# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' Thread - May 2015 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753 "2015-04-28T22:34:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [April 28, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/1 "2015-04-28T22:34:10Z")
Utah kindly had winter for us last week even included snow, on the up side everything is green and growing… and we are sitting inside reading a book 😃 So where’s you favorite outside place to read? I like mornings, on my porch with a cup of hot chocolate, a mystery and a cat, cuz you know cats! Khadaji was one of the earlier members of the SDMB, and he was well known as a kindly person who always had something encouraging to say, particularly in the self-improvement threads. He was also a voracious, omnivorous reader; and he started these monthly book threads. Sadly, he passed away in January 2013, and we decided to rename these monthly threads in his honour. April Thread: [2015 is one-quarter of the way gone](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=753154) ---
**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:** [April 28, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/2 "2015-04-28T22:53:29Z")
Halfway through _The Partner_, by John Grisham. As for favorite places to read, in bed in the mornings drinking coffee with the air con going full blast. Back when I took buses more than I do now, I would read on those. I read most of _War and Peace_ on a Bangkok bus. Tolstoy would have been proud. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/3 "2015-04-28T23:04:08Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > As for favorite places to read, in bed in the mornings drinking coffee with the air con going full blast. Back when I took buses more than I do now, I would read on those. I read most of _War and Peace_ on a Bangkok bus. Tolstoy would have been proud. When I was in college in the 80’s I traveled by bus primarily, I read a great many books as well. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/4 "2015-04-28T23:04:31Z")
Where do I like to read outside? On my deck in my chaise loungey chair with an iced tea in arm’s reach. I’ve finished several books, but the only notable one is the one that inspired me to write a [ranty review](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5502715). I love how tone-deaf Anne McCaffrey became in the later Pern novels regarding where the \*\*real \*\*interesting story lay. She did the same thing in _Renegades of Pern_ when she decided to completely ignore the adventure Jayge and Aramina had getting shipwrecked, discovering an ancient hold, and reclaiming it from the jungle so she could tell _The White Dragon_ over from other povs. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [April 28, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/5 "2015-04-28T23:49:22Z")
yes! Yes! and YES! That was an awful book, and I lost so much love for Robinton, just finding out that Camo was his son… (I’ve worked with Special Needs kids for 30 years) ---
**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:** [April 29, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/6 "2015-04-29T03:25:09Z")
I like to walk around the neighborhood with an audiobook going. Currently reading Gaiman et al.'s Death: Deluxe Edition (compilation) and Greene’s Travels with My Aunt. ---
**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:** [April 29, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/7 "2015-04-29T13:25:21Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > yes! Yes! and YES! > > That was an awful book, and I lost so much love for Robinton, just finding out that Camo was his son… (I’ve worked with Special Needs kids for 30 years) Yeah, that the part when my Fist o’ Death started clenching. I’m probably going to revise that review to more thoroughly enumerate the book’s many, many sins over the next day or so. There’s just so much wrong with it. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/8 "2015-04-29T17:48:51Z")
I’m just about done with Hiaasen’s Bad Monkey and I have Skinny Dip on the way as well as The Princess Bride. I haven’t decided which one to read first. I really like(d) Bad Monkey, but I’m worried Skinny Dip is going to be more of the same so Princess Bride will probably be a good break from that. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/9 "2015-04-30T16:07:00Z")
I listened to Z, a novel about Zelda Fitzgerald, on a recent car trip. [http://www.amazon.com/Z-A-Novel-Zelda-Fitzgerald/dp/1250028663It](http://www.amazon.com/Z-A-Novel-Zelda-Fitzgerald/dp/1250028663It) was excellent, although her life was sad. ( don’t know how to do the cool linkety thing). I’m also reading for at least the 4th time “Into Thin Air” because even though I’ve read it 3 times, I retain nothing of the events. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/10 "2015-04-30T17:23:32Z")
I was thinking about Into Thin Air as well. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/11 "2015-04-30T20:25:41Z")
I bought [The Sometimes Daughter](http://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-Daughter-Sherri-Wood-Emmons/dp/0758253257/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430425244&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Sometimes+Daughter) by Sherri Wood Emmons because I loved her first novel, but this one is disappointing. There’s way too much summarizing of information. It’s like she had a good idea for a novel but then had trouble implementing the idea successfully. So I don’t recommend it, but I do recommend her first novel, [Prayers and Lies](http://www.amazon.com/Prayers-Lies-Sherri-Wood-Emmons/dp/0758253249/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430425339&sr=8-1&keywords=Prayers+and+Lies). I’m also reading [The Folded Clock](http://www.amazon.com/Folded-Clock-Diary-Heidi-Julavits/dp/0385538987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430425368&sr=8-1&keywords=The+folded+clock) by Heidi Julavits. I love Julavits’ writing; I’ve read all of her novels, but this is her first non-fiction book. It’s basically just a diary of musings. When I read the summary I was disappointed, because it seemed clear that the only reason she could get something like a diary published is because she had already published several novels and had a 3-book contract or something. Even so, it’s an enjoyable book that makes you re-consider the world around you. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/12 "2015-04-30T21:42:50Z")
