# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - May 2021 edition
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** books-writing-myths
**Created:** [May 2, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252 "2021-05-02T23:30:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2021, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/41 "2021-05-13T18:40:07Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#):
>
> This thread may interest you: [Into The Wild](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/into-the-wild/421460)
Neat, thanks!
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/42 "2021-05-13T22:24:23Z")
Finished _Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks_ , by William Ottens. Meh. (Best one was about the patron who wanted a book about “Nova Scotia”. She was directed to books about Canada. “No, I want a book about Nova Scotia. You know, the bloke who saw into the future?” (She meant Nostradamus.)
Now I’m reading _The Disappeared_, by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
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### Author:  [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/43 "2021-05-14T16:00:11Z")
Finished **The Red House Mystery** by A.A. Milne. Published in 1922 it was his only mystery book but he became famous afterwards for creating Winnie The Pooh.
The Red House Mystery is a very fun amateur detective story and has a nice easy flow to it. Very simple writing style but kept me interested.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [May 14, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/44 "2021-05-14T19:03:30Z")
Finished [Mexican Gothic](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53152636-mexican-gothic?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=1AaAZzgkph&rank=1) by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a horror novel set in the 1950s in the mountains of Mexico.
I loved the first two thirds of the book: the growing unease, the disorienting setting, the character’s struggles to stay sane in the midst of madness were all very well-handled.
But this sort of setup is tricky, because there’s a lot of pressure on the reveal. And in this case, the reveal felt almost pedestrian compared to the setup. It was still fun, but it felt like the book shifted gears, from a note-perfect dread buildup to an almost action-movie climax. I couldn’t do any better, but I was still a little disappointed once the author revealed just what the hell was going on.
> [@DZedNConfused](#):
>
> I DNFed **“Women Who Run with Wolves”** byClarissa Pinkola Estés.
I remember when this book came out reading a review talking about the enormous liberties she took with other folks’ religious stories, how she was at the forefront of the whiteshamanism new age movement that monetized indigenous folks’ spirituality. The reviewer was decidedly not a fan, and thought that most of what she said was tripe. But I can’t find that review.
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#):
>
> Almost finished with **World War Z** by Max Brooks. What a unique and fascinating and genuinely terrifying read. It subverts traditional narrative form by telling the story through a series of survivor interviews, people from all walks of life, laypeople, soldiers, those from every level of government all over the world. It’s not like we’ll ever have a Zombie apocalypse but this book makes it frighteningly clear how unprepared we are for a global disaster.
I really liked World War Z, so I was very excited to read [Devolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devolution_(Brooks_novel)), his Bigfoot horror novel. If he wanted to write something to make me root for the monsters, he succeeded: I loathed every character in the book except for those with outsized footwear. Hopefully his next book pays a little more attention to having characters I can give a shit about.
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2021, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/45 "2021-05-15T14:51:02Z")
I can believe it. It was all just so “Are you LISTENING to the nonsense you are spouting?!”
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### Author:  [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/46 "2021-05-15T15:20:15Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#):
>
> I was deeply offended to have her reduce the suicide of a woman caught in the Great Depression in the utter hell that was the Dust Bowl to: oh she couldn’t dress up and go window shopping anymore. No don’t put YOUR shallowness onto the victim of a tragedy, madam.
Speaking of the Dust Bowl, there is a really good nonfiction book called _The Worst Hard Time_ that painstakingly details the horror of that experience. I’m in no way surprised that would lead to suicide.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2021, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/47 "2021-05-16T04:11:42Z")
Finished _The Two-Minute Rule_, by Robert Crais. His best standalone I’ve read so far. Reformed bank robber Max Holman is newly released from prison after 10 years. Max wants to reconcile with his estranged son, who became an LAPD officer while he was away. Instead, Max receives the devastating news that his son was gunned down along with three other cops in an ambush. Max teams up with the ex-FBI agent who put him away, Katherine Pollard, to find the killer or killers. The title refers to the maximum amount of time a robber can stay inside a bank and be assured the police won’t arrive. It is impossible for the cops to be there in two minutes after an alarm is tripped, but each second past that increases the risk. Supposedly, true professionals will walk out empty-handed rather than risk staying past two minutes. A recommended read.
Next up is more LA noir goodness with Crais’ _The First Rule_. A Joe Pike novel, with some assistance from his partner Elvis Cole.
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2021, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/48 "2021-05-16T19:34:47Z")
Finished _The Disappeared_ , by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, which I thought was very good.
