# Whatcha Readin' (June 09) Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254 "2009-05-31T11:25:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [June 14, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/81 "2009-06-14T16:23:20Z")
From the emotional (_Duma Key_) to the cerebral, I’m starting William Gibson’s _Spook Country_. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/82 "2009-06-15T01:25:00Z")
Finally finished Aurian. It was a dull uninspired meandering tale that I might still have found something to appreciate about had it not been the first of 3. I can’t be bothered to read the others. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/83 "2009-06-15T13:13:42Z")
I had to turn _A History of Britain_ back in to the library before I could finish it, but it was okay. Not as interesting as the documentary, but that goes with the territory. I’m currently reading Procopius’ _The Secret History_ about the rule of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora in Byzantium in the 500s. Ah, ancient gossip. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/84 "2009-06-15T14:58:24Z")
I finished John Scalzi’s _Zoe’s Tale_ yesterday, and thought it was great. It was interwoven very skillfully with the storyline in _The Last Colony_, but from the perspective of that book’s protagonist’s adoptive daughter, and Scalzi filled in some gaps in a very clever way. I hope he keeps writing more in the universe he’s created. Now to return to Charles Stross’s _Saturn’s Children_, and to begin Henry James’s novella “The Beast in the Jungle.” I’m also dipping into J.R.R. Tolkien’s _The Simarillion_ again for the first time in, oh, jeez, probably a decade at least. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/85 "2009-06-15T15:12:30Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > From the emotional (_Duma Key_) to the cerebral, I’m starting William Gibson’s _Spook Country_. Cancel that. For the second time, I wasn’t in the mood for _Spook Country_, as much as I loved his other work. Mood remedied by _Tooth Fairy_, by Graham Joyce. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/86 "2009-06-15T15:14:36Z")
Now I’m reading _Ship of Magic_, by Robin Hobb. So far it’s good but not exceptional. ---
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/87 "2009-06-15T17:03:41Z")
Well, it’s sort of crystalized now what the reads for the next couple of days or weeks will be (more likely weeks, it’s sort of a slog, really). Don’t blame me for this being perhaps the most boring Whatcha Readin’ post yet: R.W.B. Lewis: _The American Adam: Innocence, Tragedy, and Tradition in the Nineteenth Century_. Must-read American Studies volume on the idea of innocence and the Adamic nature of the transcendental and post-transcendental American literary scene. It’s interesting, but it’s so obviously 1950s literary studies: few annotations, and very little explanation of the interpretation Lewis is subjecting his readings to. In a similar vein: Terry Eagleton: _Literary Theory: An Introduction_. Another must-read, I suppose, that I have not yet read. It’s very entertaining, actually, and teaches a lot. The first chapter, What is Literature, is necessary reading for anyone interested in criticism. Herman Melville: _Israel Potter_. Part of research into the image of John Paul Jones. Thus also James Fenimore Cooper: _The Red Rover_. Melville is by far, far, far the better writer. Edward P. Jones: _The Known World_. I’m looking forward to reading this again. Karen Armstrong: _The Bible: The Biography_. I just picked this up cheaply. Not exactly sure what I’m expecting, though it seems an easy enough read. ---
**Author:** ![Jettboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@Jettboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jettboy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/88 "2009-06-15T17:13:44Z")
Finally getting around to reading _Drood_, by Dan Simmons. I’m about 1/4 of the way in and really enjoying it; although the VictorianSpeak is getting a little tiresome (but I suppose it’s necessary for authenticity’s sake). ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/89 "2009-06-15T17:37:45Z")
Just finished \*The Glass Castle \*by Jeannette Walls. Man, oh, man. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/90 "2009-06-15T19:43:29Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Just finished \*The Glass Castle \*by Jeannette Walls. Man, oh, man. Meaning…? ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/91 "2009-06-15T20:33:06Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Just finished \*The Glass Castle \*by Jeannette Walls. Man, oh, man. Oh boy, I read this recently as well, and by coincidence, my mom had picked it up at the library. The two of us are amazed that people can be so dysfunctional. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/92 "2009-06-15T20:38:57Z")
