# Khadaji's Whatcha Readin' thread - September 2016 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519 "2016-08-30T22:43:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [September 18, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/61 "2016-09-18T14:35:29Z")
Has anyone read any **Ruth Ware**? My aunt just recommended her; she’s on the waiting list at her library for _[The Woman In Cabin 10](https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Cabin-10-Ruth-Ware/dp/1501132938/)_. The description on Amazon sounds interesting: “In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…” I had a sample delivered to my Kindle, and I’ll check it out when I’m done with _In Good Faith_. Ware’s first book – _[In A Dark, Dark Wood](https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Wood-Ruth-Ware/dp/1501112333/)_ – seems to have been well-received. ---
**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 18, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/62 "2016-09-18T17:10:21Z")
> [@Amara\_1](#): > > I’m not sure who recommended this series but I’ve just finished the first two and loved them. Thank you. Walt’s tendency (thus far) to fall for women immediately and have it reciprocated is a little tiresome though. You will likely have to grit your teeth through some of the tribal mysticism stuff as well, as Johnson seems somewhat obsessed with it at times. Just focus on the characters, though, as they are very well drawn, and all will be well. I’m especially fond of the Vic character and, of course, Cheyenne Nation. Happy to report that the newest book is moving along nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/63 "2016-09-18T20:30:55Z")
I was looking for something funny, and I stumbled on [Johannes Cabal the Necromancer](https://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Cabal-Necromancer-Jonathan-Howard/dp/0767930762). I’m only a third of the way through, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s not hilarious, but it’s well-written and unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s like an Edward Gorey cartoon turned into a novel. The plot focuses on a necromancer who needs to obtain 100 souls for Satan so that he can get his own soul back. But Johannes is completely antisocial, so he enlists the help of his brother, who’s a vampire. They make an amusing team. ---
**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 19, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/64 "2016-09-19T02:18:21Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I was looking for something funny, and I stumbled on [Johannes Cabal the Necromancer](https://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Cabal-Necromancer-Jonathan-Howard/dp/0767930762). I’m only a third of the way through, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s not hilarious, but it’s well-written and unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s like an Edward Gorey cartoon turned into a novel. > > The plot focuses on a necromancer who needs to obtain 100 souls for Satan so that he can get his own soul back. But Johannes is completely antisocial, so he enlists the help of his brother, who’s a vampire. They make an amusing team. Yay! I just read it myself, totally a Gorey cartoon. I love the dry snarky humour. There are a four (?) short stories about Johannes that are available for Kindle. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/65 "2016-09-19T02:42:56Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > [Stiletto](http://amzn.to/2bVWDJS), the latest Rook book, is my current read, and it’s just as good as the first so far. > > I’ve got my eye on [The Nix](http://amzn.to/2bVVKAZ), but not sure I want it bad enough to cough up the $$ and the library doesn’t have it yet. Has anyone read it? Any reviews? I am reading The Nix now because of your post. Being an ex-university professor I totally recognized the crazy student with her ridiculous demands in the sample. Not so much of that in the rest of the 60% of the book I’ve read so far but I am still enjoying it. Every character has surprised me so far especially Alice. I like that in a book. Being from the Chicago burbs and recalling my bff from high school who went to the 1968 demonstrations it’s got a lot of nostalgia going for me too. I will never forget: “Shoot to maim.” ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/66 "2016-09-19T13:26:50Z")
I’ve been reading the Ruth Downie “Ruso the Medicus” ancient Rome detective series, with great enjoyment. What elevates it from “good historical mystery” to “great” is the sense of humor, which I find is somewhat lacking in other historical mysteries (like the Brother Cadfael books, which I still enjoy). ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/67 "2016-09-19T14:38:48Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I was looking for something funny, and I stumbled on [Johannes Cabal the Necromancer](https://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Cabal-Necromancer-Jonathan-Howard/dp/0767930762). I’m only a third of the way through, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s not hilarious, but it’s well-written and unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s like an Edward Gorey cartoon turned into a novel. > > The plot focuses on a necromancer who needs to obtain 100 souls for Satan so that he can get his own soul back. But Johannes is completely antisocial, so he enlists the help of his brother, who’s a vampire. They make an amusing team. It’s a hoot. I’m a fan of the series. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/68 "2016-09-19T16:25:56Z")
