# The Return Of... So what are you reading? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107 "2003-02-24T05:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Solomon7t](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Solomon7t](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solomon7t)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/1 "2003-02-24T05:30:40Z")
I havent really posted in a long time but it appears there isnt a current reading thread anymore. Heres my list of current books and my opinion on them: -_Eating Chinese Food Naked_ by Mei Ng This is the story of a chinese immigrant family living in America. I am only about 15 pages into it but it seems like a depressing tale of a disfunctional family trying to survive. -_Memoirs Of A Revolutionist_ by Peter Kropotkin Kroptkin was one of the most important anarchist revolutionists in russian in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. _Memoirs_ is an autobiographical account of his life and describes in detail his beliefs on everything. What books is everyone else reading? discuss. ---
**Author:** ![Fibber\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Fibber\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibber_McGee)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/2 "2003-02-24T05:39:22Z")
-_Cryptonomicon_ by Neil Stephenson A book in the Stephen King tradition (i.e. probably twice as long as it needs to be) about code-breakers during WWII and the adventures of their granchildren in the present day. The books has a tendency to go off on a lot of rambling tangents, but since they’re generally _entertaining_ rambling tangents it’s forgivable. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/3 "2003-02-24T05:43:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fibber McGee \* > \*\*-_Cryptonomicon_ by Neil Stephenson > A book in the Stephen King tradition (i.e. probably twice as long as it needs to be) about code-breakers during WWII and the adventures of their granchildren in the present day. The books has a tendency to go off on a lot of rambling tangents, but since they’re generally _entertaining_ rambling tangents it’s forgivable. \*\* Not by me. I read 100 pages. A friend borrowed it. Never bothered to ask for it back. And I’m not “sciencephobic”. Just TOO big a novel for a pseudo-scientific thriller. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/4 "2003-02-24T05:50:56Z")
I’m reading _Year Zero_ by Jeff Long. It’s a speculative novel about a plague with 100% mortality. The disease started when someone opened a vial in a relic that contained blood from the time of Christ. One of the main characters is a child prodigy geneticist that does such things as mixing human and frog DNA to create a sort of amphibian ape and cloning people from bones found in the newly discovered charnel pit at Golgotha and from the jawbone of a Neandethal. She can accelerate the clones’ growth to adulthood, and they somehow retain some memories of their first lives. The other is a disgraced mountaineer/archaeologist who has to escape from a Nepalese prison and trek across a plague-stricken Asia alone to get back to America. I’m about a third into it, and am really hoping he makes it make sense, somehow. It is clearly an attempt at science fiction by someone who knows little about science and not much about SF. He puts in way too many far-out elements for the world to seem real in any way. But I’m one of those people who generally will finish a book once I start it, even if it doesn’t seem very good, so I’ll keep going. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/5 "2003-02-24T05:53:37Z")
Just finished _Divine Secrets of Ya Ya Sisterhood_, which was suprisingly good. I put off reading it for a long time because I thought it would be smarmy. It wasn’t. Currently reading _Pillars of the World_ by Ken Follett, _Elvenblood_ by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton, _Crossroads to Twilight_ by Robert Jordan, and _The Queen’s Gambit_ by Deborah Chester. (Do you see a pattern developing?) I have been floundering for something good to read, suggestion are welcome. Preferably a big thick book that I can sit up all night reading. I will soon have much more free time since Buffy isn’t going to be on anymore. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/6 "2003-02-24T05:53:38Z")
I’m reading the Kate Seredy novels The Good Master and The Singing Tree. I was recently reunited with these books via one of the “Identify from a vague description” thread here on the Dope. I’m also reading Infinite Jest, but that’s sort of a multi-year hobby. ---
**Author:** ![Mole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/7 "2003-02-24T06:02:26Z")
_The Great Escape_ by Paul Brickhill More than 600 men work together on a daring escape from a WWII German POW camp. Later made into a movie in 1963 starring Steve McQueen. ---
