# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - July 2026 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-books-manga, books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [June 28, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256 "2026-06-28T22:27:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/21 "2026-07-06T12:53:54Z")
Took a break from Denise Chong’s _The Girl in the Photo_ (because it’s so depressing) with a book I stumbled across in the discount bin – **100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life** by Dick van Dyke (with Tal MacThenia). It’s really more of an excuse for writing a lot of short reminiscences that didn’t make it into his memoir _My Lucky Life in and out of Show Business_. I was a bit sorry to see that it had been marked down twice, despite coming out only a few months ago. But it’s a good read, and Mr. Van Dyke has been pretty quiet and reserved individual, whose work I loved since his first show. A fun read. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/22 "2026-07-08T18:24:20Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Starting today on Dungeon Crawler Carl #6, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride. I am a little late to this series. I bought and read the first Dungeon Crawler Carl book this week. It was a very enjoyable easy read. I will probably start on book 2 tonight or this weekend. ---
**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:** [July 8, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/23 "2026-07-08T20:01:30Z")
Glad you’re enjoying it! Those chapters at the end, that don’t seem to further the story much…I think they’ll mean a lot more as it goes along. 🤔 ---
**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:** [July 9, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/24 "2026-07-09T23:33:10Z")
Finished _Revenge Prey_ by John Sandford. Another vintage Lucas Davenport novel. Another great page turner. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2026, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/25 "2026-07-10T11:04:57Z")
Finished Dick van Dyke’s _100 tips for Living to 100_. It’s surprisingly good. nd it just came out last year. I hadn’t realized that he grew up with Gene Hackman in Danville, so when Hackman died it hit him really hard. Still chugging through Denise Chong’s _The Girl in the Picture_, which is a pretty depressing book. I’ve already got two more lined up for after I finish. I’m still re-reading Rachel Maddow’s _Bag Man_ as bedside reading. On audio, I started Sarah Rose’s _For All the Tea in China_, the story of Robert Fortune’s efforts to get tea plants and tea processing methods out of China to break China’s monopoly on tea. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/26 "2026-07-10T18:07:17Z")
Finished _The Case of the Lonely Heiress_, by Erle Stanley Gardner, which was okay; and _The Jaybird_, by MacKinlay Kantor, which was excellent. One of the main characters plays the fife, and I went on You Tube to hear the music he played, which definitely added to the reading experience. Next up: _Intrepid Girls: The Complicated History of the Girl Scouts of the USA, by Amy Erdman Farrell_; and _The Trouble with Gravity: Solving the Mystery Beneath Our Feet_, by Richard Panek. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/27 "2026-07-10T19:38:50Z")
Started _Bloody Genius_ by John Sandford. A Virgil Flowers novel that I think I missed when it was published in 2019. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/28 "2026-07-12T01:25:53Z")
Just got a book called Baby Dont Hurt Me by Chris Kattan. Love it. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/29 "2026-07-12T15:48:54Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Finished… _1776_, by David McCullough, which was excellent. One of my favorite books about the American Revolution, and a particularly good one to read this summer! ---
**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:** [July 13, 2026, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/30 "2026-07-13T23:35:31Z")
Finished _Intrepid Girls: The Complicated History of the Girl Scouts of the USA, by Amy Erdman Farrell_, which was okay; and _The Trouble with Gravity: Solving the Mystery Beneath Our Feet_, by Richard Panek, which is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read so far this year. Next up: _Good Grief: Life in a Tiny Vermont Village_, by Ellen Stimson; and “Beggars in Spain”, a science fiction novella by Nancy Kress. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/31 "2026-07-13T23:45:33Z")
I saw _Bernie’s Mitten Maker_ by Jen Ellis in a store last week and bought a copy after reading a few pages. Ellis is the woman who gave Bernie Sanders the mittens he wore on Inauguration Day in 2020, which became a meme. She writes about her life and the experience of becoming the center of a national news story. It’s an interesting perspective and Ellis writes well. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2026, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/32 "2026-07-14T03:25:03Z")
Nitpick: Inauguration Day in 2021. I recently finished two slim volumes: _The Greatest Sentence Ever Written_ by Walter Isaacson, focusing on Jefferson’s key sentence from the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” A quick read from which I learned a thing or two. _Dog Songs_ by Mary Oliver, a collection of dog-related poetry from a Pulitzer winner. If you love dogs, you just might enjoy Oliver’s free verse. My favorites: “Percy,” “Little Dog’s Rhapsody,” “The Sweetness of Dogs” and “The Wicked Smile.” I’m now reading _Luke Skywalker Can’t Read: And Other Geeky Truths_ by Ryan Britt, an affectionate, uber-geeky exploration of all kinds of fandom. Not great, but I’ll keep going. Still also reading _To Paradise: A Novel_ by Hanya Yanagihara, a very long, centuries-spanning alternative history novel which has been a bit of slog at times, but is picking up speed towards the end. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/33 "2026-07-16T16:16:30Z")
