# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' - March 2013 Edition **URL:** \ **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:** 5
**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:** [March 9, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/81 "2013-03-09T04:09:15Z")
Speaking of the Thirties - just finished the graphic novel _The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures_ by Dave Stevens. Not as good as the movie, but it had its moments. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/82 "2013-03-09T15:41:27Z")
I’m almost finished with _The Searchers_. So far, the things that annoyed me the most in the movie are not in the book. It makes me wonder what John Ford was thinking. I never thought I’d say this, but I wouldn’t mind seeing this movie remade. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/83 "2013-03-09T16:50:12Z")
I don’t read much non-fiction, but I’m currently halfway through Philip Lawler’s _ **Faithful Departed** _, on the collapse of Catholic culture in Boston. As you’d expect, sexual scandal plays a big role, but Lawler is interested in a bigger picture- he sees the roots of collapse as being apparent much earlier than most people know. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/84 "2013-03-10T02:39:35Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I don’t read much non-fiction, but I’m currently halfway through Philip Lawler’s _ **Faithful Departed** _, on the collapse of Catholic culture in Boston. > > As you’d expect, sexual scandal plays a big role, but Lawler is interested in a bigger picture- he sees the roots of collapse as being apparent much earlier than most people know. Interesting. What does he say are the three biggest reasons? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/85 "2013-03-10T15:23:19Z")
Recently finished (all via Kindle):[ul] [li]_ **Amped** _ by Daniel H. Wilson – About a future where some humans are given neural implants that either fix organic problems (like epilepsy) or amplify their intelligence. The setting was predictable – “amps” have come to be seen as separate from/less than unmodified humans – but I enjoyed the storytelling. This was my first Wilson book (I gave it a shot because Joe Hill mentioned/recommended it on Twitter a while ago), and I liked it enough to immediately download another one.[/li][li]_ **The Other End of The Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs** _ by Patricia B. McConnell – Every now and then I pick up a dog book, then I spend about a week worried about whether I’m a good dog owner. This book was interesting, but didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know.[/li][li]_ **Stories I Only Tell My Friends** _ by Rob Lowe – I no longer remember what possessed me to download this autobiography, but I liked it![/ul][/li]Currently reading (via Kindle and paperback):[ul] [li]_ **The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie To Everyone–Especially Ourselves** _ by Dan Ariely – I’ve only been reading this for a few days; so far, it’s ok.[/li][li]_ **The Maul and The Pear Tree** _ by PD James and TA Critchley – This book was published years ago and had been lying on my “to read” pile for ages, and I finally picked it up and started reading it last week (I’ve been escorting some people in a space where no electronic devices are allowed: “real” books to the rescue!). This is a fictionalized account of the 1811 Ratcliffe Highway murders in London: I’m about halfway through and am enjoying it, but then I’m a huge PD James fan.[/ul][/li]Up Next (all via Kindle):[ul] [li]_ **Robopocalypse** _ by Daniel H. Wilson[/li][li]_ **The Loved One** _ by Evelyn Waugh (see below)[/ul][/li] > [@SpazCat](#): > > I sat down to start reading Evelyn Waugh’s _The Loved One_ yesterday. I didn’t get back up until I finished it. > [@Time\_Stranger](#): > > I was introduced to Waugh through a SD book thread years ago, and I love him so much I can hardly stand it. I downloaded _The Loved One_ last night because of you guys. 🙂 > [@Shodan](#): > > I may tackle J.K.Rowling’s latest non-Potter book next, if I can get it from the library. See if she is any good apart from school stories about wizardry. Anyone read it? Is it worth the effort? I liked it quite a bit, but a lot of people didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/86 "2013-03-10T18:15:53Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Interesting. What does he say are the three biggest reasons? Lawler is a very good reporter and historian, but he’s also a Catholic traditionalist (so am I) , and that floors his diagnosis of what went wrong with American Catholicism. He’s absolutely right to believe Catholic culture was dying in Boston (and elsewhere) long before 2002. But I think he misses completely the biggest problem: prosperity. People who are fat and happy are less likely to abide by rules and discipline. Regardless, it’s clear that American Catholics had stopped going to Mass and stopped following Church dogma long before molestation scandals were revealed. Lawler thinks bishops like Cushing were too slow to discipline rogue theologians and “Catholic” politicians who thumbed their noses st the Church… but I think something HAD to be wrong long before the Sixties. A healthy Church couldn’t have gone straight to Hell so fast. