# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' - November 2013 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763 "2013-10-31T17:13:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [October 31, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/1 "2013-10-31T17:13:45Z")
Happy Hallowe’en, everyone! October was a great month for reading, and I’ll be sorry to see it go. I thought I’d get this thread started before I have to start decorating, doing last minute repairs to costumes and handing out candy… I have two books on the go - [A Storm of Swords](http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/a-storm-of-swords-a/9780553573428-item.html), the third installment in “A Song of Ice and Fire”. So far, better than the second one. I’m also slowly cutting my way through [Why Does the World Exist?](http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/why-does-the-world-exist/9780871403599-item.html?ikwsec=Books), which is an interesting concept, but frankly, a bit of a slog. Lots of other things on Mount Toberead… And you? Last month’s thread can be found [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=703508). **Khadaji** was a Doper of many years standing who was well known for his kind and supportive words. He was also an omnivorous reader, who loved discussing books and writing with others. He started this long chain of ‘Whatcha Readin’ threads many years ago. When he passed away in January of this year, we thought there was no better way to honour his memory than to name these threads for him and continue on in fond remembrance of a good friend… ---
**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:** [October 31, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/2 "2013-10-31T17:26:58Z")
As mentioned at the end of last month’s thread, I’ve just finished _A Game of Thrones_, by George RR Martin, and am about to begin _The Moonshine War_, by Elmore Leonard. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/3 "2013-10-31T21:12:52Z")
The book pile currently consists of: [Advice on Dying and Living a Better Life](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/632650.Advice_on_Dying), Dalai Lama XIV–haven’t started on this one yet [The Electric Church](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1765771.The_Electric_Church), Jeff Somers–I’m only a few chapters into this but so far it’s great [Great Expectations](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2619.Great_Expectations), Charles Dickens–I’m really enjoying it this time around. The first time I read it I haaaaaated it, but I think that’s because my freshman English teacher had us read five chapters and then present them to the rest of the class. Dickens novels should be read in their entirety to really grasp what’s going on. [The House of the Seven Gables](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/951315.The_House_of_the_Seven_Gables), Nathaniel Hawthorne–I like this so much better than Scarlet Letter. [Hunters of Dune](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20249.Hunters_Of_Dune), Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson–I like these books and I don’t care what anybody says. [The Prince and the Pauper](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2090231.The_Prince_the_Pauper), Mark Twain–I’m not sure what I think of this yet. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/4 "2013-11-01T15:51:28Z")
I’m taking a break from Roy Jenkins’s big ‘n’ excellent bio, _Churchill_, and have been reading Gideon Defoe’s _The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists_, which is silly and weird but not quite as funny as it ought to be. Next up: _Life after Life_ by Kate Atkinson, about which I’ve heard good things, here and elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/5 "2013-11-01T16:18:44Z")
My first two books reflect the season – I love reading ghost stories this time of year. [The Big Book of Ghost Stories](http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=big+book+of+ghost+stories+penzler), edited by Otto Penzer – I started this 830-page monster a year ago and got about halfway through before setting it aside; I should be able to finish it this season. [The Mammoth Book of Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1052338.The_Mammoth_Book_of_Victorian_and_Edwardian_Ghost_Stories?from_search=true), edited by Richard Dalby – this is an anthology that has been on my bookshelf for many years, and I thought I’d already read it. Turns out I hadn’t, although I’ve read some of the stories elsewhere. [With Wings Like Eagles](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3534214-with-wings-like-eagles?from_search=true), by Michael Korda – my late-blooming fascination with the design of the Supermarine Spitfire led me here. Highly readable and engaging; about halfway through. [Britannia: A History of Roman Britain](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/779949.Britannia?from_search=true), by Sheppard Frere – this is the first book in the Folio Society’s History of England series; I read it 10 or 12 years ago in a failed attempt to read the entire series. I want to give it another go and so am starting with this book. I recently made a batch of homebrew with Boadicea hops, and it was nice to read more about their namesake – I was unaware of her (and the alternative spellings) the first time I read the book. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/6 "2013-11-01T16:43:32Z")
