# 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:** 9
**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:** [June 22, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/161 "2010-06-22T13:59:08Z")
I didn’t like the second Kage Baker novel, _Sky Coyote_, as well as the first, but the writing is good enough that I’m going to continue with at least one more of her books. I do like her sense of humor. These have a neat twist on the usual time travel story, because the protagonists aren’t exactly time travelers. Rather, they were rescued from certain death as children and given enhanced, immortal bodies. They live through history at a human pace, carrying out assignments sent to them from “The Company” of the future, who are apparently too lazy to do the time traveling themselves. My mom loaned me a stack of Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley mysteries, and I’m enjoying those. I read the newest Sookie Stackhouse book, _Dead in the Family_, and I thought it was terrible. Maybe I’ve just gone off them, but damned if I don’t remember the early books being a little better than this. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/162 "2010-06-22T14:14:44Z")
I recently finished _Gringa With Purple Toenails_ by Barbara Bushee. It’s a very quick read, and I quite enjoyed it. I don’t know anyone, aside from her husband, who has read it. I’d be interested in someone else’s opinion. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/163 "2010-06-22T17:52:55Z")
I’m finally getting around to reading Stephen King’s _Duma Key_, which I missed when it first came out. 200 pages in, and it’s not too bad, but it’s very much typical King. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/164 "2010-06-22T18:40:21Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > I’m finally getting around to reading Stephen King’s _Duma Key_, which I missed when it first came out. 200 pages in, and it’s not too bad, but it’s very much typical King. I started it, but put it aside. I plan to go back to it one day. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/165 "2010-06-23T13:38:49Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > **TheMerchandise** , I think _The Dead Zone_ is one of King’s best books. There’s a wistful air of regret, lost opportunities and pathos that gives it a real emotional punch. You really see how Smith suffers for his “gift.” One thing I like about King is that he doesn’t always give his readers a happy ending. But sometimes he does. So for me, the stakes are always high. Especially with _The Dead Zone_, I was never ever sure which way King was going to take the story. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/166 "2010-06-23T14:41:06Z")
I’m late to the party this month, but it so far it’s been a great month for the books. I’ll start off with the Meh. I finished [First Contact](http://www.amazon.com/First-Contact-Later-Than-Think/dp/006174977X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277302994&sr=8-1) by Evan Mandery. It was good, whimsicle, and very very Vonnegut-esque, but a little light for me. I would have loved some more of the aliens, and a little more meat to the story. Otherwise it was a perfect summer read. I also finished both [Altered Carbon](http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277303200&sr=1-1) and [Broken Angels](http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Angels-Richard-K-Morgan/dp/0345457714/ref=pd_sim_b_7) in a week or so. Loved them both, but have heard mixed reviews about the third Takeshi Kovacs book, so I’m holding of on it. Any Doper thoughts? I ran through in one night [I Am Not A Serial Killer](http://www.amazon.com/Not-Serial-Killer-John-Cleaver/dp/0765322471/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277303414&sr=1-1). I absolutely loved this book, and can’t wait for the other two to come out! The protagonist, John Wayne Cleaver is one of my favorite characters I’ve run across this year. [Nothing To Envy](http://www.amazon.com/Not-Serial-Killer-John-Cleaver/dp/0765322471/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277303414&sr=1-1) by Barbara Demick is a fascinating look into the day to day lives of North Koreans. She concentrates on interviewing several people who had defected from the same village, and is at turns heartbreaking, thrilling and captivating. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Hermit Kingdom. Right now I’m going through some old Pratchett I hadn’t read in a while. Lords and Ladies, Pyramids and Moving Pictures. On tap is Use Of Weapons by Banks, as well as Kraken from China Mieville, and City Of Saints And Madmen by Jeff Vandermeer. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/167 "2010-06-23T17:30:25Z")
Started [So Cold the River](http://www.amazon.com/So-Cold-River-Michael-Koryta/dp/0316053635) by Michael Koryta, after hearing positive comments from the NPR reviewer. I’m hoping for something quiet and creepy, like _The Little Stranger_ by Sarah Waters. It’s about a filmmaker who failed to make the big time in LA and who’s been making memorial videos for funerals. He’s approached by a woman who wants a video of her father’s life. From the blurb, the hook is a restored hotel/spa and some mysterious water. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/168 "2010-06-23T22:31:03Z")
\*\*yanceylebeef \*\*I have _I Am Not A Serial Killer_ in my queue, but so far haven’t pulled the trigger on buying it. I’ll give it a go. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/169 "2010-06-24T01:31:36Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > \*\*yanceylebeef \*\*I have _I Am Not A Serial Killer_ in my queue, but so far haven’t pulled the trigger on buying it. I’ll give it a go. You are going to love it. There are a couple of twists that I didn’t see coming, and it was a much faster read than I was expecting. Finished it in a night. ---
