# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - March 2024 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [February 29, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294 "2024-02-29T21:14:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [February 29, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/1 "2024-02-29T21:14:08Z")
March is upon us, spring is in the air… and a 15 pound schnoodle is in my lap, so forgive any typos. Someone got groomed yesterday and is still working through the trauma. So whatcha all readin? I started many book in February and that’s as far as I got… until now. Currently I am reading : _The Dead Pirates of Cawsand_ by Steve Higgs. The premise of the series is like Scooby Doo, a paranormal event that turns out to be not so paranormal after all. Great potato chip books! _Khadaji was one of the earlier members of SDMB, and he was well-known as a kindly person who always had something encouraging to say, particularly in the self-improvement threads. He was also a voracious, omnivorous reader, who started these threads 'way back in the Stone Age of 2005. Consequently, when he suddenly and quite unexpectedly passed away in January 2013, we decided to rename this thread in his honor and to keep his memory, if not his ghost, alive._ ---
**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:** [February 29, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/2 "2024-02-29T21:15:48Z")
Last month: [Who let the prairie dog out?!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-february-2024-edition/996849/87) ---
**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:** [March 1, 2024, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/3 "2024-03-01T03:47:04Z")
Just started _The Third Victim_ by Philip Margolin. I like it thus far. A fast-moving legal thriller. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/4 "2024-03-01T20:51:06Z")
**Ottoman Odyssey** - Alev Scott A travelogue through the Balkans and Middle East seeking out the legacy of the Ottoman Empire. Not very deep, but pretty good. ---
**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 2, 2024, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/5 "2024-03-02T21:46:49Z")
I really enjoyed _Battle of Ink and Ice,_ by Darrell Hartman. It’s a well-written and exhaustively researched nonfiction book about the race to the North Pole involving explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary, and the influence of New York City’s newspapers in that race. James Gordon Bennett’s newspaper championed Cook; Adolph Ochs’s _New York Times_ supported Peary, sometimes in rather underhanded ways. The narrative gives a lot of background on Bennett and Ochs and the development of journalism in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It also gives a good accounting of Arctic exploration before the journeys of Cook and Peary that (supposedly) led to the reaching of the Pole. I came in with a decent understanding of the NY newspaper scene\*, and a better knowledge of polar exploration, but I learned quite a bit–especially because I knew nothing about the interface of these two topics. If you have an interest in either, it’s worth a read. A brief story. Back in the late 1990s I was asked to write a book review and author interview of a newly-released book called _When Giants Ruled,_ which was basically a history of the NYC newspaper scene. The author was a veteran journalist, a very nice fellow who was eager to tell me all about himself and mostly about his book. "So when did you get the idea to write _When Giants Ruled_? I asked early in the interview. “Right after I got out of the armed forces,” he said. My impression was that he was an “older gentleman,” so I pressed: “And what year was that?” “1946,” he told me proudly. Apparently, you’re never too old! ---
**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:** [March 2, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/6 "2024-03-02T23:09:11Z")
Finished _Dead Pirates of Cawsand_ by Steve Higgs. While the series is never going to be high literature, each book gets better, and each one more fun than the last. I’m starting _In the Doodoo with Voodoo_ which is the next book in the series. Just potato chippy enough for my mood lately. ---
**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 3, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/7 "2024-03-03T00:26:18Z")
Finished _Skin Folk: Stories_, by Nalo Hopkinson, of which the best was “Under Glass”. Now I’m reading _Everywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood_, by David Mamet. ---
**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:** [March 3, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/8 "2024-03-03T21:44:52Z")
Finished up a stack of books. Finished reading Dan Simmons’ **Ilium** and Hardy’s history of SF fandom **All our Yesterdays**. Finished reading **Cunk on Everything** and the graphic novel of Kindi’s **Marked from the Beginning** , a history of racism in America. On audio I finished Stephen King’s **Fairy Tale** and **The Epic of Gilgamesh** and am halfway through Dirk Cussler’s latest Dirk Pitt novel **The Corsican Shadow**. I’ve just started David Grann’s **The Wager** , which I got for Christmas. As bedside reading, I’m re-reading **The Annotated The Lost World** by Arthur Conan Doyle and Annotated by Roy Pilot and Alvin Rodin. The book is the perfect companion to not only the book, but the 1925 silent film. ---
