# Whatcha Readin' August 2011 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2011, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916 "2011-07-31T11:32:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/101 "2011-08-20T15:47:48Z")
I just finished “Under Heaven” by Guy Kay and loved it. He writes ‘almost’ historical fiction. I say almost because although the novel takes place in what is obviously China in the Tang dynasty, he tweaks the setting and introduces elements of fantasy-i.e. this world has two moons. The writing is wonderful and I couldn’t put it down. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/102 "2011-08-20T15:55:37Z")
Deleted because it was a double post. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/103 "2011-08-20T16:40:10Z")
Almost finished with [The Fate of Katherine Carr](http://www.amazon.com/Fate-Katherine-Carr-Thomas-Cook/dp/0151014019) by Thomas Cook. It’s the third I’ve read by him, and like the other two, it’s about an old mystery or secret. In this one, a writer whose son was murdered several years ago is investigating a disappearance. One mystery I can’t figure out is why his books are called “Otto Penzler” mysteries, because there’s no Otto Penzler in the books. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/104 "2011-08-21T06:05:38Z")
[Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney](http://www.amazon.com/Fab-Intimate-Life-Paul-McCartney/dp/0306817837) by Howard Sounes. It’s OK, nothing outstanding so far (I’m only up to 1964) but a decent biog of P McC. I’ve read a shit-ton of books about the Beatles over the years, so there’s not much that’s news to me, but on the whole I’d say it’s one of the better individual Beatle biogs. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/105 "2011-08-21T14:01:42Z")
Finished _Heartsick_ by Chelsea Cain and now starting _Cold Vengeance_ by Preston and Child. **koeeoaddi** , I understand your rant and you’re totally right, but I mostly just go with the flow. _Wheel of Darkness_ pissed me off the most, and after that I just decided I’m reading them for the entertainment value. And I definitely liked _Still Life with Crows_, though there were a lot who didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/106 "2011-08-21T15:26:52Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Finished _Heartsick_ by Chelsea Cain and now starting _Cold Vengeance_ by Preston and Child. **koeeoaddi** , I understand your rant and you’re totally right, but I mostly just go with the flow. Just finished it last night and though I’ve been stomping around the house all morning shrieking with outrage, goddammit, I’m still probably going to read the next one. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/107 "2011-08-21T16:19:14Z")
Finished _Demons Not Included: A Night Tracker Novel_ a very mediocre urban fantasy. My common complaint of a little too much ookie sex and a little too predictable of a plot means that I wish I hadn’t bought all three at once. (When will I learn?) Finished _Ancient Awakening (The Ancient)_ another urban fantasy (this time with a male protagonist, finally.) This was OK, especially given that I paid 99 cents for it. Demons return to the earth every couple of hundred years or so (on a cycle) and _The Ancient_ is reborn to battle them. (Not reborn so much as returned to earth.) He can be killed and can die, but apparently will be sent back when he is needed.) I may purchase more in the series, but only if I continue in my current situation where I have too much spare time during my day job. ---
**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 22, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/108 "2011-08-22T16:21:54Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > …One mystery I can’t figure out is why his books are called “Otto Penzler” mysteries, because there’s no Otto Penzler in the books. Named after a publisher and mystery bookshop owner: [Otto Penzler - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Penzler) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/109 "2011-08-22T16:43:15Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I just finished rereading the first and reading for the first time the second two books in _The Parasol Protectorate_ series by Gail Carriger. _Soulless, Changeless_, and _Blameless_; Read the first one of these but was disappointed. The Victorian conceit is good, but I’m not sure how many more “slightly paranormal human female proves irresistible to the studly Creature of the Night” romance novels the world really needs. There was too little mystery/adventure and far too much bodice ripping and heavy breathing for my taste. The last couple of pages in particular were just embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/110 "2011-08-23T20:29:01Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. An apocolyptic tale, fairly short. Don’t know how he got so much out of so little, but it moved me. > Rereading Morgan Llywelyn & Barbara Kingsolver books right now. > Gonna try Bloodroot by Bill Loehfelm & Bone Harvest by Mary Logue next—I must be feeling goulish this month. Bloodroot was great & I recommend it. Quit reading Bone Harvest…about as exciting as watching vanilla ice cream melt. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/111 "2011-08-23T22:33:30Z")
About halfway through _The Guns of August_ by Barbara Tuchman. I reread _The Proud Tower_ a few weeks ago so I guess I reading these in reverse order. Just started _How the Mind Works_ by Steven Pinker. Looks interesting and I’ve enjoyed other books he’s written. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/112 "2011-08-24T14:08:50Z")
Finished **The Poisoner’s Handbook** last night, and ready for something lighter. Dove into the beginning of the Craig Shaw Gardner’s “Cineverse” series this morning; it’s a humorous adventure series about a person who uses a cereal-box-prize decoder ring to enter a world of classic B-movie tropes. The first book is [**Slaves of the Volcano God**](http://www.amazon.com/Slaves-Volcano-Cineverse-Cycle-Reel/dp/0441769772/). ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/113 "2011-08-24T21:34:07Z")
