# 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:** 5
**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 23, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/81 "2023-01-23T21:28:25Z")
Wow, that’s a nice thought. I will definitely do that. ---
**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 23, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/82 "2023-01-23T22:13:20Z")
I’ve started reading _Catch-22_ for the first time. I avoided it for a long time because I don’t like war stories, but I figured since this was one of the capital-C Classics and lots of people I respect said good things about it I’d give it a shot. And it’s a hoot. Why did no one tell me this was an absurd story? I love absurdity! ---
**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 24, 2023, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/83 "2023-01-24T03:29:37Z")
🍻 Cheers @ Khadaji and all y’all. And with that, good night.🌙 ---
**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 24, 2023, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/84 "2023-01-24T04:34:34Z")
Just finished, As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride. Fun book, with stories, well told from one of my favorite movies. Just started LATER by Stephan King. ---
**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 24, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/85 "2023-01-24T17:07:00Z")
Pre-ordered King’s new novel today! If you liked the character of Holly Gibney from the Mr. Mercedes series, she’s got her own book now. > **[Read an exclusive excerpt from Stephen King's new novel 'Holly'](https://ew.com/books/stephen-king-holly-exclusive-book-excerpt/)** > > Private detective Holly Gibney is back on the case in Stephen King's latest book, 'Holly,' and we've got an exclusive excerpt. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/86 "2023-01-24T17:10:52Z")
Finished _The Rose Code._. What a smashing book, easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. Next in line is **Winter Solstice** by Rosamund Pilcher. ---
**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 24, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/87 "2023-01-24T17:13:35Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > If you liked the character of Holly Gibney from the Mr. Mercedes series, she’s got her own book now. I’m kinda surprised he has written another book in this series. At some point I’ll have to read the series beginning to end. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/88 "2023-01-24T17:22:18Z")
**Michaelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling** Ross King Long and wonderfully detailed account of the famous series of paintings. More than just the story of the art itself, it goes into the volatile personalities of Michelangelo and Pope Julius II, as well as how the pigments were made and how the walls were prepared. ---
**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 24, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/89 "2023-01-24T19:57:10Z")
Here’s to Khadaji, indeed! 😀 Finished _Inspired: Understanding Creativity–A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul_, by Matt Richtel, which was okay. Now I’m reading _The Player of Games_, by Iain M. Banks. ---
**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 24, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/90 "2023-01-24T23:16:46Z")
I finished listening to _The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo_ by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I was surprisingly entertained by the book, as it’s in a genre that I generally don’t pursue. And it had an end-of-the-novel plot twist that I certainly didn’t see coming. Next up: _Desert Star_ by Michael Connelly ---
**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 25, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/91 "2023-01-25T18:40:01Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Wow, that’s a nice thought. I will definitely do that. As will I! **zimaane** , as to Michelangelo, you may also wish to read Irving Stone’s novel _The Agony and the Ecstasy_, or see the 1965 movie based on it, if you haven’t already. ---
**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 25, 2023, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/92 "2023-01-25T20:41:38Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > If you liked the character of Holly Gibney from the Mr. Mercedes series, she’s got her own book now. Holly’s really had two stories of her own already – **The Outsider** (although she doesn’t appear until halfway in) and the novella **If It Bleeds.** ---
**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 25, 2023, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/93 "2023-01-25T20:42:58Z")
Yep, good point. ---
**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 26, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/94 "2023-01-26T18:08:14Z")
Tor newsletter this morning has announced a new Murderbot book the end of this year! [Look out Barish-Estranza, we don’t trust you!](https://www.tor.com/2023/01/24/cover-reveal-murderbot-system-collapse-by-martha-wells/?utm_source=exacttarget&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_term=tordotcom-tordotcomnewsletter&utm_content=na-readblog-blogpost&utm_campaign=tordotcom&e=9cd88fe9510331942f0c5a130661a85f8c2ad8c61ebf5ccacf6fc45ec2cdf345) ---
**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 26, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/95 "2023-01-26T19:09:49Z")
Woo hoo! I finished A History of Fear, and though I really liked it at first, by the end I just felt it had dragged on long enough. Currently reading [Fragile Things](https://www.amazon.com/Fragile-Things-Short-Fictions-Wonders/dp/0063075709/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38V9R14GZ9H71&keywords=fragile+things+by+neil+gaiman&qid=1674759795&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjYzIiwicXNhIjoiMi4wMiIsInFzcCI6IjEuOTEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=fragile+things%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-1), a short story collection by Neil Gaiman. I think I’ve read this before, but enough time has passed for me to enjoy these tales all over again, and they’re well worth reading twice. ---