**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 4, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/9 "2024-03-04T15:15:28Z")
Started today on [Misfit: growing up awkward in the 80s](https://www.amazon.com/Misfit-Growing-Up-Awkward-80s/dp/1250777062), by Gary Gulman. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/10 "2024-03-04T16:29:05Z")
**The Hidden World of the Fox** Adele Brand A short but informative look at the red fox. I was surprised to learn that foxes are rather controversial in Britain, the author’s home country. in the U.S., if people think about foxes at all, it’s “cute animal with bushy tail”. but in the U.K. it seems people are worried about foxes spreading disease and kidnapping their children. Anyway, enjoyable book. I wish it had been longer, which not something I say often. ---
**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 4, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/11 "2024-03-04T20:07:01Z")
And just how would a fox go about kidnapping children? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/12 "2024-03-04T20:10:40Z")
Cunningly ---
**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 4, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/13 "2024-03-04T20:11:52Z")
By outfoxing them, maybe? ---
**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:** [March 4, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/14 "2024-03-04T21:04:04Z")
OOO! Story of my life! ---
**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 4, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/15 "2024-03-04T21:06:54Z")
Right? I could have written a book with that title, but now this guy’s done it first. 🙂 ---
**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 4, 2024, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/16 "2024-03-04T21:57:38Z")
Finished _Everywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood_, by David Mamet, which I enjoyed. Lots of great anecdotes. It reminded me of William Goldman’s books about Hollywood. Now I’m reading _Tom O’Bedlam’s Night Out and Other Strange Excursions_, by Darrell Schweitzer. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/17 "2024-03-05T16:54:32Z")
I read _Mickey 7_ over the weekend and enjoyed it. Thanks for the recommendation, @Left_Hand_of_Dorkness ! ---
**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:** [March 5, 2024, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/18 "2024-03-05T17:02:20Z")
_Meet You in Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the Bitter Partnership That Changed America_ by Les Standiford. A good history of Gilded Age capitalist exemplified by two men who were both partners and rivals. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2024, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/19 "2024-03-05T17:05:35Z")
Glad you liked it! A few more books on my end: [A Stranger in the Citadel](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139595692-a-stranger-in-the-citadel): A desert kingdom executes anyone found with a book, as part of their extreme religion. The princess with a mysterious past meets a man with a book. From this basic description, you can probably figure out about 90% of what happens. It was competently written, but none of its twists and turns were surprising or original. Not the kind of book that actively makes me angry, but I’d only recommend it if you’re entirely new to the genre or are really bored. [The Black Cauldron](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24784.The_Black_Cauldron): I just finished reading this to my 11yo. It’s still so freaking good. Lloyd Alexander remains my favorite kidlit fantasist. [Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20501606-futuristic-violence-and-fancy-suits): a near-future humor book by a Cracked contributor that’s pretty much what it says on the label. A LOT of jokes about butts and farts and talking toilets, a shit-ton of making fun of toxic masculinity, and a shit-ton of guns. Not gonna lie, I finished it in about a day and a half, it’s a real quick, entertaining read, but this is less foie-gras-and-Bordeaux, more Takis-and-PBR. Now I’m reading [Exordia](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/65213781), by the author of one of my favorite devastating novels, _The Traitor Baru Cormorant_. In the first sentence, the main character sees an alien eating turtles in Central Park, which sets the tone: it’s very funny, in much the way _Gideon the Ninth_ is funny, and also deals in real-world politics, and every now and then the author is like, “Oh, did you forget you’re reading a Seth Dickinson novel? POW!” and punches me right in the kidney. Very intense, and I like it, but holy cow. ---
**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 5, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294/20 "2024-03-05T18:30:35Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > A LOT of jokes about butts and farts and talking toilets, a shit-ton of making fun of toxic masculinity, and a shit-ton of guns. Yeah, I liked it. I picked up Exordia, but had to send it back to the library as I got overextended. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-march-2024-edition/998294.md?page=2)