# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - June 2023 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [May 29, 2023, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751 "2023-05-29T20:42:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/61 "2023-06-13T01:31:30Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > If you like magic and fantasy check out Rebecca Roanhorse. I second this one. We read one of hers, _Black Sun_, for one of my book clubs. I enjoyed it quite a lot. ---
**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 13, 2023, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/62 "2023-06-13T02:32:15Z")
My book club is reading that in November. We are all looking forward to it since we all enjoyed _Trail of Lightning_ a lot. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2023, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/63 "2023-06-13T10:00:16Z")
I read and was very interested in the content of [The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22085568-the-culture-map?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=oi4UN8foHY&rank=1) by Erin Meyer. It talks about how business-related behavior can vary from culture to culture, in domains such as how to communicate disagreement/criticism, how hierarchical a place is, and how exactly a schedule must be followed. It really takes a deep dive into certain cultures, placing them on a spectrum in comparison to other countries and then providing anecdotes that explain the culture’s overall attitude/approach to the subject. I’m currently reading [Under the Duvet](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165032.Under_the_Duvet?ref=nav_sb_ss_2_15) by Marian Keyes, which is a collection of her short nonfiction, many pieces of which were previously published as journalistic pieces. It’s a bit disappointing. I’ve read a bunch of Keyes’s fiction, and her hallmark is that she has this breezy, humorous, easy communication style with this emotional depth that really sneaks up on you as you get further into her books. But there’s not much space to develop emotional depth in her short nonfiction, so those pieces end up being a lot more breezy and shallow than I’m used to. (It also makes me cringe a bit to think that someone who’s only encountered her work in a newspaper or magazine might assume that this is representative of her writing style.) Also reading [The Pearl Sister](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34401961-the-pearl-sister?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=bwqSLYeSFW&rank=1) by Lucinda Riley. It’s a good story so far. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/64 "2023-06-14T01:17:12Z")
On the recommendation of @Elendil_s_Heir I read John Irving’s _A Widow for One Year._ There were many parts I liked very much–I thought it began with a bang, so to speak, and as usual Irving is very good at creating interesting, authentic-seeming characters who the reader tends to root for (well, at least _I_ do, which is the same thing, isn’t it?). There were a few things I didn’t like so much about it, though. I thought the middle of the novel sort of dragged, for example. Then again, my whole perspective on the book was colored, though, by personal stuff having to do with my status as a widow(er) of [not “for”] two years. Based on the title I kind of expected the book would be mainly devoted to the experience of widowhood. Not exactly! The year in question goes from about page 466 to page 470, or about page 494 if you’re feeling generous. Also, after a year of widowhood the main character thinks she will never be able to “re-enter the world safely,” the very idea of being “back in circulation” repels her–and then she meets, falls head over heels in love with, and marries someone within the space of about a month. I know this sort of thing happens, but in the context of the novel I’ll admit it caught me off guard and it didn’t thrill me. But that’s me, not the book, or at least I think it is. Anyway, I appreciated the recommendation and I’m not sorry I read it or anything! On a very different subject, I started Valerie Fridland’s _Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English_. She’s a linguist and covers the excesses of the “language police” in a way that is both light and informative–at least so far. Reminiscent of Jim Quinn’s _American Tongue in Cheek,_ which was less scientific and more in-your-face but covered similar ground: language is always evolving, so deal with it. We’ll see how it holds up as it continues. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/65 "2023-06-14T02:27:35Z")
To honor his memory, I just downloaded _No Country for Old Men_ by Cormac McCarthy. IMO, the movie was strangely fascinating. I’m hoping for the same from the book. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/66 "2023-06-14T03:47:45Z")
Can anyone recommend a good, reference-containing book on the Highland Clearances? Academic/scholarly is fine. Thanks. ---
**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 14, 2023, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/67 "2023-06-14T12:31:11Z")
The thread about him has scared me off again. I picked up The Road at some point and put it down because the lack of punctuation annoyed me. I feel he’s probably not my cup of tea…horror is one thing, but I’m not up for a lot of gore and despair. ---
**Author:** ![NegativeZer0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/negativezer0/32/14307_2.png) [@NegativeZer0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NegativeZer0)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/68 "2023-06-14T13:56:02Z")
So far in June, my favorite book has been **Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros** …a book hasn’t hooked its claws in me so quickly and deeply in a long time. Highly recommend it, even if you aren’t that into fantasy stuff! Another favorite that I just read is “ **Gone to the Wolves” by John Wray,** which is about a group of metalheads from Florida who escape to the West Coast metal scene and begin exploring Swedish and Nordic death metal. Eventually they end up in Norway, and get embroiled in a death worshipping human trafficking ring. It was super engaging and had a ton of cool metal references. On that note, I’m looking for some recommendations on similar style books. Stuff that revolves around a band or music underground, stuff like that. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![NegativeZer0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/negativezer0/32/14307_2.png) [@NegativeZer0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NegativeZer0)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/69 "2023-06-14T13:58:02Z")