I finished Ann Coulter’s _In Trump We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome!_. It wasn’t awesome. It wasn’t persuasive, well-written, cohesive, intelligible, or worth small amount of room it took up on my Kindle. It’s done & I’m glad it’s over. Not sure why, but I then chose to read \*Raise the Bar \*by John Taffer. Well, I kinda know why. His TV show, Bar Rescue, is a bit interesting. I have no desire to ever open a bar but thought maybe more of the “bar science” he talks about would be gone into more depth. It really wasn’t. It was more of a rehash of the episodes coupled with platitudes (with asterisks) and some nuggets buried in there deep. More likely a lengthy sales brochure for his services so he wouldn’t be wanting to give his secrets away. Just started _The Rook_ by Daniel O’Malley since it seems to be a popular one on these threads. Only 11% in but it’s quite enjoyable so far. ---
**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:** [September 19, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/69 "2016-09-19T17:29:34Z")
I finished _In Good Faith_ last night, but did not check out the Ruth Ware sample (or anything else): it included the first chapter of _**[Injustice for All](https://www.amazon.com/Injustice-All-Dillard-Scott-Pratt/dp/1481018469/)**_ – the next book in the Joe Dillard series – so I rolled right into that. There are 5 more books in the series: if they keep including previews, I may be on a Joe Dillard kick for a while. 😉 > [@Sefton](#): > > I was looking for something funny, and I stumbled on [Johannes Cabal the Necromancer](https://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Cabal-Necromancer-Jonathan-Howard/dp/0767930762). I’m only a third of the way through, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s not hilarious, but it’s well-written and unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s like an Edward Gorey cartoon turned into a novel. > [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Yay! I just read it myself, totally a Gorey cartoon. I love the dry snarky humour. > [@Malthus](#): > > It’s a hoot. I’m a fan of the series. This is why I love these threads…that sounds awesome, and I just had a sample sent to my Kindle. 🙂 > [@stpauler](#): > > Not sure why, but I then chose to read \*Raise the Bar \*by John Taffer. Well, I kinda know why. His TV show, Bar Rescue, is a bit interesting. I have no desire to ever open a bar but thought maybe more of the “bar science” he talks about would be gone into more depth. It really wasn’t. It was more of a rehash of the episodes coupled with platitudes (with asterisks) and some nuggets buried in there deep. More likely a lengthy sales brochure for his services so he wouldn’t be wanting to give his secrets away. Thanks for the heads up. I hadn’t known about this book, but if I learned about it I might have been tempted to read it. Something about _Bar Rescue_ fascinates me: if I come across a marathon I’ll usually watch an episode or two. Taffer himself kind of gets on my nerves, though, and I find that I don’t usually like the “where are they now” shows. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/70 "2016-09-19T17:38:10Z")
I finished _Dark Matter_ by Blake Crouch, which has been getting some decent reviews. It’s science fiction about parallel words, and I liked the concept and liked how it hooked you in right away and kept up the pace (I was definitely never bored while reading it). It’s also the kind of science fiction with a love story at the center of it; it’s possible if I was in a different mood I might have found that sweet, but as I was reading that part was more eye-rolling. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/71 "2016-09-19T18:20:09Z")
> [@sinjin](#): > > I am reading The Nix now because of your post. Being an ex-university professor I totally recognized the crazy student with her ridiculous demands in the sample. Not so much of that in the rest of the 60% of the book I’ve read so far but I am still enjoying it. Every character has surprised me so far especially Alice. I like that in a book. > > Being from the Chicago burbs and recalling my bff from high school who went to the 1968 demonstrations it’s got a lot of nostalgia going for me too. I will never forget: “Shoot to maim.” I finished it last night. I liked it a fair bit, despite not really being in the mood for a literary-fiction kind of book (I wanted escape, dammit, not slightly-depressing introspective litrature :D) I’m pretty sure I’m staying in the Hilton described in the book in the near future, so that part is cool. It’s well-written, it moves at a good pace, I’d definitely recommend it to folks in search of a fairly gritty, angsty kind of 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 19, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/72 "2016-09-19T18:43:41Z")
