# Whatcha Readin' Dec 2012 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625 "2012-11-30T23:38:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/141 "2012-12-30T19:06:10Z")
Right now I’m reading _Miss Buncle’s Book_, by D. E. Stevenson. The plot is somewhat like _Peyton Place_–someone who lives in a community writes a roman a clef about its secrets. This book was written in the 1930’s, so the “secrets” are tamer than the ones in _Peyton Place_. Interestingly, this copy, which I got through inter-library loan, was a gift to the library in 1938. These days, books given to libraries are generally sold, but maybe they couldn’t be so picky during the Great Depression. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/142 "2012-12-30T19:29:09Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > _Team of Rivals_, Doris Kearns Goodwin (biography of Lincoln, if you don’t know). Can’t believe I’m still slogging through this, and am less than 50% of the way done. Interesting read, but one weighty tome. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/143 "2012-12-30T19:58:07Z")
Started _Redemption Falls_ by Joseph O’Connor. > [@](#): > > In this vibrant literary collage, O’Connor illuminates a slice of the Civil War and Reconstruction. The stories of Eliza Mooney and her younger brother, Jeremiah, are intertwined in this enthralling saga with those of General James O’Keefe and his wealthy wife, Lucia, through letters, personal accounts, transcripts, newspaper articles, and miscellany. As the bloody war ends, Eliza—worldly wise beyond her teenage years—sets out on foot from Baton Rouge to find her only remaining kin, a boy who emerges from battle to become the surrogate son of the general, whose failure on the Union battlefield earns him the job of acting governor of an untamed mountain territory. The stories—of O’Keeffe’s disreputable past, Lucia’s temptation during her husband’s absence, Eliza’s torturous journey, and the horrors of war witnessed by Jeremiah—are vivid and tumultuous, coursing to a bloody climax. Although Irish immigrant participation in the Civil War is a central theme, O’Connor also shows the rich diversity of a country torn by civil conflict. The first chapter focuses on Eliza, and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to keep reading. I saw what she saw and felt what she felt, but it was all in her head, without any solid connections. I was re-reading paragraphs, wondering what O’Connor was trying to tell me, and longing for some simple descriptions and maybe even some dialogue. Then it got better. Way better. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/144 "2012-12-30T20:28:23Z")
A bunch of stuff on my Kindle, mostly. I have read some former-Christians-who-deconverted-and-went-atheist books, like _Why I Believed_ and _The Bad People Stole my God_. Also some wacky short fiction by John H. Carroll, and some samples from _Wonder, Les Miserables, The Life of Pi_. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/145 "2012-12-30T22:37:28Z")
Finished _The Silmarillion_ and Tolkein’s _Unfinished Tales_, and just started [Empire State](http://www.amazon.com/Empire-State-Adam-Christopher/dp/0857661930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356906668&sr=8-1&keywords=empire+state), the debut novel by Adam Christopher. It’s a Golden Age comic-type pulp noir in novel format, set in an alternate universe New York during Prohibition. I don’t really know what the plot is yet (I’m only about 50 pages in and was compelled to get it by the cover art more than anything else), but I gather it revolves around a detective named Rad Bradley and a couple of former superhero partners-turned-enemies. The writing’s a bit uneven, especially for the dialogue, where the author tries a bit too hard to be Dashiell Hammett, but it’s interesting, so I’ll keep with it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/146 "2012-12-30T23:42:56Z")
I’m currently reading [The End of Growth](http://www.amazon.ca/The-End-Growth-Jeff-Rubin/dp/030736089X) by Jeff Rubin - it’s sort of like global economics with a heavy emphasis on oil for dummies. The section I’m currently reading is basically a crash course on the Middle East and Northern Africa and how their oil industry relates to the politics and wars that went on there. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/147 "2012-12-31T18:07:35Z")
[New Year’s thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=677325) ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/148 "2013-01-01T02:30:51Z")
Well, since one of my Reading Resolutions for 2013 is to write some sort of review for every book I read (the other is to whittle down MountToBeRead - books I own & haven’t yet read - towering at 160ish volumes) - here’s some quick reviews of the last couple of books I’ve gotten thru: _**[The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33458.The_Lust_Lizard_of_Melancholy_Cove)**_ - early Christopher Moore - it’s a fun story, with quirky characters and weird occurrences, but I like his later works, when he puts some satirical meat on the bones of his stories. _**[The Wreck of the River of Stars](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1701775.The_Wreck_of_The_River_of_Stars)**_ by Michael Flynn. A recco from **Eleanor of Aquataine** and I’d read & really enjoyed another work of his - _Eifelheim_. This novel