# Whatcha Readin' June 2010 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366 "2010-05-31T09:34:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/41 "2010-06-03T18:22:35Z")
> [@Enterprise](#): > > Not sure what I’ll start on, though. I’ll probably skim through Ben Schwartz’s _Best American Comics Criticism_, and have either Joe Hill’s _20th Century Ghosts_ or Porter Grand’s _Little Women and Werewolves_ (Louisa May Alcott’s original draft, apparently!)… I thought _20th Century Ghosts_ was excellent. _Pop Art_ is my favorite, but I thought all the stories were quite good. I’m finished with _Quite Ugly One Morning_ by Christopher Brookmyre. I think his strong suit is dialogue, especially short dialogue. I liked that the book wasn’t full of to-ing and fro-ing, and descriptions of clothing. While waiting for a couple of things to arrive, I’ll go back to the Booth Tarkington collection and read _The Magnificent Ambersons_. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/42 "2010-06-03T18:44:10Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > I think I can safely say that I will have no new reading to report for at least the next three months, now that I’m a whole 100 pages into The Stand. > > Thank Og for ebooks! I was thinking about re-reading “The Stand” and starting a thread to discuss it - maybe give people a head’s-up so a bunch of us can re-read it and discuss it. I’m about to boogey on down to the library and pick up Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend.” We just re-watched the Will Smith movie, and I feel moved to read the original. And yes, I know it’s not the same. ---
**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 3, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/43 "2010-06-03T18:51:42Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I was thinking about re-reading “The Stand” and starting a thread to discuss it - maybe give people a head’s-up so a bunch of us can re-read it and discuss it. Sounds fun! ---
**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 3, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/44 "2010-06-03T19:04:53Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I was thinking about re-reading “The Stand” and starting a thread to discuss it - maybe give people a head’s-up so a bunch of us can re-read it and discuss it. I’ll come! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/45 "2010-06-05T15:11:37Z")
Couple of good ones: _Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche_ by Ethan Watters. Looks at the role the U.S. – both the psychiatric establishment and the mass media – has had in shaping the way mental illness is framed around the world. Chapters on anorexia in Hong Kong; PTSD in Sri Lanka; schizophrenia in Tanzania; and the marketing of depression in Japan. Fascinating, thought-provoking. And, speaking of crazy, E.L. Doctorow’s latest, _Homer & Langley_, (very) loosely based on the Collyer brothers, famous NYC hoarder recluses. I didn’t read the Wiki article till after I’d finished, which I’d recommend – knowing what’s true and what’s not isn’t actually going to enhance your reading experience any. **koeeoaddi** , I think you’d like this one – not a “you \*gotta \*read it” recommendation, but if you see it in the library, pick it up. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/46 "2010-06-05T15:17:21Z")
> [@Enterprise](#): > > I started Peter Carey’s _Parrott and Olivier in America_ on recommendation from here, but won’t probably finish it. There’s no hook for me, I like neither Parrott nor Olivier, and there’s just no story there (yet? I’m about where they set out for America). It’s not as boring as Tocqueville, though. That was me – and, no, if you’re not into it yet, that’s not going to change once they get to America. It becomes more about the interactions between the two men, but if you don’t like either of them, there’s not going to be a payoff for you. (FTR, I didn’t particularly “like” either of them, either, but I thought they were interesting characters who provided complementary lenses through which to view the 19th century.) Oh well – I liked it, sorry it didn’t work out for you. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/47 "2010-06-05T17:19:40Z")
Just finished Raymond Chandler’s **The High Window** and liked it so much I moved on immediately to **Farewell, My Lovely**. The man wrote dialogue that crackles like ozone after a thunderstorm. There’s a bit of racism present in this two that I hadn’t noticed as much in his other books - **The High Window** has a pretty bad Jewish stereotype, while **Farewell, My Lovely** started off with some pretty broad characterizations of blacks - but I’m writing those of as products of the times. (And maybe I’m just overly sensitive to it after having read **King Solomon’s Mines** recently.) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/48 "2010-06-05T18:16:30Z")
