# 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:** 8
**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:** [March 20, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/141 "2013-03-20T04:11:10Z")
Since my last post… [Fleet of Worlds](http://www.amazon.com/Fleet-Worlds-Larry-Niven/dp/0765329484/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363750441&sr=8-1&keywords=fleet+of+worlds), Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner. 1st of four (eventually, five) novels set in the _Ringworld_ universe. I read the third book in this series not knowing that it _was_ a series, so I felt compelled to get these out of my system. The first book was decent, especially if you’re a Known Space fan. [Juggler of Worlds](http://www.amazon.com/Juggler-Worlds-Larry-Niven/dp/0765357844/ref=pd_sim_b_1), book 2 of the above series. This one was easily the worst as it was a bit confusing _and_ incorporated elements of Niven’s short stories released in the '60s, making for a fair number of “haven’t I read this story before?” moments. On the other hand, the events of this book occurred at the same time as the events of the first book (Fleet of Worlds), which was pretty interesting. But not enough for me to say this was as good as the other three. [Betrayer of Worlds](http://www.amazon.com/Betrayer-Worlds-Fleet-Larry-Niven/dp/0765364980/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z), book 4 of the series. Better (by far) than book 2, but it took a while (it seemed) to wrap everything up. It’s likely a good thing that I haven’t read _Ringworld_ in quite a while (20+ years) or else I would have concentrated on shit like “Wait, that’s not how it was said/done in RW!” type thoughts. If I had to rank the books, I would go (from worst to best, with the series sequence in parenthesis): Juggler (#2) Betrayer (#4) Fleet (#1) Destroyer (#3) [The Culture Code: An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around the World Live and Buy as They Do](http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Code-Ingenious-Understand-People/dp/0767920570/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363750995&sr=1-1&keywords=the+culture+code), by Clotaire Rapaille. Well, maybe not “ingenious”, but an interesting look at American culture by a French guy who doesn’t particularly care for France (and has little good to say about the British.) Don’t let the title fool you - most of the book deals with American culture. Pretty short at 199 pages, read this one Sunday between the “World” books, above. [Infected: A Novel](http://www.amazon.com/Infected-Novel-Scott-Sigler/dp/030740630X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363751149&sr=1-1&keywords=infected), by Scott Sigler. Pulp fiction from a guy who is making a living writing books over the internet. Absolutely no character development in this one, it deals with a bizarre infectious disease which is prelude to an alien invasion. Mr. Sigler isn’t the greatest writer in the world, but he’s not the worst either - I just wish we knew more about Perry’s (one of the characters, of course) backstory. The guy grew up in an abusive home, but we never learn what happens to his mother. She exists, is beaten regularly by Perry’s dad, but is such a non-entity in Perry’s life that it’s never explained what happened to her after Perry’s dad died. Like I said - Sigler isn’t the greatest writer in the world, one who is far more concerned about the plot than the people that exist in the book. [Lightspeed: Year One](http://www.amazon.com/Lightspeed-Year-One-Stephen-King/dp/1607013045/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363751464&sr=1-1&keywords=light+speed%3A+year+one), edited by John Joseph Adams. One of the finest collections of SF short stories I’ve ever read - space opera, post-apocalyptic, monsters, weird “Dangerous Visions” kind of stories, even an unread Stephen King story - this one has it all. [Lightspeed](http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/) is an online monthly magazine of SF and fantasy stories which I will have to check out regularly, this collection was _that_ good. [The Lure](http://www.amazon.com/Lure-Bill-Napier/dp/0312936818/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363751639&sr=1-3&keywords=the+lure), by Bill Napier. Another pulp SF novel, but better written than _Infected_, this deals with mankind receiving a First Contact message and how we react. Notable for two things: a Bush 2-esque President who isn’t thought of kindly by Napier (but does the right thing in the end), and a passel of Very Stupid Scientists who need explanations (i.e., exposition) by other scientists to explain things out of their disciplines. For example, the astronomer has to explain to the mathematician, the particle research people, and the biologist what the [Oort Cloud](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oort_cloud) is. In detail. Repeat for all of the other disciplines and you wish the author would have tried a bit harder to figure out another way to get the information across because it is VERY CLUNKY. [The Taking of Pelham 123](http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Pelham-One-Two-Three/dp/B005DI9474/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363751955&sr=1-1&keywords=the+taking+of+pelham+123), by John Godey. Much better than I expected, it’s a blast from the past that is more interesting in its depiction of a mid-70s New York City (and the racial/societal/sexual attitudes of the characters) than the actual story (which in itself isn’t bad.) Next up… Peter F. Hamilton’s latest, [Great North Road](http://www.amazon.com/Great-North-Road-Peter-Hamilton/dp/034552666X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363752110&sr=1-1&keywords=peter+f+hamilton+-+great+north+road). 976 pages, 2.4 pounds of good ol’ space opera from my favorite (recent) author of the stuff. For those of us who read Hamilton, this is set in a new universe from his previous books (Night Dawn trilogy, Commonwealth.) I’ll let y’all know how it was when I’m done. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/142 "2013-03-20T12:28:01Z")