Now I’m reading Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History’s Most Iconic Extinct Creatures, by Ben Mezrich.
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/49 "2021-05-16T22:46:22Z")
I FINALLY finished _John Henry Days_ by Colson Whitehead. While the author is a tremendous wordsmith and definitely has the gift of prose, I was not enamored with this book. I am definitely not a fan of multiple plots and disjointed story lines, some of which were never resolved nor tied to the main plot. Plus, the ending was totally unsatisfying.
I’m now reading something a lot lighter, _Ill Wind_ by Nevada Barr. I enjoy Barr’s Anna Pigeon books, which are murder mysteries, each set in a different national park.
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/50 "2021-05-16T22:50:59Z")
> [@Railer13](#):
>
> I enjoy Barr’s Anna Pigeon books, which are murder mysteries, each set in a different national park.
I read the whole series last year. Mostly good, but after the last two I doubt I’ll be reading any more.
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2021, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/51 "2021-05-16T23:03:20Z")
> [@SCAdian](#):
>
> I read the whole series last year. Mostly good, but after the last two I doubt I’ll be reading any more.
I’m only on book 3 of 19, so I’ve got a ways to go. Looks like she hasn’t written one since 2016?
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2021, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/52 "2021-05-16T23:20:50Z")
Yep – that was the last one. Her web page doesn’t mention any works in progress.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/53 "2021-05-17T14:40:46Z")
Currently reading a YA novel, [This Is Not the Jess Show](https://www.amazon.com/This-Jess-Show-Anna-Carey/dp/1683691970/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1621261885&sr=8-1) by Anna Carey. It’s basically The Truman Show, set in the 90’s and featuring a teenage girl. I haven’t decided yet whether to finish it, but it’s a very quick read.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2021, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/54 "2021-05-17T15:28:51Z")
I finished _How to Astronaut_ by Terry Virts and really enjoyed it. Funny and informative, often thoughtful, with lots of interesting stuff on the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, training, mission prep, packing, food, zero G, sleep, politics, experiments and team dynamics, as well as staying healthy in space, being marooned in space, death in space, sex in space (!) and much more. Anyone interested in NASA, science or space travel should run, not walk, to get it.
Just started _I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness_ by Austin Channing Brown, a young black woman writing about navigating the minefields of racial politics in contemporary America while keeping her wits and even her sense of humor.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2021, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/55 "2021-05-18T12:54:32Z")
I finished This Is Not the Jess Show, which left me thoroughly unimpressed and a little bit irritated.
Next up, a book of science fiction stories called [A Compendium of Margaret St. Clair](https://www.amazon.com/Compendium-Margaret-Giants-Sci-Fi-Collection/dp/1999011570/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1621342182&sr=8-2). I’m not entirely sure what to expect but the cover is nice.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/56 "2021-05-18T13:55:03Z")
finished Clive Cussler (and Paul Kemprecos’) **Serpent** , the first of their _NUMA Files_ books. It felt awfully padded, and wrapped up the central mystery in less than 100 pages, after fumfering around for 350. It also bothers me when what seems like a huge, know-all conspiracy with assets everywhere turns out to be little more than a couple of guys at the end. And this was supposed to be a centuries-old Brotherhood of Evil. You’d think they’d have a larger and more dedicated roster. But the book does get points for its usual ludicrous historical revelation.
I also finished reading (on my tablet) **The Thief of Bagdad** by “Achmed Abdullah”. I’ve long wondered about the srory. Despite several claims to authorship by others, the story for Douglas Fairbanks’ 1924 silent film appears to have been written by Fairbanks himself under the pseudonym “Elton Thomas”. Credits are given to Achmed Abdullah and Lotta Woods as “screenwriters”, but it’s not clear to me what, exactly, they wrote. (other writers are also sometimes cited as contributing to the script) Abdullah was, however, definitely brought it to write the novelization.
The novelization is without a doubt one of the better novelizations that I’ve read. It fleshes out the story considerably. For one thing, it provides names to characters left nameless by the title cards, often designated only by their function. It also adds to the trials Ahmed the titular Thief undergoes, turning many tat were mere interesting vignettes in the film into real tests and trials. There’s also a LOT of “Oriental flavor” larded in, expounding extravagantly on descriptions of locations, personalities, and meals.