**I’m Not Dennis Bergkamp** , I’m finding the same stuff in _The Screaming Mimi_ by Fredric Brown. The main character is Irish, with a drinking problem. He encounters fairies, fags and jigs (no spics yet), and he wants to “make” a woman. I haven’t heard “make” in that context since the 50’s. 🙂 The character doesn’t seem racist though – he’s using terms that I’d expect him to use, and he’s treating these people like he treats everyone else. He’s an equal opportunity offender. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/49 "2010-06-05T21:17:30Z")
Finished _The Gates: A Novel by John Connolly_. I did not know when I bought it that it was targeted at a younger crowd. (Although it is not uncommon for me to read YA anyway.) For the most part I enjoyed it, despite it indulging in the current conceit of adding footnotes. 11 year old Sam and his dog are out trick-or-treating 3 days early (to show initiative) and stumble across a group trying to raise demons. Just at that that same time CERN is testing their Large Hadron Collider and inadvertently provide the mechanism that permits the opening of the gates of hell. Sam was quirky and fun in a nerdy way, but the author tried a little too hard to be quirky. It wasn’t too bad, but I am doubtful that I will read more of Connolly. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/50 "2010-06-05T22:11:54Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Finished _The Gates: A Novel by John Connolly_. I did not know when I bought it that it was targeted at a younger crowd. (Although it is not uncommon for me to read YA anyway.) I liked this one, but not as much as I liked _The Book of Lost Things_. Connolly’s adult fiction is quite good. Interesting that he’s branching out. ---
**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 6, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/51 "2010-06-06T04:38:32Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > \*And, speaking of crazy, E.L. Doctorow’s latest, _Homer & Langley_, (very) loosely based on the Collyer brothers, famous NYC hoarder recluses. I didn’t read the Wiki article till after I’d finished, which I’d recommend – knowing what’s true and what’s not isn’t actually going to enhance your reading experience any. **koeeoaddi** , I think you’d like this one – not a “you \*gotta \*read it” recommendation, but if you see it in the library, pick it up. Thanks, I put it on hold. 🙂 I’m almost done with Alexander McCall Smith’s new _Double Comfort Safari Club_. I was a little worried that all the familiar elements would be a bit tiresome by book #11: Mma Ramotswe and her red bush tea, her late daddy and his cattle, Mma Makutsi’s 97%, Clovis Andersen’s _Principles of Private Detection_ and so on. They’re all there in this book, too, but it’s every bit as good as any in the series. I really love these books, they’re like letters from a friend. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/52 "2010-06-06T14:22:11Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > It wasn’t too bad, but I am doubtful that I will read more of Connolly. NO, NO, NO - please don’t do that!!! John Connolly writes a detective series featuring Charlie “Bird” Parker that is one of my all time favorite series (second only to the Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais). It has excellent characters and some elements of horror (ghosts, etc) that get a bit more pronounced as the series continues. Try the first one, [Every Dead Thing](http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/novels_edt.php), and _then_ if you don’t like him, ok. But please don’t base your opinion off his first YA book (which I haven’t read yet) or you’ll be missing out some outstanding fiction. I’m eagerly awaiting the next Charlie Parker book which comes out in July. Connolly and Crais are two of the few authors that I’ll buy their books in hardback on publication date. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/53 "2010-06-06T14:29:43Z")
OK, I put _Every Dead Thing_ in my queue. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/54 "2010-06-06T14:33:44Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > \Currently reading through “[The Complete Stories](http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dorothy-l-sayers/dorothy-l-sayers-complete-stories.htm)” by Dorothy L. Sayers, which is utterly delightful. > > I just found a copy of “[A Matter of Justice](http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/charles-todd/matter-of-justice.htm)” and may start in on it next, despite my fetish for reading an author’s works in order if at all possible…\ How odd that we’re reading the same authors at the same time, especially Sayers. I’m in the midst of reading the Wimsey series in between other books (too many in a row and they lose their charm, I think.) Although I find the little bits of racism here and there (aimed at Jews and blacks) a bit disconcerting, but I think they were more indicative of the era and class system rather than the author herself. I don’t think you’ll be lost reading _A Matter of Justice_ out of order but, if you like it, you should really go back and start at the beginning of the series. **Khadaji** - let me know how you like it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! ---
