# Whatcha Readin' July 2010 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121 "2010-06-30T21:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/101 "2010-07-20T17:28:56Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > The premise is basically Groundhog Day, with the Bill Murray character played by a popular high school girl. There were some annoying points (Everyone is so rich, Mr. Perfect has always loved her from afar), but on the whole it was very engrossing and I had a good time reading it. I’m just now finishing this. I agree it’s not the best book ever, but (so far) I’m very impressed with how the author took a fairly overdone premise (the whole Mean Girls thing) and made it a page-turner. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/102 "2010-07-20T17:39:10Z")
> [@](#): > > I also read Verne’s Godfrey Morgan, which I downloaded from Project Gutenberg. The book has an alternate title, which gives away the plot twist. I hate people who do that. The guy who spilled the premise with the title turns out to be Verne himself. Grrr… The book is also interesting in that it features a couple of guys who end up crashed on the shore of a Pacific island and must lkearn to fend for themselves. They discover that there are animals on the island, including a completely inappropriate Grizzly Bear (not a polar bear, unfortunately). Then they find _other_ inappropriate animals on the island, and eventually learn that they are victims of the machinations of others, and were _meant_ to be crashed there… I wonder if J.J. Abrams read this one? ---
**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:** [July 20, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/103 "2010-07-20T17:39:24Z")
True. That book and I were inseparable on Sunday! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/104 "2010-07-20T17:41:42Z")
I just finished **A Clash of Kings** and I’m a couple hundred pages into **A Storm of Swords**. I like the stories, but god, couldn’t an editor have told Martin to tighten things up here and there? I’m also reading \*\*Death Masks \*\*by Jim Butcher. I’m a bit disappointed, after the first book the pacing picked up, but this one is dragging so far. Recently finished: **The Devouring** by Simon Holt. Anyone read this yet? The premise is interesting, and nothing I’ve come across before despite reading a lot of supernatural themed stories. **Dead In The Family** (Sookie Stackhouse #10) by Charlaine Harris. Yay, more Sookie & Eric! It covers several sorts of family situations, the one with Sookie’s little cousin being the most normal of them. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/105 "2010-07-20T18:02:13Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I just finished **A Clash of Kings** and I’m a couple hundred pages into **A Storm of Swords**. I like the stories, but god, couldn’t an editor have told Martin to tighten things up here and there?.. You might like his Dunk and Egg stories, set almost a century earlier. Shorter but just as full of Westerosian goodness: [Tales of Dunk and Egg - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Dunk_and_Egg) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/106 "2010-07-20T19:23:24Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > I just started _The Blade Itself_, by Joe Ambercrombie, on the insistence of a friend. I really liked this trilogy, but thought the first book dragged a bit. It’s mostly character development, and while it was well done, I got really tired of hearing about Glokta’s aches and pains. I wasn’t sure about reading the other two until I got to the end of _Blade_, where the plot took off. The next two books are quite satisfying. After dumping _Anansi Boys_, I started _Cutting for Stone_ by Abraham Verghese, historical (? - are the 40’s and 50’s historical?) about doctors in Ethiopia and America. There’s a lot of information in the book, but it’s presented in such a way that it doesn’t feel like a social studies textbook. Plus, there’s some humor. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/107 "2010-07-22T17:30:15Z")
So I finished Kraken last night. I’m still processing it, so I’m not sure if I’m in the Loved It or Really Loved It camp. I’ve never really liked other books by Meiville. I tried reading Un Lun Dun and King Rat, but niether of them did anything for me. I don’t usually like “Urban Fantasy”, but this book is amazing. For the first 80 or so pages, it’s a pretty cookie cutter fantasy with dueling cults, “knacking” and comically misfit paranormal cops. Then a package is delivered to the main character, and all hell breaks loose. I won’t describe the scene, but it sends the book into territory that is at once hilarious and terrifying. So many ideas and brilliant little asides in this book. I can’t wait to read it again in a week or so, and pick up all the things I know I missed the first time around. Now I’m thinking of picking up The City and The City. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/108 "2010-07-23T00:21:18Z")
Finished _Every Dead Thing_ by John Connolly. It was indeed much better than his YA book that I had read. I can’t recall (due to my poor memory) whether or not I knew going in that there was a supernatural undertone. It took me a little by surprise and at first put me off a little. In the end it wasn’t a bad read. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/109 "2010-07-23T17:14:22Z")
I’m reading **The Making of a Chef** by Michael Ruhlman. A fascinating narrative look directly inside the Culinary Institute of America. If you want to be chef or you just like to eat well this book is well worth your time. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/110 "2010-07-23T17:54:33Z")
My wife’s book club read a number of Ruhlman books, and thought _The Soul of a Chef_ was the best of the food-related ones. I read his book _House: A Memoir_, about buying and rebuilding a grand old house in a Cleveland suburb, and it’s also very good. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/111 "2010-07-23T18:03:42Z")
I liked _Tigana_. I’ll have to pick up some more of Kay’s books. I read Voltaire’s _Candide_, which led me to do some reading on Leibniz’s optimism. The book was mildly amusing, although I’m sure I’m missing a lot of the satire despite hitting Wikipedia. My favorite chapter was the one where Candide visits the Venetian nobleman Pococurante, who is contemptuous of and bored with all works of art, literature, music, science and philosophy. Candide observes: “There must certainly be a pleasure in criticising everything, and in perceiving faults where others think they see beauties.” “That is,” replied Martin, “there is a pleasure in having no pleasure.” Reminds me of my grandmother. Now I’m reading _Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)_, by Tom Vanderbilt. It’s very interesting. Driving to work this morning I was a bit paranoid from reading this book, yet I still caught at least two instances where I took my eyes off the road. It amazes me that there aren’t more car crashes. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/112 "2010-07-23T19:19:59Z")
