# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - September 2024 edition
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** comic-books-manga, books-writing-myths
**Created:** [August 30, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488 "2024-08-30T21:49:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2024, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/41 "2024-09-20T13:22:41Z")
I’m now reading Ibram X. Kendi’s **Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America**. I’d already read Joel Christian Gill’s graphic adaptation of it, n wanted to read the original. It’s a very deep dive ino American history, an awesome task of research into details of history I’d never encountered before. And, of course, viewed from the viewpoint of a black scholar looking to chronicle how racist ideas arose and spread. There are a couple of items I think he erred it (small things unrelated to racism, and not unexpected in a book of this size and depth) and a few things coming up that I know from the graphic novel I’m going to question. Such as the success of Tarzan of the Apes being a reaction to Jack Johnson’s winning the boxing title. Right now I’m a bit shy of halfway through.
After that, it’s on to the Stanley Kravitz unabridged translation of Jules Verne’s **The Mysterious Island** , which I actually started before I picked up Kendi’s book. It claimed to be the first unabridged translation into English, but they later retreated somewhat from that, since the 1965 translation bills itself on both front and back covers as “unabridged”. And I read that one, many years ago.
On audio, I read Anthony Horowitz’ Sherlock Holmes novel **The House of Silk**. It’s the kind of thing that couldn’t have been published back in Doyle’s day, because of the sexual themes and implications. I’d guessed or deduced several of the revelations before they were made and explained, but Horowitz lards his narrative with so many details that there were layers upon layers of revelation at the end, with mysteries you didn’t even realize were there.It’s a good read, but it’s not Doyle.
Right now I’m re-listening to **The Future of War** by H.G. Wells, written in the midst of WWI and published before the war ended. It’s interesting to read Wells’ o-the-spot reactions, since he was one who pointed out long before the fact how air power would change warfare, moving the action away from “the front” with aerial bombardment far from the lines. He also notably wrote about tanks in his 103 story “The Land Ironclads”, and this book devotes an entire chapter to tanks. He acknowledges that he had a part in the development of the idea, but says he did no more than take the idea and pass it along; tanks had more than on father. Having seen that his predictions about the utility of tanks and the way they changed warfare came true, it’s interesting to see where he predicts them going. Although tanks are called “Armored Cav” today, Wells saw the airplanes as the successors to horse cavalry, not tanks. His vision was that tanks would become much larger and powerful – which did, indeed, happen. But he saw there being no limit to their size and destructiveness, and saw them becoming mobile fortresses dominating the battlefield wherever they were.
But as tanks become larger, they also become heavier and more difficult to move, which puts a practical limit on their size. The biggest tank ever built was the German **_Panzerkampfwagen_ VIII _Maus_** in July 1944. It weighted 188 tons, and was the biggest that a tank could be built while still being able to contain the moto needed to propel it. It had a top speed of 14 mph and was too heavy to use bridges – it was expected to ford any rivers it came across. Its size didn’t keep it from being captured by Russian forces. This is one case where Wells’ foresight failed him.
> **[Panzer VIII Maus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_VIII_Maus)**
>
> Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (English: 'mouse') is a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in July of 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built. Five were ordered, but only two hulls and one turret were completed, the turret being attached before the testing grounds were captured by advancing Soviet military forces.
> These two prototypes underwent trials in late 1944. The complete vehicle was 10.2 m (33 ft) long, 3.71 m (12.2 ft) wide and 3.63 m (11.9 ft) ...
Wells wrote about “atomic bombs” in his novel _The World Set Free_, and how these would affect warfare. He actually did live to see the effect of real atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but, as far as I know, didn’t comment on this case of his predictions becoming true. One website cites him saying "It is the end, but that was a quote from his last book, **The Mind at the End of its Tether** , written _before_ Hiroshima (although published afterwards). I’d be curious to know what he did think, on learning about it.
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/42 "2024-09-20T21:43:36Z")
Just now finished _A Sorceress Comes to Call_ by T. Kingfisher and yes it will definitely be one of the best books I have read this year.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2024, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/43 "2024-09-20T22:16:05Z")
I strive to be a wine person…
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/44 "2024-09-20T22:36:05Z")
_Graustark_, by George Barr McCutcheon
_The Darkest Summer: Pusan and Inchon 1950_, by Bill Sloan
_Snake Pilot: Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam_, by Randy R Zahn
Been reading a lot of books about the Korean and Vietnam wars lately.
