# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - March 2023 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [February 28, 2023, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511 "2023-02-28T22:26:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [March 10, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/41 "2023-03-10T16:04:52Z")
Also, I finally got back from my library the audiobook of Ian Kershaw’s _The End_, about the last year of Nazi Germany. Kershaw draws some interesting contrasts between the German defeats in WWI and in WWII. There weren’t the kinds of crippling social unrest and mutinies the second time around, he suggests, because of the lingering personality cult around Hitler, the extreme repression of the state up to the very end, and widespread fears (mostly and tragically prescient) of the consequences of a Soviet victory in the east. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/42 "2023-03-10T16:19:39Z")
I wound up really liking _Ragtime_ (again). The way Doctorow weaves all those storylines and characters together is quite remarkable. The Bernie Rhodenbarr book (_The Burglar Who Met Fredric Brown_) was okay. The Big Denouement didn’t happen, though, and I was sorry not to have one as they are typically the best parts. Instead, the reveal was given later on in snippets of conversation here and there. Oh well, Lawrence Block is one of the greats and I enjoyed reading the book, even if the end was a bit disappointing. Now reading Benjamin Stevenson’s _Everyone in the My Family Has Killed Someone,_ which may have been mentioned here by somebody–I know I got the recommendation online, and the title is memorable, so when I saw it in the library I snapped it up. Sort of a sendup of a locked room mystery with a narrator who claims to be perfectly reliable and keeps metaphorically winking at the reader. I’m about a third of the way into the book but am having trouble getting into the storyline. May just be me, but the gimmick with the breaking the fourth wall seems, well, gimmicky, and I’m having trouble caring about the characters. We’ll see. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2023, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/43 "2023-03-10T20:24:00Z")
Finished _A Man Called Peter_ by Catherine Marshall, a biography of her husband, which was okay. Now I’m reading _The Personal Librarian_ by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/44 "2023-03-12T14:43:47Z")
Finished Wil Haygood’s _Showdown,_ a bio of Thurgood Marshall focusing on his SCOTUS confirmation hearings. An interesting subject but a repetitive and sometimes clunky account. I caught at least three factual errors, which makes me wonder how many more there were. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/45 "2023-03-12T17:51:41Z")
Finished _The Personal Librarian_ by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, which was okay. Now I’m reading _The Role of the Scroll: An Illustrated Introduction to Scrolls in the Middle Ages_, by Thomas Forrest Kelly. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/46 "2023-03-12T19:08:58Z")
Finished _Winds of Wrath_, the last book in the Destroyermen series by Taylor Anderson. Now I have to wait for the third Artillerymen book to come out… (In addition to waiting for Michael Z Williamson’s next time-travel book and the two books S M Stirling is writing.) Speaking of time travel, I’ve started _The Janus File_, by David Weber and Jacob Holo. It’s the sequel to _The Gordian Protocol_ and _The Valkyrie Protocol_, both of which were excellent. (Now if Weber would stop screwing around with other projects and finish the third Hell’s Gate book. And speaking of third books, Dean Koontz needs to get hot on the next Christopher Snow novel. What is it with all these non-cooperative authors?) ---
**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:** [March 12, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/47 "2023-03-12T21:54:16Z")
Paging George R.R. Martin…. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/48 "2023-03-13T17:10:29Z")
Finished _The Role of the Scroll: An Illustrated Introduction to Scrolls in the Middle Ages_ by Thomas Forrest Kelly, which I enjoyed. Now I’m reading _Yellowthread Street_ by William Marshall. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/49 "2023-03-13T17:24:35Z")