Read Requiem, the final book in Lauren Oliver’s dystopian Delirium trilogy. As a whole, the trilogy was just okay for me, but I will probably still pick up the next thing Oliver writes. And then I read Code Name Verity, which blew me away. I put in a new pair of contact lenses before reading it, since I had ruined my last pair with tears…if you’ve read the book, you may find that amusing. 🙂 Next up, I have The Rook, but I think I might want to re-read Code Name Verity first. I see it is categorized as a young adult novel! How they make these distinctions I’ll never know. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/143 "2013-03-20T13:28:47Z")
I am also reading _The Rook_ after reading about it here - about half way through and definitely a good one so far! I always get the best recommendations here. ---
**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 20, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/144 "2013-03-20T13:54:43Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > …Next up… Peter F. Hamilton’s latest, [Great North Road](http://www.amazon.com/Great-North-Road-Peter-Hamilton/dp/034552666X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363752110&sr=1-1&keywords=peter+f+hamilton+-+great+north+road). 976 pages, 2.4 pounds of good ol’ space opera from my favorite (recent) author of the stuff. For those of us who read Hamilton, this is set in a new universe from his previous books (Night Dawn trilogy, Commonwealth.) I’ll let y’all know how it was when I’m done. Yes, please! I liked the Night’s Dawn books very much, although I thought Hamilton stumbled badly at the end. Here’s the Wiki page on _Great North Road_: [Great North Road (novel) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_North_Road_(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:** [March 20, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/145 "2013-03-20T14:05:04Z")
I just read _Friday_ by Heinlein for the first time and really enjoyed it. Now I am re-reading _The Ugly Little Boy_ by Asimov. I am really digging it as I haven’t read it since I was a teenager. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/146 "2013-03-20T15:16:48Z")
Polished off _ **Flashman and the Mountain of Light** _ last night, which leaves me with just one left in the series, I fear. Not the best of the bunch, IMO, but Flashy is always quality. What an odd war the First Sikh War was… Picked up _ **When America First Met China** _ based on **DZedNConfused** ’s little review upthread, after several minutes spent rifling through Amazon recommendations. They’re bloody useless–my two most recent kindle buys, other than _ **The Rook** _, have been Nero Wolfe and John Scalzi’s _ **Redshirts** _. So what I I get? Page after page of Nero Wolfe, John Scalzi, and Nero Wolf pastiches. Guys, is it that hard to look a bit deeper into my purchasing history? ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/147 "2013-03-20T15:19:51Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Be aware that there’s at least one person on this earth who did not much care for _ **Cryptonomicon** _. (Technically two, as my friend also disliked it, but he’s not in this thread, so never mind him.) I had also read and loved _ **Snow Crash** _, and thought, “Yay! The last novel I read by this guy was awesome, so this one will be awesome too!” And then I slogged through nine-fucking-hundred pages, waiting for the awesome to happen, and it never did. And then it ended. And I was like, “Where the fuck was my awesome?” And I’ve never read another goddamn Neal Stephenson book again, because fuck that. My theory has always been that you have to be a huge computer and/or encryption geek to like the book, and since that’s most of Neal Stephenson’s audience, all you hear is praise. > > Long story short: That’s a whole lotta book you got there, and if you don’t like it, you’re going to be mighty pissed that you just wasted all that time on it. I’ve always felt that way about Neal Stephenson but for some reason I bought \*Anathem \* when it was on sale at the Kindle store ( I was in the mood for long book ). I really enjoyed it, the premise was really interesting and it wasn’t particularly geeky. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/148 "2013-03-20T15:24:48Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Polished off _ **Flashman and the Mountain of Light** _ last night, which leaves me with just one left in the series, I fear. Not the best of the bunch, IMO, but Flashy is always quality. What an odd war the First Sikh War was… Nothing quite like being given a magnificently supplied, well-trained army that significantly outnumbers your disorganized enemy, and being told to find a way to _lose_. 😃 I’d love to know just how historical that accout was (I mean, minus Flashy, of course). Anyone know a good modern book on the 1st Sikh war? ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/149 "2013-03-20T15:31:15Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Yes, please! I liked the Night’s Dawn books very much, although I thought Hamilton stumbled badly at the end. > > Here’s the Wiki page on _Great North Road_: [Great North Road (novel) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_North_Road_(book)) Oh, Hamilton is my most favorite author EVER, by a huge factor. I do agree about the ending of Night’s Dawn, though ( I don’t know that I ever finished it, I may have stopped a hundred pages or so short of the end. It was my least favorite- probably because of the violence. \*Great North Road \*was pretty good, not his best though. _The Void Trilogy_ is my favorite read of all time, without question. I’ve read it twice- each book as it was released, then a year later I sat down and read them all back to back. I’m tempted to read it a 3rd time. Before that my favorite books were _Judas Unchained_ and _Pandora’s Star_…which you really should read before _the Void Trilogy_…it’s sort of a sequel ( it happens a thousand or so years later but lifespans are longer in the Confederation. He has a talent for drawing really interesting female characters and his space operas are much more interesting and less militaristic than most. ---
