# Whatcha Readin' Feb 2010 Edition

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-feb-2010-edition/527171>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-feb-2010-edition/527171 "2010-01-31T23:12:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 7

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**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:** [February 24, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-feb-2010-edition/527171/121 "2010-02-24T15:12:53Z")

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> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#):
>
> I believe you are thinking of a different, much older book. This is a relatively new book that has no photos or graphics. Both are good, but different. It’s kind of confusing, because they share the same title.

Yes, thanks, you must be right.

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-feb-2010-edition/527171/122 "2010-02-27T02:13:00Z")

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Finished _Stalking the Unicorn_ by Mike Resnick.

Private eye John Justin Mallory is approached by an elf to hunt down a stolen unicorn. Mallory is down on his luck and needs the cash - and goes on an adventure in an alternate Manhattan.

I was hoping for a fantasy detective novel in the lines of Glen Cook or Jim Butcher. While this does fit the genre, it was not as good as either of the mentioned gentleman. It was OK, but not great. The plot was contrived and the author tried too hard to be whimsical. There are at least two more in the series, but I think I’m done.

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-feb-2010-edition/527171/123 "2010-02-28T13:05:06Z")

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A [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12170538#post12170538)to March’s thread.

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**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-feb-2010-edition/527171/124 "2010-03-01T06:25:42Z")

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I finished _The Predictioneer’s Game_ by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. Bueno de Mesquita claims that by knowing the actors positions, the salience of the issue at hand to them, their influence on other actors and later, their stubbornness on the issue, he can use game theory to predict the result. He uses a lot of past successes and future predictions to illustrate. Not a bad read.

I also finished _Bad Monkeys_ by Matt Ruff. Jane Charlotte is a Bad Monkey, that is she works for a secret group called Bad Monkeys that fights evil. When she is arrested for murder and tells them this, they send her to the psych ward and a doctor must find out the real story. It was a good ride, but I feel the ending farts a little bit on the rest of the story.

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**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:** [March 1, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-feb-2010-edition/527171/125 "2010-03-01T14:14:44Z")

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Psst. It’s March now.

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