I think stpauler and Misnomer, you won’t be dissapointed. Both are fabulous and fun books. Misnomer, be sure to check out the short stories that go with the volumes, they are fun as well. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/73 "2016-09-19T18:47:45Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Just finished Wedding Night, by Sophie Kinsella. I’d never read anything by her. Very silly, though it made me laugh a few times. > > I started Maledicte, by Lane Robins. It was just creeping me out, but I was tired, so I might give it another shot. Instead, for now I’m rereading The Scarlet Pimpernel for the umpteenth time. Finished The Scarlet Pimpernel. I see its flaws, but I will never stop loving that book. I started and finished Daddy Long-Legs, by Jean Webster last night. It’s utterly charming and more than slightly creepy and wrong. I’m reading E. Lockhart’s Fly on the Wall right now, about a girl who loves comic books being turned into a fly in the boys’ locker room. I love Lockhart, but I’ll admit this one hasn’t won me over at all yet. ---
**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 19, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/74 "2016-09-19T18:51:31Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I started and finished Daddy Long-Legs, by Jean Webster last night. It’s utterly charming and more than slightly creepy and wrong. > > . One of my personal favorites 😃 I’ve read many times when I needed a pick me up. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/75 "2016-09-19T18:52:29Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > One of my personal favorites 😃 I’ve read many times when I needed a pick me up. I can see why. Judy’s voice is really stellar. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/76 "2016-09-19T19:13:01Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I started and finished Daddy Long-Legs, by Jean Webster last night. It’s utterly charming and more than slightly creepy and wrong. I love this, too! I choose to believe that the creepy elements would have been more commonly accepted in that time period (but STILL, right?). I adore how so much of it is still hilarious now, and I love all the details about life at college. And the illustrations. The sequel, _Dear Enemy_, is pretty good if you are interested enough to read a similar book. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/77 "2016-09-19T19:16:50Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I love this, too! I choose to believe that the creepy elements would have been more commonly accepted in that time period (but STILL, right?). I adore how so much of it is still hilarious now, and I love all the details about life at college. And the illustrations. The sequel, _Dear Enemy_, is pretty good if you are interested enough to read a similar book. The illustrations cracked me up. My particular favorite was the swimming with a rope one. She warned me she looked like a spider, but I still laughed out loud on the Metro this morning. ---
**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 19, 2016, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/78 "2016-09-19T22:04:04Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I love this, too! I choose to believe that the creepy elements would have been more commonly accepted in that time period (but STILL, right?). I adore how so much of it is still hilarious now, and I love all the details about life at college. And the illustrations. The sequel, _Dear Enemy_, is pretty good if you are interested enough to read a similar book. Which creepy elements are we talking about? ---
**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, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/79 "2016-09-20T04:16:23Z")
I’ve started two new books. _The Jews in America_ by Arthur Hertzberg is a somewhat dry history, but on a subject I know little about. _Sharp Objects_ by Gillian Flynn is her first novel, about a troubled young female reporter for a Chicago newspaper who returns to her quiet little Missouri hometown to cover a murder… or is it murder_s?_ So far, so good for both. ---
**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 20, 2016, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519/80 "2016-09-20T14:17:26Z")
Finished _The Secret Life of the American Musical_. It mostly deconstructed the roles different types of songs play in telling a story on stage. If you have some familiarity with the shows talked about, you’ll obviously like the book more. Mostly it was Fiddler on the Roof, Hairspray, The Music Man, Carousel, Gypsy, Little Shop of Horrors, Book of Mormon, Oklahoma, Hamilton, Guys & Dolls, My Fair Lady…Well, that’s all I can think of right now. Started this morning on [The Creeping Shadow](https://www.amazon.com/Lockwood-Book-Four-Creeping-Shadow/dp/1484709675/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1474380926&sr=1-1&keywords=the+creeping+shadow), book 4 of the Lockwood and Company series by Jonathan Stroud. When I picked it up at the library, the librarian said, “Oh, I started this last night!” and we suddenly had a whole lot to chat about. If there hadn’t been a line, we’d probably still be talking. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadajis-whatcha-readin-thread-september-2016-edition/764519.md?page=5)