wasn’t quite as high-rated, IMHO, but has some really good character development and, despite the apparent spoiler of a title, a compelling story. I put it on my “sf-tech” shelf on Goodreads, as technology plays an important role in the story. The setting ends up being as much a character as the actual ones - in that respect (and the “sf-tech” element), it reminds me of Larry Niven’s \*Ringworld \*or John Varley’s \*Titan \*series. Picked up the audio version of Brandon Sanderson’s novellette _**[Legion](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13452375-legion)**_ for free over on Audible - and I hope he does more with this character! Stephen Leeds has an intriguing mental condition that allows him to “split” his mental capacity into multiple characters, each with specialized skills. These personalities converse with him and provide insight into the problems that people bring to him. This episode deals with a missing camera that apparently takes pictures of historical events. The plot itself has an interesting premise, and I loved the conversations between Stephen and his personalities; however, the action felt a bit rushed and kinda fell flat at the end. I’d give it a 4/5 stars for concept, but only 2/5 on execution - so that averages to 3. As I said, I think Leeds has a lot of potential and I’d like to see a collection of his “cases”. I read about _**[Mrs Queen Takes the Train](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13571784-mrs-queen-takes-the-train)**_ in the Shelf Awareness newsletter from 11 Dec 2012 - while I’m not a Royal-phile, the concept sounded intriguing: Queen Elizabeth sneaks out of Buckingham Palace to visit the decomissioned royal yacht, docked in Edinburgh. A couple of minor staff members (and a cheese shop employee) discover she’s gone walkabout and set out to find her and bring her back safely. William Kuhn paints a sympathetic portrayal of a woman who has been the symbol of a country for 60+years and feels hemmed in by those expectations. He also draws some quirky supporting characters whose actions, along with those of Mrs. Queen, provide a lively and entertaining story. There’s definitely a British sense of humour in the novel; but Kuhn doesn’t quite “take the piss”, more of a gentle nose-tweaking here and there. ---
**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:** [January 2, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/149 "2013-01-02T18:00:46Z")
I loved Lust Lizard! And many of the characters turn up again in other books, particularly in The Stupidest Angel ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/150 "2013-01-03T18:06:41Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Started _Redemption Falls_ by Joseph O’Connor. > > The first chapter focuses on Eliza, and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to keep reading. I saw what she saw and felt what she felt, but it was all in her head, without any solid connections. I was re-reading paragraphs, wondering what O’Connor was trying to tell me, and longing for some simple descriptions and maybe even some dialogue. > > Then it got better. Way better. This sounds great, but I saw that it’s a sequel to something else. Do you think I need to start with the first book? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/151 "2013-01-03T18:13:22Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > This sounds great, but I saw that it’s a sequel to something else. Do you think I need to start with the first book? I didn’t know about the earlier book – _Star of the Sea_ – until I read the author’s note at the end of _Redemption_. O’Connor says it’s not necessary to read _Star_ first. One (maybe two) of the characters appear in both books – that’s all. He’s also writing a third, which will share characters but have a different tone. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/152 "2013-01-03T18:16:00Z")
I’m currently reading [_ **The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer** _](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7170627-the-emperor-of-all-maladies), by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I’m about ¼ of the way through it. It’s a history of the disease of cancer and of how its treatment has evolved through the centuries. So far it’s interesting and a good read. Cancer’s disease history is a topic that might seem grim. For me, it’s work related - I am in software design and development and we develop software medical devices for treating cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625/153 "2013-01-03T18:22:17Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > I’m currently reading [_ **The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer** _](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7170627-the-emperor-of-all-maladies), by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I’m about ¼ of the way through it. It’s a history of the disease of cancer and of how its treatment has evolved through the centuries. So far it’s interesting and a good read. > > Cancer’s disease history is a topic that might seem grim. For me, it’s work related - I am in software design and development and we develop software medical devices for treating cancer. Note: I just found the Jan 2013 thread and posted this same entry there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-dec-2012-edition/642625.md?page=7)