**I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything** Joanna Stern The author, a personal technology journalist, uses AI extensively throughout calendar year 2025, and writes a silly, but entertaining and sometimes informative book about it. She covers AI in medical settings (that was interesting - AI review of cancer screenings is actually saving lives. Puts the angst about data centers in a new light), self-driving cars ( I’ve ridden Waymo a few times. The first time I was amazed by how it all works. By the third or fourth time, it seemed mundane.), and AI romantic partners (I’ve never tried this and hopefully never will). Recommended reading, but don’t wait too long. It will probably be out of date shortly. ---
**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:** [July 16, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/34 "2026-07-16T17:08:41Z")
Finished _Good Grief: Life in a Tiny Vermont Village_, by Ellen Stimson and “Beggars in Spain”, a science fiction novella by Nancy Kress, which were both okay. Next up: _Hole in the Sky_, by Daniel H. Wilson; and _Big Stick_, by Michael A. Ventrella. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/35 "2026-07-17T20:13:46Z")
Finished _Bloody Genius_ by John Sandford, another excellent Virgil Flowers novel. Next up: _Murder Your Employer_ by Rupert Holmes. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/36 "2026-07-18T00:33:36Z")
I finished “Displeasure Island” by Alice Bell last night… and um it was not as good as the first book and the first book had all kinds of pacing issues. This one ramped up the meandering around to 11 and for a book taking place on a small island that’s a LOT of pacing. There was way to much of Claire’s inner monologue, and while I understand why she was moping, it didn’t make the book any more enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/37 "2026-07-18T14:02:30Z")
A few new ones: [The Unveiling](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/645893af-d317-4d46-8a9b-a324ce9f3e8b), by Quan Barry. A Black woman goes on a business/pleasure cruise to Antarctica, and things go south. I almost put this book down in the first 20 pages: every character, including the protagonist, was annoying and awful. But then around page 30, something happens, and I was like, oh, Jeff Vandermeer has entered the chat. Which isn’t to say it’s a knockoff; rather, the book grows weird in a way that I found much more compelling. Ultimately I’m not sure it sticks the landing, but I’m not sure it doesn’t: it’s certainly stuck with me. [The Three Coffin Problem](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/73d76521-a6f7-4859-a425-b4a203690434), by Lavie Tidhar. A vampire detective and his Renfield traipse across medieval Europe solving mysteries and enforcing the very sparse vampiric legal code. I caught the Three-Body-Problem reference, of course, but it wasn’t until I put it in Storygraph that I realized there’s a John Dickson Carr mystery, The Three Coffins. Very clever! And that’s about the extent of this book: silly, repetitive humor. The human character loves cheese and sausages, and that’s mentioned several times in every chapter. The vampire is feared by others of his kind, and he’s persnickety, and that shows up in every chapter. It’s a bunch of serial short stories in novel form with nothing on its mind past being entertaining; and I was entertained enough to finish it, but not much more. [All that We See or Seem](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f1ee2179-c60b-429c-9535-31729fcf3f91), by Ken Liu. Have you ever read any Cory Doctorow fiction and thought, your ideas are cool but your stories are super-boring? I sure have. This book aims to fix the problem: Liu writes like he’s just finished reading a Cory Doctorow essaystory and decided to add some action. It’s like 50% Doctorow, 25% Neal Stephenson, 25% MacGuyver. You’ll notice 0% Shakespeare–we’re not talking high literature here–but it was tons of fun, and I loved it. [The Girl with a Thousand Faces](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3638014c-1a5d-4c45-b9f4-fb100191d8d5), by Sunyi Dean. A ghost-hunter in the slums of 1970s Hong Kong runs afoul of organized crime, a city council member, and a powerful, mysterious, murderous ghost. Then things go strange. Not Vandermeer strange, not this one, but definitely not the direction I was expecting. I previously read another book by this author (The Book Eaters) and was underwhelmed, but this one was genuinely moving. Recommended! ---
**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:** [July 18, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/38 "2026-07-18T21:51:47Z")
My grasshopper brain is in fine form, in the last two days, I have started: _Platform Decay_ by Martha Wells, the latest Murderbot book. Glad to see more of Three. _A Whisper and a Curse_ by Darcey Burke, the 3rd in her Raven & Wren series about a psychic lord and a woman investigator in 1868 London. _The Gods of Guilt_ by Michael Connelly (audiobook) the 5th Mickey Haller book. I found last year’s release in a bargain bin and thought "Dayum, I’ve not visited with Mickey in a long time. (Ten years this month to be exact!) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/39 "2026-07-18T22:20:06Z")
I just started _Shores of Knowledge: New World Discoveries and the Scientific Imagination_ by Joyce Appleby today. I’m only about thirty pages in so too early for me to offer an overall opinion. But the topic seems interesting and Appleby’s writing is good. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256/40 "2026-07-18T22:43:17Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > AI review of cancer screenings is actually saving lives. Puts the angst about data centers in a new light True. But I read an article yesterday about how some corporations are using ai screenings to determine which employees might develop cancer in the future - and then firing those employees to reduce their health insurance costs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-july-2026-edition/1031256.md?page=3)