# Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - September 2026 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-books-manga, books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [August 30, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704 "2026-08-30T23:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**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 22, 2026, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/41 "2026-09-22T13:59:12Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > I need to find _Someone You Can Build a Nest In_ to be a completist. (Helps that he’s only got three novels out for that goal.) I read this last year, because Wiswell was going to be GoH at a convention I went to, but he had to cancel. An admirably weird book (It’s sort of a Beowulf-like story, told from the point of view of the monster), but I haven’t read the other two yet. ---
**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 23, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/42 "2026-09-23T03:58:04Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > I finally finished _Old Man’s War_ by John Scalzi. I liked it, mostly, but I’ll be honest, I prefer his quirky fantastical works over the hard SF. KPS and Constituent Service are my two favorite works of his so far. > I do enjoy his imagination and creativity… and I admit to being a sucker for snarky narrators. > Thank you @Elendil_s_Heir for introducing me to John Perry and the Consu, I am intrigued to see how the Universe survises humans AND Consu in the same plain of existence. Thanks! Very glad to hear you enjoyed it. ---
**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 23, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/43 "2026-09-23T14:43:55Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > I need to find _Someone You Can Build a Nest In_ to be a completist. (Helps that he’s only got three novels out for that goal.) Here’s what I wrote when I read this book: > [@Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - December 2024 edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-december-2024-edition/1011041/10): > > - [Someone You Can Build a Nest In](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/182506390-someone-you-can-build-a-nest-in), by John Wiswell. I was hooked by the second paragraph, when the narrator talks about eating her siblings in the body her father. Weird alien point-of-view characters are fun. By 25% of the way through the book, I’d transitioned to hate-reading it. This alien organism who barely has any contact with humanity–much less with GenZ social media–is constantly talking about “abuser personality” and “holding people accountable” and “being in denial” and “consensual touch” (keep in mind, the alien obsessing over consensual touch also eats people and absorbs their skeletal system). The author’s note talks extensively about being disabled, and the book was a _very_ thinly veiled allegory for growing up neurodiverse, and it missed the fucking mark so bad. For a much better take on a similar idea, check out Ann Leckie’s brilliant [Translation State](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62873999-translation-state). ---
**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 23, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/44 "2026-09-23T18:18:59Z")
Finished _Out of the Clouds: The Unlikely Horseman and the Unwanted Colt Who Conquered the Sport of Kings_, by Linda Carroll and David Rosner, which I enjoyed; and _1901_, by Robert Conroy, which I did not. Next up: _Absolute Wonder Woman: The Last Amazon_, by Kelly Thompson; and _Quest in Paradise_, by David Attenborough. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2026, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/45 "2026-09-23T19:46:37Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > and _1901_, by Robert Conroy, which I did not. I was going to warn you but didn’t want to be a negative nelly. ---
**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 25, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/46 "2026-09-25T19:36:20Z")
Finished _Absolute Wonder Woman: The Last Amazon_, by Kelly Thompson, which I enjoyed; and _Quest in Paradise_, by David Attenborough, which was interesting (especially the part about the “Land Divers”, which was the origin, after people read about it in National Geographic, of bungee jumping). Quite a few things in this book, however, did not age well. It was written in 1960 and I read it as part of a collection of three early books of his that was published in 2018. I’m somewhat surprised that it wasn’t edited. Next up: _Gabriel_, by Jean Slaughter Doty; and _Opera Wars: Inside the World of Opera and the Battles for Its Future_, by Caitlin Vincent. ---
**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 27, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/47 "2026-09-27T13:58:52Z")
Finished _Gabriel_, by Jean Slaughter Doty. Meh. Also finished _Opera Wars: Inside the World of Opera and the Battles for Its Future_, by Caitlin Vincent, which I enjoyed. Next up: _Elysium Fire_, by Alastair Reynolds; and _Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children_, by Mac Barnett. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/48 "2026-09-27T19:44:09Z")
Just finished a re-read of Tana French’s _The Secret Place_. Loved it when I first read it years ago, loved it still. She’s just so brilliant at creating real, complex, living, breathing characters and their motivations. The nuance and subtlety is off the charts. And the mysteries are great, too (though not in a forensic, procedural sense, if that’s your thing). This particular book made me so glad I was never a teenage girl 😬 I’m going to have to go back to re-read the rest of the Dublin Murder Squad books, now that I’ve reminded myself how great they are. 10/10 - my highest recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/49 "2026-09-27T19:49:02Z")
I recently re-read the first two of the Dublin Murder Squad after finishing the Call Hooper series, which was also excellent. I don’t usually re-read mysteries but she’s one of my favorite authors. I especially loved _Faithful Place._ ---
