# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/61 "2018-12-21T18:39:23Z")
I just finished a book that I heartily recommend. It is ostensibly in the mystery genre, but the plot is not as important as the characters, and it is beautifully written. By “beautifully written” I mean that the author uses language in an interesting and effective way, a way that takes you physically into the moment as few authors are able to do. The book is “Three Things About Elsie” by Joanna Cannon. It is a book about old people, and one of the reasons I recommend it is that it shines a strong light on the various issues that old people have, especially when they are treated like children because younger people can’t be bothered to listen or understand them. The main character is an 84-year-old lower class British woman who is living in a retirement community (against her will) and has slipped and fallen in her living room. While she is waiting for someone to find her, she starts going over her past life, memories that are both clear and hidden, especially one incident involving three deaths that happened 53 years before and that has influenced her entire life. Through the course of the book she gradually remembers the truth and learns some parts she didn’t know. I know I’m not making this sound very exciting or interesting, but the writing really draws you in, and life from the point-of-view of people basically living while waiting to die has never been presented so well (at least, not that I have seen). 5 stars out of 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:** [December 21, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/62 "2018-12-21T19:18:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > 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. After a few days off, I’ve resumed. It’s still deeply weird, and I’m sure it won’t be on my Top Ten list for the year, but it’s (mostly) holding my interest and I’ll read it through to the end. ---
**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 23, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/63 "2018-12-23T00:01:26Z")
Finished _Ruff Justice_ by Laurien Berenson. Meh. Not as good as the last couple I read by her. Now I’m reading _Love Medicine_ by Louise Erdrich. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2018, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/64 "2018-12-23T10:38:20Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I got **Girl in the Spider’s Web** from the library, and to my shock I realized I had already read it. It must not have made that big an impression on me, so I decided to skip **Eye for an Eye** , which I also got from the library, and dived back into feudal Japan, aka **Shogun**. I will never forget that I read the 4th part of the Millenium trilogie. I thought it was terrible. ---
**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 25, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/65 "2018-12-25T22:44:08Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > After a few days off, I’ve resumed. It’s still deeply weird, and I’m sure it won’t be on my Top Ten list for the year, but it’s (mostly) holding my interest and I’ll read it through to the end. Still going. Still weird. I just zipped through _Sex Criminals, Vol. I: One Weird Trick_ by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, a graphic novel about a guy and a gal who discover that they have the power to stop time when they achieve orgasm. They decide to rob a bank to help save a local library, and zany hijinks ensue. An odd concept but interesting comic. _The Making of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey_ by Piers Bizony is an art-house book about the costumes, models, graphics and production design of the film. Lots of great pictures, drawings and sketches, including some I hadn’t seen before. Next up: _The Brethren_ by John Grisham, about three disgraced former judges running a con from inside a prison. ---
**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 26, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/66 "2018-12-26T19:07:21Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Next up: _The Brethren_ by John Grisham, about three disgraced former judges running a con from inside a prison. Ooooo, that sounds good! I love Grisham and have read several of his novels – I’m reading him right now, actually (_Camino Island_) – but I definitely haven’t read everything, and it’s not unusual for me to have never heard of something that was released almost 11 years ago. Like this one. 🙂 Thanks! ---
**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 26, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/67 "2018-12-26T22:56:33Z")
I’ve read maybe a third of Grisham’s books. _The Runaway Jury, Playing for Pizza_ and his short-story collection _Ford County_ are probably my favorites. ---
**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 26, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/68 "2018-12-26T22:59:25Z")
I started **The Gunslinger** by Stephen King…and so far I am not impressed, kinda bored actually. iInce it’s an audio book maybe it’s the narrator’s fault but seriously _yawn_ ---
**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 27, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/69 "2018-12-27T04:39:42Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Next up: _The Brethren_ by John Grisham, about three disgraced former judges running a con from inside a prison. > [@Misnomer](#): > > Ooooo, that sounds good! I love Grisham and have read several of his novels – I’m reading him right now, actually (_Camino Island_) – but I definitely haven’t read everything, and it’s not unusual for me to have never heard of something that was released almost 11 years ago. Like this one. 🙂 Thanks! It’s been awhile since I read it, but I do recall _The Brethren_ being good. ---
**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 27, 2018, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/70 "2018-12-27T13:34:07Z")
This morning I finished _Once Upon A River_, by Diane Setterfield. It was well-written, sweet, and satisfying; a flourless chocolate torte of a 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:** [December 27, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/71 "2018-12-27T14:28:54Z")
I finished the audiobook of George Saunders’s _Lincoln in the Bardo_ this morning, and I’m glad I kept going. It builds to a mostly-satisfying ending. The voice cast, including Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Susan Sarandon, Don Cheadle, Ben Stiller, Megan Mullally and others, is quite good. My next audiobook is Patrick O’Brian’s 1978 Napoleonic naval adventure novel, _Desolation Island_, as I continue to read my way through his Aubrey-Maturin series. ---
**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 27, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/72 "2018-12-27T23:32:17Z")
Finished\* Love Medicine\* by Louise Erdrich. It’s the kind of book that’s undoubtedly great literature, but which I just didn’t enjoy. Its full title is _Love Medicine: A Novel_, but it’s actually a collection of short stories, many of which focus on a few different incidents from different points of view. Someone who enjoyed Rashomon might like this too. Now I’m reading _The Swish of the Curtain_, by Pamela Brown. ---
**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 28, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/73 "2018-12-28T14:47:25Z")
Started today on [Flight or Fright](https://www.amazon.com/Flight-Fright-Stephen-King/dp/1587676796/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546008359&sr=8-1&keywords=flight+or+fright+stephen+king), a short story anthology edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent. Really can’t go wrong with this one, though I’ve read some of the stories before. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/74 "2018-12-29T22:27:11Z")
**Where the Crawdads Sing** , Delia Owens. This is an exceptionally well-written first novel by the co-author of **Cry of the Kalahari**. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2018, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/75 "2018-12-30T01:56:43Z")
I’m going to bend the rules a bit, and mention a book I read last year, but highly recommended in light of the recent tsunami: _Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded_ by Simon Winchester. It’s a fascinating, far-ranging account of geology, vulcanology, continental plates, Dutch colonialism and trade, the Wallace line, all gradually focusing in on the Big Event: the explosion of Krakatoa, the single-largest explosion in recorded history. Then he goes on to trace the impact, starting with the immediate impact in Indonesia and the local casialties, then the immediate post-explosion scientific inquiry about Krakatoa and the re-establishment of animal and plant life on the remnants of the island. He then starts to expand the focus to show its impact around the world, in climate, agriculture and scientific investigations. He ends with information about the rise of Arak Krakatoa, which started to appear and disappear by erosion until it finally established itself as a new volcanic island in the 1920s. And finally speculation about future explosions on Arak Krakatoa. It’s the sort of book I imagine most Dopers would enjoy. ---
**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 30, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/76 "2018-12-30T17:09:09Z")
Your Top Ten books of 2018: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=868074](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=868074) ---
**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 31, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/77 "2018-12-31T05:10:16Z")
[Should Auld Acquaintance be forgot…](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=21403806#post21403806) ---
**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:** [January 1, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449/78 "2019-01-01T01:43:02Z")
Finished Pamela Brown’s _The Swish of the Curtain_. I enjoyed it. Wish my library had had a copy when I was a kid. Next up, (in 2019) _Toucan Keep a Secret_, by Donna Andrews. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-december-2018-edition/825449.md?page=3)