# 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:** 3
**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:** [January 14, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/41 "2023-01-14T15:59:43Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > You know, I don’t _dislike_ short stories. However, I’m never entirely pleased by a collection. I was rereading some Stephen King and your mention of short stories led to me rereading a few collections, starting with _Everything’s Eventual_. I do prefer novels. In one of King’s introductions he mentions **Rose Madder** , talking about how poorly it sold and his surprise that nobody ever wanted to do a movie based on the book. So I’m rereading it now. ---
**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, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/42 "2023-01-14T16:05:39Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I do prefer novels. Me too! I like to think about the story in my spare time, or as I lie awake at night, to predict where it goes next. Can’t do that with the short stories, because it already went! 🫤 Rose Madder’s not one of my favorites, but I liked it all right. ---
**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 14, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/43 "2023-01-14T19:45:21Z")
Finished _Fairy Tale_, by Stephen King. A high-school kid in a Chicago suburb befriends an old man and his equally aging German shepherd. A portal to another world exists on the man’s property, and soon the kid finds himself enmeshed in an honest-to-goodness fairy tale. Very good. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Next up is _The Judge’s List_, by John Grisham. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/44 "2023-01-14T23:16:10Z")
I finished [Phasers on Stun!](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59031274-phasers-on-stun) It’s a great a history of _Star Trek_ and its various evolutions, changes, and re-visionings over the years and I’m recommending it to all my Trekkie friends. Despite the author’s insistence, I am still unconvinced that the reboot movies are in any way good. They’re like _Highlander 2_: people talked about it for a while but then reason reasserted itself and they were given up as a bad job. Interesting news from the final chapter: there’s supposedly going to be a new _Star Trek_ movie revealed later this year. I am waiting with lowered expectations due to those reboot movies that never happened. ---
**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 15, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/45 "2023-01-15T00:19:34Z")
Finished _Castles from Cobwebs_ by J. A. Mensah, which was good. Now I’m reading _My First Popsicle: An Anthology of Food and Feelings_, edited by Zosia Mamet. ---
**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 16, 2023, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/46 "2023-01-16T17:03:07Z")
Finished _My First Popsicle: An Anthology of Food and Feelings_, edited by Zosia Mamet, a collection of essays, of which the best was “The Rat Birthday Pie” by Jillian Bell, which was not what it sounds like, but rather about the author’s first taste of banoffee pie, which happened while a mouse was staring at her. She later made this pie for a friend’s birthday. _Something New_ by P.G. Wodehouse. (Note: This is an American edition; the book appears to have been titled Something Fresh when it was first published.) It’s the first Blandings book. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/47 "2023-01-16T17:51:52Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > by Lisa Lutz. This was a great book Thank you for the recommendation~you made it irresistible. Just went and downloaded the ebook from my public library. I appreciate the tantalizing enthusiasm~lately my reading impetus has needed a nudge and your review is just the ticket. You get credit for a mitzvah today. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/48 "2023-01-16T18:42:10Z")
Just finished: _Storm Surge_ (Destroyermen #8), by Taylor Anderson Now reading: _Deadly Shores_ (Destroyermen #9), by Taylor Anderson Coming up: _Straits of Hell_ (Destroyermen #10), by Taylor Anderson _Blood in the Water_ (Destroyermen #11), by Taylor Anderson ---
**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 16, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/49 "2023-01-16T21:25:30Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > I appreciate the tantalizing enthusiasm~lately my reading impetus has needed a nudge and your review is just the ticket. You get credit for a mitzvah today. My pleasure. I hope you enjoy it as well! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/50 "2023-01-17T01:27:41Z")
**Breakfast of Champions** by Kurt Vonnegut A good book, but a step down from Slaughterhouse Five. I laughed quite a bit during this, but it kind of came together less than Slaughterhouse, which I really loved. Still, very good. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/51 "2023-01-17T01:59:34Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > My pleasure. I hope you enjoy it as well! I did enjoy it~just finished it about half an hour ago. One of those books that are hard to put down once you’ve started reading, glad I had had my lunch! Intriguing escapism, lots of action and twists, never bogged down. An author I will now keep an eye out for. ---
**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 17, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/52 "2023-01-17T01:59:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > **Breakfast of Champions** by Kurt Vonnegut > > A good book, but a step down from Slaughterhouse Five. Man, I read both of those books while in college. Damn near fifty years ago. I may have to read them again. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/53 "2023-01-17T02:09:48Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Man, I read both of those books while in college. Damn near fifty years ago. I may have to read them again. I was way behind on these, just reading them for the first time. Slaughter house lives up to its reputation. It’s a great book. I think about it all the time. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2023, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/54 "2023-01-17T12:15:27Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > **Breakfast of Champions** by Kurt Vonnegut I laugh when I see [Sunnyside\* Dispensary’s logo](https://www.sunnyside.shop/). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/55 "2023-01-17T12:43:19Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I laugh when I see [Sunnyside\* Dispensary’s logo](https://www.sunnyside.shop/). I think Community also had a joke where the flag of their school was the same symbol. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HP1Atb8nAGY/maxresdefault.jpg "Greendale's New Flag | Community") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP1Atb8nAGY) ---
**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:** [January 17, 2023, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/56 "2023-01-17T13:14:03Z")
Hah!.. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/57 "2023-01-17T13:14:36Z")
**Going to Extremes** , Joe McGuinniss’ travels in 1970s Alaska. He’s fairly harsh, but honest in his take on the place. He acknowledges that it’s not for everyone, and one needs to keep in mind what the mentality was in Alaska at that time with the onset of Big Oil. ---
**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 17, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/58 "2023-01-17T14:12:25Z")
Currently reading [Horseman: a tale of Sleepy Hollow](https://www.amazon.com/Horseman-Sleepy-Hollow-Christina-Henry/dp/0593199782/ref=sr_1_1?crid=THZLWGGPR6MW&keywords=horseman+a+tale+of+sleepy+hollow+christina+henry&qid=1673964637&sprefix=christina+henry+horseman%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-1) by Christina Henry. Fairly pedestrian YA, but I’ll finish. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/59 "2023-01-17T22:16:37Z")
I finished _Happy-Go-Lucky_ by David Sedaris, his latest collection of short stories. The book focuses on the COVID pandemic and his (usually poor) adjustment to it. It’s not as funny as his older stuff, I’d say, but there are still some good laughs to be found. More cringeworthy, but definitely worth a read, is his story “Lady Marmalade,” about his family’s long-fraught relationship with his sister Tiffany, who eventually committed suicide. I’m not too far into _A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O’Brian_ by Dean King, with essays by John B. Hattendorf and J. Worth Estes, but I like it. Just the thing for anyone who, like me, loves O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels. I’m also still making intermittent progress through Mark Z. Danielewski’s _House of Leaves_, a very weird, sometimes unnerving novel about a house that’s much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and _Children of Time_ by Adrian Tchaikovsky, a distant-future sf novel about a terraforming project gone badly, and dangerously, awry. I just began _The End_ by British historian Ian Kershaw, exploring the last year of WWII and how, and why, so many Germans kept supporting the Nazi regime, even when its inevitable defeat was glaringly obvious. ---
**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 17, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/60 "2023-01-17T23:59:51Z")
Finished _Something New_ by P.G. Wodehouse, which I enjoyed. Now I’m reading _Sold Into Egypt: Joseph’s Journey Into Human Being_, by Madeleine L’Engle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470.md?page=4)