# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' thread - August 2014 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253 "2014-07-28T16:29:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/21 "2014-08-01T20:10:48Z")
_ **The Poisoned Chocolates Case** _ was a very fast read. Fun, but forgettable. So, now I’m back to reading something VEDDY serious. I’ll let you guys pick what’s next (all of these are on my Kindle): 1. _ **House of Mirth** _ by Edith Wharton 2. \*\*\*As I Lay Dying \*\*\*by William Faulkner 3 \*\*\*A Room With a View \*\*\*by E.M. Forster 1. \*\*\*The 42nd Parallel \*\*\*(part one of USA trilogy) by John Dos Passos ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2014, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/22 "2014-08-02T00:28:03Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > _ **The Poisoned Chocolates Case** _ was a very fast read. Fun, but forgettable. > > So, now I’m back to reading something VEDDY serious. I’ll let you guys pick what’s next (all of these are on my Kindle): > > 1. _ **House of Mirth** _ by Edith Wharton > > 2. \*\*\*As I Lay Dying \*\*\*by William Faulkner > > 3 \*\*\*A Room With a View \*\*\*by E.M. Forster > > 1. \*\*\*The 42nd Parallel \*\*\*(part one of USA trilogy) by John Dos Passos I read #1 and #3 recently. I liked **A Room with a View** better, but they were both fine books. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/23 "2014-08-02T01:11:52Z")
As kayT said, I’m easy. “A Room With a View” it is. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/24 "2014-08-02T02:40:50Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > _ **The Poisoned Chocolates Case** _ was a very fast read. Fun, but forgettable. > > So, now I’m back to reading something VEDDY serious. I’ll let you guys pick what’s next (all of these are on my Kindle): > > 1. _ **House of Mirth** _ by Edith Wharton > > 2. \*\*\*As I Lay Dying \*\*\*by William Faulkner > > 3 \*\*\*A Room With a View \*\*\*by E.M. Forster > > 1. \*\*\*The 42nd Parallel \*\*\*(part one of USA trilogy) by John Dos Passos Read all four. Wharton and Faulkner leave me cold in general, and those two books are no exception. Quite enjoyed the other two. But don’t start the USA Trilogy until you’re prepared to read all three novels. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/25 "2014-08-02T14:14:23Z")
For what it’s worth, I liked “Howard’s End” better than “A Room with a View” and “Age of Innocence” better than “House of Mirth”. But they were all worth reading, IMO. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/26 "2014-08-03T03:24:55Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > …I’m about a third of the way through **Consul Wars** about the dueling efforts between Sega and Nintendo in the early 90’s… Unless it involves bloodthirsty diplomats, too, perhaps you mean _Console Wars_? Today I got from the library and zipped through _Alpha & Omega_, the last of Joe Hill’s and Gabriel Rodriguez’s imaginative, clever but bloody Lovecraft, Mass.-set _Locke & Key_ graphic novels. The conclusion of the tale was borderline-nonsensical and a bit of a letdown, I’m sorry to say, but I’m glad I read it all. I’ve been skimming Philip Short’s new bio _A Taste for Intrigue_, about the late French President Francois Mitterrand. I had not realized that he escaped from a German POW camp during WWII, served in both the Vichy govt. and the French Resistance, and ran for president several times before winning. I’d heard about his secret second family before (not revealed officially until after his death from cancer), but there’s a lot more detail about his private life here. I’ve also begun Tom Vanderbilt’s _Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do_, which is OK so far. Not as fun as it might be, I’d have to say. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/27 "2014-08-03T18:05:37Z")
Working on _**[Moon over Soho](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8680418-moon-over-soho)**_ by Ben Aaronovitch, the second of his Peter Grant novels. It’s a British police procedural/urban fantasy - Grant is the apprentice of the last registered wizard in England; who also works as an adjunct of the Metropolitan Police force. This time around, they are investigating strange deaths within the London jazz community, which just may become quite personal for Grant. It’s a fun premise - I especially like Mother Thames & her daughters as side characters - but it’s quite British at times & I have a feeling I’m missing some cultural references. **Elendil** - I remember reading Vanderbilt’s _Traffic_ & having the same general reaction. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/28 "2014-08-03T19:17:12Z")
I started _Traffic_ then put it aside. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/29 "2014-08-04T13:12:23Z")
Started this morning (and nearly finished) [Night In Funland and other stories from Literary Cavalcade](http://www.amazon.com/Night-Funland-Stories-Literary-Cavalcade/dp/B001DKIPP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407157141&sr=8-1&keywords=night+in+funland) edited by Jerome Brondfield. The stories are: Night in Funland, 4 o’clock, August Heat, The Vertical Ladder, The Sea Gulls, Antaeus, Exchange of Men, Flowers for Algernon, One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts, The Most Dangerous Game, Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket, As Best He Can, and Too Early Spring. I think **Infovore** had a recent thread in which she was searching for a copy of this book and it sounded good to me. I saw a lot of glowing reviews for it also. However, my favorite stories so far have been the ones I had already read! ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/30 "2014-08-04T15:03:14Z")
