# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - September 2021 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [August 29, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740 "2021-08-29T19:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/41 "2021-09-09T17:53:41Z")
Finished _A Dangerous Man_, by Robert Crais. Joe Pike is on hand to save the day when a teller in his bank is abducted outside on her break by two men. But instead of that being that, complications mount as the teller’s mysterious background starts to emerge and surprises even herself. She’s not even who she thought she was. Crais is at his usual best. And sadly, that is the last of his 22 books to read. No more out there. But a new one is due out next year, and Crais has joined the pantheon of writers whose works I will spring for the hardcover edition. Michael Connelly is still my favorite, Connelly is just a _tad_ bit better, but Crais satisfies too. Next up is _Camino Winds_, by John Grisham, the sequel to his _Camino Island_. ---
**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:** [September 10, 2021, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/42 "2021-09-10T14:38:32Z")
Dear Book People: I got a notification in my email that Stephen King is selling a short story online with all profits going to the ACLU. You can pay what you want. I got mine! I was just about to link it here when it occurred to me it might be against board rules. You can find it though, at Mr. King’s website or at Humble Bundle. ---
**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:** [September 10, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/43 "2021-09-10T14:42:27Z")
I just reread _Sal and Gabi Break the Universe_, in preparation to teaching it as a book club. Dang, I love that book so much. If you’ve got any love for middle-grade fiction, I urge you to give it a go. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/44 "2021-09-11T16:27:43Z")
Just borrowed the audiobook from my library - thanks for the tip, **LHOD**. Anthony Horowitz’s second Holmesian novel, _Moriarty,_ is ok but not great (and not as good as his first, _The House of Silk_). I’m sure I’ll finish but I can’t say I’m eager to rush back to it. Hans Hellmut Kirst’s WWII satire _Officer Factory_, about venality, conflicts and backstabbing among the faculty at a German military academy, has been underwhelming so far, too. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/45 "2021-09-11T16:44:51Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Just borrowed the audiobook from my library - thanks for the tip, **LHOD**. I’d love to hear how you like the audiobook; it won a bunch of awards. I’ve not listened to it. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/46 "2021-09-11T18:08:46Z")
Finished _The Moth Presents: All These Wonders–True Stories About Facing the Unknown_, edited by Catherine Burns. I liked this book a lot, although some of the essays much more than others. My favorites were “California Gothic” by Taylor Negron and “Who Can You Trust?” by Mary-Claire King. If you’re interested, the answer to that question is, in this account, Joe DiMaggio, as an emergency babysitter of a five-year-old at the airport. Now I’m reading _Golden in Death_, by J.D. Robb. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2021, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/47 "2021-09-12T01:16:34Z")
Is that what Simon & Garfunkel were singing about, **D\_D**? ---
**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:** [September 12, 2021, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/48 "2021-09-12T18:37:44Z")
Presumably not, since the essay was about an incident that occurred in 1980. But Joltin’ Joe really stepped up to help a frantic mother by volunteering to watch her child when she had to run an emergency errand at the airport. The mother went on to discover the genes that cause hereditary breast cancer with funding she obtained by taking this plane trip. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/49 "2021-09-13T01:09:25Z")
I was kidding, but that’s a great story! ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/50 "2021-09-13T12:36:50Z")
I had to ditch Mary Jane halfway through. Some stuff was bugging me about it, so I checked the reviews on Goodreads and found that it struck other people the same way and wasn’t going to be redeemed. Current read, [Doors of Sleep](https://www.amazon.com/Doors-Sleep-Journals-Zaxony-Delatree/dp/0857668749/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1631536455&sr=8-1), by Tim Pratt. It’s about a guy who wakes up in a new universe every time he falls asleep. Enjoying it so far. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/51 "2021-09-13T13:05:15Z")