I finished [Ancillary Justice](http://www.amazon.com/Ancillary-Justice-ebook/dp/B00BAXFDLM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1383323586&sr=1-1&keywords=ancillary+justice) and it was Meh. It should have been right up my alley. A Ships AI reduced to one human ancillary, seeking revenge on a society/religion bent on taking over known space. The characters were poorly written, the whole pronoun situation just threw me off, and there were large stretches where nothing, I mean nothing happened. And the less said about the coincidental meeting of two or three characters in a civilization with billions of people spread over millions of miles the better. It’s a shame too, the world created had boundless room for imagining and some really good ideas. Oh well. Re-reading Matt Ruff’s [Bad Monkeys](http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Monkeys-P-S-ebook/dp/B000SEKTZE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1383323902&sr=1-1&keywords=bad+monkeys) and looking forward to Mira Grants latest [Parasite](http://www.amazon.com/Parasite-ebook/dp/B00AFGKSDS) ---
**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:** [November 1, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/7 "2013-11-01T17:38:32Z")
I just read [Supervolcano: Eruption](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10714831-supervolcano) by Harry Turtledove, and I only finished the book because I love post-apocalyptic fiction. For an award-winning author, that was the clunkiest writing I’ve read in quite a while. It was like, every time he would make a pun or joke or current reference, he would then feel the need to explain it. Dude, we got it. And now I’m going to go get the second book in the series; see reason above. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/8 "2013-11-01T18:13:34Z")
[Tatiana](http://www.amazon.com/Tatiana-An-Arkady-Renko-Novel/dp/1439140219), the new Arkady Renko novel by Martin Cruz Smith. Just started it. Renko is investigating the apparent suicide of a crusading journalist. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/9 "2013-11-02T04:01:22Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > …my late-blooming fascination with the design of the Supermarine Spitfire led me here. Highly readable and engaging; about halfway through. This might interest you: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie3SrjLlcUY](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie3SrjLlcUY) > [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > …[Britannia: A History of Roman Britain](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/779949.Britannia?from_search=true), by Sheppard Frere – this is the first book in the Folio Society’s History of England series… As might this: [http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/europe/uk-london-roman-eagle/](http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/europe/uk-london-roman-eagle/) ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/10 "2013-11-02T12:38:09Z")
I’m reading\* An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth\* by Chris Hadfield. It’s very good so far. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/11 "2013-11-02T13:59:10Z")
I’m still re-reading John Grisham’s _ **A Time To Kill** _, in preparation for his new book _Sycamore Row_ (which features the same protagonist). The casual racism evidenced by some of the characters (not to mention the liberal use of the “n” word) is distracting, but seemingly accurate for that location at that time. I’m enjoying it: I seem to somehow always forget how much I like Grisham’s writing. I also just started re-reading a book that I first read as a teenager: _ **Kathy** _, by Barbara Miller and Charles Paul Conn. Published in 1982, it’s an out-of-print account of then-13-year-old Kathy Miller’s horrible accident and recovery: from coma to marathon in 6 months. It’s written by her mother (I assume with Conn’s assistance), and I was probably about 13 when I read it the first time. I loved it, but managed to lose the book over the years. I finally ordered a used copy from an Amazon third-party seller, and it arrived a few days ago. It’s still an interesting and inspiring story (if not particularly well-written), with some touching pictures, but holy CRAP I didn’t remember that Barbara Miller was a born-again Christian and that every other paragraph mentions god/the lord! Anyway, I’m about halfway through the slim paperback and am happy to finally have a copy again. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/12 "2013-11-03T17:27:06Z")
I’m reading **Just One Evil Act** , by Elizabeth George. I love her Lynley series, but have been less than thrilled with her last couple of books, so this is one of those, “this is your last chance…” reads. It’s a big fat book with a strong beginning. Lots of Barbara Havers – a much more interesting character, IMO, than Inspector Lynley – so, …cool. At the half way point, though, I am weary of endless descriptions of the Tuscan landscape and downright exasperated by the untranslated Italian she drops into the dialog. I still might wind up liking the story, but it sure could have used a more ruthless editor. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/13 "2013-11-04T20:20:19Z")