**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 26, 2023, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/96 "2023-01-26T20:42:37Z")
Finished _The Player of Games_, by Iain M. Banks. Meh. Now I’m reading _Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard_, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. ---
**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 28, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/97 "2023-01-28T16:42:16Z")
Finished **Renfield’s Journal** by “George de Vein” (really), who’s really Sally Powers, and who dresses up as Queen Victoria to give readings. I bought it at Arisia two weeks ago from her and had her sign it (she signed as “George de Vein”). It’s a surprisingly good account told from Renfield’s point of view, and she develops quite a comprehensive backstory for Renfield as a failed clergyman and former missionary. Theater and Movie adaptations haven’t quite known what to do with the character. He has no obvious connection with Dracula, so howcum he’s his human gopher? In an effort to tie things together they’ve made Renfield the boss of Harker, or Harker’s predecessor, or Harker himself (as in the 1931 Universal versions). Because Bernard Jukes and later Dwight Frye played him as a young man, that was for a long time the default age, but Renfield is described by Stoker as about 60, and dee Vein/ Strong sticks to that. Renfield’s connection to Dracula is that he has psychic powers, as the book hints, so he’s a good receptor for Dracula. These abilities, though, convince people that he’s insane, which is how he ends up in the asylum. Of course, he really is somewhat bent, but also massively frustrated in being unable to convince people of danger, like Cassandra. Aside from Dr. Seward, we don’t meet any of the other people from _Dracula_ until halfway into the book. Dracula appears (and, unaccountably, writes in Renfield’s journal – in Cyrillic text, which Renfield can’t read. (The book, like _Dracula_, is an epistolary novel, which is a cute touch). Dracula himself is never named – he’s “The Master” My main complaint is that what I was reading this for, was how familiar scenes from the book are depicted, as seen by Renfield. But I don’t think she ever gives us any such scenes. The characters are depicted, and interact (or are descriobed), but not in recognizable scenes from the book. That left me disappointed. Now I’m reading **Genghis Khan** by Harold Lamb, a book originally published inn 1927. My mother was getting rid of a lot of her old books, and this one, along with a lot of other nicely bound books, had been sitting on her bookshelf forever. I never read it as a kid, so I’m reading it now. My parents (probably at the insistence of my mother) bought several nicely-bound “collector’s” editions, but I find that they’re actually not all that well bound. The bindings are cracking and the covers sometimes falling off. I had to glue the spine back on “Genghis Khan”. This one’s from the International Collector’s Library. I see these selling on the internet for between $10 and $40. > **[GENGHIS KHAN, THE EMPEROR OF ALL MEN by LAMB HAROLD: bon Couverture rigide |...](https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=11516115350&searchurl=n%3D100121503%26sortby%3D17%26tn%3Dgenghis%2Bkhan%2Bemperor%2Bof%2Ball%2Bmen%26an%3Dharold%2Blamb&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp5-_-title15)** > > AbeBooks.com: GENGHIS KHAN, THE EMPEROR OF ALL MEN: RO60066096: Non daté. In-8. Relié. Etat d'usage, Couv. convenable, Mors fendus, Intérieur frais. 268 pages. Reproduction en noir et blanc en frontispice. Illustré de reproductions en noir et blanc... Just started it, but it’s pretty good. My bedside reading is **The Annotated American Gods** by Neil Gaiman and with annotations by Leslie Klinger. I hadn’t read the novel before, and am enjoying it. It’s filled with pictures from the Starz adaptation. Most of the annotations appear to be telling me where the original editor cut out material to shorten the book, or where Gaiman later added material. Some annotations, I’ve been warned, include spoilers. I’ve already encountered one, but it’s not much of a spoiler. On audio I’m halfway through Preston and Child’s Pendergast novel **Two Graves**. It’s precisely the kind of novel I don’t like, where you have one supercompetent character facing and even more supercompetent character, but it’s the climax of a trilogy, and I’m curious about how it ends. ---
**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 28, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/98 "2023-01-28T21:17:57Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Finished _The Player of Games_, by Iain M. Banks. Meh. I was underwhelmed by it a few years ago, too. ---
**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 29, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/99 "2023-01-29T21:20:16Z")
Thank you, Khadaji! And your little dog, which I remember died about the same time. Finished _The Judge’s List_, by John Grisham. A sitting district judge in Florida is a serial killer, one with a very long memory. He keeps a list of everyone who has ever done him a wrong and waits years, even decades, before he strikes. The daughter of one of his victims has been tracking him for more than 20 years but is afraid to go to the police, so she files an anonymous complaint with the state’s Board on Judicial Conduct (a fictitious entity), where Lacy Stoltz picks it up to investigate. (She was the heroine of Grisham’s 2016 _The Whistler_.) Based on the actual life of real Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (nah, just kidding … maybe). Very good. I enjoyed it a lot. Have started _The Thin Man_, by Dashiell Hammitt. ---
**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 29, 2023, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/100 "2023-01-29T21:31:31Z")
Finished _Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard_, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, which I enjoyed a lot. Now I’m reading _The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories_ by Sarah Orne Jewett. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470.md?page=6)