Finished **Inside Straight** , which didn’t impress me as much as it apparently did others. It seemed to wander about quite a bit. I picked up the 1951 edition of the Boy Scout Handbook, **Handbook for Boys**. This is the fourth version of the Boy Scout Handbook I’ve gone through (I have my own 1960s edition, a facsimile of the original, and a 1990s version). It’s interesting to se how it’s changed through the years. The thing that struck me the most about this version is that it’s got quite a bit of advertising in it, which they got rid of in later editions. I wasn’t that surprised about the ads for candy bars, coca cola, and Royal bicycle tires, but I was definitely surprised by the ads for Evinrude outboard motors and for entire motor boats. How big were the allowances these kids had? Now reading **Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1958-1963)**. It’s a good anthology, but it seems weird that they treat this as a forgotten subject or that rare a thing. I’m glad to see women’s SF brought ack to the mainstream, but in the 1960s I was well aware of (and/or read the works of) Ursula K. LeGuin, Kate Wilhelm, Anne McCaffery, Zenna Henderson, Judith Merrill, Leigh Brackett, and Caherine L. Moore. Lots of these names were unfamiliar to me at the time, although I read them later (Kit Reed), and many are still unfamiliar to me. On audio, I finished Clive Cussler’s **Fire Ice** , which I could have sword I’d already “read”. But it was not familiar to me when I listened to the book on audiodisc. Either I hadn’t read it, or had forgotten it. Not hard to believe the latter – Cussler’s stories tend to run together and have the same themes. Gotta find something else to listen to. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/52 "2021-09-13T14:16:10Z")
Horowitz’s Holmesian thriller _Moriarty_ just had a whopper of a twist that really grabbed me, and has almost redeemed some of the more annoying and/or implausible earlier parts of the book. Kirst’s WWII German satire _Officer Factory_ is also picking up some steam, and I think I’ll stay with it for now. Still enjoying reading John Scalzi’s military sf novel _The Ghost Brigades_ aloud with my son. A good mix of smartass attitude, battlefield action and existential musing. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/53 "2021-09-13T15:02:43Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Horowitz’s Holmesian thriller _Moriarty_ just had a whopper of a twist that really grabbed me, and has almost redeemed some of the more annoying and/or implausible earlier parts of the book. I read that about a year ago, and I agree. It’s one of those twists that is really implausible, although it explains a lot of the “what the…?” moments in the rest of the novel. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/54 "2021-09-13T15:08:43Z")
Just downloaded _The Alice Network_ by Kate Quinn which I will listen to on my upcoming road trip. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/55 "2021-09-13T16:15:19Z")
I started _The Glass Castle_ over the weekend. I’m only 10% of the way into it, but I’m extremely impressed so far. The writer had a rough childhood with some negligent, criminal parents, but she manages to write about it in such a way that it sounds like an adventure. She simultaneously conveys that, as an adult, she knows exactly how twisted her childhood was, but also that as a child, she had no idea. I think it takes a tremendous amount of talent as a writer to be able to convey all that. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/56 "2021-09-13T16:55:33Z")
Finished _Golden in Death_ , by J.D. Robb. Meh. Plot might’ve been a decent **Law and Order** episode, but these detectives aren’t interesting or plausible. BTW, I had thought the book was a stand alone, but it has spoilers for others, so be aware that if you choose to read the “In Death” series, you should start from the beginning. Now I’m reading _Once Upon a Number: The Hidden Mathematical Logic of Stories_, by John Allen Paulos. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/57 "2021-09-13T17:52:01Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Finished _Golden in Death_ , by J.D. Robb. Meh. Plot might’ve been a decent **Law and Order** episode, but these detectives aren’t interesting or plausible. BTW, I had thought the book was a stand alone, but it has spoilers for others, so be aware that if you choose to read the “In Death” series, you should start from the beginning. They are formulaic writing at it’s best… or worst. Some are better than others but for the most part: Eve acts tough, Rourke acts sexy, they bang, her assistant does the leg work and she “solves” the crime. My opinion is that Eve Dallas is Norah Lofts’ Mary Sue alternate personality. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/58 "2021-09-13T18:07:45Z")
Concur about Eve Dallas being a Mary Sue. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/59 "2021-09-14T19:59:45Z")
Finished _Once Upon a Number: The Hidden Mathematical Logic of Stories_ , by John Allen Paulos, which I would have liked better if I hadn’t already read much of its examples in other books, magazines, online, etc. Now I’m reading _Till We Have Faces_, by C. S. Lewis. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740/60 "2021-09-14T20:01:16Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Finished _Once Upon a Number: The Hidden Mathematical Logic of Stories_ , by John Allen Paulos, which I would have liked better if I hadn’t already read much of its examples in other books, magazines, online, etc. Have you read Paulos’ earlier book, **Innumeracy**? An excellent book. I didn’t realize he’d written a follow-up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2021-edition/949740.md?page=4)