# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' - March 2013 Edition
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 28, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578 "2013-02-28T01:15:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/1 "2013-02-28T01:15:13Z")
The good news about this past February was that it felt spectacular to sit by the fire and read; the bad news was that I had to go out from time to time. I love my snow; it’s the slush, sleet and freezing rain I’ve never cottoned to. If it weren’t for the dog, I might not have moved at all. I’m looking forward to whatever March has to offer.
I’ll probably finish ‘_What Money Can’t Buy - the Moral Limits of Markets_’ by Michael J. Sandel sometime this evening. I’m thoroughly enjoying it, enough so that I ordered his book ‘_Justice - What’s the Right Thing to Do?_’ from the library about 30 pages into this one.
I’ve also started going through my wife’s collection of Dorothy Sayers. Years ago, I had read the Lord Peter Wimsey novels that also had Harriet Vane in them (_Gaudy Night, Busman’s Honeymoon_ and I forget the earlier two…) but I’ve never read the whole lot. I read ‘Whose Body?’ sometime in January, and now I’m reading the second, _Clouds of Witness_. I have no idea why I didn’t read these years ago - they’re fantastic!
Also in the queue are _Way to Wisdom_ by Karl Jaspers - an introduction to philosophy, and _The Storytelling Animal - How Stories Make Us Human_ by Jonathan Gottshall.
Here’s a link to [last month’s thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=680799).
For those visiting for the first time - **Khadaji** was a long time Doper fondly remembered for his kind and supportive words, and for his passionate love of reading. He passed away this January at the young age of 51. Khadaji was who started this series of ‘Whatcha Readin’ threads, and it is in fond remembrance that they are now named for him.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/2 "2013-02-28T02:23:34Z")
I finished _Matt Helm, the War Years_ and began reading for the fifth or sixth time Poul Anderson’s science fiction novel _Satan’s World._
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/3 "2013-02-28T03:04:34Z")
I think I need to put that economics book on my wishlist too…
Looks like I will start [Byzantium](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1702460.Byzantium) Friday. It will kill time while I wait for [When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13812169-when-america-first-met-china) to arrive.
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### Author:  [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/4 "2013-02-28T11:26:45Z")
I sat down to start reading Evelyn Waugh’s _The Loved One_ yesterday. I didn’t get back up until I finished it. It’s been a long time since that has happened. Now it’s time to add more Waugh to Mt. ToBeRead because that was an excellently sarcastic book.
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### Author:  [@Future\_Londonite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Londonite)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/5 "2013-02-28T11:52:17Z")
Still making my way through _Gormenghast_…not decided yet what to read next
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### Author:  [@Time\_Stranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Stranger)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/6 "2013-02-28T13:23:17Z")
> [@SpazCat](#):
>
> I sat down to start reading Evelyn Waugh’s _The Loved One_ yesterday. I didn’t get back up until I finished it. It’s been a long time since that has happened. Now it’s time to add more Waugh to Mt. ToBeRead because that was an excellently sarcastic book.
I was introduced to Waugh through a SD book thread years ago, and I love him so much I can hardly stand it. There are definitely some “meh” ones though.
I started reading _A Tale for the Time Being_ by Ruth Ozeki because a friend sent me a copy, and it’s really great so far. Ozeki took a long break from writing to become a Zen Buddhist priest, and it informs the book heavily. I’m going to try to track down her others when I finish.
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### Author:  [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/7 "2013-02-28T13:54:04Z")
I’m working on three books at the moment. I’m reading Still Alice as my book club’s March selection. On my Nook I’m reading Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger. I really wish I’d discovered this author sooner; I’m loving the book so far. I’ve also started Truth in Advertising by John Kenney. I won it through Goodreads’ “First Reads” giveaways. So far it’s just “meh.”
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### Author:  [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/8 "2013-02-28T15:47:33Z")
> [@SpazCat](#):
>
> I sat down to start reading Evelyn Waugh’s _The Loved One_ yesterday. I didn’t get back up until I finished it. It’s been a long time since that has happened. Now it’s time to add more Waugh to Mt. ToBeRead because that was an excellently sarcastic book.
Interesting - I’ve not read any of his work, and I had no idea it was that engaging. One more to put on hold at the library…
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### Author:  [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/9 "2013-02-28T16:10:08Z")
James Lee Burke: Creole Belle
A Dave Robicheaux novel.
I enjoy his writing especially the descriptions of southern Louisiana and New Orleans. Almost makes you want to go there.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/10 "2013-02-28T16:32:18Z")
Finished _Blood Work_, by Michael Connelly. A retired FBI agent whose specialty was tracking serial killers gets a heart transplant and goes after the killer who murdered the donor. It was made into a 2002 Clint Eastwood film, which we saw. Most of the movie is vague to me now, but I know it was changed radically from the book. But one key point I remembered from the movie stayed the same, and that allowed me to know the solution to the mystery early on. Still a good read though.
Next up is another Michael Connelly: _The Scarecrow_, a sequel of sorts to _The Poet_ and _The Narrows_. Crime reporter Jack McEvoy is about to be laid off from the _Los Angeles Times_ in these hard times for newspapers. He uses his final days on the job to write the definitive murder story of his career and in the process comes to realize the person who confessed to the crime is innocent.
Anf thanks, **Le Ministre de l’au-delà** , for continuing these threads.
