# Whatcha Readin' August 2010 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 2, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894 "2010-08-02T14:59:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/141 "2010-08-27T02:06:17Z")
> [@Parenchyma](#): > > The BPL was missing only volume 10 (_Far Side of the World_) as a downloadable MP3 file so I had to ferret out a copy elsewhere on CDs and the only version around was the Patrick Tull. After 9 volumes I was imprinted on Vance so Tull just seemed so wrong. Had I started all the books with him as narrator I might have liked him. He is definitely more breezy and “hup, hup” than Vance. I don’t remember if it took a while to accept all of Vance’s characterizations, but by now I embrace them all, even Stephen (see what I did there?). I doubt I’ll ever watch the movie as I’m not a Russell Crowe fan and don’t want him taking over my mental images. I think I read that Tull is the only person who has recorded them all. I saw the movie first, and then I read all of the books. It was really hard for me to accept that Stephen was small and ugly, because I had Paul Bettany in my head. I’m slowly going through the series on audio books now, whenever we have a long car trip. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/142 "2010-08-27T05:14:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > …I dunno, maybe I just choose my books carefully, but I can’t remember the last time I started a book I ended up feeling was no good… Well, there are some books I feel I just have to take a stab at, esp. selections of my book club. We each take turns picking books, and sometimes my friends pick books that don’t appeal to me. But I at least give them 50 pages’ worth of my attention. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/143 "2010-08-27T14:24:43Z")
I finished _Johannes Cabal the Detective_ this morning, the sequel to Jonathan Howard’s _Johannes Cabal the Necromancer_. I cannot recommend both books enough! The first is a Faust retelling, where Johannes makes a bet with the devil to win back his soul… and becomes proprietor of a demonic carnival as a result. _JC the Detective_ is a murder mystery on board a steam-punk-esque dirigible. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/144 "2010-08-27T14:30:25Z")
I have fallen off the wagon and started reading romances again. SIX YEARS SOBER and in a moment of weakness at the library one CALLED TO ME. Now I’ve read three in a week. I feel so dirty. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/145 "2010-08-27T14:42:59Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > I finished _Johannes Cabal the Detective_ this morning, the sequel to Jonathan Howard’s _Johannes Cabal the Necromancer_. I cannot recommend both books enough! The first is a Faust retelling, where Johannes makes a bet with the devil to win back his soul… and becomes proprietor of a demonic carnival as a result. _JC the Detective_ is a murder mystery on board a steam-punk-esque dirigible. Hmmmm. Based on your enthusiasm I may give it a try. I was only luke-warm on the first book. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/146 "2010-08-27T14:43:45Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > _JC the Detective_ is a murder mystery on board a steam-punk-esque dirigible. I liked the first one, looking forward to this as well. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/147 "2010-08-28T00:14:39Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > I have fallen off the wagon and started reading romances again. > > SIX YEARS SOBER and in a moment of weakness at the library one CALLED TO ME. > Now I’ve read three in a week. > > I feel so dirty. Try [these](http://www.worldoflongmire.com/features/romance_novels/index.htm). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/148 "2010-08-28T01:52:16Z")
Just finished _Mockingjay_, also reading _This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians can save us all_. Along with something else that I can’t remember at the moment…it’s a re-read, I know that. Hmmm. _shrug_ no idea. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/149 "2010-08-28T03:20:15Z")
(Cross-posted from the Raff, because I’m too lazy to rewrite.) I really liked this one. It didn’t have quite the emotional impact of _Peace Like A River_, but that one was almost _too_ emotional. It’s set in 1910. Monte Becket lives on a riverbank in Minnesota with his wife Suzanne (an artist) and their young son Redstart. When the story starts, Monte has writer’s block. He’s written one very successful novel but it’s been five years, and his publisher is bugging him for a new one. Monte gets acquainted with a neighbor, Glendon Hale. Glendon is an outlaw who’s been law-abiding for 20 years. Glendon wants to return to Mexico to apologize to the wife he left behind, and he convinces Monte to go with him. They’re chased by Charlie Siringa, an ex-Pinkerton who reminded me of a slightly mellower Anton Chigurh. 🙂 Adventures ensue, some funny, some tragic. The book was very satisfying, with some excellent characterization. But beware – Angelina Jolie didn’t like it. Would you believe she’s on Goodreads? Me neither! When does she have time to read? Reviews at Goodreads are mixed, but honestly, I don’t see what people are bitching about. Some of them complained that it was meandering and that new characters kept popping up. For pete’s sake, it’s about a cross-country trip! That’s what happens! ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/150 "2010-08-28T04:04:41Z")
Beach reading this week is Steve Mc Queen: Kind of Cool, Tales of a Lurid Life by Darwin Porter. It’s totally lascivious but in a slavering, ugly sort of way that makes me wonder if the author wasn’t projecting a lot of his fantasies onto naughty Steve. I don’t doubt that much of the material is accurate but the details certainly must be fabricated. So the questions hover unanswered. Will there be enough beach days remaining to finish the book? Because it’s certainly bad form to begin one and not finish it. Will I be able to stomach one more indignity done to young Steve and later passed on to those he used to climb the ladder? Will I have any self-respect left when I turn the last page? And finally, will I be able to resist any more wallowing in the vast library of Hollywood Babylon which Mr. Porter has produced? ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/151 "2010-08-28T22:25:05Z")