About a quarter of the way through Stephen King’s “The Stand”. I like it so far, even if it’s disturbingly gory at points. I also read the first 30 pages of Hemingway’s “For whom the bell tolls” and nearly fell asleep. It’s pretty vague, but from what I can tell, someone is going to blow up a bridge at some point. And there’s a guy who has a bunch of horses for whatever reason. When a book fails to bring compelling characters or a hint of an interesting story in the first two chapters, I don’t relish the thought of another 500 pages of boring crap. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/114 "2011-08-24T23:12:22Z")
> [@Stauderhorse](#): > > About a quarter of the way through Stephen King’s “The Stand”. I like it so far, even if it’s disturbingly gory at points. I also read the first 30 pages of Hemingway’s “For whom the bell tolls” and nearly fell asleep. It’s pretty vague, but from what I can tell, someone is going to blow up a bridge at some point. And there’s a guy who has a bunch of horses for whatever reason. When a book fails to bring compelling characters or a hint of an interesting story in the first two chapters, I don’t relish the thought of another 500 pages of boring crap. There were parts of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” that had me literally on the edge of my seat, turning pages as fast as I could read. I can’t remember if I thought it was dull in the beginning, but I do know that it gradually sneaked up on me, took over my life for how ever many days it took to read it and wound up being among the best books I ever read. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/115 "2011-08-25T01:51:12Z")
Stauderhorse, read the long paragraph about a page or so into Chapter 37 and get back to us. One of the best-written sex scenes ever - kinda like the shower murder in Psycho: shows nothing but engages you fully. Read a fun cyber thriller called Daemon by Daniel Suarez - tech dude dies which kicks off a latent program to take over The World!! Also read former Intel CEO’s book Only the Paranoid Survive - incredibly well written and insightful…if you really care and dig into business strategy. Reading Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad - won a National Book Award (maybe a Pulitzer?) last year? Well written but so far a bunch of narrators whining over missed opportunities now that there in middle age. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/116 "2011-08-25T03:10:35Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Stauderhorse, read the long paragraph about a page or so into Chapter 37 and get back to us. One of the best-written sex scenes ever - kinda like the shower murder in Psycho: shows nothing but engages you fully. That…was a lot of "now"s. I wouldn’t have even known that was a sex scene if you hadn’t told me. This book has way too vague of a writing style for my taste; I actually like to know what the characters are _doing_ at any point in the book. I get the feeling this book isn’t for me. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/117 "2011-08-25T14:22:07Z")
In continuing my classic sci-fi journey, I’m half way through \*The Forever War \*by Joe Haldeman. I’m liking it a lot. I think I read an abridged version a long time ago because it’s very familiar but seems like this version has more battle scenes. It’s supposed to basically be Viet Nam set in outer space, but for someone like me who was not alive during Viet Nam, it’s just a cool space war story. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/118 "2011-08-25T15:08:15Z")
> [@TheShrike23](#): > > I’m around 100 pages from finishing SPIN by Robert Charles Wilson. I found out after I started reading it that it is the 1st of a trilogy, so I will probably read the next 2 books in the series next. > > SPIN is a science fiction novel set in the not-too-distant future and revolves around 3 main characters, Tyler and his best friends, Diane & Jason, fraternal twins with a drunken mother and a powerful father involved in aerospace & politics. We follow them as they grow up from 15-year-old kids when the “spin” happens (one night the stars suddenly disappear) through adulthood as the each deal with the effects of it. I would say it’s equal parts character driven and science fiction idea/plot driven. Very good so far and I hope the sequels are up to its standards. > > Greg I just finished the Trilogy with Vortex, which was fantastic. IMHO the books keep getting better throughout. I liked SPIN but I actually thought it was the weakest of the three books. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/119 "2011-08-25T15:13:17Z")
Just finished _Light from a Dying Star_ by Mary McGarry Morris. A summer in the life of a teenage girl who has information about a murder which, if she tells, will be a problem for her family. Nice pacing and realistic dialogue but ultimately unsatisfying. Something was missing. Just started _Dove Season_ by Johnny Shaw, which I’m loving. A 30-year-old man goes home to the Imperial Valley because his father’s dying. Dad’s deathbed wish is for him to go to Mexico to find a certain prostitute. It’s noir-y but with heart, and the main character is someone I’d like to know in real life. It’s published by Amazon Encore, which is new to me. Apparently Amazon publishes previously self-published books that they think didn’t get enough attention. ---
**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 25, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916/120 "2011-08-25T15:49:02Z")
I just finished _Revelation Space_, by Alastair Reynolds. It’s a hard sci-fi space opera: far future setting; galactic exploration at sub-light speeds; long-lost alien civilizations. I’ve seen the book highly recommended, but I was disappointed with the writing. The plot held my interest well enough, and there were lots of cool science and technology concepts, but the characterization was weak and the dialogue was terrible. Afterwards I felt the need for a vastly different genre, so I’m reading _Mansfield Park_. The movie has been on cable lately, so I had been thinking about it. So far I like Miss Crawford, the heroine’s competition, better than I like the heroine, Fanny Price. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-august-2011-edition/590916.md?page=7)