# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' thread -- December 2018 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449 "2018-12-02T16:39:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [December 13, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/41 "2018-12-13T20:10:12Z")
Ahhhh, gotcha: another way to say it could have been “Sorry that I have every other post” or “Sorry that every other post is by me.” Does that help? 🙂 ---
**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:** [December 14, 2018, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/42 "2018-12-14T00:49:56Z")
I finished reading **Villette** by Charlotte Bronte, about a poor young woman who falls into a job as a girl’s school teacher in the city of Villette (based on Brussels). I liked it better than **Jane Eyre** (which was pretty good, but had a weak ending IMO); it was certainly funnier, and it was also quite sad reading about the protagonist’s wretched loneliness. I was surprised by the amount of anti-Catholic sentiment, though (railing against “popery”, “priestcraft”, etc.). With regards to books mentioned in this thread: I liked Little Women, The Prisoner of Zenda, and all of the Stephen King books mentioned. I was lukewarm on The Brothers Karamazov; I preferred The Idiot and Crime and Punishment, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/43 "2018-12-14T15:44:31Z")
Finished Naomi Novik’s _Crucible of Gold_. Excellent, as usual. Now I’m reading _How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe_, by Charles Yu. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/44 "2018-12-14T15:44:43Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > it’s \*really \*starting to bug me how often Ballard leaves her dog at the kennel for days on end. It’s bordering on abuse, IMO. Unless there’s some kinda redemption before the end of this book where Ballard realizes the error of her ways (in terms of the dog), I can’t imagine wanting to read another story that features her. I’m now 75% of the way through _ **Dark Sacred Night** _, and Ballard is finally displaying a canine conscience. At one point she checks in on her dog (Lola) via the doggy daycare’s webcam: “Ballard smiled and immediately felt the pang of guilt that came every time she caught a case that took over her schedule and required leaving Lola at pet care for extended periods. She had no qualms about the level of care. Ballard checked the cameras often and paid for extra things like walks around the Abbot Kinney neighborhood. But Ballard could not help wondering if she was a bad pet owner and if Lola would be better off being put up for adoption.” There is hope! (Bosch doesn’t seem to be a dog person, but I’m starting to wonder if he/his daughter will wind up with Lola somehow…) ---
**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:** [December 14, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/45 "2018-12-14T17:03:22Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Now I’m reading _How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe_, by Charles Yu. My book club is reading that next month. I finished **Lies Sleeping** the latest Rivers of London book. It was a little slow to start but finished in a whirlwind. I’ve had suspicions about who’s really in control, Lesley or Chorley, for some time and it seems I might be on the right road… ---
**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:** [December 14, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/46 "2018-12-14T20:07:03Z")
Got it, **Misnomer**. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Caldris\_bal\_Comar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@Caldris\_bal\_Comar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caldris_bal_Comar)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/47 "2018-12-15T00:55:39Z")
I just finished GRRM’s _Fire and Blood_, and subsequently made a profitable trip to the Tattered Cover in Denver, where I added _Redshirts_ by John Scalzi, _The Aeronaut’s Windlass_ by Jim Butcher, _Sourcery_ by Terry Pratchett, and _Good Omens_ by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen to my fiction collection. In nonfiction, I added _The Winter Fortress_ by Neal Bascomb, about the Nazi attempt to develop an atomic bomb and the Allies’ effort to stop them, and _Run the Storm_ by George Foy, about the sinking of the cargo ship _El Faro_ several years ago. In the meantime I continue to work on _The Fleet at Flood Tide_ by James Hornfischer, who is my favorite naval historian and highly recommended to anyone with an interest in World War II history. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/48 "2018-12-15T01:15:24Z")
Having just finished an amazing Becky Chambers book, I’m now reading a book she recommends: [The Stars Now Unclaimed](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250186119). > [@Becky Chambers](#): > > The only thing more fun than a bonkers space battle is a whole book packed with bonkers space battles. Come for the exploding spaceships, stay for the intriguing universe. This is a legit recommendation. It’s very funny and very violent, not at all like the Chambers book but lots of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/49 "2018-12-17T00:13:47Z")
Finished _How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe_, by Charles Yu. Not recommended. Now I’m reading a cozy mystery, _Ruff Justice_, by Laurien Berenson. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/50 "2018-12-17T00:52:36Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Finished _How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe_, by Charles Yu. Not recommended. Oh dear… ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/51 "2018-12-17T15:06:36Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Oh dear… FWIW, it did get a lot of great reviews. Maybe you too will see merit in it that I absolutely did not. (Although one of the reviews said it was “hilarious”. It’s beyond me where they got that idea.) ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/52 "2018-12-17T15:30:08Z")
I just read _The Clockmaker’s Daughter_ by Kate Morton. I almost gave up on it after the first 50 pages or so but glad I persisted. Some of it is very good indeed, though it’s uneven. One of those books that could be outstanding but falls short. A complicated plot, involving a 19th century painter, the disappearance of the woman he loves, a ghost story, a contemporary young archivist with secrets in her own past. The best parts of the novel are some of the incidental stories related to characters who lived in the painter’s house at various times over the years. The frame story of the archivist is the least compelling part IMO. Currently reading _Asymmetry_ by Lisa Halliday and _Mirror, Shoulder, Signal_ by Dorthe Nors. Reserving judgment for now. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/53 "2018-12-17T16:00:36Z")
