# Whatcha readin' gang? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518 "2006-08-21T00:17:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/1 "2006-08-21T00:17:17Z")
I just finished [The Lies of Locke Lamora](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553804677/sr=8-1/qid=1156119058/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5338313-1436642?ie=UTF8) The jacket said something to the effect of: Fantasy meets Ocean’s 11. It didn’t live up to that hype, but it was fun and I enjoyed it. I think it could have been better. I am in the middle of [Shadow Man](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553804650/ref=ord_cart_shr/103-5338313-1436642?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance&n=283155) It is from the psychological thriller genre. I have been facinated with this genre since reading The Red Dragon 20 years ago. This one is well-written, but quite dark. If you are a fan of this genre, I recommend it. I have many in the queue, but am too lazy to go see what is queued up. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/2 "2006-08-21T00:39:44Z")
I just recently finished Neal Stephenson’s **Snow Crash**. Loved it. Now I’ve dug into the next Discworld (I’m reading them in chronological order) novel on my list – **Moving Pictures** – (Terry Pratchett). ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/3 "2006-08-21T00:42:37Z")
I’m reading [Freddy and Fredericka](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143037250/sr=1-5/qid=1156120831/ref=sr_1_5/002-2055792-9576045?ie=UTF8&s=books) by my very favorite author, Mark Helprin. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him doing something so overtly comedic, but I’m quite enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/4 "2006-08-21T00:52:29Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I just finished [The Lies of Locke Lamora](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553804677/sr=8-1/qid=1156119058/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5338313-1436642?ie=UTF8) The jacket said something to the effect of: Fantasy meets Ocean’s 11. I think that’s a perfect description of the book. I finished it last week. It’s somewhat lacking in character development/depth, but the story was well-paced, and Lynch’s writing is clean enough. I’m reading [Provinces of Night](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385499280/sr=1-1/qid=1156121340/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-9026096-1912625?ie=UTF8&s=books) by William Gay, who is my new favorite writer. From the book: _No good ever comes of having a police cruiser pull into your yard and park. This was not something that Albright had to learn, it had been bred into generations of Albrights all the way back to the days when the law rode up on horseback. It was part of his genetic makeup._ I’m looking for cheap used copies for loaners, and will be buying everything Gay writes. He might even be better than Larry Brown, for down-to-earth gritty southern fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/5 "2006-08-21T00:54:21Z")
Just finished David Brooks’ _On Paradise Drive_. All about the American Dream, which I guarantee you you don’t understand as well as you think you do, and which makes us do all sorts of stupid but (per Brooks) well-intentioned stuff. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/6 "2006-08-21T01:02:14Z")
I’m reading Fall of Hyperion, by Dan Simmons. Hopefully it’ll be as great as Hyperion. ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/7 "2006-08-21T01:12:59Z")
My last two books were The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman, and The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids by Madeline Levine, so I’m taking a break from nonfiction by reading George Orwell’s 1984. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/8 "2006-08-21T01:48:25Z")
I’m reading Memoirs of a Geisha, and it took me quite a few pages to get into it. I usually read more sci-fi and fantasy, so this was a change for me. I was about to give up and post it for trade, but it finally picked up enough I think I can finish it. I hate not finishing a book - the last one I remember not finishing was The Women (or Ladies) of the Club, which was the first novel of a woman (IFRC) in her 90s. The most boring piece of tripe I have ever attempted - I don’t think I made it to a hundred pages of a novel so thick it could have been used as a doorstop. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/9 "2006-08-21T02:24:27Z")
In the middle of _Plain Truth_, a novel about an Amish girl accused of murdering her newborn after hiding her pregnancy. It’s a little boggish at times but I’m enjoying it over all. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/10 "2006-08-21T02:26:14Z")
And the book before this was _Midwives_, about a midwife accused of killing a mother in labor unintentionally. My next read will be something light and funny. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/11 "2006-08-21T02:27:57Z")
A fellow Doper loaned me _To Rule The Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World_ some time ago. Due to the happenings in the last few months I did not have a chance to read it immediately, but I’m reading it now. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/12 "2006-08-21T02:32:15Z")
I mainly read historical fiction. I have a [guide page](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/2MMZUXHVTFTZS/ref=cm_aya_av.sylt_sylt/002-9664793-2221633) on [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) to which I add any title I really enjoyed. If anyone would like my recommendations for that genre, here ya go. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/13 "2006-08-21T02:36:18Z")
Just finished Stroud’s Bartimaeus trilogy (I recommend it) and now reading Le Guin’s newest, _Voices._ ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/14 "2006-08-21T02:43:35Z")
Just reading _The Places In Between_, by Rory Stewart. He decided to walk through Afghanistan in winter. It’s very good. I’m learning a lot about Afghan history, and his writing is thoughtful and lovely. Not funny, like a Bill Bryson book. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/15 "2006-08-21T02:47:49Z")
…try _“WhirlWind”_ …by James Clavell (sp) tsfr ---
**Author:** ![starfishfillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@starfishfillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfishfillet)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/16 "2006-08-21T02:49:41Z")
I’m in the middle of **Invitation to a Beheading** by Nabokov. Last thing I read was **Handmaid’s Tale** , last GOOD thing I read was **House of Leaves**. Loved House of Leaves. ---
**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 21, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/17 "2006-08-21T03:14:48Z")
Just finished _Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton’s Little John?: Music’s Most Enduring Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed_ by Gavin Edwards and _The Literary Detective_ by John Sutherland. In the middle of _Flashman on the March_ by George MacDonald Fraser. Just started Thackeray’s _Vanity Fair_ and Charles Stross’ _Iron Sunrise_. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/18 "2006-08-21T03:23:15Z")
The Quick and the Dead by Louis Lamour ---
**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:** [August 21, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/19 "2006-08-21T04:12:20Z")
> [@starfishfillet](#): > > I’m in the middle of **Invitation to a Beheading** by Nabokov. Last thing I read was **Handmaid’s Tale** , last GOOD thing I read was **House of Leaves**. Loved House of Leaves. I recently read about a new remastered, color reprint of House of Leaves [here](http://trashotron.com/agony/news/2006/08-14-06.htm#081806). I love books that feature houses that are not what they seem, and this sounds like it would be a good one, if I could get past all the experimentalism. I wonder if a topic on “house” books would be threadworthy, a la Moonheart, House of Leaves, etc. ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518/20 "2006-08-21T04:18:49Z")
I’ve just gotten into the Discworld books myself…I recently finished my first one, _Thief of Time_ and next up are _Carpe Jugulum, Monstrous Regiment, Interesting Times and The Light Fantastic_ (I went a little nuts in the B&N…) I must slap myself for getting into another money pit of a series, but they are interesting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-gang/369518.md?page=2)