements: a landscape with adverse effects on the social and moral identity of its inhabitants, isolation, skewed belief systems, and a happening. So now you know! It’s just okay so far. I’d have started with the first volume, but my library has only this one. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**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:** [January 10, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/28 "2023-01-10T13:54:13Z")
Done. You know, I don’t _dislike_ short stories. However, I’m never entirely pleased by a collection. Just by the nature of the beast, there’s good parts and bad parts, usually summing up to a pile of “meh”. Furthermore, I read for the mental escapism, and I can’t really immerse myself in something piecemeal like this. This was a decent anthology. But I hope I will remember in future that I find them ultimately unsatisfying. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/29 "2023-01-10T14:37:02Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I read for the mental escapism, and I can’t really immerse myself in something piecemeal like this. I have the same issues when reading an anthology. I just start getting attached to a character or set and the story is over. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/30 "2023-01-10T19:02:17Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I started listening to _The Flight Attendant_ by Chris Bohjalian. Finished listening to this book. A decent read/listen which kept me entertained throughout. Huge plot twist at the end which I certainly didn’t see 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:** [January 10, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/31 "2023-01-10T21:57:03Z")
Finished _Deaf Utopia: A Memoir–and a Love Letter to a Way of Life_, by Nyle DiMarco, which was okay. Now I’m reading _Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps_, by Seirian Sumner. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/32 "2023-01-12T17:02:48Z")
Started today on [Even Though I Knew the End](https://www.amazon.com/Even-Though-I-Knew-End/dp/1250849454/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XK1W2OJOJID9&keywords=even+though+i+knew+the+end&qid=1673542495&sprefix=even+though%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-1) by C.L. Polk. Pretty great so far. Fantasy noir about a magical detective who has to solve a case in three days. If she succeeds she lives happily ever after with her wife, if she fails her soul goes straight to hell. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/33 "2023-01-12T21:18:07Z")
I’ve finished three books so far this month. 1. [Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890486-breath) was an interesting look at how different breathing techniques can help or harm your body. I think the author inserted himself into the narrative a bit much, but I suppose when you’re trying to turn a basic biological function into a full-length book, that’s what happens. It’s still a short read at a bit over 200 pages. 2. [Dark Money: The Hidden History Behind the Billionaires of the Radical Right](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833494-dark-money) by Jane Mayer. One of those books that I’m glad to have read but didn’t really enjoy reading. There’s a lot of useful information about who is funding what political movements and why, and which politicians are beholden to which businessmen. But in many places, the book felt like a recitation/regurgitation of facts and research, which was often educational but not really interesting. 3. [The Passenger](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26154406-the-passenger) by Lisa Lutz. This was a great book. It’s a thriller, but had enough plot twists and excitements to keep me interested the whole way through the book (as opposed to some thrillers where the entire plot is riding on the final twist). It was my first book by Lutz, but I intend to read more by her. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/34 "2023-01-12T22:17:50Z")
Just downloaded _The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo_ by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Certainly not a title that I would normally look into, but it comes highly recommended by a friend. I haven’t started it yet, so the jury is still out. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/35 "2023-01-12T22:40:35Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > [Dark Money: The Hidden History Behind the Billionaires of the Radical Right](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833494-dark-money) by Jane Mayer. One of those books that I’m glad to have read but didn’t really enjoy reading. There’s a lot of useful information about who is funding what political movements and why, and which politicians are beholden to which businessmen. But in many places, the book felt like a recitation/regurgitation of facts and research, which was often educational but not really interesting. As I mentioned upstream, I just read this, too. I found it interesting – lots of stuff I hadn’t heard before (and the Kochs are one messed-up clan). The most interesting thing to me is that, in a book as late as 2016, Trump is only mentioned four times, and never at any length. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/36 "2023-01-13T00:07:23Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The most interesting thing to me is that, in a book as late as 2016, Trump is only mentioned four times, and never at any length. Yes, I had forgotten just how thoroughly he was dismissed as a joke/non-threat during his campaign until I read this book. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/37 "2023-01-13T17:02:53Z")
Finished _Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps_, by Seirian Sumner, which was very interesting. Now I’m reading _Castles from Cobwebs_ by J. A. Mensah. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/38 "2023-01-13T17:17:18Z")
Still working my way through the entire Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout. Just started _Triple Zeck_, a 3-novel series which features Wolfe’s most feared opponent, Arnold Zeck. Working on _A be a Villain_, to be followed by _The Second Confession_ and _In the Best Families_. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/39 "2023-01-13T17:53:49Z")
**Timbuktu: The Sahara’s Fabled City of Gold** Marq de Villiers and Sheila Hirtle The long, glorious history and current precarious situation of the famously remote city. I’ve long had an ambition to visit Mali and especially Timbuktu. Alas, it will probably be too dangerous to do so anytime soon. This well-written and interesting book is a good substitute, I guess. **The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars, and Caliphs** Marc David Baer Looong, comprehensive history of the Ottoman Empire, from the early Turkish kingdoms to World War One. A lot of it was rather drily written, but I did learn a lot. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/40 "2023-01-14T15:54:40Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Started today on [Even Though I Knew the End](https://www.amazon.com/Even-Though-I-Knew-End/dp/1250849454/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XK1W2OJOJID9&keywords=even+though+i+knew+the+end&qid=1673542495&sprefix=even+though%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-1) by C.L. Polk. Just finished. Five stars. Man, I’m glad I finished it at home, so I could cry in peace! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470.md?page=3)