I finished _Dark Sacred Night_. It was a decent Harry Bosch story – though I’m not sure how I feel about him not being any kind of cop anymore – but the dog issue never got another word so I think I’ll skip any future Renée Ballard stories. It took a while to decide what I’d read next, but eventually I chose John Grisham’s _**[Camino Island](https://www.amazon.com/Camino-Island-Novel-John-Grisham/dp/1524797146/)**_. From Amazon: \*A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, impossible to resist. Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in unsavory ventures. Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer’s block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous monetary offer convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Cable’s circle of literary friends, to get close to the ringleader, to discover his secrets. But soon Mercer learns far too much, and there’s trouble in paradise—as only John Grisham can deliver it.\* I hope it doesn’t suck. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/54 "2018-12-17T18:31:05Z")
> [@chaika](#): > > I just read _The Clockmaker’s Daughter_ by Kate Morton. I almost gave up on it after the first 50 pages or so but glad I persisted. This is every Kate Morton novel!! They’re good once you get into them, but the beginning is always a slog. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/55 "2018-12-17T18:49:31Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I finished _Dark Sacred Night_. It was a decent Harry Bosch story – though I’m not sure how I feel about him not being any kind of cop anymore – but the dog issue never got another word so I think I’ll skip any future Renée Ballard stories. > > It took a while to decide what I’d read next, but eventually I chose John Grisham’s _**[Camino Island](https://www.amazon.com/Camino-Island-Novel-John-Grisham/dp/1524797146/)**_. From Amazon: > > \*A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, impossible to resist. > > Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in unsavory ventures. > > Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer’s block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous monetary offer convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Cable’s circle of literary friends, to get close to the ringleader, to discover his secrets. > > But soon Mercer learns far too much, and there’s trouble in paradise—as only John Grisham can deliver it.\* > > I hope it doesn’t suck. 😃 I don’t find the dog issue much of an issue at all. Renee clearly found a dog place that takes good care of the dog and with whom the dog is pleased, not just some cage in a kennel. (That was made clearer in the previous book than in this one though.) Since it looks like she and Bosch will be working a lot together in the future, I’d hate for you to pass up future entries in the series. As for the Bosch problem in your spoiler, hey, the guy is old, life changes happen, and I think Connelly is exploring what would be most effective for him as he ages. Hope you like _Camino Island_. I found it a refreshing change from Grisham’s usual lawyer fare. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/56 "2018-12-17T19:11:12Z")
I’ve just begun [Once Upon a River](https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-River-Diane-Setterfield/dp/0743298071/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545073562&sr=8-1&keywords=diane+setterfield+once+upon+a+river) by Diane Setterfield, and it has sucked me right in. It’s a mystery with a fairy tale feel, about a dead child pulled from the river who came back to life. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/57 "2018-12-17T20:45:43Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I don’t find the dog issue much of an issue at all. _shrugs_ To each their own. For me, it’s an issue. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Renee clearly found a dog place that takes good care of the dog and with whom the dog is pleased, not just some cage in a kennel. (That was made clearer in the previous book than in this one though.) Extended and repeated boarding is both physically and emotionally stressful for dogs, no matter the amenities. Not to mention that when she \*does \*pick the dog up, pretty much all she does is go out on the water (alone) and then sleep before she drops the dog off again. I think there is mention of a walk from time to time, and one visit to grandma’s, but it’s clear that Lola spends nearly all her time either at the kennel or watching Ballard paddle/sleep. The author gave Ballard one moment of realizing that she wasn’t treating the dog very well and questioning whether Lola might be better off with someone else, but then Ballard didn’t feel like dwelling on the issue and it never came up again. I can’t figure out why the author even gave that character a dog. Maybe it’ll improve/get explained in a future book, but I’m no longer interested enough to find out. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Since it looks like she and Bosch will be working a lot together in the future, I’d hate for you to pass up future entries in the series. Eh, there are plenty of good books out there. I’d rather miss some Ballard/Bosch stories than have to read about that poor dog being ignored every other chapter. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > As for the Bosch problem in your spoiler, hey, the guy is old, life changes happen, and I think Connelly is exploring what would be most effective for him as he ages. Well, of course. 🙂 I’m just saying that I’m not sure whether Bosch 2.0 will be enough like Bosch 1.0 (for my personal taste). > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hope you like _Camino Island_. I found it a refreshing change from Grisham’s usual lawyer fare. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/58 "2018-12-17T21:39:02Z")
I’m reading Michael Palin’s _Erebus_, about the British bomb ship that was converted for polar exploration in the 1820s and used extensively in Antarctica before becoming the flagship of the infamous Lost Franklin Expedition in 1845. In 2014 the ship was rediscovered in excellent condition, sitting upright in shallow waters in the Arctic Ocean (its sister ship, Terror, was located in even better condition in 2016). Palin tells the story as a history of the ship itself, with the Franklin Expedition and its aftermath as the climax. He’s a very good writer, injecting just enough of his own experiences into the tale to liven up and expand the narrative. He also includes some subtle _Monty Python_-esque humor here and there, which I found very amusing. I read everything I can on the Franklin Expedition, and this book is a good addition to the literature on the subject. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/59 "2018-12-17T23:16:07Z")
I started **The Long Dead** by John Dean, the story of an archaeological gravesite…with an extra body. So far I like the atmosphere, the mystery and the author’s snarky humor. 😃 ---
**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:** [December 18, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/60 "2018-12-18T19:05:13Z")
I’m about a third of the way through an audiobook of George Saunders’s _Lincoln in the Bardo_ and it’s just too weird. Not sure if I’ll keep going with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449.md?page=4)