# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' - August 2013 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 1, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055 "2013-08-01T04:22:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [August 1, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/1 "2013-08-01T04:22:42Z")
Opened at the request of our usual OP, **Le Ministre de l’au-delà** , who’s off the grid at the moment. Just finished Diane Duane’s _Doctor’s Orders_, a favorite old Star Trek novel about Dr. McCoy being left in command of the _Enterprise_ by Capt. Kirk after teasing him one too many times about how easy his job is. Fun book, and an interesting look both at McCoy out of his element, and Kirk as a skilled diplomat. Also finished Joe Haldeman’s _Guardian_, which for 90% of the time was a historical novel about a woman and her teenage son fleeing her abusive husband in the 1890s, ending up in Alaska during the Yukon Gold Rush. Then a shapeshifting alien appears and things get seriously weird. Still not sure if I liked the book, although it kept me turning the pages. Have started on Roy Jenkins’s massive and well-reviewed bio _Churchill_, which will no doubt take me awhile. And you? **Khadaji** was a long time Doper of a very kindly disposition. He was an omnivorous reader, and loved to discuss books and book recommendations. He started this long line of reading threads many years ago - when he passed away earlier this year, we decided that there was no better way to honour his memory than to name these threads after him, and continue on with the discussion. It still makes me smile to think of him. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/2 "2013-08-01T12:27:49Z")
Upon your recommendation, just finished _The Time Traveler’s Wife_, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. There were many things to like about it. One of them is how Henry, the time travelling person, wasn’t entirely a likable character. Another was that not only did he not have control over his spontaneous time travelling, but also that the book identifies it as a genetic disorder. Thank you very much for the heads up. Good book! ---
**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:** [August 1, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/3 "2013-08-01T12:28:18Z")
Thanks for the thread, **Elendil’s Heir**. I’m currently on [American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics](http://www.amazon.com/American-Savage-Insights-Slights-Politics/dp/0525954104/ref=sr_1_1/186-3557326-8180569?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375359928&sr=1-1) by Dan Savage. It’s decent, as expected, and a quick read. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/4 "2013-08-01T13:02:06Z")
I still haven’t made up my mind about John Irving. To be honest, I’ve only read three of his novels; the first, _ **The World According to Garp** _ when I was much too young (13? 14?) - I saw adults making stupid choices, the sexual elements made me very uncomfortable and the driveway accident was doubly shocking. Roberta Muldoon didn’t particularly bother me, however. I probably should read it again someday, but am not in any hurry. About a decade ago, I read _**[A Prayer for Owen Meany](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4473.A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany)**_ and it pretty much left me cold, as well. I found Owen’s ALL CAPS dialog annoying and I didn’t think much of the narrator. I was intrigued when I heard about _**[In One Person](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12758317-in-one-person)**_, but it slipped off my radar til last month, when it showed up as a Kindle deal - I checked it out from the library and I’m glad I did. Told in first person through the eyes of Billy, a bisexual man; we see him growing up fatherless in small town Vermont in the 1960’s, pursuing a writing career in NYC in the 1970’s, and facing the deaths of friends and acquaintances to AIDS in the 1980’s and 1990’s. He considers himself “a sexual suspect” - trusted by neither women nor men, yet he forms lifelong bonds with fellow travelers of varying identities. This novel went a long way towards taking the bad taste of _TWATG_ out of my mouth, so to speak. Not only am I nearly two decades older, but Irving’s characters seem much more sympathetic in this novel; even as they make poor choices, hurting each other and themselves. IMHO, Irving’s strength is definitely character development; by the end of the novel, I felt like I knew all of Billy’s friends (and enemies) as well as he did; perhaps better. The narrative isn’t chronological, but it was easy enough to adjust to the shifts in timeline. The plot isn’t really the point of the novel, but worked well enough - I’m rather disappointed with Irving’s portrayal of women (especially mothers); but I wasn’t terribly surprised. I had a bit of a struggle believing that the town of Favorite River would be so accepting of Miss Frost and Grandpa Harry (having grown up in small towns myself); but then again, Vermont was one of the first states to ratify gay marriage. I also found myself wondering how autobiographical the novel was - then realized it really wasn’t any of my business. I’d love to hear from any transgendered and/or bisexual readers to see what they thought of the novel. Will I read it again? Possibly - I passed on the cheap Kindle version offer, but I’m very picky about actually buying books, even in electronic format. I figure it will be easy enough to obtain from the library if I feel the need to revisit it. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/5 "2013-08-01T13:12:51Z")
