# Whatcha Readin' July 2011 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426 "2011-06-30T20:31:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/81 "2011-07-16T16:36:19Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > Apparently, I am a literary sheep. I am now a few chapters into _The Dispossessed_ (fascinating so far) and I just picked up _Pale Fire_ to send to my father for his birthday. You’re a sheep with good taste. 😃 I am halfway through \*The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe \* by Peter Godwin. He recounts the terrible things Mugabe has done to his fellow citizens as he desperately tries to cling to power in his old age. I can’t read more than a few pages without crying. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/82 "2011-07-17T12:06:29Z")
Finished _The Sherlockian_ a fun novel in which Graham Moore interweaves a modern-day mystery with a historical one. Conan Doyle was, apparently, an avid diarist and apparently one of the great mysteries involves the fact that some of his letters and one of his diaries were missing upon his death. For years the lost diary has been searched for, and then one day one of the foremost Sherlockians announces that he has found it. But on the morning he was to present it - before he \*can \*present it, is dead body is discovered. The book interweaves the tale of the search for his murderer and the diary and the historical tale of _why_ the diary disappeared. If you enjoy a mystery, if you are a fan of Conan Doyle, if you like historical fiction, have a look at this. ---
**Author:** ![Fred\_Garvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c67d28/32.png) [@Fred\_Garvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred_Garvin)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2011, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/83 "2011-07-17T12:34:58Z")
Just got done with [Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8664353-unbroken) Just wanted to say thanks to\*\* FoieGrasIsEvil\*\* for recommending it back in the May edition of Whatcha ---
**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 18, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/84 "2011-07-18T03:33:55Z")
Raced through Jon Krakauer’s _Where Men Win Glory_ this weekend, about former NFL star/Army Ranger Pat Tillman’s death due to friendly fire in Afghanistan, and the subsequent coverup. It wasn’t as good as Krakauer’s _Into Thin Air_ or _Under the Banner of Heaven_, and was a little distractingly anti-Bush at times (and Lord knows I’m no fan of the 43rd President), but overall was worth a read. ---
**Author:** ![Stowed\_Bob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stowed_bob/32/3312_2.png) [@Stowed\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stowed_Bob)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/85 "2011-07-18T19:39:11Z")
Started and finished [Vurt by Jeff Noon](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/430214.Vurt). I always find this book a quick, addictive read. A good filler read as I waited for [Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/641452.Desperate_Journeys_Abandoned_Souls) to arrive. Absolutely love this book, been waiting a year to clear up enough time to reread the tales of castaways, some surviving and most not. Each story serves as an excuse to delve into their time and place, since most of the stories predating the 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/86 "2011-07-19T12:58:50Z")
> [@Fred\_Garvin](#): > > Just got done with [Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8664353-unbroken) > > Just wanted to say thanks to\*\* FoieGrasIsEvil\*\* for recommending it back in the May edition of Whatcha That’s a great story, isn’t it? I loved that book. Glad you liked it. I have to plug the novel _We, The Drowned_ again. I’m not finished with it yet but it is a magnificent novel. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/87 "2011-07-19T13:33:24Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Finished _Hammered: The Iron Druid Chronicles_ third in the Iron Druid series - a series that I have enjoyed. This one was not as good as the first two, but still enjoyable. He kind of went off track a little by giving us background stories that were sort of boring. None-the-less, I will once again recommend the series for fans of Jim Butcher - I think it will play out to be nearly as good a series as Butcher’s Dresden series. I just read Hounded, the first book in this series based on a recommendation from one of these threads. I wasn’t that impressed. I’m not sure the Dresden comparison is that apt, as this wasn’t really a mystery. And we meet Dresden fairly early on in his career and watch him gain in power and abilities, while his adversaries also become bigger and badder. In the Iron Druid series, Atticus is 2100 years old and is already taking on the Gaelic pantheon. Not a lot of scope for character development here. I’ll probably read the next ones in the series, but I’ll try to get them from the library. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/88 "2011-07-19T13:41:53Z")