It is her memoir of growing up virtually homeless, with her alcoholic, frequently jailed father and her mother who was so self-centered she would allow her children to raid garbage cans for their only food rather than sell the property she owned or the diamond ring she found because she liked wearing the ring. The children lived in an unheated shack, often sleeping in cardboard boxes and using a bucket as a toilet; any money they earned babysitting or doing other odd jobs was stolen by the father to buy booze. They all escaped to New York in their mid teens and got jobs and education. Walls went to Barnard even as her parents were living on the streets and eventually squatting. When she married, her mother wanted Walls’ husband to give her a million dollars to buy _more_ land in Texas – the land she already owned was worth a million. It had never occurred to her to tell her children. Walls is an amazingly good writer and very matter-of-fact; surprisingly not bitter. My circumstances were nowhere near as extreme as hers, and I am very bitter. I am wavering between trying to adopt her attitude and raging about how she can be so incredibly accepting of this insanity. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/93 "2009-06-16T12:50:38Z")
I just finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a YA novel about a society that forces selected children to participate in a reality show in which the winner is the last one alive. Very very good, but I think the book could have benefited from a different ending. Apparently this will be the first of a series, and although it was great, enough ends were tied up that I don’t know that I need to follow the characters any longer. That said, of course I’m going to… Now I’m reading Frankly My Dear: Gone With The Wind Revisited, by Molly Haskell. I love GWTW, both movie and book, but this is one of those “more than I really wanted to know” deals. I am finding that I don’t much care what David O. Selznick (or even Margaret Mitchell!) was thinking at any given point. If you do, I’m sure it’s a fine book. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/94 "2009-06-16T13:10:05Z")
_Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure_ ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/95 "2009-06-16T13:25:04Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I just finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a YA novel about a society that forces selected children to participate in a reality show in which the winner is the last one alive. Very very good, but I think the book could have benefited from a different ending. Apparently this will be the first of a series, and although it was great, enough ends were tied up that I don’t know that I need to follow the characters any longer. That said, of course I’m going to… I read and liked this book as well. I couldn’t help but compare it to _Battle Royale_ though, which I felt was the superior of the two. ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/96 "2009-06-16T13:37:50Z")
I’m reading _Beyond World’s End_ by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill and _Doomsday Book_ by Connie Willis. And _The Silo_ by John Kinsella, but that’s for my literature class. I wouldn’t want to waste my time on it if it was up to me. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/97 "2009-06-16T13:51:23Z")
Loren Eisley is absolutely one of my favorite authors of all time. I recently started [**Darwin’s Century: Evolution and the Men Who Discovered It**](http://www.amazon.com/Darwins-Century-Evolution-Men-Discovered/dp/0385081413) and am loving it. It’s a work examining the progression of men and ideas at play during the time when our modern understanding of evolution began to coalesce. A thoughtful and fascinating read. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/98 "2009-06-16T16:36:14Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > _Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure_ WSJ had a good review of that. Are you enjoying it? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/99 "2009-06-16T19:21:24Z")
Put down _Future Shock_ by Alvin Toffler. A friend suggested that it might be interesting to pick this up 30X years after it appeared. I thought it was a fun idea, so I bought a used copy. It was a dull, dry read and I just didn’t care enough to keep at it. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254/100 "2009-06-16T21:55:09Z")
I’m reading a book about about fake Vietnam vets called _Stolen Valor_, by B. G. Burkett. It’s a fascinating phenomenon and Mr. Burkett has clearly busted several poseurs, but Mr. Burkett’s apparent animosity towards real vets who came home to oppose the war is making me wonder about the book’s agenda. For instance, he claims that Ron Kovic’s (the _Born on the Fourth of July_ guy) story of naivety turned to disillusionment couldn’t possibly be an honest account, because Kovic signed up for a second tour of duty. :dubious: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-09-edition/498254.md?page=6)