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### Author:  [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/11 "2013-02-28T16:53:25Z")
Just finished _Taiko_ by Eiji Yoshikawa. A fantastic read. Anyone interested in the history of the end of the “warring states” period would love it. Though it is occasionally a little hard to figure out who is who, given that the characters are in the habit of adopting new names and each other’s children. 😃
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/12 "2013-02-28T17:23:48Z")
> [@Malthus](#):
>
> Just finished _Taiko_ by Eiji Yoshikawa. A fantastic read. Anyone interested in the history of the end of the “warring states” period would love it. Though it is occasionally a little hard to figure out who is who, given that the characters are in the habit of adopting new names and each other’s children. 😃
Oooo! Another one for my to read list!
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### Author:  [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/13 "2013-02-28T17:49:38Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#):
>
> Oooo! Another one for my to read list!
It’s “about” the respective characters and philosophies of government and military strategy of the three great unifiers of that period - Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Mostly, it is in the form of the story of the middle one - Hideyoshi.
It is very much a rags-to-riches story (Hideyoshi went from an itinerant needle-seller to warlord of Japan). The respective approaches of these three was illustrated by a Japanese children’s ditty that goes something like this:
There is a bird that won’t sing. What do you do about it?
“Kill it!” Nobunaga says.
"Make it want to sing! Hideyoshi says.
“Wait until it decides to sing on its own” Tokugawa says.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/14 "2013-02-28T17:52:04Z")
A few days ago I started reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (in whatever English translation is popular on Project Gutenberg).
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### Author:  [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/15 "2013-02-28T17:56:07Z")
> [@Malthus](#):
>
> It’s “about” the respective characters and philosophies of government and military strategy of the three great unifiers of that period - Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Mostly, it is in the form of the story of the middle one - Hideyoshi.
>
> It is very much a rags-to-riches story (Hideyoshi went from an itinerant needle-seller to warlord of Japan). The respective approaches of these three was illustrated by a Japanese children’s ditty that goes something like this:
>
> There is a bird that won’t sing. What do you do about it?
>
> “Kill it!” Nobunaga says.
>
> "Make it want to sing! Hideyoshi says.
>
> “Wait until it decides to sing on its own” Tokugawa says.
Silly me, it was already on my Goodreads To Read shelf 😃
I’ve read enough already to know I dislike Oda intensely but I’m interested in the other two unifiers as I’ve not read a lot about them
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/16 "2013-02-28T18:39:57Z")
> [@Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' - February 2013 Edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-february-2013-edition/648895/95):
>
> I’m reading [The Last Man on Earth Club](http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Man-Earth-Club/dp/1466361824/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1) and I love it. So much so that at just about 15% into it I emailed the author telling him how much I like it. What a dorky thing to do. But it is just really, really good.
I wanted to read this too, but Inter-Library Loan has failed me. ☹
Still working on _Flashman and the Tiger_.
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### Author:  [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/17 "2013-02-28T18:48:07Z")
I’m reading Michael Palin’s diaries 1969-79, _The Python Years_. It’s got a split-level (heh) appeal between a chronicle of the times and what was going on within the group. If you like his travel books, this has the same readabiliity. I think the best decision has been the absolute minimum of modern editorial input.
I picked up Halfay to Hollywood last year and thoroughly enjoyed that, too, but this one’s borrowed from a friend, so I’m feeling rushed when I’d like to savour each entry.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/18 "2013-02-28T20:13:43Z")
> [@maggenpye](#):
>
> I’m reading Michael Palin’s diaries 1969-79, _The Python Years_. It’s got a split-level (heh) appeal between a chronicle of the times and what was going on within the group. If you like his travel books, this has the same readabiliity. I think the best decision has been the absolute minimum of modern editorial input.
I really enjoyed it, and I thought the second volume (1980-1988) was even more interesting – maybe because his diaries didn’t go too far into the details behind the scenes of the TV series, but did have a fair amount of interesting background pertaining to his movies.
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### Author:  [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/19 "2013-02-28T20:51:27Z")
Polished off Rex Stout’s _ **Triple Jeopardy** _ yesterday. (And I’ve just noticed that someone decided to separate the bibliography on the Wiki pages into “Novels”, “Novellas”, and “Collectioons”. Irritating–I guess I’ll have to rely on the Wolfe Pack bibliography now.) Anyway, I’m well into the middle of the Wolfe corpus, and I think this might be the first time I’ve run into one that I don’t think I’ve read before. (The project is to go through the entire thing, in publication order–when I started reading Wolfe, it was just whatever I could pick up from the library.) I **did** recognize the story of _The Cop Killer_, as it was one of the stories that was featured on the A&E/Timothy Hutton “A Nero Wolfe Mystery” show that started the whole thing for me.
Now I’ve just barely started (a paragraph or two) Viktor Pelevin’s _**[Omon Ra](http://www.amazon.com/Omon-Ra-Victor-Pelevin/dp/0811213641)**_. An online friend suggested Pelevin when I mentioned that I was neck-deep in a re-read of Sergei Lukyanenko’s _ **Watches** _ series. I asked him for suggestions, he gave them to me, and I promptly ignored them all and got this one instead. Best rating and highest number of reviews on Amazon, so. We’ll see how it goes.
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### Author:  [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/20 "2013-02-28T21:23:38Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#):
>
> Polished off Rex Stout’s _ **Triple Jeopardy** _ yesterday. (And I’ve just noticed that someone decided to separate the bibliography on the Wiki pages into “Novels”, “Novellas”, and “Collectioons”. Irritating–I guess I’ll have to rely on the Wolfe Pack bibliography now.)
Perhaps this bibliography would be better for your purposes - [Rex Stout](http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/rex-stout/), from the Fantastic Fiction website. I use this site constantly, because I have this compulsion (bordering on a fetish) to read mysteries in their order of publication.
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