Picked up _**[More Than This](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262303-more-than-this)**_, Patrick Ness’ latest novel, thanks to a mention by **Dung Beetle** & being a huge fan of Ness’ writing. Seth has just drowned in the ocean off the Pacific Northwest coast… but awakens to find himself alive in the front yard of his childhood home in England. Not only is he weak from hunger and thirst as well as nearly naked (except for some odd bandages wound around him) but the neighborhood is deserted and overgrown. Is he in Hell? Why does he dream so vividly of his past life every time he closes his eyes? The story follows Seth as he explores his surroundings and relives elements of his past life - weaving them both together in a surprising (at least to me) conclusion. I really enjoyed this story - it’s quite different from the _Chaos Walking_ trilogy (no dialect, for one thing, which I know turned some people off), but IMHO, as well written and as powerful. This novel is more Man vs Himself than Man vs Man, but still has some interesting twists and turns and some genuinely thrilling moments. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/14 "2013-11-04T21:16:32Z")
Just finished\*\*\* Wild Horses\*\*\*, an enjoyable but forgettable effort from Dick Francis’ later years. Not sure what’s next… ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/15 "2013-11-04T23:23:58Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I’m reading\* An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth\* by Chris Hadfield. It’s very good so far. I picked up a copy of that yesterday, and am looking forward to getting into it. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/16 "2013-11-04T23:58:36Z")
On a whim, I picked up [Sacre Bleu](http://www.chrismoore.com/books/sacre-bleu/). I have been pretty underwhelmed by Moore with the last few vampire books, but loved Lamb, Fool and Practical Demon keeping. So far it’s been a great return to form. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/17 "2013-11-05T16:29:24Z")
> [@Politzania](#): > > Picked up _**[More Than This](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262303-more-than-this)**_, Patrick Ness’ latest novel, thanks to a mention by **Dung Beetle** & being a huge fan of Ness’ writing. I’m glad you liked it! I finished Wally Lamb’s [We Are Water](http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Water-A-Novel/dp/0061941026). True to form, it was the soap-opera-like story of a family in turmoil, told from different points of view, and at different points in time. I got really interested in the characters and was dying to find out what happened next every moment. One caveat: if you are more sensitive to reading about child molestation than the average person, you should skip this one. Going from one drama llama to the next, now, as I begin Pat Conroy’s [The Death of Santini: the story of a father and his son](http://www.amazon.com/Death-Santini-Story-Father-His/dp/0385530900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383668197&sr=1-1&keywords=death+of+santini). ---
**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:** [November 6, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/18 "2013-11-06T15:56:17Z")
Finished _The Moonshine War_, by Elmore Leonard. Quite good. Shenanigans among moonshiners and a corrupt Prohibition agent in rural Kentucky in June 1931. I was pleased that I guessed the secret to where a crucial 150 barrels of moonshine were hidden. I’d read some Leonard before but just a few. Now that he’s dead, I feel the urge to go through his canon. But now it’s back to George RR Martin and his series A Song of Ice and Fire. Today I started _A Clash of Kings_, the second book. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/19 "2013-11-06T16:02:58Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > …Going from one drama llama to the next, now, as I begin Pat Conroy’s [The Death of Santini: the story of a father and his son](http://www.amazon.com/Death-Santini-Story-Father-His/dp/0385530900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383668197&sr=1-1&keywords=death+of+santini). I loved loved loved Conroy’s _The Great Santini_. Here’s an interview with him about his dad, and the new book: > **[Pat Conroy: "The Death Of Santini"](https://dianerehm.org/shows/2013-10-23/pat-conroy-death-santini)** > > Novelist Pat Conroy talks with Diane about his new memoir. In it, he describes his stormy family history, specifically his relationship with his father, the inspiration for his best-seller, "The Great Santini." > **[Pat Conroy: "The Death Of Santini"](https://dianerehm.org/shows/2013-10-23/pat-conroy-death-santini/transcript)** > > Novelist Pat Conroy talks with Diane about his new memoir. In it, he describes his stormy family history, specifically his relationship with his father, the inspiration for his best-seller, "The Great Santini." ---
**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:** [November 6, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763/20 "2013-11-06T17:38:39Z")
Whomever it was that recommended “The Rook” last spring, THANK YOU! That was an excellent read, and oddly enough I knew the villian almost at once. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-november-2013/672763.md?page=2)