# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - June 2022 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [May 29, 2022, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319 "2022-05-29T19:23:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/21 "2022-06-06T03:30:55Z")
Thanks for the explanation. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/22 "2022-06-06T12:38:16Z")
Started today on [Gallant](https://www.amazon.com/Gallant-V-Schwab/dp/0062835777/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JMUA3RIDQ4JR&keywords=gallant&qid=1654518725&s=books&sprefix=gallant%2Cstripbooks%2C89&sr=1-1) by V.E. Scwab. It’s a YA novel about an orphan who is brought to her family’s ancestral home, despite not being entirely welcome there. She’s trying to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. It’s all right. The author is trying very hard to create atmosphere and I’m not sure it’s working, but I do want to know what happens next. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/23 "2022-06-06T13:16:04Z")
I’m now reading John Scalzi’s newest, _The Kaiju Preservation Society,_ aloud with my son. Godzilla-like monsters are the dominant lifeforms on an alternate-dimension Earth reachable from here, and the KPS studies them and tries to keep them from crossing over. Interesting and fun. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/24 "2022-06-06T15:37:42Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > Notable DNF: _My Dark Vanessa_ . I got about halfway through before the knives in the kitchen started looking tempting. It’s a good book but damn it’s a hard read! I finished this one a week ago. It drags on, for sure: the author could’ve cut 20 or 30 percent of the book and had a better story for doing so. However, I (think) I finally understand what an “unreliable narrator” is. The book was a hard read, for sure, but I could never tell just how the protagonist felt about her “relationship” with the scummy teacher. Right now I’m working on _Shuggie Bain_. I think this will be a DNF. I’m finding it very hard to get into and I have no desire to waste more time. I have also been informed that the library is revoking my membership for Reasons, so I’m going to start building a wish list and ordering from Powell’s when I get $50 worth of books on my TBR list. Lather, rinse, repeat. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/25 "2022-06-06T15:45:02Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > the library is revoking my membership for Reasons 😵 My condolences! ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/26 "2022-06-06T15:45:47Z")
And mine. Is there an appeals process? ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/27 "2022-06-06T16:35:53Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > My condolences! > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Is there an appeals process? Not really. They used to offer free membership to teachers but recently revamped their policies so there are a bunch of exclusions now. Two of them being the free membership doesn’t apply to anyone a) not working in the public school system and b) not a K-12 teacher (among numerous others). I teach at a boarding school and am employed by the local community college so they sent me a nice letter saying that, due to the new policy, beginning in July I’ll have to fork over Big Bucks every 3 months if I want to keep my membership. Which I’m not going to do. Instead, I’ll use those Big Bucks to support my local-ish independent bookstore: Powell’s. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/28 "2022-06-06T17:48:50Z")
Well, a somewhat happy ending, then. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/29 "2022-06-06T17:56:07Z")
And as [I’ve posted on the boards before](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/look-at-this-stuff-isnt-it-neat-show-us-your-collections-of-things/958550/22), books are a big part of my decorating scheme so having more books to stuff onto the shelves is always a good thing 🙂 ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/30 "2022-06-06T18:48:14Z")
Finished _Atlas of the Invisible: Maps and Graphics That Will Change How You See the World_ , by James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti, which was okay. Now I’m reading _WhoDunit_, a collection of mystery stories edited by Dina A. Leacock. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/31 "2022-06-06T20:23:10Z")
My library did that too when I wouldn’t pay for the damaged book they checked out to me that they claimed I further damaged (A couple pages at the very end of the book might have touched my soda can and got a tiny bit of “water damage”) Grab the Libby app, if you don’t mind audio or digital book, I put in my library card and can borrow through it. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2022, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/32 "2022-06-06T22:57:40Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Right now I’m working on _Shuggie Bain_. I think this will be a DNF. I’m finding it very hard to get into and I have no desire to waste more time. I DNF’d that on Chapter 2. I’m never in the mood for that much misery porn. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2022, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/33 "2022-06-07T18:08:51Z")
I just finished up an ebook Queen Elizabeth I by J.E. Neale. I’ve been reading it for months, must’ve checked it out a dozen times. Next ebook on the list is Theodora by Antony Bridge. It’s a biography of a Byzantine courtesan. Just started reading it. RN I’m quite enthralled with my current audiobook The White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull. Narrated by Fred Williams. Kenya 1918 and lands are being auctioned off to British soldiers to farm. It’s a hard one to listen to at times, I cringe at the descriptions of the animal hunts and human cruelty but it’s a compelling fascinating book richly describing the African bush country. Some laugh at loud moments wrt the dwarf Olivio and his surprising mistress. It’s part of the Anton Rider trilogy so It’s going to be my main summer read. Highly recommended. ---
**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:** [June 7, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/34 "2022-06-07T18:44:52Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > And as [I’ve posted on the boards before](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/look-at-this-stuff-isnt-it-neat-show-us-your-collections-of-things/958550/22), books are a big part of my decorating scheme so having more books to stuff onto the shelves is always a good thing 🙂 I remember years ago getting a tour of an English country estate and the guide telling us that in Elizabethan times, illiterate gentlemen would buy books not by the title, author or subject but by the _yard_, to fill their bookshelves and at least give the appearance of being well-read. ---
**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:** [June 7, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/35 "2022-06-07T20:59:34Z")
Finished _WhoDunit_ , a collection of mystery stories edited by Dina A. Leacock, of which the best was “Clean Sweep” by Michael Allan Mallory. Now I’m reading _A Class Act: Life as a Working-Class Man in a Middle-Class World_, by Rob Beckett. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/36 "2022-06-08T14:53:42Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Started today on [Gallant](https://www.amazon.com/Gallant-V-Schwab/dp/0062835777/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JMUA3RIDQ4JR&keywords=gallant&qid=1654518725&s=books&sprefix=gallant%2Cstripbooks%2C89&sr=1-1) by V.E. Scwab. This is all the fresh reading material I have until Saturday, and I’m on page 259, but I’m probably not finishing it. The writing style is really getting on my nerves. Then I can go over to Goodreads and read all the reviews gushing about the writing style. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/37 "2022-06-08T15:01:57Z")
Nailed it. Almost every review on the first page gushes about the writing. I’m barfing. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2022, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/38 "2022-06-08T19:13:10Z")
**Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the Kremlin** Catherine Merridale Dense, but readable history of the Kremlin complex in Moscow, and its relation to the overall history of Russia. A re-read from a few years ago, but it seemed a good idea to brush up on Russian history, in light of current events. And there’s a lot of history being repeated. Recommended, although I recognize it might not be everyone’s cup of 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:** [June 9, 2022, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/39 "2022-06-09T14:04:48Z")
Finished _A Class Act: Life as a Working-Class Man in a Middle-Class World_ , by Rob Beckett. Meh. Now I’m reading _The Memory of Whiteness_, by Kim Stanley Robinson, a science fiction novel. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319/40 "2022-06-13T14:52:45Z")
Finished _he Memory of Whiteness_ , by Kim Stanley Robinson. Meh. Now I’m reading _The Bronze God of Rhodes_ by L. Sprague de Camp. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2022-edition/965319.md?page=3)