# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' Thread - February 2016 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636 "2016-01-30T03:45:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [February 23, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/81 "2016-02-23T16:08:46Z")
I finished **The Secret of the Underground Room** by John Bellairs yesterday and in spite of a couple of out-of-the-blue deus ex machina moments it was pretty good. The suspense was gripping and the pacing kept my attention. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/82 "2016-02-23T16:28:40Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Next up: _Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye: True Stories from the Case Files of Warren Olson_, as told to Stephen Leather. Olson was a real private detective in Bangkok. A Kiwi (New Zealander), Olson has since retired and moved back to New Zealand with his Thai wife and their daughter, but the detective agency he founded, [Thai Private Eye](http://thaiprivateeye.com/), continues to operate. Leather is a local British writer, most famous in Thailand for the true-to-life _Private Dancer_. The only other one of his I’ve read is _Bangkok Bob and the Missing Mormon_. This book, _Confessions_, contains true stories from Olson’s case files, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent – and the guilty. A blurb from the back cover informs us: “Two-timing bargirls, suspicious spouses and lesbian lovers – it was all in a day’s work for Bangkok Private Eye Warren Olson.” Finished _Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye: True Stories from the Case Files of Warren Olson_, as told to Stephen Leather. Very good. The scenarios all feel quite familiar. It is said that farangs (Westerners) often seem to check their brains in at the airport upon arrival, and indeed that often does seem to be the case. Lots of true stories from Olson’s case files, with names, nationalities and even in-country locations changed. I think being a private eye in Bangkok would be fascinating. Funny too, but I noted the very first case in the book, “The Case of the Double-Crossed Dutchman,” was used as a chapter in the aforementioned _Bangkok Bob and the Missing Mormon_, by Leather. And I mean word for word, start to finish, Olson morphing into Bangkok Bob. I believe Olson and Leather are friends though, and I’m sure Leather had permission. Next up: _The March_, by EL Doctorow, about Sherman’s march to the sea in the Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![Amara\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@Amara\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amara_1)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/83 "2016-02-23T16:43:46Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > For my non-fiction pick, I’m reading [Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights? Fitness Myths, Training Truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries From the Science of Exercise](http://www.amazon.com/Which-Comes-First-Cardio-Weights/dp/006200753X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456154843&sr=8-1&keywords=which+comes+first%2C+cardio+or+weights) by Alex Hutchison. I am enjoying the book and would recommend it, though I must warn you that the format of the book seems meant for either (a) a coffee table book, (b) a blog, or (c) someone with a really short attention span. The entire book is formatted as a series of Q&As, which each answer taking up maybe three pages or so. Then the end of every chapter has a cheat sheet, in case you’ve already forgotten what you just learned ten pages ago. I’m not really a fan of getting my info in such short bursts, but despite that, the book does have a lot of interesting, well-researched information. I just picked this up from your recommendation and I am really enjoying it so far. Thank you. For me, I just finished [The Immortals](http://smile.amazon.com/Immortals-Olympus-Bound-Jordanna-Brodsky/dp/0316347183/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456245855&sr=8-1&keywords=the+immortals). I was expecting a fluffier urban fantasy but this book is a bit more than that. I liked it but there is a minor plotline that I felt irrelevant through the book. I still liked it though but am still struggling with how to classify it. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/84 "2016-02-24T14:31:11Z")
> [@Amara\_1](#): > > I just picked this up from your recommendation and I am really enjoying it so far. Thank you. Oh, that makes me happy! You’re welcome! ---