I read the book after seeing the movie and loved the book even more than the amazing film. I hope you enjoy it! ---
**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:** [June 14, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/70 "2023-06-14T14:21:23Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I picked up The Road at some point and put it down because the lack of punctuation annoyed me. Well, I checked out the audible book via Libby, so the lack of punctuation shouldn’t be an issue! > [@NegativeZer0](#): > > I read the book after seeing the movie and loved the book even more than the amazing film. Thanks for the upvote. I’ll report back in a few days after I’ve finished listening to 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:** [June 14, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/71 "2023-06-14T17:19:52Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > …Next up is _The Splendid and The Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz_, by Erik Larson. I’ll be taking this with me, as we fly to Bangkok on Tuesday. This will be my last sign-in until late next month or early August. I read that a few months back, and mostly liked it. If you want some other Churchill book suggestions, just say the word. > [@BetsQ](#): > > …I’m intrigued by @lawf ’ s recommendation of There, There. I’ve been wanting to learn more about modern American Indian cultures, but I’m mostly ignoring the non-fiction stacked on my table. Does anyone have other recommendations for fiction written by and about American Indians? I highly recommend Sherman Alexie’s _The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven_, a collection of interrelated short stories. Bittersweet but funny (and much better than _There There_ IMHO). > [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > On the recommendation of @Elendil_s_Heir I read John Irving’s _A Widow for One Year._… I appreciated the recommendation and I’m not sorry I read it or anything! Thanks for your review, **UtU**. Glad it was, all in all, a worthwhile 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 14, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/72 "2023-06-14T20:48:02Z")
Finished _Stolen Thoughts_, by Tim Tigner. Meh. Now I’m reading _How Romantics and Victorians Organized Information: Commonplace Books, Scrapbooks, and Albums_, by JIllian M. Hess. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/73 "2023-06-14T22:32:08Z")
Just finished _Tell Me Everything_ by Erika Krause. It’s a hard book to describe - I’ve not read anything quite like it. It’s part memoir/part true crime, about a Title IX lawsuit against a Colorado university in the early to mid-2000s for turning a blind eye toward/enabling misogyny and rape by their football players (and coaches). Krause details her own role as an investigator on the case, which she kind of falls into because she has a face/affect/demeanor that people just naturally tell things to, as well as her personal story as the survivor of childhood rape and how that affects her life, her relationships, and her involvement with this case. It’s really something. Strong recommend. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2023, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/74 "2023-06-15T02:39:03Z")
Queens of Noise by Evelyn McDonnell. The story of The Runaways, told with great detail and back stories, could not put it down. Halfway through the book, I realized I was in love with Kim Fowley. ---
**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 15, 2023, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/75 "2023-06-15T12:14:00Z")
Today I finished Justin Cronin’s [The Ferryman](https://www.amazon.com/Ferryman-Novel-Justin-Cronin/dp/052561947X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1686830883&sr=8-1). It was well-written, and has a great twist that practically turns it from one book into another. However, I think it would have had more emotional punch if it hadn’t been so bloody long. My main reaction after turning page number 538 is, “Yay, I get to read something else 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:** [June 16, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/76 "2023-06-16T11:55:07Z")
Friday’s not a good day for me to dive into a new book, as little reading gets done on the weekend, but I had something very short in the TBR pile: [The Other Ones](https://www.amazon.com/Other-Ones-Jamesie-Fournier/dp/1772274216/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DV12Z2Z1HWP1&keywords=the+other+ones+jamesie+fournier&qid=1686916015&sprefix=the+other+ones+jam%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1) by Jamesie Fournier. Having read it, I’m really perplexed as to who the audience for this is supposed to be? One review I read described it as an adult picture book. It’s composed of two very short and simply written stories which are illustrated with scary paintings, but the stories themselves are bland. On the other hand, it’s about monsters, so not something you would give to a kid. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. ---
**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 16, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/77 "2023-06-16T12:41:53Z")
Finished _How Romantics and Victorians Organized Information: Commonplace Books, Scrapbooks, and Albums_, by JIllian M. Hess, which was okay. I recommend it to anyone who’s interested in science or home life during those eras. Now I’m reading _Scaramouche_, by Rafael Sabatini. ---
**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 18, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/78 "2023-06-18T20:25:02Z")
Finished _Scaramouche_, by Rafael Sabatini. Meh. Now I’m reading _Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories They Wouldn’t Let Me Do On TV_, edited by Alfred Hitchcock. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/79 "2023-06-18T20:45:01Z")
Finished _Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain_ by Charles Leerhsen, and as I said, it’s poorly written and snarky. One gets the sense that the author despises Bourdain. Not recommended. Now reading Maria Vale’s _Molly Malloy and the Angel of Death,_ which is engaging and funny. 1/3 in, it feels lighter than her “Legend of All Wolves” Shifter series. ---
**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 18, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751/80 "2023-06-18T23:09:30Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories They Wouldn’t Let Me Do On TV Oo, sounds good! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-june-2023-edition/984751.md?page=5)