# Whatcha Readin' December 2011 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613 "2011-11-30T21:19:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/61 "2011-12-10T19:48:14Z")
Finished _The Dead Path_ a supernatural thriller. Nicholas Close loses his wife in an odd accident and returns to his native Australia. There he discovers a pattern of murdered children and seeks to uncover the truth. I enjoyed it well enough, but found the ending to be a little trite and (the final) page almost predictable. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/62 "2011-12-10T20:30:15Z")
Yes, I think the book would have been far better off without that epilogue. ---
**Author:** ![Cheerleading\_Dropout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@Cheerleading\_Dropout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheerleading_Dropout)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/63 "2011-12-10T20:51:49Z")
**Uglies** by Scott Westerfeld. It’s surprisingly good, actually. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/64 "2011-12-11T15:06:04Z")
I finished the\*\* Lock Artist\*\* and it was great. I now plan to check out some more of Steve Hamilton’s stuff. I also reread \*\*Dune \*\*and plan to join the new thread on it. I originally read \*\*Dune \*\*in a high school Honors English class (yes, my teacher WAS that cool), so I had mentally labelled it as a “school book.” I was pleasantly surprised to find how action-packed it was. I read Meg Cabot’s **Abandon** and was disappointed in it. She’s usually good for some light, fun teenaged angst. Usually with a supernatural element tossed in. But she really missed the mark here – bad ending, no chemistry between the male and female love interests and meandering plot. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/65 "2011-12-11T18:34:55Z")
I finished\* [Ready Player One](http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline/dp/030788743X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323628285&sr=8-1)\*, and loved it! That was the most fun I’ve had with a book in a long time. I’m now reading [_Case Histories_](http://www.amazon.com/Case-Histories-Novel-Kate-Atkinson/dp/0316033480/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323628311&sr=1-1), which I’ve had on my shelf for a long time, but am now reading because I’m giving that series to my mother for Christmas. So far I’m fascinated. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/66 "2011-12-12T04:38:21Z")
Just finished _**[The Fabric of the Cosmos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fabric_of_the_Cosmos)**_, which was an astoundingly good book on modern physics for the non-physicist. Can anyone recommend a similar book on biology, especially on the nervous system and the brain? I imagine there’s been a lot of progress on understanding the brain since I was in high school. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/67 "2011-12-12T05:21:57Z")
This week I finished two books. The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom to begin with. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, but I didn’t hate it nearly as much as most people rating it on Amazon seemed to. If it hadn’t fallen apart at the end, it might have been pretty good. And Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I really wanted to love this book, but… well, it did teach me a valuable lesson: being “different” in way x,y, or z is **not** enough in the way of character development to satisfy readers. Only Jacob and Emma were fleshed out enough as characters to make you care about them. On the other hand, I love the fact that all the photos in the book (my favorite being the one captioned “This is Why”) were found photos. That’s an awesome motivation for a story. > [@TheMerchandise](#): > > I read Meg Cabot’s **Abandon** and was disappointed in it. She’s usually good for some light, fun teenaged angst. Usually with a supernatural element tossed in. But she really missed the mark here – bad ending, no chemistry between the male and female love interests and meandering plot. I haven’t read **Abandon** , but I adored **The Mediator** series. Check that out if you haven’t given up on her yet. It’s one of the few series that ended on what I consider a picture perfect note. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2011, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/68 "2011-12-12T13:45:45Z")
I started today on Killing Floor, by Lee Child, the first in his Jack Reacher series. Not my usual fare, but recommended by **the lone cashew** , so I’ll give it a shot. So far, so good. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/69 "2011-12-12T13:56:54Z")
I’m currently reading 3 books, depending on my mood. [Towers of Midnight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towers_of_Midnight) by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. I was hoping the final book would be out by now, but no such luck. [Deadtown](http://nancyholzner.wordpress.com/books-2/books/) by Nancy Hozner. So far it’s pretty good, bouncing between the present and the past to explain how Deadtown came to exist, and why there’s a bad ass demon who boils people from the inside out after the main character. [Red Thunder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Thunder_%28novel%29) by John Varley. Set in the near future, it’s a light sci fi tale of a space race between America and China to reach Mars. Unfortunately I’m not in a reading mood right now, so I might read twenty pages between the 3 books in a week. ---
