# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' - February 2013 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2013, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895 "2013-01-31T07:54:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/61 "2013-02-04T20:29:31Z")
I started the first of Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars Thrawn trilogy, **Heir to the Empire.** The writing isn’t winning any awards, but the story is pretty good. It seems to fit really well within the Star Wars universe. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/62 "2013-02-04T21:23:25Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > I finished Wool #1 and have started 2. The first one knocked my socks off. I just finished the Omnibus last night. It’s good. #2 was a bit slow, but don’t let that put you off. Don’t go reading news about the Wool movie. Many articles about it (even short ones) contain mild spoilers. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/63 "2013-02-05T07:50:01Z")
I am in no sense a “foodie”, having enjoyed meals in hospitals, on airliners and even in boot camp. Still, I got a tremendous pleasure out of **Heirloom** , subtitled Notes From an Accidental Tomato Farmer by Tim Stark. The author grew heirloom tomatoes and myriads of other vegetables for sale in the farmers’ markets of New York City. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/64 "2013-02-05T17:51:27Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > I just finished the Omnibus last night. It’s good. #2 was a bit slow, but don’t let that put you off. > > Don’t go reading news about the Wool movie. Many articles about it (even short ones) contain mild spoilers. I didn’t know there was going to be a movie, though I guess it’s not too surprising. I’ll be excited to see that when it comes out, but will definitely stay away from any articles until I’ve finished reading. ---
**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:** [February 5, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/65 "2013-02-05T18:26:10Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I started the first of Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars Thrawn trilogy, **Heir to the Empire.** The writing isn’t winning any awards, but the story is pretty good. It seems to fit really well within the Star Wars universe. I know some hardcore _Star Wars_ fanboys who think the next few movies should be based on Zahn’s books. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/66 "2013-02-06T14:49:40Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I know some hardcore _Star Wars_ fanboys who think the next few movies should be based on Zahn’s books. I had read some time ago that they would be, but now I guess that’s right out. Oh well, it’s still entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/67 "2013-02-07T01:55:08Z")
The other day I was reaching for **Lonesome Dove** , missed, and picked up Halberstam’s [Playing for Keeps](http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Keeps-Michael-Jordan-World/dp/0767904443), his “biography” of Michael Jordan. Great read, just finished it and now (successfully) picked up the McMurtry novel. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/68 "2013-02-07T02:11:17Z")
I finished [A.D. 1000: Living on the brink of apocalypse](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/632491.A_D_1000) today. It wasn’t bad, though it was much less of a social history than I expected. It actually more of a biography of Pope Sylvester II and the three Ottos of the Ottonian Dynasty that founded the Holy Roman Empire. Some of the book was rather dated ie he used the old saw about spices being sought after because they hid the taste of spoiled meat and he quoted many period sources without qualification. But overall a nice readable look at the shakers and movers of tenth century Europe. OH! And I started HExed, the second Iron Druid book today as well. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/69 "2013-02-07T03:39:59Z")
I just finished [Macroscope by Piers Anthony.](http://www.amazon.ca/Macroscope-Piers-Anthony/dp/097236708X) Now, that’s some serious hard sci-fi! I assume the science was high end, because I sure didn’t understand a lot of it. 🙂 Good story, though; very thought-provoking. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/70 "2013-02-07T04:58:55Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I am now reading [The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton](http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Loves-Daisy-Violet-Hilton/dp/1580087582). Finished that, and I have to say it won me over. I was a bit doubtful about it at first, but the story of the Daisy and Violet is just amazing. And horrifying. Those women went through an incredible amount of highs and lows, literally from the bottom to the top and back down again, with many twists and turns along the way. This biog has its flaws, but the story is so interesting that it more than makes up for them. Highly recommended. Anyhoo, I have now moved on to [Byzantium](http://www.amazon.com/Byzantium-Surprising-Life-Medieval-Empire/dp/0691143692) - _The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire_ by **Judith Herrin**. I’ve only read the introduction so far. I feel the need to know more about the Byzantine Empire, which lasted around 1000 years and was obviously pretty damn large and important, but doesn’t really get much publicity in the Anglosphere, compared to, say, the (Western) Roman Empire, or even Ancient Greece. ETA: You have to love an empire that had an [Emperor Maurice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_%28emperor%29). ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/71 "2013-02-07T05:30:28Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the BBC Sherlock series written by Mark Gattis, Steven Moffat and Steve Thompson, and I’ve never read through the entire canon. I’m loving every moment. > > Right Ho, Jeeves, by P. G. Wodehouse. I can’t honestly tell if I’ve read this one before or not - I’ve reached the point where the various plots of Jeeves and Wooster have all rather blended. It doesn’t matter; the character of Bertie is so beautifully sketched, and Wodehouse speaks Twit so fluently, that each paragraph is a joy to read. > > Mysticism and Logic, by Bertrand Russell. Well, it’s a different kind of pleasure one derives from reading Russell. It’s clearly written and well set out; it’s not his fault he’s up against two other very engaging books… I’ve finished both the Sherlock Holmes and the Jeeves and Wooster. I’m going to finish the Bertrand Russell before I pick up anything else. With any luck, I’ll be home in a couple of days, where I have a colossal stack of physical books waiting for me. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/72 "2013-02-07T10:36:22Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > This is the first of these threads since the passing of our friend **Khadaji** on January 25th. Khadaji was a very kind and gentle person, and many long term Dopers fondly remember the support and encouragement in his many posts. He was also renowned for this series of ‘Whatcha Readin’ threads which he started every month, and which provided great recommendations and discussions over the years. He was a prolific and passionate reader. If there is an afterlife, I sincerely hope it has provided him with a comfy chair, an inexhaustible supply of books, a good light over his shoulder and his beloved dog KC at his feet. Farewell, dear Khadaji. > > I thought there would be no better way to honour his memory than to name this series of threads after him, and continue them. I whole-heartedly endorse this idea; thank you for taking up **Khadaji** ’s mantle. Goddamn, the SDMB is a fantastic community. I finished Hannu Rajaniemi’s _The Quantum Thief_ the other day and am now more than halfway thru it’s successor _The Fractal Prince_. Seriously mind-bending and fascinating sci-fi, not for those who like everything explained. The author employs what is known as a “show, don’t tell” style which basically means that he tells the story as tho all of the elements of society and technology are contemporaneous and familiar to the reader. It can be frustrating at times because the reader is forced to catch up to the universe of the novel with little to no expository breaks. Fans of Iain M. Banks’ _Culture_ might also find these novels intriguing and enjoyable. They are the two best books I’ve read in months. I’m also reading: _Antiphon_ by Ken Scholes. This is the third (and last?) book in his _Psalms of Isaak_ series. So far each book has been significant slide down to “meh” from the first book, but some of the concepts behind the story are interesting enough that I don’t think I wasted my time (yet). _Impact_ by Douglas Preston. I found this on sale at B&N for like US$5; it’s about an impending asteroid/large meteor crash on Terra. It became low priority when the Ramajiemi books piqued my interest so I haven’t read much of it. _Jennifer Government_ by Max Barry, which was recommended in one of these threads, I believe. Very interesting, lots of fun. Reminds me a lot of Fred Pohl’s _The Cool War_ so far. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/73 "2013-02-07T14:52:09Z")
Finished _Musashi_. > **[Amazon.com: Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era: 9781568364278: Yoshikawa,...](https://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156836427X)** > > Amazon.com: Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era: 9781568364278: Yoshikawa, Eiji, Terry, Charles: Books Written in the 30s about Japan’s most famous (historical) swordsman, this novel is well worth reading - for one, it’s a rollicking read; but for another, it is a glimpse into a truly different set of cultural romantic expectations (for those of us who are not Japanese). The ostensible subject is the adventures of a wandering swordsman, but very quickly it becomes obvious that the real subject is the quest for self-improvement - is this quest a noble one, or ultimately selfish? Everywhere our hero goes, disaster follows - he leaves the woman who loves him, and others who depend on him, basically to fend for themselves; his quest seems to be in equal parts a quest to perfect his murdering prowess and to perfect his skill in all of the arts - he’s part serial killer and part artist, eventually able to appreciate a blood feud and flower-arranging (there is one passage in which he realizes the skill of a samurai by the message he passes on - which contains the gift of a cut flower; the cut of the stem is _perfect_). The hero gradually comes to realize that perfection has to serve a social purpose, but it is not at all obvious what, exactly, that purpose is to be. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/74 "2013-02-07T15:07:03Z")