Correction to the above - I also listened to the majority of _ **Last Night in Twisted River** _ thanks to Dick Estell’s Radio Reader show on NPR back in February 2010. I liked it better than _TWATG_ and _APFOM_, but not as well as _In One Person_ - I may have to check it out and re-read it for myself. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/6 "2013-08-01T14:02:18Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Upon your recommendation, just finished _The Time Traveler’s Wife_, and I have to say I really enjoyed it… I’m glad! If you’d like more time-travel book recommendations, say the word. > [@Politzania](#): > > I still haven’t made up my mind about John Irving… I pretty much liked _Garp_, gave up on _Owen Meany_ after the minimum 50 pages I give any book, but really enjoyed _A Widow for One Year_. A multigenerational character study, with a lot to say (of course) about what it means to be a writer. Consider it for your next Irving indulgence. Forgot to say earlier, I’ve also just begun _Marsbound_, the first in a trilogy by Joe Haldeman, about a family becoming early settlers of Mars. His _Forever War_ and _Worlds_ trilogies both started very strong but ended badly IMHO; hope he does better this time. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/7 "2013-08-01T15:25:15Z")
Just started [_ **The Knife Man** _](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161724.The_Knife_Man?ac=1), which, by the laws of non-fiction publishing, must have a subtitle, and it’s a doozy: \*\*\*Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Surgery \*\*\* So far it’s excellent - macabre, educational, and starring a wonderful eccentric underdog named John Hunter, who threw traditional surgery on its ear in the 1700’s. My wife and I are also reading _**[The Fifteenth Pelican](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6514786-the-fifteenth-pelican)**_, which I noticed in the closing credits of _ **The Flying Nun** _ a couple weeks ago (it was a \*really \*boring Sunday). So, yeah, it’s the ‘comic’ novel that inspired _ **The Flying Nun** _. Not worth it. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/8 "2013-08-01T17:10:59Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Just started [_ **The Knife Man** _](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161724.The_Knife_Man?ac=1), which, by the laws of non-fiction publishing, must have a subtitle, and it’s a doozy: > > \*\*\*Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Surgery \*\*\* > > So far it’s excellent - macabre, educational, and starring a wonderful eccentric underdog named John Hunter, who threw traditional surgery on its ear in the 1700’s. I just added this to my Goodreads To-Read pile. I’m always up for a good story about grave-robbing. 😃 So I guess it’s time for the monthly State O’ the Book Pile: **The Aguero Sisters** , Cristina Garcia: I recently finished [**Dreaming in Cuban**](http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5496678?type=review#rating_16103040) and hated it, but so far this one is much better. There’s not so much whining in this book. Reina and Constanzia actually do things and there’s a much-needed male voice to defuse a lot of the misandry that ticked me off in the last novel. **An Artist of the Floating World** , Kazuo Ishiguro: A Japanese artist deals with the aftermath of WWII and his actions during the war. I’m two-thirds of the way through it and I’m not completely sure what I think of it yet. It’s a very quiet book that takes its time with its revelations. **[Children of Dune](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112.Children_of_Dune)**, Frank Herbert: I really hate what happens to Alia in this series. She gets such a raw deal. [**Ghosts in American Houses**](http://http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2726880-ghosts-in-american-houses), James Reynolds: A book of ghost stories about historic haunted houses (and one barn, so far). The stories are interesting, but Reynolds’ writing style drives me crazy. He jumps around a lot and gives away endings before the ending. [**Grimms Tales for Young and Old**](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/254454.Grimms_Tales_for_Young_and_Old), Ralph Manheim: Two hundred Grimm’s fairy tales. 😃 **[Hard Times](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5344.Hard_Times)**, Charles Dickens: It’s…it’s…not even 400 pages! It’s short! After the weightlifting brick that was _Bleak House_ I don’t know what to think! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/9 "2013-08-01T17:15:08Z")