**Author:** ![Keweenaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Keweenaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keweenaw)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/70 "2011-12-12T14:36:55Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > How are you liking it? I’m not a Stephen King fan. I got bored with The Dome about a hundred pages in. I am a fan, and I really liked the Dome, so my opinion might not be in sync with yours. I’m about half way through, I really like it. I’m embarrased to say I’ve never read his 1986 book ‘It’, and I kind of wish I had read that first, since there are some loose tie-ins. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/71 "2011-12-13T14:47:39Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I haven’t read **Abandon** , but I adored **The Mediator** series. Check that out if you haven’t given up on her yet. It’s one of the few series that ended on what I consider a picture perfect note. I did read – and I loved – **The Mediator** series and agree that the ending was exactly what it should have been. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/72 "2011-12-13T19:06:35Z")
Starting _Murder at Deviation Junction_ by Andrew Martin, fourth in a series about a railroad detective in 1900s England. These books haven’t gotten much attention but I really like them. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/73 "2011-12-13T19:18:15Z")
_Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife_ by Francine Prose turned out to be fairly good, although I think the author was a little blinded to the merits of approaches to the material other than her own. It was very interesting, regardless. I would recommend it to anyone who was greatly impacted by reading Anne Frank’s diary. A disappointing book of short stories: _Girls in White Dresses_, by Jennifer Close. I thought this was vapid, 20-something women who are anxious about finding husbands. But a terrific kid’s book: _The Great Wall Of Lucy Wu_, by Wendy Wan-Long Shang. This is a simple story about a Chinese-American sixth grader and her various trials and tribulations, and it’s wonderfully written and very engaging. I highly recommend for people looking for books for 8 - 11 year old readers. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/74 "2011-12-17T23:42:55Z")
Just finished \*After the Apocalypse \*by Maureen McHugh. It’s a collection of short stories. I enjoyed it greatly. Now I have a few magazines to catch up on. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/75 "2011-12-17T23:49:20Z")
Read Dickens’s _Hard Times_ for the first time a few days ago. I enjoyed it, because I love Dickens and he makes me weepy, but it’s not what I’d consider one of his great works. Reading some Dick Francis now, which makes me happy. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/76 "2011-12-18T00:53:31Z")
Finished _Portnoy’s Complaint_, by Philip Roth. Excellent, but certainly not for prudes. Now for some more John Grisham. Next up: _The Runaway Jury_, another **Elendil’s Heir** recommendation. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/77 "2011-12-18T04:04:51Z")
Sorry not to have posted in this thread yet. It’s been a busy December for me so far. > [@etv78](#): > > Just bought April 1865 > About the end of the Civil War and the Lincoln ass[ass]ination. As an avid Civil War history buff, I implore you not to waste your time on it. This review sums up my thinking: [http://clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/articles/comment/april1865.htm](http://clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/articles/comment/april1865.htm) > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > …Now for some more John Grisham. Next up: _The Runaway Jury_, another **Elendil’s Heir** recommendation. Hey, great! Hope you love it. **pohjonen** , I hope you have the chance to return to Toobin’s _The Nine_. One of the best books about the Supreme Court in a long time, I think, with a nice mix of law, history, politics and gossip. **AuntiePam** , my book club read Fforde’s _The Eyre Affair_ earlier this year, and although I liked it well enough, I can’t say I’m driven to read any more in the series. I’ve set aside George R.R. Martin’s _A Dance with Dragons_ for now, but fully intend to get back to it. I just skimmed through Rick Marschall’s _Bully!_, a handsome, well-annotated collection of contemporary political cartoons about Theodore Roosevelt. I also finished _Boy Scouts of America: A Centennial History_ by Chuck Wills, a detailed, mostly even-handed look at the BSA’s ups and downs since its founding in 1910. Recommended for any Scout or former Scout, I’d say. ---
**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 19, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/78 "2011-12-19T14:49:23Z")
Finally finished _The Prague Cemetery_ by Umberto Eco and found it … disappointing. I had really high hopes for it, since he was returning (sorta) to the territory he covered so well in _Foucault’s Pendulum_, but while it got off to a good start, it eventually became confusing and directionless. Almost a character study instead of a plot-driven narrative. It was difficult to finish. On a positive note, during one of the lulls in reading _The Prague Cemetery_, I started on _The Billionaire’s Vinegar_ based on recommendations here. I’m about a third of the way in and am really enjoying it so far. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/79 "2011-12-19T16:16:24Z")
Reading _The White Devil_ by Justin Evans, a ghost story. About a fuckup American boy who gets sent to Harrow, where his strong resemblance to Byron is noted. Haunting ensues. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613/80 "2011-12-19T16:32:32Z")
Yay! School’s been out for over a week so I’ve been able to actually read for fun. I’ve finished [Robopocalypse](http://www.amazon.com/Robopocalypse-Novel-Daniel-H-Wilson/dp/0385533853/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324312189&sr=8-1). It was a decent enough light read. Nothing that’ll change the world, although it has made me look at my electronics and think, “I’m onto you…” I’m currently reading [Deathless](http://www.amazon.com/Deathless-Catherynne-M-Valente/dp/0765326302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324312268&sr=1-1) and I’m absolutely loving it. It’s the first book I’ve read in a long time where I’ve wanted to read and pay attention to every single word. I enjoy the book not just for the story but also the writing in and of itself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-december-2011-edition/604613.md?page=5)