I finally finished Conrad’s\*\*\* Nostromo\*\*\*, which was great but had a major downer of an ending. I now need something light, and am about 10% into _ **Right Ho, Jeeves** _. I hadn’t read any Wodehouse on over 20 years, and am pleased to find he’s still as much fun as he used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/75 "2013-02-07T15:54:15Z")
> [@Future\_Londonite](#): > > Slogging my way through Gormenghast trilogy…there are moments where I think ‘it’s quite alright’ and there are times where I wish it was an actual book so I could fling it away 🙂 The first two books are very good, but you can stop after that. The third is a sequel rather than a continuation, and is inferior to the first books. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/76 "2013-02-07T15:59:46Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Finished _Musashi_. > > …Written in the 30s about Japan’s most famous (historical) swordsman… Also a popular name for ships: > **[Japanese corvette Musashi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_corvette_Musashi)** > > Musashi (武蔵) was the third and final vessel in the Katsuragi class of composite hulled, sail-and-steam corvettes of the early Imperial Japanese Navy. It was named for Musashi province, a former province of Japan located in the Kantō region. The name was used again for the more famous World War II battleship Musashi. > Katsuragi was designed as an iron-ribbed, wooden-hulled, three-masted barque-rigged sloop-of-war with a coal-fired double-expansion reciprocating steam engine with six cylindrical bo... > **[Japanese battleship Musashi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Musashi)** > > Musashi (Japanese: 武蔵, named after the former Japanese province) was one of four planned Yamato-class battleships\[N 1\] built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), beginning in the late 1930s. The Yamato-class ships were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing almost 72,000 long tons (73,000 t) fully loaded and armed with nine 460-millimetre (18.1 in) main guns. Their secondary armament consisted of four 155-millimetre (6.1 in) triple-gun turrets forme C... > **[Megayacht Musashi](http://powerandmotoryacht.com/megayachts/megayacht-musashi/)** > > In the yacht-spotting world, the most exciting news is often unconfirmed and based on rumor. The bold-named clients often demand the most secrecy, which makes getting straight answers difficult. All of this combined makes Feadship’s launch of Musashi... ---
**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:** [February 7, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/77 "2013-02-07T16:04:08Z")
Not to mention many mangas and animes about him. He’s a cultural hero sort of like a wild west cowboy 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/78 "2013-02-07T16:25:26Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Also a popular name for ships: > > [Japanese corvette Musashi - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_corvette_Musashi) > [Japanese battleship Musashi - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Musashi) > [Megayacht Musashi](http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/megayachts/megayacht-musashi) Interesting. The first two were allegedly named after the province, and the last after the swordsman. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/79 "2013-02-07T16:29:25Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Not to mention many mangas and animes about him. He’s a cultural hero sort of like a wild west cowboy 🙂 The intro to the novel I read claimed that this novel in particular was very well known in Japan, so much so that people would be compared to characters in the novel and most people would get the references. Presumably, even before the novel, he was a well-known stock cultural hero. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/80 "2013-02-07T18:14:53Z")
I finished _The Child’s Child_ by Ruth Rendell as her alter ego, Barbara Vine. Not her best. Also, _The Caller_, eighth in Karin Fossum’s Konrad Sejer series about a Norwegian police inspector. It was excellent. I have been trying to avoid the avalanche of Scandinavian mysteries out of principle, not because I have anything against Scandinavian authors but just to be contrary and to stay off the bandwagon. But I had no idea this was set in Norway and didn’t find out until a couple of chapters in. I really enjoyed it and will look for earlier books in the series. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895.md?page=5)