# Whatcha Readin' (July 09) Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467 "2009-06-30T13:36:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/21 "2009-07-01T21:13:03Z")
**AuntiePam** , I read your review and thought: Yeah, I’ll have a go. Went to amazon and found that I could buy the first book used for 105 US. I guess this one isn’t for me… ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/22 "2009-07-01T21:58:16Z")
**Khadaji** , if you’re talking about _A Voice for Princess_, Amazon shows 27 copies starting at a penny. I don’t know if it’s the first book or not, but it seems a good starting point. Maybe you were looking at the first volume of the Kedrigern Chronicles. That one was pricey. I’m gonna look for it when I go to Seattle in August. There’s a pretty good used book store up on Greenwood Avenue. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/23 "2009-07-01T22:02:42Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > **Khadaji** , if you’re talking about _A Voice for Princess_, Amazon shows 27 copies starting at a penny. I don’t know if it’s the first book or not, but it seems a good starting point. > > Maybe you were looking at the first volume of the Kedrigern Chronicles. That one was pricey. I’m gonna look for it when I go to Seattle in August. There’s a pretty good used book store up on Greenwood Avenue. Yep I was looking at _The Kedrigern Chronicles Volume 1: The Domesticated Wizard (The Kedrigern Chronicles, Volume 1) (Hardcover)_ which I assumed would be the first. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/24 "2009-07-01T22:20:42Z")
I found that one in paperback for $24.75 but I didn’t buy it because I’d already bought two of the novels included in the Chronicles by the time I saw the Chronicles. It includes three Kedrigern novels and several short stories. While looking for more Morressy novels, I found [this very nice obituary](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-morressy-473567.html) written by John Clute. He sounds like a cool guy. I’m loving the artwork on the Kedrigern paperbacks. It’s by Dean Morrissy. [Here](http://hobbies.metroland.ru/gallery/details.php?image_id=73517) is one of his covers. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/25 "2009-07-01T23:47:47Z")
Re: _Goneaway World_ > [@Sitnam](#): > > That’s too bad, the end really brings it all together. > [@wonderlust](#): > > Hmmm, that is persuasive… :smack: I wasn’t wowed. If you’re not enjoying the ride, there’s no particular need to keep going. Me, over the last couple weeks: _[Darwinia](http://www.amazon.com/Darwinia-Novel-Different-Twentieth-Century/dp/0765319055/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246491720&sr=1-1)_, about a world in which some something-or-other happened in 1912 that led to a parallel universe version of Europe suddenly appearing, with no trace of the old one. Entertaining, but not a must-read. The first book in Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy, which I loved to pieces. Just put in a hold for the second volume (oddly enough, they have the first and third volumes, but not the second, at my local branch). I’m a huge Merlin fan, definitely my favorite element of the Arthurian legend, and this is a great version. Volume one (_The Crystal Cave_) takes us through the birth of Arthur – hope the next two are as good. _[Rapture Ready!](http://www.amazon.com/Rapture-Ready-Adventures-Parallel-Christian/dp/0743297709/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246491345&sr=8-36)_, which made a nice follow-up to last month’s book about the Brown kid who went to Liberty University for a semester. Finally read _The Namesake_ by Jumpha Lahiri (novel about the son of Indian immigrants who named him Gogol), which I liked – not sure how it stacks up with other books of that genre, but as a standalone I liked it. Went to the library today and picked up a Jayne Anne Krentz I’ve never read – romance novelist who I enjoy, this is one of her woo-woo “psychic phenomena is real” ones (there’s a whole bunch of these, with a foundation serving those who have these various talents, etc.). Can’t defend it as worth reading, but I’m looking forward to it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/26 "2009-07-02T00:40:27Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Just started **The Strain** by Guillermo Del Toro. > > I’m liking it so far, but I’m almost a quarter of the way through the book and nothing seems to have actually happened yet. As others have said, it all seems to be build up for a future book. Yes, it’s a build up, but I found it very interesting nonetheless. It looks to me like del Toro and Hogan are really setting up a slam-bang series, and the only disappointing thing would be if they failed to deliver in the next (and the next). And the _waiting_! (Which is the hardest part, after all!) > [@AuntiePam](#): > > I’m reading the second Kedrigern, _The Questing of Kedrigern_ by John Morressy, fantasy, suitable for kids and very funny. Sonofa . . . ! I never knew they’d compiled the Kedrigern stories; they were always my favorites when they popped up every once in a while in _The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction_. I’m going to have to keep an eye out for a reprint. I’m continuing with _A Dirty Job_ by Christopher Moore, and have a few choices lined up next: Jack Campbell’s _Dauntless_, Cory Doctorow’s _Overclocked_ collection, and an omnibus of classic SF from Harry Harrison containing _The Repairman_, _The Misplaced Battleship_, _The K-Factor_, _Planet of the Damned_, and _Toy Shop_. I also have _I Hate People_ just because I thought the title was near-perfect for a workplace self-help book, and Bill Bryson’s _A Short History of Nearly Everything_ is available when I’m not in the mood for frivolity. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/27 "2009-07-02T00:52:10Z")
