# Whatcha Readin' Jan 10 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210 "2009-12-31T18:38:24Z")\ **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:** [January 10, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/61 "2010-01-10T22:59:38Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I usually like the books you like, so I went to Amazon to check this one out. There were a lot of one-star reviews complaining that French left the central mystery unsolved. Do you agree? Does it matter? You werent’ asking me - but I agree in a big way and that was one of the main reasons I gave this a poor review in 09 when I read it. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/62 "2010-01-11T00:46:05Z")
> [@Gulo\_gulo](#): > > …All this talk about Sherlock Holmes makes me want to reread the stories. Of course they’re still in boxes. I haven’t been able to unpack any books yet since I have nowhere to put them. Don’t wait… get 'em from the library! ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/63 "2010-01-11T00:58:57Z")
> [@Gulo\_gulo](#): > > All this talk about Sherlock Holmes makes me want to reread the stories. Of course they’re still in boxes. I haven’t been able to unpack any books yet since I have nowhere to put them. I feel your pain - it was only last September that I finally got to take my books out of boxes and put them on shelves after nearly eighteen months. There’s still a bunch missing somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/64 "2010-01-11T01:24:53Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I usually like the books you like, so I went to Amazon to check this one out. There were a lot of one-star reviews complaining that French left the central mystery unsolved. Do you agree? Does it matter? You weren’t asking me either 🙂 … but this is one of the things I liked about it so much. It’s much more about the impact that the crime has on the survivors, so it felt right and realistic to me. I think that’s probably something a lot of crime victims have to deal with - how to keep going without knowing. And I wouldn’t describe it as the _central_ mystery, anyway. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/65 "2010-01-11T14:53:13Z")
Just started Best Horror of the Year (volume 1), edited by Ellen Datlow, published 2009. (Apparently the Best Fantasy and Horror series is at an end). As with any anthology, I expect some highs and lows, but so far so good. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/66 "2010-01-11T16:24:02Z")
Reading _Too Many Murders_ by Colleen McCullough (yes, Colleen _“Thorn Birds”_ McCullough). About a dozen murders that take place on a single day in a small city in 1967, and the police detective in charge of solving them all. Are they related (surely?) and, if so, how and why? I’m not loving it yet. It was published just last month for the American market, but still there are some British touches that are distracting that an editor should have fixed: “speciality,” for example, and a child described as having Down’s syndrome; in the U.S. it is called Down syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![LunarPlexus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LunarPlexus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LunarPlexus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/67 "2010-01-11T23:53:03Z")
_The Shipping News_ by **[E.] Annie Proulx**. I’m really enjoying it, so I assume at least 50% of you think it’s the worst book ever.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/68 "2010-01-12T14:25:25Z")
Re _Too Many Murders_, disregard. I have abandoned it. I liked _The Shipping News_. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/69 "2010-01-12T16:22:08Z")
Audio book just finished: Live for your Listening Pleasure, by David Sedaris. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/70 "2010-01-12T17:21:41Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Audio book just finished: Live for your Listening Pleasure, by David Sedaris. I’m not familiar with that one. But any Sedaris audiobook is fine by me. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/71 "2010-01-12T18:16:15Z")
Yeah, it was nice but only a little over an hour long! If I had noticed that, I probably wouldn’t have bothered getting it from the library. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/72 "2010-01-12T18:22:36Z")
I’m finally reading _ **Catch-22** _. About a hundred pages in, and so far the book seems to think it’s a lot funnier than I do. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/73 "2010-01-13T15:05:57Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > I just started _Under the Banner of Heaven_, by Jon Krakauer. I just finished \*Under the Banner of Heaven \*but didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Krakauer shares a lot of my opinions on the dangers of fundamentalist religions, but he sounds so… smug about everything. I also read _[The Book of Lost Things](http://www.amazon.com/Book-Lost-Things-Novel/dp/074329890X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263395135&sr=1-1)_, by John Connolly. It was a light, engaging parable about growing up. It didn’t break any new ground, but it was a fun read especially if you like fairy tales. Now I’m reading _[Sin in the Second City](http://www.amazon.com/Sin-Second-City-Ministers-Playboys/dp/0812975995/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263395098&sr=8-1)_, by Karren Abbott. It’s about the Everleigh Club, Chicago’s most famous brothel at the turn on of the 20th century. It’s quite fascinating so far. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/74 "2010-01-13T15:36:53Z")
I’ve just started _The New Alchemists_ by Robert M. Hazen. It’s a historical account of research into extreme pressure. It’s surprisingly well written and entertaining. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/75 "2010-01-13T22:02:21Z")
I’ve been stuck for a month in _The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo_. People I know have raved about it, but to me, at about a third in, it’s still boring with boringsauce and a side order of tedious. I want to get to the interesting girl, but the terrible translation and exposition heaped upon exposition keep me dragging. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/76 "2010-01-14T00:51:31Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > I’ve been stuck for a month in _The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo_. People I know have raved about it, but to me, at about a third in, it’s still boring with boringsauce and a side order of tedious. I want to get to the interesting girl, but the terrible translation and exposition heaped upon exposition keep me dragging. Huh. I loved that book and am waiting for the sequel. Which may already be out and I just haven’t seen it. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/77 "2010-01-14T04:35:17Z")
I’ve been enjoying the pictures in _One Nation: Patriots and Pirates_, introd. by Lauren Raye Smith, a wonderful collection of the patriotic illustrations of N.C. and James Wyeth. The elder Wyeth did some great Civil War-themed paintings in the 1920s, including wonderful portraits of Lincoln at his second inauguration and Sherman during his March to the Sea. The younger Wyeth, James, painted a striking likeness of John F. Kennedy that remains one of my favorites. This is not a very sharp rendition of it, but is the best I could find online: [http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/news/ntm4/Images/ntm2-1-5.jpg](http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/news/ntm4/Images/ntm2-1-5.jpg) IMHO it’s better than the official White House portrait: [whitehousemuseum.org domain name is for sale. Inquire now.](http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor1/entrance-hall/portrait-jfk.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/78 "2010-01-15T16:21:53Z")
Oh, I saw that book! I looooove N.C. If I could own a painting by any artist ever, I would pick N.C. Wyeth. You can keep your Rembrandts. I am reading _Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame_ by Zev Chafets. Still early, but very enlightening. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/79 "2010-01-15T16:29:12Z")
I’ve finished _The Left Hand of God_ by Paul Hoffman. It’s the first in a series, or a trilogy (I’m not sure). It’s a fantasy, but so far without any magic, elves, dragons, etc. The setting is medieval but the characters use modern expressions. Speculation from readers is that it might be an alternate history or post-apocalypse. It’s a bit dark. The book and I got off to a rocky start and I almost dumped it, not because the story wasn’t intriguing but because of some clumsy writing. Some folks at SFF World who have finished the book convinced me to stop nitpicking and keep going, and I’m really glad I did. Last night I started the second Aubrey-Maturin book, _Post-Captain_. 😃 ---
**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:** [January 15, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210/80 "2010-01-15T16:35:22Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Last night I started the second Aubrey-Maturin book, _Post-Captain_. 😃 I’ll warn you, the bear chapter is possibly the most bizarre bit in the whole series. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-jan-10-edition/523210.md?page=5)