**The Eighth Detective** Alex Pavesi An ambitious publisher visits a reclusive author with a goal of reprinting a series of short mystery stories the author had written many years prior. The publisher notices certain inconsistencies in the stories that may be more than simple mistakes. (The stories are interwoven in the text and it’s fun to try and find the errors.) Enjoyable read ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/50 "2023-03-14T12:06:40Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Started today on [Murder Your Employer: the McMasters Guide to Homicide](https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Your-Employer-McMasters-Homicide/dp/1451648219/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3RL5R2VS9468T&keywords=murder+your+employer+rupert+holmes&qid=1678195237&sprefix=murder+your%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1) by Rupert Holmes I’m on page 268 of this 386-page book, and have decided not to go on. It isn’t terrible, but I never think about it when I’m not reading it and it’s become a dutiful slog at this point. Mount TBR calls! ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/51 "2023-03-14T15:51:32Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Speaking of time travel, I’ve started _The Janus File_, by David Weber and Jacob Holo I’m also now reading _The Suicide Exhibition_, by Justin Richards, the front cover of which caught my eye at the library. It says “The Never War: Book One” - I hope the library has the sequel(s)! ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/52 "2023-03-14T20:13:11Z")
Finished _Yellowthread Street_ by William Marshall, which I enjoyed. Now I’m reading _Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal_, by Sarah Maslin Nir. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/53 "2023-03-14T22:07:06Z")
I finished _The Man in the High Castle_ and I’m not sure what I think of it yet. It’s the first Phillip K. Dick book I’ve read and I’m not sure how fast I’ll be seeking out the rest of his works. Actually, I am sure: not very. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/54 "2023-03-15T00:42:27Z")
Breaking History by Jared Kushner. Havent gotten far, but so far, I’ve learned that Jared is very smart. He brought peace to a lot of places. Chris Christie is an asshole He and Ivanka like nascar and eating at New Jersey diners! ---
**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:** [March 15, 2023, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/55 "2023-03-15T12:29:08Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > It’s the first Phillip K. Dick book I’ve read and I’m not sure how fast I’ll be seeking out the rest of his works. He’s not easy to read. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2023, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/56 "2023-03-15T13:02:29Z")
Started today on [The Ghost Tracks](https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Tracks-Antonio-Supernatural-Detective/dp/1950301079/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34SYHPC4IW029&keywords=the+ghost+tracks+celso+hurtado&qid=1678882336&sprefix=the+ghost+tracks%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-1) by Celso Hurtado, a novel about a teenage boy who starts a supernatural detective agency. It’s pretty interesting so far, although it’s the author’s first book and I think his inexperience shows. If I were going to give him one piece of advice, I would ask him to not use a certain trick as frequently. It’s the thing where an object or incident is very meaningful, but it’s referred to obliquely and the reader isn’t told what it is…yet. I’m on page 63 and that’s happened three times already. Aside from that, I think the story has potential. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/57 "2023-03-15T15:37:45Z")
My kid read the Wide Sargasso Sea for a class in college and enjoyed it, so I’d like to read it as well. It’s written from the perspective of Mr. Rochester’s first wife from Jane Eyre, so I’ve started listening to Jane Eyre to remind myself of the story. It’s been probably 30 years since I’ve read it, so I don’t remember any of the details. I’m thoroughly enjoying it so far. Probably my dog is, too, because I’m willing to take much longer walks while I have something good to listen to! Wide Sargasso Sea is sitting on Mt TBR waiting for me. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/58 "2023-03-15T22:08:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@Catamount](#): > > > > It’s the first Phillip K. Dick book I’ve read and I’m not sure how fast I’ll be seeking out the rest of his works. > > He’s not easy to read. He might be easier if I read his books stoned. Unfortunately I’m one of those people who gets paranoid when I partake of the Devil’s Lettuce so I’ll never find out. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/59 "2023-03-15T22:18:56Z")
Some of his books are easier to read than others. _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_ (aka Blade Runner) is relatively straightforward. _The Man in the High Castle_ is kind of in the middle (although it goes full wacky at the end). Good luck trying to follow _The World Jones Made_. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511/60 "2023-03-16T00:28:01Z")
I just finished reading “Ducks,” the graphic novel by Kate Beaton. It’s excellent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2023-edition/980511.md?page=4)