I finished **The Imperfectionists** by Tom Rachtman. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year. The story follows several employees at a newspaper based in Rome, interspersed with the history of the paper’s founding. As I neared the end of the book, I had to read whilst walking to work because I couldn’t wait to see how Rachtman wrapped everything up. I’m now reading **The Descendants** by Kaui Hart Hemmings, soon to be released as a film starring George Clooney. It’s a good read, but unfortunately had to follow an exceptional one. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/113 "2010-07-24T02:18:53Z")
Completely devoured the aboveforementioned **Change Your Brain/Change Your Life** book. ---
**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 24, 2010, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/114 "2010-07-24T10:06:27Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’m closing in on _Lucky You_, another excellent read by Carl Hiaasen. His books are all enjoyable, but with one or two exceptions I often can’t remember much about them later on. The wife and I are entering Laos tomorrow (Wednesday), where I hope to finish it, then start on _The Ambassadors_, by Henry James. Will be back by the weekend; see you then! Back from Laos. I did indeed finish Carl Hiaasen’s _Lucky You_, and it was very good, but have not yet started Henry James’ _The Ambassadors_. Probably will on Monday, as this looks to be a busy weekend for me. ---
**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 25, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/115 "2010-07-25T17:22:34Z")
**Elendil’s Heir** : I got a copy of **Arthur Rex** but it will be a little while before I want to tackle anything Arthurian. 🙂 Read: **Alcatraz 1868-1963** by John Godwin ~ no idea where I picked this up but it was a decent if dated read. **Buffalo Bill Cody: The Man Behind the Legend** by Robert A Carter ~ Highly recommended for a good solid retelling of Bill Cody’s life from tot to showman. **Assassin’s Quest (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 3)** by Robin Hobb ~ finishing up with a bang. Not quite as good as the previous two books but not disappointing. But the cover. Ugh! What were they thinking? **Le Morte D’Arthur** - Volume I by Thomas Malory ~ Slog slog slog. No interest in Volume 2! **Alive in Necropolis** by Doug Dorst ~ decent little crime story involving ghostly characters however they take a bit of a backseat to the self-destructive main characters. I can’t say that I like how this author portrays women but I was introduced to some very interesting people from the early 1900s such as Lillie Coit, Ishi, Phineas Gage and Lincoln Beachey…none of whom I’ve ever heard of before and have added some books about them to my wishlist. **Godslayer: Volume II of The Sundering** by Jacqueline Carey ~ A series that tells a Lord of the Rings-esque story from the POV of the ‘bad guys’. You know how it’s going to end but keep wishing for a different outcome. **Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void** by Mary Roach ~ Roach of “Stiff” fame takes on space travel! Very fun. Reading: **The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia** ~ need to get back on this one **The Escapement (Engineer Trilogy)** ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/116 "2010-07-25T23:51:02Z")
> **[The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age...](https://www.amazon.com/Poisoners-Handbook-Murder-Forensic-Medicine/dp/014311882X)** > > The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York \[Blum, Deborah\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York the poisoner’s handbook. fantastic read. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/117 "2010-07-26T00:38:45Z")
Picked up some books this weekend: **The Freedom Writer’s Diary** by Erin Gruwell – hope to incorporate this into my hs classes **The Enchantment Emporium** by Tanya Huff – urban magic, but very mysterious…I kept having to backtrack and read to figure things out and I’m in the middle of **Tale of the Thunderbolt** by E.E. Knight – third in the Vampire Earth series. Very not-sparkly vampires that nobody likes. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/118 "2010-07-26T00:50:46Z")
I read the new book in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, _Tongues of Serpents_. I was a little disappointed with it. It’s well-written, and the characters are still entertaining, but a lot of traipsing around in the middle of nowhere in Australia was kind of a let down after the excitement (Napoleon’s invasion of England) of the previous book. I’m now reading the fourth entry in the Felix Castor series, _Thicker Than Water_, by Mike Carey. I think his writing is getting better with each book. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/119 "2010-07-26T00:50:58Z")
I’m finishing up “Flashman’s Lady” which I’ve liked so far - especially with Elspeth getting more than the usual few pages or so. The diary/sister’s footnotes are hilarious. That’s my lunchtime at work book. Doesn’t require a bunch of commitment and easy to put down but lightens my mood for the day. I just bought a Kindle, so I loaded it up with a bunch of classics I mean to get to but didn’t feel like lugging around like “War and Peace” and “Bleak House”. I haven’t started those yet. I am about 1/3 the way through “A Reliable Wife” by Robert Goolrick. So far it’s dark and has a strange style but I like it alot so far. I am always happy when I venture into a new author and am not immediately digusted by the poor writing. I’m also reading “Las Vegas Chew Toy” by Laura Alton - it’s a Nanowrimo project that found a publisher. It’s cute, not really my style but it’s fun to read something set in Vegas. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121/120 "2010-07-26T13:25:58Z")
> [@Gulo\_gulo](#): > > **Elendil’s Heir** : I got a copy of **Arthur Rex** but it will be a little while before I want to tackle anything Arthurian. 🙂 … I think you’ll find it worth the wait. Enjoy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2010-edition/545121.md?page=7)