**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 28, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/50 "2026-09-28T00:33:43Z")
Just finished The Secret Dinner, by Raphael Montes. A big slice of that-never-would’ve-happened, but let that go and just enjoy the ride. I’d have given it four stars for the story, but the fact that it gives you some real questions to ask yourself made me bump it to a five. ---
**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 28, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/51 "2026-09-28T01:04:29Z")
I finished _Face Off_, an anthology of mystery short stories, each written by a pair of authors. Like most anthologies, most of the stories are good, several are great, and a couple are real stinkers. Still, rather enjoyable. Next up: _Alone_ by Lisa Gardner. ---
**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 28, 2026, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/52 "2026-09-28T01:46:04Z")
Finished _Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle_ by Dorothy Gilman, probably the most implausible entry in a _highly_ implausible series, but still a lot of fun. ---
**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 28, 2026, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/53 "2026-09-28T02:24:37Z")
I took a break from Sherlock Holmes pastiches to read a couple of vintage (read: late 1960s) SF paperbacks. The first one I hadn’t seen before – **Wolfbane** by Frederick Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth. I thought I knew all their collaborations, but I missed this one. The Earth has been driven out of its orbit, as in _When Worlds Collide_, but people don’t go to the disturbing planet – they stay on Earth, as in Fritz Leiber’s short story “A Pailful of Air”. Only they don’t need to go to the extremes of that story, because aliens – the ones who perturbed the Earh out of its orbit – kindled the moon as a miniature sun, and re-kindle it every five years. The aliens live in several places, including a pyramid that sits on the top of Mount Everest, from which the very peak has been cut off to provide a plateau for it to sit on. And then it gets weird. Really weird. This is not usual territory for the guys who wrote _The Space Merchants_ and _Watch the Skies_. It’s got a touch of Keith Laumer’s _A Plague of Demons_. After reading that, I moved on to the other one – Robert Sheckley’s **The Status Civilization**. This is one of the very first science fiction novels I bought and read, but the copy I picked up is in pristine edition (as is _Woilfbane_). When I first read it I didn’t appreciate how heavy the satire was, and took it as a straight adventure yarn (which it also is). As I’ve pointed out before on this Board, I’m convinced that Paul Veerhoeven strip-mined this book for most of the plot of his movie **Total REcall**. I know that movie is nominally based on Philip K. Dick’s short story _We Can REmember it for you Wholesale_, but they exhaust the material in that story in the first half hour or so. Most of the rest of it, I maintain, is from Sheckley’s book. It’s got the trip to another planet, the deadly shoot 'em up chases. the wiped memory and the deformed mutants who can help you recall those memories, the mysterious beautiful woman who helps the hero and (Spoiler) the fact that the hero is himself responsible for his wiped memory and his being where he is. Back to Sherlock Holmes after this. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/54 "2026-09-28T15:15:04Z")
I was up way too late finishing _Exit Party_ by Emily St. John Mandel. I loved it. How to describe? _Coherence,_ but literary. I didn’t care for that movie but similar premise. The thing is, it’s evocative of the same intellectual dystopian mood that Ian McEwan was apparently going for in _What We Can Know,_ but I hated that book and I loved this one. I can’t figure out why. I want to reread it because there are so many recurring themes (travel, crime, art, surveillance, neglected children) that I’m probably missing stuff. ---
**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 28, 2026, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/55 "2026-09-28T16:29:30Z")
An addendum – my bedtime reading on my electronic tablet consists of a re-reading of Voltaire’s _Philosophical Dictionary_ alternating with a first-time reading of McPherson’s forged _Poems of Ossian_. So far I am not impressed by Ossian. But maybe that’s because it’s in turgid 19th century forms. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/56 "2026-09-28T17:42:56Z")
They Bled Blue: Fernandomania, Strike-Season Mayhem, and the Weirdest Championship Baseball Had Ever Seen: The 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers Jason Turbow The story of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the weird 1981 split season. Some of the early sections were interesting, but much of the second half of the book was a rote game-by-game recounting of the postseason. ---
**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 29, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/57 "2026-09-29T13:54:22Z")
I finished _[Katabasis](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f6d86997-4009-47ac-a1f4-99e6890541e8),_ by RF Kuang, last night. After noping out of the Poppy Wars (I wasn’t told there would be the rape of Nanking in this fantasy novel), I decided to give Kuang one more chance–and I’m glad I did. The magic academy genre is pretty played out at this point, but the story she tells in the genre’s confines, a story of abuse and suffering and finding strength thereby, was well served by those tropes. And it’s not every day I read a book set in hell. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/58 "2026-09-29T19:11:46Z")
I was like “nope” until you mentioned hell. I’m a sucker for mythological afterlife stories. I guess I’m just interested in all the artistic interpretations of these ideas. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704/59 "2026-10-01T01:13:26Z")
New thread: [Happiness is a cozy hoodie and a good book](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-october-2026-edition/1033495) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-september-2026-edition/1032704.md?page=2)