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/87 "2013-03-10T18:36:47Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I downloaded _The Loved One_ last night because of you guys. 🙂 I liked it so much I went on a [recommending spree](http://agonyauntryl.livejournal.com/65722.html). (No spoilers at that link) ---
**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:** [March 10, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/88 "2013-03-10T18:40:17Z")
Just finished _Dear Socks, Dear Buddy_ by Hillary Clinton, about kids’ letters to the Clintons’ White House pets. It also has some advice on encouraging children to write, and proper care for dogs and cats. Nice pics and some funny stories, too. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/89 "2013-03-10T19:14:06Z")
Polished off _**[The Rook](http://www.amazon.com/The-Rook-Novel-Daniel-OMalley/dp/0316098809)**_ yesterday, after a marathon all-day read. (Some days you just get comfy on the couch and start reading and never stop. I didn’t want to do things like go to my piano lesson, or leave the couch to eat. Cancelled the former, couldn’t avoid the latter, as I rather wanted Chipotle and they don’t deliver.) I cannot recommend this book enough. A supernatural MI5, people who are tied in to the emotions of every left-handed person on the planet, flesh-crafting Belgians–this book has it all. My goodreads review sums up my feelings on it: [QUOTE=Me!] What a great read. Myfanwy Thomas “wakes up” in a rainy park, bruised and battered, surrounded by a ring of corpses–all of whom, for some reason, are wearing latex gloves. From there, with the help of letters from the woman who had lived in her body prior to that moment, she learns that she is a top executive–a “Rook”–of the Checquy, a sort of supernatural MI5 charged with protecting the United Kingdom from all manner of supernatural menace. The men and women of the Checquy have superhero-like powers, though none fit into the usual hackneyed mold–one is a single mind in four bodies, another emits gasses from his pores, and if you let this one lick your eyeball, it’ll get you high. Myfanwy enters this world, trying not to be found out as an amnesiac while at the same time trying to get to the bottom of the conspiracy that wiped her memories and is rather intent on killing her. All with lots of dry, wry humor along the way. Hope to see more from this author (this was his first novel) and in this universe! [/QUOTE] No idea what I’m reading next. Leaning towards another Flashman novel, even though I’m perilously close to being “done” with the series. We’ll see. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/90 "2013-03-10T21:32:12Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Polished off _**[The Rook](http://www.amazon.com/The-Rook-Novel-Daniel-OMalley/dp/0316098809)**_ yesterday… A supernatural MI5, people who are tied in to the emotions of every left-handed person on the planet, flesh-crafting Belgians–this book has it all… You might enjoy Charles Stross’s Laundry series, as well. _Tinker Tailor_ meets Cthulhu. Haven’t read 'em, but a friend of mine loves 'em. Here’s the first book: [The Laundry Files - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atrocity_Archives) ---
**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:** [March 10, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/91 "2013-03-10T21:41:15Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Polished off _**[The Rook](http://www.amazon.com/The-Rook-Novel-Daniel-OMalley/dp/0316098809)**_ yesterday, after a marathon all-day read. (Some days you just get comfy on the couch and start reading and never stop. I didn’t want to do things like go to my piano lesson, or leave the couch to eat. Cancelled the former, couldn’t avoid the latter, as I rather wanted Chipotle and they don’t deliver.) I cannot recommend this book enough. A supernatural MI5, people who are tied in to the emotions of every left-handed person on the planet, flesh-crafting Belgians–this book has it all. Threw it on an Amazon pre-order, I may not get it until October but I have plenty of reading material to keep me occupied until then. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/92 "2013-03-11T01:44:55Z")
After seeing several people mention Diana Gabaldon’s books in these threads, I picked up \*Outlander \*a few months ago. I just finished the fifth in the series a few days ago and am feeling conflicted about reading three more. I think I will take a little break. I needed something with fewer words, so I read Sophie Kinsella’s _I’ve Got Your Number_. It was an eye-roll-inducing piece of fluff, but was rather what I needed at the moment. Next up, I think, will be _Wintersmith_. That sounds like a good read for the commute. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/93 "2013-03-11T02:30:57Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > Next up, I think, will be _Wintersmith_. That sounds like a good read for the commute. I liked it, it’s a light read aimed to young adults. But one of his best ones in my humble opinion. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/94 "2013-03-11T19:17:44Z")
I finished “Still Alice.” I really liked it until about 3/4 of the way through. By the end I really could not stand the characters anymore (what a selfish ass her husband was!) and if the author name-dropped Harvard one more time I thought I was going to scream. I did have some strong emotional responses to it, but overall it left me feeling annoyed. I’m really getting into 11/22/63 now. I also started “Uncle Al” by Dierdre Marie Capone and an Amazon freebie, “Village Books” by Craig McLay. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/95 "2013-03-11T19:27:45Z")
Currently reading _Saga: A Novel of Medieval Iceland_ by Jeff Janoda. Amazing resemblence to a gangster novel, which strikes me as likely historically accurate … these Norsemen are as cunning as they are greedy and brutal, plotting with relentless precision to take each other’s lands (and even their freedom), leading to murder and revenge, in the absense of any sort of law other than custom upheld by the fear of starting the cycle of murder and revenge going … In short, a perfect libertarian society. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/96 "2013-03-11T20:58:43Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > > [@LawMonkey](#): > > > > Polished off _**[The Rook](http://www.amazon.com/The-Rook-Novel-Daniel-OMalley/dp/0316098809)**_ yesterday, after a marathon all-day read. (Some days you just get comfy on the couch and start reading and never stop. I didn’t want to do things like go to my piano lesson, or leave the couch to eat. Cancelled the former, couldn’t avoid the latter, as I rather wanted Chipotle and they don’t deliver.) I cannot recommend this book enough. A supernatural MI5, people who are tied in to the emotions of every left-handed person on the planet, flesh-crafting Belgians–this book has it all. > > Threw it on an Amazon pre-order, I may not get it until October but I have plenty of reading material to keep me occupied until then. 😉 Good news: I checked the author’s website and he’s recently sent the first draft of the second Checquy novel off to his publisher, so there’s more of this to come. Hope you enjoy as much as I did. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/97 "2013-03-11T21:03:53Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Polished off _**[The Rook](http://www.amazon.com/The-Rook-Novel-Daniel-OMalley/dp/0316098809)**_ yesterday, after a marathon all-day read. Just added it to my wish list! > [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Threw [The Rook] on an Amazon pre-order, I may not get it until October but I have plenty of reading material to keep me occupied until then. 😉 Pre-order? It was published in October 2012. 🙂 ---
**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:** [March 11, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/98 "2013-03-11T22:18:04Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Just added it to my wish list! > > Pre-order? It was published in October 2012. 🙂 Yes it was, but the other things on that order won’t be published until _this_ October. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/99 "2013-03-11T22:31:39Z")
> [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](#): > > I’m also reading [At the Mountains of Madness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_mountains_of_madness) from an H.P. Lovecraft collection. If you like podcasts, Hppodcraft discusses it at length [starting here](http://hppodcraft.com/2011/05/18/episode-77-at-the-mountains-of-madness-part-1/). ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/100 "2013-03-12T01:21:28Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Yes it was, but the other things on that order won’t be published until _this_ October. But how does that matter? Did you tell Amazon to ship everything at once, or something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578.md?page=6)