**Author:** ![JerseyDiamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8491ac/32.png) [@JerseyDiamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyDiamond)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/8 "2003-02-24T06:11:42Z")
I just finished Friday, by Robert Heinlein, and enjoyed it until the action stopped and… well, I won’t spoil the ending. I just didn’t care for it. Next, I’m probably going to start one of the Tom Clancy books that I haven’t read yet. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/9 "2003-02-24T06:12:58Z")
Sorry, that was me, not Jerseydiamond. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/10 "2003-02-24T06:14:59Z")
This is the first time one of these threads have come up when I’m actually reading something! I’m in the middle of _The Orchid Thief_ by Susan Orlean, which I started reading almost immediately after I saw _Adaptation_. I’m really enjoying it so far, and I’m surprised that it’s not nearly as dry as the movie makes it seem. Turns out the movie’s not that bad an adaptation after all. ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/11 "2003-02-24T12:28:33Z")
I am currently reading _The Father Thing_ by Philip K Dick. It is a collection of some of his short stories. The quality varies from ok to really great. The stories are short enough that I can usually read one on my daily commute. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/12 "2003-02-24T12:39:42Z")
Currently in the middle of _The Subtle Knife_, book two in the _His Dark Materials_ trilogy by Philip Pullman - an amazing series of books for children. Next book up is _The Amber Spyglass_, which is the third in the series. I’ve also got a pile of books by my bed that I’m dipping into occasionally, including _The Orchid House_ by Phyllis Shand-Allfrey, _A Caribbean Life_, Phyllis Shand-Allfrey’s biography by Lizbeth Paravascini-Gebert (sp?), _The Road to McCarthy_ by Pete McCarthy, _All the Blood is Red_ by Leone Ross, _Guns, Germs and Steel_ by Jared Diamond, and _The Trial of Henry Kissenger_ by Christopher Hitchens. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/13 "2003-02-24T12:54:34Z")
Rereading Wyrd Sisters and Moving Pictures by Pratchett. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/14 "2003-02-24T13:00:00Z")
**Dune** by Frank Herbert. I tried reading it twice before over the years, but never got into it. Now it’s working for me. A couple of days ago I finished **Day of the Triffids** by John Wyndham. Last week I read **The Diamond Age** by Neal Stephenson, and the week before that I read Rudyard Kipling’s **The Jungle Books**. I started **War and Peace**. I’ll probably pick that one up again in a couple of weeks. **A Clockwork Orange** is on its way. I just love Easton Press books. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/15 "2003-02-24T13:17:26Z")
Heinlein’s _Double Star_. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/16 "2003-02-24T13:18:06Z")
I’m reading two. **The man who stayed behind** by _Sidney Rittenberg_ and _Amanda Bennett_. A remarkable book about how Rittenberg lived in China during and after the civil war. Became a member of the Party and hung around with people like Mao Zedong. The most enjoyable and informative book I’ve read in a long time. Thanks **jjimm** 😉 **American Tabloid** by _James Ellroy_. I read a lot of Ellroy a few years ago and got tired of his style and content but enjoyed the books. Really enjoying this though. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/17 "2003-02-24T13:27:59Z")
_The Art of Happiness_ by the Dalai Lama. ---
**Author:** ![auliya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@auliya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auliya)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/18 "2003-02-24T13:29:54Z")
Currently reading [The Burning City](http://www.larryniven.org/reviews/burning_city_review.htm) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Just finished [The Barbed Coil](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1857235681/ref=br_lf_b_h__6/202-5933446-0483038) by JV Jones. Both are very good. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/19 "2003-02-24T13:31:06Z")
**If Chins Could Kill** , by Bruce Campbell. He’s the star of various B-movies (including the _Evil Dead_ series) and of TV’s _Brisco County, Jr._ I’m enjoying it immensely – he’s an entertaining guy. He comes off as a pretty earthy, decent fellow, and not at all arrogant. ---
**Author:** ![Sebhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@Sebhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sebhal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107/20 "2003-02-24T13:33:21Z")
Currently reading Dostoyevsky’s _Crime and Punishment_. Good enough so that I enjoy it when I pick it up, but not gripping enough to make me want to read it every spare second. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-return-of-so-what-are-you-reading/157107.md?page=2)