# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 6
**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 30, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/101 "2023-01-30T04:29:35Z")
Finished _The Mother Hunt_ and started _The Doorbell Rang_ in my continued working through Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries. Have about 3 more to go and then start on the _Robert_ Goldsborough novels that were written after Mr. Stout passed (they were commissioned by his trustees). Since I’ll be on a trip for the next three weeks, they’ll take up space in my baggage. We’ll see how many I can finish. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/102 "2023-01-30T15:48:31Z")
**Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees** Thor Hanson A brief but enjoyable and interesting look at the evolution and ecology of bees. Recommended **The Devil’s Blaze** Robert J Harris A Sherlock Holmes novel set during World War 2. Holmes and Watson investigate mysterious cases of human combustion. More of a thriller than a mystery. Not that great. ---
**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 30, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/103 "2023-01-30T16:38:24Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Finished _Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard_, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, which I enjoyed a lot. Sounds intriguing and beneficial. I’ve added it to my To-Read list. Recently, I’ve read a string of underwhelming books that really aren’t worth posting about. But I’m currently reading two books that I’m enjoying: [The Secret of Our Success: How Culture is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25761655-the-secret-of-our-success) by Joseph Henrich. I’ve been meaning to read this book for years, but kept putting it off because the title, the cover, and the synopsis all made it sound rather textbooky and dry. It’s actually far more engaging than I expected, with some neat insights into why we humans look, act, and behave the way we do, including some differences between cultures and ethnicities. I’m also reading and absolutely loving [The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36337550-the-7-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle) by Stuart Turton. As the synopsis says, “Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others.” I was apprehensive about this novel, since I’ve never read anything by the author, and it sounds quite different from the books I normally read. But this book is extremely well-executed (well, at least the first hundred pages are), and I am totally drawn into the story. ---
**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 30, 2023, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/104 "2023-01-30T21:12:20Z")
Next Month: [Welcome to CHOCOLATE month!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2023-edition/979072/2) ---
**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 31, 2023, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/105 "2023-01-31T04:43:55Z")
My daughter talked me into reading “Looking For Alaska” by John Green. 100 pages in and am enjoying it so far. ---
**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 31, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/106 "2023-01-31T14:16:50Z")
Have you read any of his other books? If you like that one, he has a lot of other good ones worth checking out. I particularly enjoyed Paper Towns. Turtles All the Way Down has some of the most beautiful prose I’ve come across in literature. And of course, The Fault in Our Stars is destined to become a classic. ---
**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 31, 2023, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/107 "2023-01-31T21:44:14Z")
I think I’ve only seen the film adaptations of his books. But my daughter has some of his other books, so I will most likely give them a read. Are the books better than the movies? ---
**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 1, 2023, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/108 "2023-02-01T14:23:30Z")
The only film adaptation that I know of is The Fault in Our Stars. The book was fantastic, and the movie … honestly, I’ve seen it but I don’t remember my reaction to it at all. So chances are the book was better since it’s more memorable to me. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/109 "2023-02-01T15:24:56Z")
Finished listening to _Desert Star_ by Michael Connelly. Another entertaining, hard-to-put-down Bosch/Ballard novel that has a real surprise for his fans at the very end. Harry Bosch reveals that he has terminal cancer. Next up: _Plum Island_, by Nelson DeMille. This will be the first book I’ve read by this author. Looking forward to it. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2023, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/110 "2023-02-01T21:32:34Z")
My daughter has informed me that Looking for Alaska was made into a series on Hulu. ---
**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 2, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/111 "2023-02-02T13:27:09Z")
Oh you’re right! I just Googled it, and the trailer looks decent but also geared more towards teens. Then again, the book was geared towards teens as well. Did you daughter mention if she enjoyed it? I also discovered through Googling that Paper Towns was made into a movie. I don’t have much going on this weekend, so I may have just found something to do. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470/112 "2023-02-02T23:12:20Z")
She said she liked it enough to watch it twice. I may watch it this weekend, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-january-2023-edition/977470.md?page=5)