**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:** [June 6, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/55 "2010-06-06T14:36:59Z")
I’m reading _American Caeser_ by William Manchester. Douglas MacArthur was an interesting dude! ---
**Author:** ![plankter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ba0ec/32.png) [@plankter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plankter)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/56 "2010-06-06T17:27:45Z")
Finished and liked **The Edge of Ruin**. Until the final chapter I hadn’t realized how much I missed Kenntniss. On the other hand it was nice to see Richard finally growing a spine and calling out his father. Thing is, now Dad is ripe to turn traitor out of spite… hopefully there’ll be a sequel to answer this and other issues. Right now I am reading **To Kill A Mockingbird** for the first time. Atticus looks and sounds like Cary Grant in my head, and the name Boo Radley is familiar from Mystery Science Theater 3000, but otherwise I’m unspoiled for the story. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/57 "2010-06-06T20:17:52Z")
> [@Surly\_Chick](#): > > NO, NO, NO - please don’t do that!!! John Connolly writes a detective series featuring Charlie “Bird” Parker that is one of my all time favorite series (second only to the Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais). It has excellent characters and some elements of horror (ghosts, etc) that get a bit more pronounced as the series continues. Try the first one, [Every Dead Thing](http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/novels_edt.php), and _then_ if you don’t like him, ok. But please don’t base your opinion off his first YA book (which I haven’t read yet) or you’ll be missing out some outstanding fiction. I’m eagerly awaiting the next Charlie Parker book which comes out in July. Connolly and Crais are two of the few authors that I’ll buy their books in hardback on publication date. I’m going to pick that up, too. I like Connolly from what little I’ve read - **The Book of Lost Things** and his short story collection, **Nocturnes** - but hadn’t heard anything about a detective series. I do have another one of his - **The Lovers** - on my reading pile, but haven’t looked at it yet. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/58 "2010-06-06T20:28:45Z")
IN WHICH I just started, and I think I’m going to enjoy it. This is a freebee on my iPad. BTW; I really like the iBook layout, and the “bookshelf” library. Back to the introductions. 🙂 Don’t bother me. ---
**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 6, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/59 "2010-06-06T20:49:55Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Still meandering through the Asimov-inspired short-story collection _Foundation’s Friends_, and enjoying it, mostly. Just finished it. It’s uneven, but has some very good stories. “Strip-Runner” by Pamela Sargent and “The Originist” by Orson Scott Card were the best, I thought - the first, set in the domed NYC of _The Caves of Steel_, and the second, a _Foundation_ story set on Trantor around the time of Hari Seldon’s death. There’s also an afterword by Janet, Asimov’s bemused wife, and a postscript by Isaac himself - well worth a look for Asimov fans. Now I’m starting Dan Chaon’s new novel, _Await Your Reply_, which so far has the same melancholy and slightly menacing spirit as his earlier book, _You Remind Me of Me_. Beautifully written, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/60 "2010-06-06T21:16:25Z")
Picked up Jodi Picoult’s latest, _House Rules_, after work on Friday and just finished it. Meh. Second the love of John Connolly **one million times**. I found him when I went to buy a Michael Connolly paperback and picked up the wrong one off the shelf. I was pissed at myself at first and then realized I had made myself very happy. Loved _Await Your Reply_. Brilliant. Now starting in at the beginning of Michael Koryta’s novels with _Tonight I Said Goodbye_. He’s coming to Cleveland for a book signing soon and his stuff gets good reviews, so I’m checking him out. Plus: Set in Cleveland, though he’s not from here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366.md?page=4)