# Okay, whatcha readin' \*now\*?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 20, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779 "2007-05-20T01:42:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/1 "2007-05-20T01:42:03Z")
Just finished one of **Koeeoaddi** ’s recommendations: _The Thirteenth Tale_ by Diane Setterfield. (It presented itself quite unexpectedly at the library – the last book on the last shelf of the “new fiction” section – when I’d just gone in hoping to find a novel or two.)
Wonderful old-fashioned storytelling – a woman (I was going to say “a young woman,” but that much isn’t entirely clear) is summoned to the home (on the moors, natch) of Britain’s most famous and beloved novelist. The woman, well into her 80s and approaching death, is finally ready to tell the truth about her life. Perhaps. It’s a long story, and a complicated one, that comes out little by little and resonates with her amanuensis’s own … issues.
Total page-turner – I spent the day lolling on the sofa reading. Highly recommended.
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### Author:  [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/2 "2007-05-20T02:01:16Z")
I’m finishing **The Aerodrome** , by Rex Warner. A Brit novel from 1941 that examines the glamour of fascism through Symbolism, one of Anthony Burgess’ choices as the best 100 novels between 1900 and 1984.
Also zipped through **Starving Amidst Too Much & Other IWW Writings on the Food Industry**. About Those Who Have Fed the World a Thousand Years versus multi-billionaires and corporate powers, written by such stellar Wobblies as T-Bone Slim and Jack Sheridan.
Next, I plan to re-read Flaubert’s exotic novel **Salammbo** , in the Penguin edition, because I just spent major bucks buying the 1929 hardcover with illustrations by [Mahlon Blaine](http://www.mahlonblaine.com/main.htm), and I want to read a clean copy without breaking crusty old bindings.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/3 "2007-05-20T02:10:26Z")
Right now? This thread.
More generally: _Earth_ by David Brin; _Why the Allies Won_ by Richard Overy; _Resurrection Day_ by Brendan DuBois; _Bizarro and Other Strange Manifestations of the Art of Dan Piraro_; and _1898: The Birth of the American Century_ by David Traxel.
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### Author:  [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/4 "2007-05-20T02:13:19Z")
Gary Geddes - **Kingdom of Ten Thousand Things** - retracing the 5th century travels of a Buddhist monk who started in Kabul and may have ended up in the New World. Geddes has a lot of troubles digging up source materials on his subject so there feels like a strong disconnect between his travels and the ancient journey he’s retracing.
Also Margaret Atwood - **Oryx and Crake**. I’m enjoying it.
Plus I just finished Iain Banks’ **Inversions** which was his last sci-fi novel I hadn’t read, and now I have to wait for him to got off his arse and write another.
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### Author:  [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/5 "2007-05-20T02:14:46Z")
**Jeff** , I’ve got Banks’s \*\*Walking on Glass \*\* sitting in my To-Read pile. Should I move it to the top of the queue?
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### Author:  [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/6 "2007-05-20T02:18:46Z")
I haven’t read it and I’m definitely more fond of his sci-fi novels, so I can’t say.
But yes, move it to the top of the pile and then come back and tell me if it’s worth checking out. 😃
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### Author:  [@Matt\_Holck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt_Holck)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/7 "2007-05-20T02:21:34Z")
[Trouble In Paradise](http://www.violetraven.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1180)
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/8 "2007-05-20T02:26:14Z")
_Royal Flash_, by George MacDonald Fraser. It’s one in the Flashman series that I haven’t read, and I need something like that because we’re leaving on holiday. Although you learn a lot of history in those books for something that’s considered “light” fare. One reason I love the series.
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### Author:  [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/9 "2007-05-20T02:54:18Z")
**Midnight Tides** , the fifth book in Steven Erikson’s Malazan series. I just got started, so I haven’t a clue what it’s about. It’s epic fantasy, lots of intrigue and violence.
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### Author:  [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/10 "2007-05-20T02:55:16Z")
I just finished John Scalzi’s **The Last Colony** , the final entry in his “Old Man’s War” series. It was a pretty good little sci-fi story, but considerably less alien busting than the last two books in the series. But a good ending all the same.
Now, I’m trying to read **Wikinomics** , a book on the wonders of user-collaberation. But I just can’t seem to get over its message of “User-collaberation will change everything and everyone! If your company isn’t doing it, you suck!” It’s taken me weeks just to get 100 pages in and its already tiring. But the stories of user-collaberation projects in between are interesting.