Geez…trying to delete a duplicate ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/28 "2009-07-02T00:55:20Z")
I’m about one hundred pages from the end of Andrew Chaikin’s [A Man on the Moon](http://www.amazon.ca/Man-Moon-Andrew-Chaikin/dp/0670814466/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246495041&sr=1-1), the history of the Apollo missions that was used as the basis for the series From the Earth to the Moon. Though Chaikin interviewed an astonishing array of people involved in the Apollo missions, it is essentially told from the perspective of the astronauts. It is turning into a great companion read to Gene Kranz’s [Failure is not an Option](http://www.amazon.ca/Failure-Not-Option-Gene-Kranz/dp/0425179877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246495582&sr=1-1) which I read last month. I’ve been on a bit of kick having recently watched the series, From the Earth to the Moon, on DVD, and coming up this month to the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, which I don’t personally remember. After that I’m going to finish Francis Pryor’s [Britain B.C.](http://www.amazon.ca/Britain-Bc-Ireland-Before-Romans/dp/000712693X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246495963&sr=1-1) a pre-Roman history of Britain and Ireland by archaelogist Pryor that I’m about half-way through before moving on to the latest Janet Evanovich book. ---
**Author:** ![Landshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/77aa72/32.png) [@Landshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Landshark)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/29 "2009-07-02T01:07:04Z")
Just completed a re-read of the Neal Gaiman novel _American Gods_. It just reaffirmed why Gaiman is one my favorite authors; it’s a very strong and effective fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/30 "2009-07-02T01:41:29Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Sonofa . . . ! I never knew they’d compiled the Kedrigern stories; they were always my favorites when they popped up every once in a while in _The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction_. I’m going to have to keep an eye out for a reprint. I’ve been looking. Apparently two volumes of Chronicles were published and a third was in the works, and possibly a fourth, from Meisha Merlin. MM went out of business (I bet a lot of George R. R. Martin fans are really pissed about that!) and then Morressy died, in 2006. As far as I can tell, everything is out of print. I don’t know if that’s because his estate isn’t settled or because no publishers are interested or if MM has some rights to the stories or what the deal is. It makes me wonder how many more authors are out there who I’ve never heard of whose stuff is awesomely awesome. Maybe it’s best not to know, what with books not being free and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/31 "2009-07-02T09:47:18Z")
I’m just past the half-way point of **The Bonfire of the Vanities** by Tom Wolfe. What an incredibly well-written, edge-of-your-seat kinda book that totally captures NYC culture in the 80s. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/32 "2009-07-03T03:15:42Z")
> [@Gulo\_gulo](#): > > _The Long Goodbye_ by Raymond Chandler ~ Must…read…more…Chandler If you liked Chandler, also try Dashiell Hammett. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/33 "2009-07-03T14:44:10Z")
_Vanilla Ride_, the new Hap and Leonard novel by Joe Lansdale arrived Tuesday. I finished it last night. Liked it a lot, but I’m not sure where Joe’s going with Hap. Someplace interesting, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/34 "2009-07-03T14:49:45Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > _Vanilla Ride_, the new Hap and Leonard novel by Joe Lansdale arrived Tuesday. I finished it last night. Liked it a lot, but I’m not sure where Joe’s going with Hap. Someplace interesting, I suppose. I can’t wait until I get my copy … ! ---
**Author:** ![Future\_Londonite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Future\_Londonite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Londonite)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/35 "2009-07-03T15:58:28Z")
Just finished _The Temporal Void_ by Peter F. Hamilton and am currently reading _The Bridge_ by Iain Banks. This will then befollowed by _The Crow Road_ also by Iain Banks… ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/36 "2009-07-03T20:55:55Z")
I’m only about 30 pages into **Silent In The Grave** , by Deanna Raybourn and I already love it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/37 "2009-07-03T21:01:21Z")
More Lansdale – _Lost Echoes_, which I dumped a couple years ago because the bad guys were just too vile. But so far, Joe’s showing some regard for my queasiness, so I’ll keep reading. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/38 "2009-07-03T21:35:12Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > I’m only about 30 pages into **Silent In The Grave** , by Deanna Raybourn and I already love it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/39 "2009-07-03T21:53:36Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > I’m only about 30 pages into **Silent In The Grave** , by Deanna Raybourn and I already love it. I have put it in my queue. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467/40 "2009-07-04T04:19:58Z")
> [@PeacePlease](#): > > Oh, please keep us posted. I’d love to find a good book about Jim Jones and his crazy encampment and disaster. So far it’s a great book & I’m about half-way through now. VERY thorough. Tim Reiterman definitely did his research. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > If you liked Chandler, also try Dashiell Hammett. I have. 🙂 “The Thin Man” is kicking around here somewhere. (Which is also one of my all-time favourite movies.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-09-edition/501467.md?page=3)