In the middle of Bud Webster’s [Past Masters](http://www.merryblacksmith.com/?page_id=783), a collection of biographies of SF writers of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Listening to an audiobook of **Sense and Sensibility.** ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/10 "2013-08-01T18:12:36Z")
I was disappointed in _Never Let Me Go_, by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s literary dystopian science fiction, and I can’t really describe the plot without spoiling it. I didn’t find the story convincing and I didn’t care for the writing style. It’s a popular and acclaimed book, however, and Ishiguro is the author of _The Remains of the Day_, which got made into one of my favorite movies. I just finished reading Daphne du Mariner’s \*Rebecca \*for the first time, and I rather liked it. The cover describes the book as “romantic suspense”, and while I didn’t find it especially romantic, it was suspenseful. The ending gave me the same awful feeling I get from one of my occasionally recurring dreams, the one where I have murdered someone, covered it up, and am walking around dreading discovery. (I guess I read too many murder mysteries. I never dream the actual murder, though, just the guilty aftermath.) ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/11 "2013-08-01T18:47:42Z")
_Elendil’s Heir \*\* - thanks for the recco on A Widow for One Year_ - have added it to my GoodReads ToRead list. Just finished _**[Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories About People Who Know How They Will Die](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9548075-machine-of-death)**_ - an anthology of short stories edited by Ryan North. I got this book as part of a [Humble Bundle](http://www.humblebundle.com/) offer; it’s also available to read online through the [GoodReads](http://www.goodreads.com/reader/9374-machine-of-death?return_to=%2Fbook%2Fshow%2F9548075-machine-of-death) site. I wasn’t quite clear if each of the 34 writers got to choose the type of death their character was assigned, or if the writers themselves chose. Some were quite unusual: “Not Waving, But Drowning”, “Flaming Marshmallow” and “Heat Death of the Universe” were some of my favorite causes. Even with such a restrictive premise – the titular machine with its cryptic predictions of how the protagonist (and/or other characters) will die – each author managed to put a creative twist on their story. While a few were intended to be humorous; most took the idea seriously and there are some truly moving stories in the collection. I’d definitely recommend checking this out if you have an interest in short stories with a quirky premise. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/12 "2013-08-01T19:13:11Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Just started [_ **The Knife Man** _](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161724.The_Knife_Man?ac=1), which, by the laws of non-fiction publishing, must have a subtitle, and it’s a doozy: > > \*\*\*Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Surgery \*\*\* > > So far it’s excellent - macabre, educational, and starring a wonderful eccentric underdog named John Hunter, who threw traditional surgery on its ear in the 1700’s. Apparently the original, rather tame subtitle (“The Extraordinary Life and Times of John Hunter, Father of Modern Surgery”) wasn’t moving enough copy. Interesting, very interesting. I’m adding it to the list, which is currently doing an irritating bit of growing–reading two books at once, while also keeping up with three magazines (two of which are fairly “heavy”) is a recipe for slow progress. _ **Gulp** _, at least, is moving along at a decent clip, which is what I expect out of Mary Roach: Fluffy, laugh out loud science writing. Also added last night were _**[Shiva 3000](http://www.amazon.com/Shiva-3000-Jan-Lars-Jensen/dp/0151004544/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375383561&sr=8-1&keywords=shiva+3000)**_ and _**[Celestial Matters](http://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Matters-ebook/dp/B00BIV0X5M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375383656&sr=8-2&keywords=celestial+matters)**_, both mentioned in passing on [The Incomparable](http://5by5.tv/incomparable)’s recent Hugo episode. Speaking of, the Hugos sound like just this side of a bleak wasteland this year to hear them tell it. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/13 "2013-08-01T19:29:51Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Just started [_ **The Knife Man** _](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161724.The_Knife_Man?ac=1), which, by the laws of non-fiction publishing, must have a subtitle, and it’s a doozy: > > \*\*\*Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Surgery \*\*\* > > So far it’s excellent - macabre, educational, and starring a wonderful eccentric underdog named John Hunter, who threw traditional surgery on its ear in the 1700’s. I read _The Knife Man_ last year and enjoyed it very much. I’ve just ordered a copy of Hilary Mantel’s 1998 novel _The Giant, O’Brien_, which is about Charles Byrne, whose extremely tall skeleton Hunter collected (against Byrne’s explicit wishes) and which remains in the Hunterian Museum today. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/14 "2013-08-01T21:12:23Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I was disappointed in _Never Let Me Go_, by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s literary dystopian science fiction, and I can’t really describe the plot without spoiling it. I didn’t find the story convincing and I didn’t care for the writing style. It’s a popular and acclaimed book, however, and Ishiguro is the author of _The Remains of the Day_, which got made into one of my favorite movies. I didn’t like Never Let Me Go. I called the ending halfway through the book. Out loud. Several times. It didn’t help that I started comparing it mentally to [parts: the clonus horror](http://www.mst3kinfo.com/aceg/8/811/ep811.html). Clone fiction is not for me. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/15 "2013-08-01T21:41:42Z")
I just reread **The Gift of Fear**. I’m now running thru my Pratchett books. (Now on Soul Music) My next will probably be **The Corner** by David Simon. I’m odd ok? ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/16 "2013-08-01T23:20:24Z")
I’m finally getting around to reading **The Secret History** , which seems like a perfect potboilery, absorbing, page-turner of a summer book. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/17 "2013-08-01T23:47:26Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I’m glad! If you’d like more time-travel book recommendations, say the word. Yes please. I’m in a time travelling zone. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/18 "2013-08-02T01:36:15Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Yes please. I’m in a time travelling zone. Heh. I’ve been there myself two years from now. I’m a big fan of Ken Grimwood’s _Replay_, in which a man keeps dying and going back to earlier points in his life. He lives differently each time, learning (or not) from earlier mistakes, and takes an occasionally-active role in changing history, too. Very good stuff. Peter David’s _Imzadi_ is hands-down my favorite _Star Trek_ time travel book (and there’ve been many). I was grinning like an idiot for the last third or so. Jerry Yulsman’s _Elleander Morning_ does some clever things with the whole go-back-in-time-to-kill-Hitler concept. The actual mechanics of time travel are left a little vaugue (OK, a _lot_ vague), but it’s a nifty story. Robert Heinlein’s 1959 short story “—All You Zombies—” is also a must-read. Temporal paradoxes galore. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve heard good things about Stephen King’s _11/22/63_. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/19 "2013-08-02T03:09:13Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > … just finished _The Time Traveler’s Wife_, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. That’s why we named the pigeon outside our condo Henry. I was reading that book when he first showed up five years ago. > [@Politzania](#): > > I still haven’t made up my mind about John Irving. > > To be honest, I’ve only read three of his novels; the first, _ **The World According to Garp** _ when I was much too young (13? 14?) - I saw adults making stupid choices, the sexual elements made me very uncomfortable and the driveway accident was doubly shocking. Roberta Muldoon didn’t particularly bother me, however. I probably should read it again someday, but am not in any hurry. > > About a decade ago, I read _**[A Prayer for Owen Meany](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4473.A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany)**_ and it pretty much left me cold, as well. I found Owen’s ALL CAPS dialog annoying and I didn’t think much of the narrator. > > I was intrigued when I heard about _**[In One Person](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12758317-in-one-person)**_, but it slipped off my radar til last month, when it showed up as a Kindle deal - I checked it out from the library and I’m glad I did. I urge you to check out his _The Cider House Rules_. As for me, I’m about 70% through _Kim_, by Rudyard Kipling. It’s very good. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055/20 "2013-08-02T06:56:03Z")
A big thumbs up on _11/22/63_. I had kind of given up on King, but this one restored the juju. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-august-2013/665055.md?page=2)