**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:** [February 24, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/85 "2016-02-24T14:33:33Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > …Next up: _The March_, by EL Doctorow, about Sherman’s march to the sea in the Civil War. This has been on my list for awhile. I’ll be interested to know what you think. I confess I’ve read no Doctorow, although my sister is a fan. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/86 "2016-02-24T15:18:09Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > This has been on my list for awhile. I’ll be interested to know what you think. I confess I’ve read no Doctorow, although my sister is a fan. I’m already a fourth of the way into it, and it’s good. The only other Doctorow I’ve read is _Billy Bathgate_, years ago. I remember it being okay. I’d like to read _Ragtime_, but my library doesn’t have it, and I’m trying not to buy more books, seeing as how I’ll soon need to be getting rid of so many of them. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/87 "2016-02-24T19:13:52Z")
I just read Terry Pratchett’s _The Shepherd’s Crown_. I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed the opportunity to spend some more time with Pratchett’s wonderful characters, and the overall flavor of the book was lovely, but there wasn’t much plot. I really do appreciate Pratchett’s worldview that we’re all the same underneath and we can all get along OK if we just assume that everyone’s doing their best. Next is either [My Brilliant Friend](http://www.amazon.com/My-Brilliant-Friend-Neapolitan-Novels/dp/1609450787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456341412&sr=1-1&keywords=ferrante+my+brilliant+friend) or [A God in Ruins](http://www.amazon.com/God-Ruins-Novel-Kate-Atkinson/dp/0316176508/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456341450&sr=1-1&keywords=a+god+in+ruins). Anyone have a vote? ---
**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:** [February 24, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/88 "2016-02-24T20:32:42Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’m already a fourth of the way into it, and it’s good. The only other Doctorow I’ve read is _Billy Bathgate_, years ago. I remember it being okay. I’d like to read _Ragtime_, but my library doesn’t have it, and I’m trying not to buy more books, seeing as how I’ll soon need to be getting rid of so many of them. Try interlibrary loan! I get, read and return a lot of books that way, and save big bucks on the older and out-of-print stuff. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/89 "2016-02-24T23:06:46Z")
Two recent YA reads, both were very good. **Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda** by Becky Albertalli. Despite the clunky title, I liked this book about a teenager who is outed at his high school. It’s really very funny, too. **I’ll Meet You There** by Heather Demitrios is a YA romance, set in a tiny, middle-of-nowhere town, between a recent graduate ready to head off to college, and a young Marine returned home after being wounded in Afghanistan. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/90 "2016-02-25T13:29:36Z")
Started this morning on [Tiny Beautiful Things: advice on love and life from Dear Sugar](http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Beautiful-Things-Advice-Sugar/dp/0307949338/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456406735&sr=1-1&keywords=tiny+beautiful+things) by Cheryl Strayed. When I picked it up at the library, the librarian said, “Oh my gosh, I loved this book! I cried the whole way through.” I wasn’t sure that was an auspicious sign, but now I’m thinking someday I’ll see someone else reading this book and say the exact same thing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Memnon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Memnon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Memnon)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/91 "2016-02-25T21:27:55Z")
Just finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As with the previous two books, I really, really, enjoyed it. Not only does it have just much humour and inventiveness as the previous two instalments, but the relationships between the older characters (Lupin, Dumbledore, Snape, etc…) is fleshed out a lot more, we’re introduced to the brilliantly spooky Dementors, and the whole thing is wrapped up with a neat little time travel paradox that wouldn’t be out of place among the best episodes of Doctor Who! Five stars! Having gone through the first three books in about ten days, I’m going to take a break from Harry Potter for a week or two. I’m about half-way through Revival by Stephen King, and about a quarter of the way through Huckleberry Finn and so far I’m enjoying them both, Huck especially. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/92 "2016-02-26T02:47:41Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > Just finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As with the previous two books, I really, really, enjoyed it. Not only does it have just much humour and inventiveness as the previous two instalments, but the relationships between the older characters (Lupin, Dumbledore, Snape, etc…) is fleshed out a lot more, we’re introduced to the brilliantly spooky Dementors, and the whole thing is wrapped up with a neat little time travel paradox that wouldn’t be out of place among the best episodes of Doctor Who! Five stars! I am delighted you are enjoying this so much! They are wonderful books. I know with all the Potter-mania, it seems like hype must be unjustified, but they would be solid youth fantasy choices even if they had never become a whole cultural mania. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/93 "2016-02-26T03:33:08Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Try interlibrary loan! I get, read and return a lot of books that way, and save big bucks on the older and out-of-print stuff. I’m afraid that doesn’t work over here. We belong to the private [Nielson Hays Library](http://neilsonhayslibrary.com/). We pay about US$70 a year for membership, and they don’t do any type of interlibrary loan. But I should be in Hawaii in just a few months. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2016, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/94 "2016-02-26T05:07:24Z")