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### Author:  [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/11 "2007-05-20T02:55:42Z")
_The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich_ by William Shirer. I’m on a WWII kick right now- and I’m learning things about Hitler that I didn’t know before (he wasn’t the top guy right out of the starting gate in '33- he had to use the law to his advantage to get to the top).
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### Author:  [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/12 "2007-05-20T03:32:22Z")
Second Stage Lensman, book 5 of ol’ E.E. “Doc” Smiths Lensman series (Qadgop the Mercotan makes his appearance in book 6, Children of the Lens, if you’re interested).
I recently discovered that I’ve read less than half the Lensman books so set out to remedy that situation, and was quite impressed with the writing in Galactic Patrol.
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### Author:  [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/13 "2007-05-20T04:02:40Z")
[Farewell the Trumpets](http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Trumpets-Imperial-Retreat-Harvest/dp/0156302861/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8930792-2628647?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179633577&sr=8-1), last in Jan Morris’ amazing Pax Brittanica trilogy. Some of the best, most evocative writing I’ve ever encountered, not to mention fascinating stories and personalities. Highly recommended.
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### Author:  [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/14 "2007-05-20T04:05:07Z")
**The Light Fantastic** by Terry Pratchett. Just finished **Color of Magic** about 15 minutes ago.
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### Author:  [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/15 "2007-05-20T04:19:08Z")
[QUOTE=Captain\_C]
**The Light Fantastic** by Terry Pratchett. Just finished **Color of Magic** about 15 minutes ago.
[/QUOTE]
I’m working on \*\*The Color of Magic \*\*also. This is due to all the hype given by the Dope. I’m also reading Cormac McCarthy’s **The Road** , once again due to the SDMB thread.
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### Author:  [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/16 "2007-05-20T04:21:14Z")
I’m reading **The world of Jeeves** , a big collection of Jeeves and Wooster stories by P.G. Wodehouse; and **Misquoting Jesus** by Bart Ehrman.
I just finished an excellent novel by Lori Lansens called **The Girls** , about a pair of craniopagus twins (joined at the temple).
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### Author:  [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/17 "2007-05-20T04:59:58Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict]
I’m working on \*\*The Color of Magic \*\*also. This is due to all the hype given by the Dope. I’m also reading Cormac McCarthy’s **The Road** , once again due to the SDMB thread.
[/QUOTE]
/threadjack
Let me tell you, I’m about ready to throw this down and go dig out my copy of **Small Gods** or **Night Watch**. These have gotta be the worst discworld books I have read so far. I think the only thing that will make me finish them is the hope that this is actually going somewhere instead of “Let’s see what zany thing happens to the main character next!” But the debate of this is probably more appropriate for another thread.
/threadjack
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### Author:  [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/18 "2007-05-20T05:27:32Z")
[QUOTE=Captain\_C]
**The Light Fantastic** by Terry Pratchett. Just finished **Color of Magic** about 15 minutes ago.
[/QUOTE]
I finished that before I went to bed yesterday. I started \*\*Equal Rites \*\* tonight.
I also started the series because of all the hype here. I loved the first two books and I have high hopes for the third.
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### Author:  [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/19 "2007-05-20T08:54:04Z")
Please, new Pratchett readers, don’t base your opinion of his work on those first few novels. The fantasy parodies that Pratchett started as become less of a crutch as the series develops. If you’re a fantasy fan the first five (not counting Mort which shows some signs of the later quality) are perfectly readable. It’s around book six where Pratchett starts really showing his growth. Every Pratchett fan has a different opinion, but I think Weird Sisters, Guards Guards, and Reaper Man are the places to start if you haven’t read any of it before.
Now I’ve posted in this thread and have to give a real answer. I’m currently re-reading Stranger in a Strange Land as I read through all the Hugo winning novels in order. Next up for me is The Wanderer which I have not read before and I’m looking forward to it.
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2007, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-whatcha-readin-now/404779/20 "2007-05-20T08:59:34Z")
I’m working my way through Martin Gilbert’s **Second World War** , but it’s heavy going and I’m looking at my copy of H. Beam Piper’s **The Complete Paratime** and thinking I might start on that this evening as well.
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