> [@Future\_Londonite](#): > > I have started reading **Malazan Book of the Fallen** by _Steven Erikson_…given that the whole series is 10 books with 11147 pages and over 3million words, I have a feeling it shall be a while before I’ll read anything new 🙂 I got hooked and couldn’t stop until I read all 10 books. Then I reread the first couple with my newly learned Malazan knowledge so I could figure them out. 🙂 Then I had to read all the other Malazan books that Ian Esslemont wrote. He and Erickson are longtime friends and based the books on a GURPS campaign they ran. IE’s books tend to focus on other events and characters outside of the Malazans military, like the Crimson Guard, the Seguleh, the Moranth, the Storm Riders, etc. He also wrote _Night of Knives_, which obliquely explains how Kellanved and Dancer capture the Shadow Throne. Now to look for Erikson’s novellas about the two necromancers… ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/31 "2014-08-04T15:21:23Z")
I’ve been reading [Patrick Rothfuss’s The Kingkiller Chronicles](http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/content/books.asp). I can’t put them down. Normally, I prefer books with larger casts of characters, but this one has its hooks in me. In a nutshell, Kvothe is an unassuming tavern keeper in a small town out in the sticks. He tells his life story to a Chronicler, and he’s actually led the life of a figure of legend. He was basically a gypsy who was the lone survivor of a massacre, and spent the rest of his life hunting down the killers. To do so, he managed to gain enrollment into The University, piss off royals, become a secret agent for kings, etc. He takes his share of lumps even though he’s capable of amazing feats. Rothfuss is very good with characterization and planting little hints and forebodings of future troubles awaiting Kvothe. The magic and fantasy elements are remote and difficult to access. Kvothe has to work hard and steady to achieve his goals, and things don’t always work out well for him. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/32 "2014-08-04T18:02:26Z")
Finished _The Wake_ (Sandman #10), which was poignant. An interval to begin Robert Charles Wilson’s \*Burning Paradise, \*then it’s back to \*Moby-Dick. \* ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/33 "2014-08-04T18:31:29Z")
I have let down all you nice people who made suggestions, because I started Faulkner’s _ **As I Lay Dying** _ and am now 75% through it. It’s turning into a grim comedy- it has more than a little \*\*\*Weekend at Bernie’s \*\*\*feel to it, right now. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/34 "2014-08-04T19:38:24Z")
Shameless plug alert: If you need a new book to read, or want to get rid of an old favorite…or a combination of both, join my [Book Exchange](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=729753) over in MPSIMS End Shameless Plug ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/35 "2014-08-04T21:15:44Z")
Okay, Faulkner’s fairly short \*\*\*As I Lay Dying \*\*\*is done. I just started Len Deighton’s _ **The Ipcress File** _, and will get back to E.M. Forster after that. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/36 "2014-08-04T22:44:05Z")
**The Guns at Last Light** , Rick Atkinson (3rd book in his WWII trilogy) ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/37 "2014-08-05T01:15:57Z")
When I finish \*Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: A Feminist Reinterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII \*by Karen Lindsey, I am going to read \*The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr. Weigl: How Two Brave Scientists Battled Typhus and Sabotaged the Nazis \*by Arthur Allen. The former is wonderful so far. The latter was sent to me for free by Allen’s publisher. It just came out the other week and looks really good. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/38 "2014-08-05T02:30:33Z")
Print book: **The Book of Ebenezer Le Page** , by G.B. Edwards. Gossipy, thoroughly enjoyable tale of an octogenarian Guernseyman and his life on the island from before the First World War, through the occupation of the world War Two. A bit hard to keep all the characters straight, but that’s a minor inconvenience. I’ll just read it again. 🙂 Audiobook: **Emma** (re-read). Recorded Books really needs to find someone other than Flo Gibson or Nadia May to narrate Jane Austen. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/39 "2014-08-05T06:44:46Z")
I am enjoying \*\*The Graveyard Book \*\*by Neil Gaiman. I guess it is a young adult book (I was a young adult about fifty years ago, so I guess it’s okayfor me to read and enjoy it.) ---
**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:** [August 5, 2014, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253/40 "2014-08-05T11:51:51Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > I am enjoying \*\*The Graveyard Book \*\*by Neil Gaiman. I guess it is a young adult book (I was a young adult about fifty years ago, so I guess it’s okayfor me to read and enjoy it.) Absolutely! I was a young adult about 35 years ago, I loved it and I adore “Don’t Forget the Milk” which is a silly little children’s book, but fun to read. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-august-2014/694253.md?page=3)