**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 20, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/150 "2013-03-20T15:32:34Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > …I’d love to know just how historical that accout was (I mean, minus Flashy, of course). Anyone know a good modern book on the 1st Sikh war? The Wiki article lists several, incl. the Flashman book itself: [Sikh war - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sikh_War#Sources) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/151 "2013-03-20T15:44:31Z")
An elderly Flashman has a walk on in Fraser’s [Mr. American.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_American) ---
**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:** [March 20, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/152 "2013-03-20T15:45:06Z")
As for the accuracy of the Flashman novels, I believe George MacDonald Fraser was pretty scrupulous about accuracy. I know Brits who claim they learned everything about 19th-century British imperial doings solely through these novels. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/153 "2013-03-20T15:50:11Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > The Wiki article lists several, incl. the Flashman book itself: [Sikh war - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sikh_War#Sources) Heh, amusing reference. 😃 I may check out “at them with the bayonet”. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/154 "2013-03-20T15:57:10Z")
Finally finished _ **The Gashouse Gang** _. Unless you’re a big fan of the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals, I wouldn’t bother. Now I have finally gotten my hands on _ **The Signal and the Noise** _, by (thank God for) Nate Silver. Only 20 pages in and it’s already excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/155 "2013-03-20T16:15:27Z")
I’m alternating between the East and West right now. _Two Years in the Forbidden City_ by Princess Der Ling. She and her sister were daughters of China’s Ambassador to France. They were called back to serve as ladies-in-waiting to the last Empress. The other is _The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo_ about the conquest of the Yucatan peninsulla of Mexico. Cultural change by force and attraction as it ever was. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/156 "2013-03-20T16:31:44Z")
I just finished reading _THE MIRAGE_ by Matt Ruff. This has to be one of the most interesting books I’ve read lately. It is set in a world where the UAS (United Arab States ) is a powerful democracy and America is a collection of religious states, kingdoms and tribes dominated by religious fanatiscism. The UAS is still reeling from the attack 10 years ago ( on November 9th) on the Tigress and Euphrates Towers thought to have been carried out by American terrorists and has embarked on a War on Terror culminating in their invasion of the religious state of America to bring democracy. But a disturbing number of the terror suspects they apprehend are convinced that America is the real democractic superpower and that the world they are living in is a mirage. A little weak at the end but worth reading. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/157 "2013-03-21T13:05:53Z")
I read Village Books by Craig McLay. It was an Amazon freebie and I was pleasantly surprised. It felt a little like High Fidelity to me. I also read Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953. I won an advance copy through Goodreads. It was really fascinating—an in-depth look into the story behind The Bell Jar, complete with interviews of the other women who were guest editors at Mademoiselle that summer. ---
**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 21, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/158 "2013-03-21T19:45:17Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > I read Village Books by Craig McLay. It was an Amazon freebie and I was pleasantly surprised. It felt a little like High Fidelity to me. I also read Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953. I won an advance copy through Goodreads. It was really fascinating—an in-depth look into the story behind The Bell Jar, complete with interviews of the other women who were guest editors at Mademoiselle that summer. Oh neat! I’ll have to add that to Mt. ToBeRead Which O’ertops Everest. I love _The Bell Jar_. I always wondered what the other women thought of Plath during that internship. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/159 "2013-03-22T21:51:48Z")
Finished reviewing relevant parts of the Lonely Planet Japan for our trip there in a couple of weeks. Now I’m going to read _Cracker Culture: Celtic Ways in the Old South_, by Grady McWhiney, who was a history professor at Texas Christian University but is now retired. A Brit loaned me the book. Said I might find it interesting. ---
**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 23, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578/160 "2013-03-23T02:07:53Z")
Still enjoying Stephen C. Neff’s _Justice in Blue and Gray_, and have made some headway in Ron Chernow’s massive but well-written _Washington: A Life_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-march-2013-edition/651578.md?page=9)