# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' thread - September 2014 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911 "2014-08-29T22:15:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [September 20, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/121 "2014-09-20T03:23:50Z")
I really enjoyed _The Mote in God’s Eye_ and don’t think it ends too abruptly. Still one of my favorite first-contact novels; great world-building of both the Empire and the Motie civilization. I agree, however, that Niven and Pournelle tend not to write female characters all that well. Zipping now through _Counselor_ by Theodore Sorensen. Lots of great stories about life on the 1960 Presidential campaign trail with JFK. Also, I’ve just begun A.J. Jacobs’s _The Year of Living Biblically_, in which he reads the Bible cover to cover, compiling its more than 700 rules (the Ten Commandments are just the beginning), and doing his very best to comply with every one of them for a whole year. Funny and thought-provoking. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/122 "2014-09-20T09:23:32Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > I guess I meant the third that I’d read. It’s a stand-alone story. > > Finished it last night. Strange ending, but I liked it. Thanks; I didn’t see an easy way for it to fit with the other two, but I haven’t read very much about it. It comes out in the UK in a week or so, so I didn’t want to spring for a US hardback… ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/123 "2014-09-20T23:40:33Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > \ > Also, I’ve just begun A.J. Jacobs’s _The Year of Living Biblically_, in which he reads the Bible cover to cover, compiling its more than 700 rules (the Ten Commandments are just the beginning), and doing his very best to comply with every one of them for a whole year. Funny and thought-provoking. Oh, I loved \*[The Year of Living Biblically/I]! Recommended it to several people and gave my copy away. Now I want to read it again. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/124 "2014-09-21T00:07:30Z")
Starting _The Golem and the Jenni_ in a Goodreads group. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/125 "2014-09-21T03:17:10Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Oh, I loved \*[The Year of Living Biblically/I]! Recommended it to several people and gave my copy away. Now I want to read it again. Good to know! So far I like it. I’m averaging at least a chuckle a page, which is pretty damn good. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/126 "2014-09-21T13:41:28Z")
_Amazonia_, James Rollins, which is a pretty good yarn. Just finished _Savage Arena_, by Joe Tasker, which is a book about his mountain climbing ventures in the Himalayas. Not the best book on mountain climbing. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/127 "2014-09-22T11:31:01Z")
I thought _Amazonia_ was great fun, as were most of his early books. I more or less gave up on him when he started his _Sigma Force_ books though. Currently reading _The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter_ by Rod Duncan, which is a steampunk detective/mystery novel with a female lead who disguises herself as her ‘brother’ half the time so she can get work and also be able to live alone without raising eyebrows in the ever-so-correct 19th C society… ---
**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:** [September 22, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/128 "2014-09-22T12:45:09Z")
Finished [Falling Angel](http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Angel-Novel-William-Hjortsberg/dp/1453271139/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1411388120) over the weekend. Pretty good detective/horror novel set in the fifties. The more you know about New York city, the more you’ll like this. And a twist ending that I didn’t see coming. Next up, John Farris’ [All Heads Turn When the Hunt Goes By](http://www.amazon.com/Heads-Turn-When-Hunt-Goes/dp/1613470088/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411388343&sr=1-2&keywords=all+heads+turn+when+the+hunt+goes+by). ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/129 "2014-09-22T16:14:50Z")
Nearly finished Rothfuss’s second - _wise man’s fear_. Very poor effort IMO - bloated beyond belief. The whole genre is, really, but we all just accept it - I feel like I’ve had moments of clarity with this one, though, where you come up for air and realise just how clod-hoppingly mediocre the writing is. Then it’s back to turning the pages. I think what’s got me grumpy about this particular book is that the \* A wizard of earthsea \*is such an obvious reference point. Now clearly it’s totally unfair to make comparisons with that masterpiece, but still - it does show you what an artist can achieve in 224 pages, versus an artisan taking 1600 (and still not finished). Got Bolano’s _2666_ up next - taking a break from fantasy. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/130 "2014-09-22T23:00:15Z")
Okay so I finished **Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children** … and assembled a list of people who _should_ have written it: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, Daniel O’Malley (oh wait he DID write it) and Chris Claremont (Yeah so did he). My review is a bit long but you can find it here if you’re interested: [Kris (Ogden, UT)’s review of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/231242457) ---
**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:** [September 23, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/131 "2014-09-23T02:41:41Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Finished [Falling Angel](http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Angel-Novel-William-Hjortsberg/dp/1453271139/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1411388120) over the weekend. Pretty good detective/horror novel set in the fifties. The more you know about New York city, the more you’ll like this. And a twist ending that I didn’t see coming… Loved it! The Mickey Rourke/Robert De Niro movie based on it is quite different, but worth a look. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/132 "2014-09-23T12:13:00Z")
Yeah, I’ve been thinking about the book ever since I laid it down. I actually read the last chapter twice. I’m definitely picking up the movie at the library. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/133 "2014-09-23T13:51:20Z")
Mike Lupica’s _Fantasy League_, his new YA novel. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/134 "2014-09-23T14:28:42Z")
I finished _The Hundred Year House_ by Rebecca Makkai, which was okay. Multi-generational family saga, told backwards. I wasn’t wild about the first section, which takes place in the present day, but I liked the later parts of the story a bit more. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/135 "2014-09-23T15:26:48Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Yeah, I’ve been thinking about the book ever since I laid it down. I actually read the last chapter twice. I’m definitely picking up the movie at the library. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHH! Now you KNOW I just HAVE to read this soon! ---
**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:** [September 23, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/136 "2014-09-23T15:34:15Z")
Aww, you still trust me after I gave you a bum steer on that Miss Peregrine book? 😃 ---
**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:** [September 23, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/137 "2014-09-23T15:38:55Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Aww, you still trust me after I gave you a bum steer on that Miss Peregrine book? 😃 Ah well, I think it had potential, I just don’t think he was the right writer (try saying that fast!) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/138 "2014-09-23T17:04:05Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Nearly finished Rothfuss’s second - _wise man’s fear_. Very poor effort IMO - bloated beyond belief. The whole genre is, really, but we all just accept it - I feel like I’ve had moments of clarity with this one, though, where you come up for air and realise just how clod-hoppingly mediocre the writing is. Then it’s back to turning the pages. Well, I too wasn’t very impressed by WMF, but I think Rothfuss made a strategic error that contributed to the bloat of this book. For some odd reason, he chose to make the series a trilogy, despite setting up an apparent mythos for his character in The Name of the Wind that could easily support a much longer series. So now he’s stuck with trying to hit all the highlights in just a couple of books and advance the plot, and I think that’s more than he can handle with his level of writing experience. The other obvious error he makes, of course, is saddling the reader with the most irritating female love interest ever. Every time she shows up, the user is taken completely out of the story by fantasizing about how much better it would be if she would just die in a fire. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/139 "2014-09-23T19:54:55Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > The other obvious error he makes, of course, is saddling the reader with the most irritating female love interest ever. Every time she shows up, the user is taken completely out of the story by fantasizing about how much better it would be if she would just die in a fire. Well put. I think the lack of momentum in the plot would be more acceptable if there was some real character development, but the main players remain resolutely two dimensional (and Denna can get tae fuck). It does point to a guy learning his trade, as you infer. When GRRM puts out a lemon in SoIF he does at least have an excuse - so many balls in the air, massive multi-narrative story that is v hard to hold together. Rothfuss has shat the bed on the _second 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:** [September 24, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2014/696911/140 "2014-09-24T00:42:44Z")
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