I am finishing _The Silent Girl_, the latest Rizzoli & Isles novel by Tess Gerritsen. It’s good, not her very best. I’ve met Gerritsen and like her, so I’ll always give her a read. > [@Crotalus](#): > > I just got my copy of my neighbor’s first novel, [The Devil All The Time](http://www.amazon.com/Devil-All-Time-Donald-Pollock/dp/038553504X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310752321&sr=1-1). His name is Donald Ray Pollock. His first book was a collection of short stories called Knockemstiff. Now I’m trying to resist the temptation to read it when I am supposed to be working. I was going to read _Devil All the Time_ next, but something came in that I have to get to first. So Pollock will have to wait. He’ll come after that. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/89 "2011-07-19T14:09:25Z")
Finished Willa Cather’s \*\*\*Sapphira and the Slave Girl \*\*\*(interesting but uneven… an odd mix of progressive idealism and patronizing racism). Just started Sherwood Anderson’s _ **Winesburg, Ohio** _. Not impressed so far. ---
**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 19, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/90 "2011-07-19T15:19:09Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > …Just started Sherwood Anderson’s _ **Winesburg, Ohio** _. Not impressed so far. I read that as an assignment in college and was also underwhelmed. ---
**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:** [July 19, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/91 "2011-07-19T15:28:32Z")
Still on my SF binge. I’m re-reading _1901_ by Robert Conroy, an alternate history where Germany invaded the United States. And I just started _The Cassini Division_ by Ken MacLeod. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/92 "2011-07-19T16:01:31Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I am finishing _The Silent Girl_, the latest Rizzoli & Isles novel by Tess Gerritsen. It’s good, not her very best. I’ve met Gerritsen and like her, so I’ll always give her a read. I revise my opinion. She nailed me with the twist ending. I really didn’t see it coming. I am not worthy. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/93 "2011-07-19T18:22:16Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I revise my opinion. She nailed me with the twist ending. I really didn’t see it coming. I am not worthy. Man! That is so tantalizing, now I have to read it! ---
**Author:** ![statij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@statij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statij)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/94 "2011-07-21T00:02:40Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I have to plug the novel _We, The Drowned_ again. I’m not finished with it yet but it is a magnificent novel. I am all over this book! I’m Danish, Jensen is my grandmother’s maiden name, I love a good seafaring tale, I love long books, and the reviews are unanimously great. How could I resist? Can’t wait to start it. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/95 "2011-07-21T00:57:28Z")
Have begun (again!) Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series. Up to _H.M.S. Surprise_. I discover something new every time I (re)read these books. This is probably my 4th time through the entire series. ---
**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 22, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/96 "2011-07-22T13:21:15Z")
I just finished [The Ridge](http://www.amazon.com/Ridge-Michael-Koryta/dp/031605366X), by Michael Koryta. This guy writes two kinds of books, crime novels and supernatural thrillers. I don’t read the straight crime, but his supernatural stuff is solid and getting better all the time. Recommended! Next up, The Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 3, edited by Ellen Datlow. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/97 "2011-07-22T14:40:40Z")
I read _The Ridge_ a couple of weeks ago. I trust you also read _The Cypress House_ and _So Cold the River_? ---
**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 22, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/98 "2011-07-22T15:05:17Z")
Yep, I liked The Ridge best so far. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/99 "2011-07-22T16:13:10Z")
Simul-reading Hans Prinzhorn’s _Artistry Of The Mentally Ill_ from 1922, and Orhan Pamuk’s _The Black Book_ from 1990. Doc Prinzhorn has the edge so far. ---
**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 22, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426/100 "2011-07-22T18:40:31Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Have begun (again!) Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series. Up to _H.M.S. Surprise_. > > I discover something new every time I (re)read these books. This is probably my 4th time through the entire series. Love those - I’ve read through them twice, plus I listen to one of the audio books every year with my husband during our long car trips. I prefer the Patrick Tull recordings, but they are expensive and the library has the ones read by Simon Vance, so we have switched. I spent the last week reading _A Dance with Dragons_. A good read, but as with _A Feast for Crows_, Martin doesn’t spend enough time with the characters I care about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-july-2011-edition/587426.md?page=6)