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [September 21, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/45 "2024-09-21T01:48:51Z")
I am all salt, I fear. 😆
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/46 "2024-09-22T18:19:27Z")
Finished _Designing Disability: Symbols, Space, and Society_ by Elizabeth Guffey, which was quite interesting, and _Wide Sargasso Sea_, by Jean Rhys–meh.
Next up: _Junior Miss_, by Sally Benson, a collection of short stories originally published in the New Yorker, and _The Mimicking of Known Successes_, by Malka Older, a science fiction mystery.
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/47 "2024-09-22T19:02:46Z")
Finished _The Eighth Detective_ by Alex Pavesi. Highly entertaining and would recommend. A very clever method of authoring a murder mystery.
Next up: _Eight Perfect Murders_ by Peter Swanson.
(And, yes, I see the irony/coincidence in the titles!)
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/48 "2024-09-22T21:03:47Z")
I started _The Sheep Dragon_ by L.G. Estrella. It’s the 2nd volume of short side stories to their Unconventional Heroes series.
On audio, I started _The Poisoner’s Ring_ by Kelley Armstrong, time travel, body swapping and poisoning in Victorian Scotland.I liked the first book a lot and this one is even better written.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2024, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/49 "2024-09-22T21:26:47Z")
Just finished William, by Mason Coile. An AI-controlled house tries to kill its inhabitants. Rather meh, but caught me with a twist I didn’t anticipate.
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/50 "2024-09-23T19:33:21Z")
Finished _Junior Miss_, by Sally Benson, a collection of short stories originally published in the New Yorker, and _The Mimicking of Known Successes_, by Malka Older, a science fiction mystery, both of which were okay.
Now I’m reading _The Fairy Tellers: A Journey in the Secret History of Fairy Tales_, by Nicholas Jubber.
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### Author:  [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/51 "2024-09-23T19:34:20Z")
nevermind.
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/52 "2024-09-24T00:14:02Z")
Eh???
Did I say something wrong?
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### Author:  [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/53 "2024-09-24T00:18:58Z")
no no, I started to write something (that I hadn’t liked the 3rd book on that series), thought better of it and decided not to post it, but I misclicked and accidentally posted it.
So I edited because I couldn’t delete the post.
Sorry.
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2024, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/54 "2024-09-24T00:31:54Z")
Ohhh! I understand.
No worries.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/55 "2024-09-24T14:26:36Z")
Started this morning on So Thirsty, by Rachel Harrison. She writes sort of cozy horror, and obviously this one’s vampires.
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### Author:  [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/56 "2024-09-26T14:58:24Z")
**Ballpark: Baseball in the American City** Paul Goldberger
A history of American baseball stadiums and their relation to their surroundings by an architectural critic, from the early days in Brooklyn to the Golden Age of Fenway, Wrigley, and Ebbets field, the concrete donuts of the post war era, and the retro parks of the 90’s and 2000s.
I really enjoued the book, but this is a topic I am already interested in.
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/57 "2024-09-26T17:26:01Z")
Finished _The Fairy Tellers: A Journey in the Secret History of Fairy Tales_, by Nicholas Jubber, which was interesting.
Next up: _Know the Past, Find the Future: The New York Public Library at 100_, edited by Caro Llewellyn, and _American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, and the Birth of Hollywood_, by Howard Blum.
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2024, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/58 "2024-09-27T18:47:32Z")
I finished listening to _Eight Perfect Murders_ by Peter Swanson. A most delightful murder mystery, with some serious plot twists along the way. Highly recommended if you like this genre. I will be reading more of his work.
Next up, however, is _Strangers on a Train_ by Patricia Highsmith. I picked this book because it was referenced several times in the above book which I just finished.
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/59 "2024-09-30T19:20:03Z")
Finished _Know the Past, Find the Future: The New York Public Library at 100_, edited by Caro Llewellyn, which was okay; and _American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, and the Birth of Hollywood_, by Howard Blum, which was interesting.
Next up: _Damn You, Entropy: 1,001 of the Greatest Science Fiction Quotes_, edited by Guy P. Harrison; and _When Breath Becomes Air_, by Paul Kalanithi.
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2024, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2024-edition/1006488/60 "2024-10-01T02:30:09Z")
New thread: [Bring on the haunted houses!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-october-2024-edition/1008311)
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