Ducking under the wire to post my latest update: FAIL: \*\*We Were the Mulvaneys \*\* by Joyce Carol Oates ~ Ugh. I won’t say what made me finally give it up so I don’t spoiler for anyone who wants to read it but it wasn’t very interesting up to that part anyways. Finished: \*\*The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) \*\*by Rick Riordan ~ Lame. So much potential and it crashed like Pegasus sneaking a glance at Medusa. Shame. I had high hopes for it. The movie was even worse. \*\*Tales of a Louisiana Duck Hunter \*\*by Fielding Lewis ~ I have no idea how this got on my wish list but I suspect it’s because the author is known for reporting an ivory billed woodpecker. Decent hunting stories. **In Search Of Moby Dick: The Quest For The White Whale** by Tim Severin ~ Author visits traditional whale hunters in the South Pacific in his hunt for a ‘white whale’. His name sounds really familiar although I’m sure I haven’t read any of his other books before (but I will now.) **The Briar King (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 1)** by Greg Keyes ~ Reread. Love this series. **The Charnel Prince (Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 2)** by Greg Keyes ~ Reread. **The Blood Knight (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 3)** by Greg Keyes ~ Reread. **The Yearling** by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings ~ Reread. One of my top 10 fave books of all time. Working on: **Lord of Snow and Shadows** (Tears of Artamon, # 1) by Sarah Ash **Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West** by Hampton Sides ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/152 "2010-08-28T23:21:07Z")
> [@Gulo\_gulo](#): > > Ducking under the wire to post my latest update: > > FAIL: \*\*We Were the Mulvaneys \*\* by Joyce Carol Oates ~ Ugh. I won’t say what made me finally give it up so I don’t spoiler for anyone who wants to read it but it wasn’t very interesting up to that part anyways. I’m with you there, that is one my top 10 most hated books. Simply awful. The first and last I’ve ever read by that author. Currently listening to _Water for Elephants_ by Sara Gruen. It’s interesting so far although I’m just getting used to audiobooks in general, having just started to get into them with my longer commute. I just finished, in audiobook format, \* Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook\* by Anthony Bourdain. Entertaining but not as memorable as _The Nasty Bits_ Also reading (on my new Kindle, I’m all about the devices these days!), _Pope Joan_ by Donna Woolfolk Cross. I am about 1/3 the way through, and I am enjoying it so far. Before that, I finished _A Reliable Wife_ by Robert Goolrick which was very good if you want a dark happy ending of sorts and _The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet_ by David Mitchel which had a great beginning and end but a confusing middle. Might be worth a re-read though. Next up, I’ll probably read _A Murderous Procession_ by Ariana Franklin, the latest Mistress of the Art of Death book. I roll my eyes alot when I read these, but I admit, the romance between Adelia and Rowley is hot. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/153 "2010-08-30T13:26:01Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > > > I have fallen off the wagon and started reading romances again. > > > > SIX YEARS SOBER and in a moment of weakness at the library one CALLED TO ME. > > Now I’ve read three in a week. > > > > I feel so dirty. > > Try [these](http://www.worldoflongmire.com/features/romance_novels/index.htm). 😃 HEH. That is good fun! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/154 "2010-08-30T13:29:03Z")
[Pirate Devlin](http://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Devlin-Mark-Keating/dp/0446563900/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283174857&sr=8-1) by Mark Keating is a rollicking good read so far. Hint: It’s about Pirates. AVAST! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/155 "2010-08-30T14:08:13Z")
I’ve made the switch from buying everything I read to using the library. I didn’t think I’d be able to adapt but it’s working out great, mostly because when I dump a book, I don’t feel bad about wasting money. And I don’t have to find a place to put the damn book. I’m dumping _Paradise Alley_ by Kevin Baker. It’s about the Civil War draft riots in New York City. It’s not bad, but I think I’d prefer a nonfiction account. The characters Baker builds the story around just aren’t that interesting, and he’s repeating himself to remind me who they are. Kee-rist, there are only four. _The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks_ is waiting for me at the library, and I might bite the bullet and read Dean Koontz’s _Watchers_. A few people in my book group say it’s his best book. ---
**Author:** ![Null\_Summit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7993a0/32.png) [@Null\_Summit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Null_Summit)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/156 "2010-08-30T21:44:32Z")
_Power Hungry: The Myths of “Green” energy and the Real Fuels of the Future by Robert Bryce_. Interesting book on energy production and policy. You have to read carefully as he sometimes uses relative values and at other times absolute values when making his argument. Regardless, his larger points about energy production, use and policy are well substantiated. _Paying the Tab by Phillip Cook_. Great book about alcohol’s costs (and benefits) to society. Professor Cook, an economist, provides a pretty thorough review of the current research to date (he includes information on prohibition, excise taxes, drinking habits, alcohol regulation, etc.). He also looks at how alcohol raises costs to society by increasing the amount of violence, suicides, STDs, etc. He weighs this against the cardiovascular benefits for moderate drinkers. Of great interest to me was how difficult it is for researchers to untwine the causes of a myriad of externalities associated with alcohol use (even with lots of data and a well established regulatory framework for the production, distribution and sales of alcohol!). A very even handed and thoughtful take on the subject. \*Private Truths, Public Lies by Timur Kuran. \* This is the one I’m focused on at the present moment. He examines the implications associated with “preference falsifiction” (i.e. the phenomenon of saying you hold an opinion different than the one you actually hold because of social pressures). Really enjoying this one so far. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894/157 "2010-08-31T12:35:01Z")
[September’s thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12860827#post12860827) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2010-edition/548894.md?page=7)