Almost finished with _ **King Solomon’s Mines** _, and will turn to something serious next… probably Wallace Stegner’s _ **Angle of Repose.** _ ---
**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:** [May 1, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/13 "2015-05-01T14:53:47Z")
Finished _The Partner_, by John Grisham. Four and a half years after Mississippi lawyer Patrick Lanigan stole $90 million from the partners at his firm, faked his death and disappeared, he’s caught in Brazil. Now the hunt is on for the money. And who _was_ that corpse they cremated anyway, thinking it was him? Very good. Next up: _Child 44_, by Tom Rob Smith. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/14 "2015-05-01T17:35:27Z")
I finished _ **Revival** _ earlier this week (and loved it) but couldn’t decide what to read next, so I did something I’ve never done before: I downloaded samples of three different books.[ul] [li]_[Kitty and the Midnight Hour](http://www.amazon.com/Kitty-Midnight-Hour-Norville-Book-ebook/dp/B0012Y1GMO/)_, by Carrie Vaughn[/li][li]_[Finn Fancy Necromancy](http://www.amazon.com/Finn-Fancy-Necromancy-Arcana-Familia-ebook/dp/B00LZBDGBI/)_, by Randy Henderson[/li][li]_[Bad Monkey](http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Monkey-Carl-Hiaasen-ebook/dp/B00AP2VR8W/)_, by Carl Hiaasen[/ul][/li]I’ve read the first two, and just started the third. I liked the Vaughn, and will most likely wind up buying that and reading it eventually. Just now now. So far I also like the Hiaasen, but I’m not sure I’m in the mood for his style right now. That’s also how I felt when I started reading the Henderson, but then at some point I managed to forget that I was reading a sample and found myself somewhat disappointed when there was no next page. So if I had to guess right now, I’d say that I’ll continue with _Finn Fancy Necromancy_ – but I haven’t finished the Hiaasen sample 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:** [May 1, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/15 "2015-05-01T19:19:29Z")
In addition to Edmund Morris’s excellent _Colonel Roosevelt_, the last in his trilogy of T.R.'s life, I’ve been reading here and there in _The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Vol. Two_, ed. by Gordon Van Gelder. Some good stuff in it, including Robert Heinlein’s classic time-travel paradox short story, “–All You Zombies–,” which I got interested in again recently after seeing the movie based on it, _Predestination_. I prefer reading in bed at night, just before going to sleep, propped up with a leaning pillow behind me and with my feet under the covers, all warm and toasty. Weather permitting, I also like reading in a rickety old wooden chair in our backyard. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/16 "2015-05-01T20:32:31Z")
**Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea** , by Barbara Demick, recommended by somebody on this board. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/17 "2015-05-02T06:09:57Z")
Ahh, another fine Joe Lansdale mystery. This time it was **The Bottoms** ,set in East Texas in the thirties. A rather uncomfortable story of racism and murder. Oh, and the title refers to the wet, fertile lowlands, not…well, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/18 "2015-05-02T11:11:48Z")
Just finished, and very much enjoyed, **Affinities** by Robert Charles Wilson. At times the society that seemed to be emerging put me in mind of a couple of his early books like A Hidden Place and Gypsies (if I’m remembering them correctly, that is! Not read either of since they came out) Also read **Hansel Craig** by Allan Fraser, written in the 1937 but set in 1916, about a 17 y.o. who goes to work on a traditional small farm in the Scottish Borders. The first scene is him arriving at Kelso by local train from St.Boswalls (maybe 10 miles away) and the final scene is on the same platform a year later after he turns 18 (presumably) and is Drafted to fight in the War. Lots of fascinating detail, both about farming 100 years ago and rural life then in general. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/19 "2015-05-02T12:36:16Z")
Re-reading **The Bluest Eye** for probably the dozenth time. Can’t read much at once because I inevitably start to cry. I think this book affects me more each time I read it not so much because it’s that kind of book, but because I’m moving through life stages that make it more and more poignant. Other than that, beta-reading novels for writers. Read one set in the North West Company’s trapping territory in 1809. Now reading a space opera. Have a high fantasy waiting in the wings. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753/20 "2015-05-02T13:47:30Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Re-reading **The Bluest Eye** for probably the dozenth time. Can’t read much at once because I inevitably start to cry. I think this book affects me more each time I read it not so much because it’s that kind of book, but because I’m moving through life stages that make it more and more poignant. That’s one of those novels I can read once and never again. Most of Morrison’s books are like that for me, except for \*Sula \*and _Song of Solomon_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-may-2015-edition/718753.md?page=2)