Just one more reason to love the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. ---
**Author:** ![Memnon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Memnon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Memnon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/95 "2016-02-26T15:05:41Z")
Just finished ‘Revival’ by Stephen King. I’ve always been a King fan, and I’ve read nearly everything he’s written, but Revival is definitely one of his best. For me, it’s up there with classics like The Shining, It, and the Dead Zone. In my opinion, it’s the best book he’s written in nearly 20 years. Not to say the others were bad, of course, but Revival is something quite special. I don’t want to say anything about the plot in case I accidentally spoil any of it (and this is one of those books where you don’t want to run the risk of spoiling _anything_). I’ll just say it’s a beautifully characterised, frequently shocking[sup]\*[/sup] 370 page long exercise in creeping suspense which is both flawlessly executed and has, in my opinion, a Lovecraftian ending far more disturbing and effective than anything Lovecraft himself ever managed to come up with. Five stars. [sub]\*So to speak ;)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/96 "2016-02-26T15:23:42Z")
Continuing my Edgar Rice Burroughs streak with **Beyond Thirty/The Lost Continent** , which I’ve never read before. Re-reading Clive Cussler’s **The Blue Medusa** on audio, having re-read **Rocketship Galileo** and **The Gold Bug** (read by Vincent Price!) already. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/97 "2016-02-26T22:22:10Z")
Philippa Gregory _The Red Queen_ but I think I should’ve read _The White Queen_ first. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/98 "2016-02-26T22:47:07Z")
I just finished a really good post-apocalyptic book: _The Dog Stars_, by Peter Heller. It’s about a guy who survived the flu that killed off almost everybody else nine years ago, and now he’s camped out at a small airport in Colorado, uneasily teamed up with a trigger-happy survivalist type who seems disturbingly comfortable with the end of world. This isn’t a happy book, obviously, but while it’s not as cosy as that strangely cheerful post-apocalyptic novel _Station Eleven_, it isn’t so terribly bleak, either. I’m in the middle of Rehnquist’s history of the Supreme Court, the updated edition. It’s pretty interesting to view American history from the Court’s perspective. I recently read _Ross Poldark_, by Winston Graham, the first of the long Poldark saga. I liked it pretty well, well enough to pick up the second book. I’ve heard mixed reviews of the mini-series, and some doubt that the new one is better than the 1970’s version. I read Lois McMaster Bujold’s new Vorkosigan book,\* Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen\*. I didn’t exactly dislike it, but it’s my new least favorite Vorkosigan novel. When I saw the first rumor about this one, I thought it was a hoax. Then I wondered if Bujold could pull it off. I’m not sure she did. I finally got around to Chris Hadfield’s book, _An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth_, which is just as cheery as you’d expect from Hadfield. It has some nice details about his career and his three space missions. He has some interesting commentary on how astronauts, who are “without exception, extremely competitive” adapt to working as a team rather than pushing their way into a leadership role. ---
**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:** [February 27, 2016, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/99 "2016-02-27T05:10:46Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > …I’m in the middle of Rehnquist’s history of the Supreme Court, the updated edition. It’s pretty interesting to view American history from the Court’s perspective… I also highly recommend Jeffrey Toobin’s _The Nine_, a great behind-the-scenes history of the Court since the late Clinton years. ---
**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:** [February 27, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636/100 "2016-02-27T16:15:39Z")
I finished **Naked Once More** by Elizabeth Peters, which is a straight forward mystery in spite of the salacious title. The protagonist is supposed to be headstrong and brassy but in truth is really obnoxious and self-satisfied and Peters commits the one sin I LOATHE above all in the mystery genre: the sleuth has information that the reader is not given until the climax. Bad writer! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-february-2016-edition/744636.md?page=6)