“Achmed Abdullah” was a pulp writer back in the days when there was such a classification as “Oriental Tales” (and there were magazines completely devoted to stories set in Middle Eastern, Indian, and Chinese locales) The name “Achmed Abdullah” was a pseudonym, but we don’t know his real name. In fact, his self-delivered biography is pretty suspect, and I doubt that most of it (if any of it) is true. To quote from Wikipedia:
> [@](#):
>
> Achmed Abdullah’s biography prior to coming to the US is based on his own writings and interviews, and his reminiscences in _The Cat had Nine Lives_ , and is not verified by independent sources.
>
> In 1922, he claimed to a popular writer that his father had been the [governor of Kabul](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_governors_of_Kabul).[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achmed_Abdullah#cite_note-1) On the 1930 census, he declared that both his parents were born in [Afghanistan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan).[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achmed_Abdullah#cite_note-2) In his 1933 autobiography, he claimed that his mother was Princess Nourmahal [Durani](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durrani_dynasty), a daughter of an Amir, but that his birth father Grand Duke Nicholas Romanoff, a (non-existent) cousin of [Czar Nicholas Romanoff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia), and that he was born Alexander Nicholayevitch Romanoff in [Yalta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yalta), Russia.[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achmed_Abdullah#cite_note-3) In his Social Security application, however, he gave his father’s name as “Jor. D. Khan” and his mother’s name as “Nurmalal Tarmarlan”.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achmed_Abdullah#cite_note-4) Regardless, he consistently gave his birthplace as Yalta.[[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achmed_Abdullah#cite_note-5)
>
> In various sources including his autobiography, Abdullah claimed that at the age of 12, he was sent to [Eton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eton_College) and then to [Oxford University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_University) to be educated (there are no records about him in either school). He claimed that although he was born [Russian Orthodox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Orthodox), he was raised as a [Muslim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim) by his uncle who adopted him.[[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achmed_Abdullah#cite_note-6) Abdullah claimed that he himself was a devout [Catholic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic).[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achmed_Abdullah#cite_note-7)
>
> Upon his graduation, he said he joined the [British Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army) and rose to rank of acting colonel during his 17-year military career. He claimed to have served in Afghanistan, Tibet in 1903-04 with the [Younghusband Expedition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Younghusband_Expedition). He was also deployed in Africa,[_[where?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(geographic_names))_ ] China, and also with the British-Indian army in India. In addition, he was also a colonel in a cavalry regiment for one year in the Turkish army as a British spy. He claimed to have mostly spent the time in the military as a spy because of his wide knowledge of Oriental and Middle Eastern customs and religions. It is said that he traveled widely in Russia, Europe, Africa, the [Middle East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East), and China and spoke many languages and dialects. He claimed he was made a British citizen by an [Act of Parliament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Parliament) and convicted by the Germans during the [First World War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I) for being a spy.
Abdullah wrote the screenplay for _Chang_, a 1927 Academy-Award-nominated film made by Ernest B. Schoedsack and Merion C. Cooper, who would go on to make _King Kong_ (There’s actually a poster for “Chang” buried in one of the scenes in the 1933 King Kong). He also collaborated on the screenplay for **Lives of a Bengal Lancer** , among other films.
The story is, of course, that of the 1924 original version of the film, not that of any of the later “remakes” (all of which have very different plots, although the 1961 version comes closer to the original than the others) Well worth the reading.
Now reading Poul Anderson’s **David Falkyn: Star Trader** , an omnibus edition of the Falkyn novellas and stories.
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2021, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/57 "2021-05-18T18:09:55Z")
Just Finished: _1636: The Viennese Waltz_ , by Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, and Paula Goodlett
Now reading: _Ring of Fire IV_ , edited by Eric Flint
Next up: _1636: The Chronicles of Dr Gribbleflotz_, by Kerryn Offord and Rick Boatwright
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/58 "2021-05-18T18:12:35Z")
Finished _Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History’s Most Iconic Extinct Creatures_, by Ben Mezrich, which I enjoyed.
Now I’m reading _A Closed and Common Orbit_, by Becky Chambers, which is SF.
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### Author:  [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/59 "2021-05-19T20:39:05Z")
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
My daughter has been hassling me to read more and got me restarted. Enjoying it so far.
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### Author:  [@Keweenaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keweenaw)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2021, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2021-edition/941252/60 "2021-05-19T22:45:11Z")
I finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Excellent book. Has everything that made ‘the Martian’ so great. I liked next book after the Martian, Artemis, but that one was more of a three or four star.
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