**Author:** ![HappyDays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f08c70/32.png) [@HappyDays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HappyDays)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/170 "2010-06-24T11:59:29Z")
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I am currently reading Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup who wrote Q & A, the book Slumdog Millionaire was based on. It is good so far, but I am only about 75 pages in. My recent reads: Her Majesty’s Dragon - Not bad enough to bail before I finished it, but not good enough to recommend. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - A fantastic book. Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham - I quite enjoyed this one. McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy - Laugh-out-loud funny. My daughter and I read different Ted Dekker books about the same time and both of us thought they were dreadful. The writing was stilted and the plots were just weird. At the end of one of the books, you find out the main character has MPD. The villain and one of the lead investigators are his other personalities. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? ---
**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 24, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/171 "2010-06-24T12:36:27Z")
> [@HappyDays](#): > > My daughter and I read different Ted Dekker books about the same time and both of us thought they were dreadful. The writing was stilted and the plots were just weird. At the end of one of the books, you find out the main character has MPD. The villain and one of the lead investigators are his other personalities. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? He was one of the authors of the book I was denouncing upthread. When I returned it to the library, I included a post-it note around page 60: > [@](#): > > Spoiler: This book doesn’t get any better. ☹ Good deed for the day, done. ---
**Author:** ![HappyDays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f08c70/32.png) [@HappyDays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HappyDays)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/172 "2010-06-24T12:41:37Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > When I returned it to the library, I included a post-it note around page 60: > Good deed for the day, done. Absolutely brilliant! You have just made my entire day. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/173 "2010-06-24T12:55:35Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > He was one of the authors of the book I was denouncing upthread. When I returned it to the library, I included a post-it note around page 60: > Good deed for the day, done. That made me laugh! I should do that with all the books I have been giving away. ---
**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 24, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/174 "2010-06-24T13:05:16Z")
Well, thanks! I’m going to count “made y’all smile” as today’s good deed. 😃 ---
**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 24, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/175 "2010-06-24T15:35:08Z")
I like that idea a lot. The best kind of public service message. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/176 "2010-06-24T18:48:09Z")
_Alice I Have Been_ by Melanie Benjamin (historical fiction based on Alice Liddell, the Alice in Wonderland girl) - this was meh. It was a little coy for my taste, yes WE KNOW some scholars believe Carroll’s (or Dodgson’s, whatever) interest in young girls was inappropriate. I actually don’t care either way, not being a huge fan of his, but I didn’t like the _nudge, nudge, wink, wink_ in which this novel portrayed the situation. I started _The Rules of the Game: The Best Sports Writing from Harper’s Magazine_, an anthology, so some pieces are better than others, but BOY, there have been some good ones. Highly recommended for people who like sports history and sports journalism. Also a children’s book, _The Sixty-Eight Rooms_ by Marianne Malone. The premise is terrific, it’s set in the Art Institute of Chicago, in the miniature Thorne Rooms. Unfortunately, it’s one of those cases where the author had a great idea for a setting, but then shoehorned a story in that isn’t particularly compelling. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/177 "2010-06-24T18:56:44Z")
I just finished Paul Quarrington’s last book - “_[Cigar Box Banjo](http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Cigar-Box-Banjo-Life-Music-Paul-Quarrington-Doyle-Roddy/9781553654384-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%27cigar+box+banjo+quarrington%27)_”, which is his incomplete memoirs of a life lived around the periphery of music combined with his chronicle of his life after his diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer. It’s fantastic - humorous and uplifting, despite the ending. I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/178 "2010-06-24T19:06:17Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > _Alice I Have Been_ by Melanie Benjamin (historical fiction based on Alice Liddell, the Alice in Wonderland girl) - this was meh. It was a little coy for my taste, yes WE KNOW some scholars believe Carroll’s (or Dodgson’s, whatever) interest in young girls was inappropriate. I actually don’t care either way, not being a huge fan of his, but I didn’t like the _nudge, nudge, wink, wink_ in which this novel portrayed the situation. I took this out of the library but couldn’t get past the first chapter. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/179 "2010-06-24T19:21:16Z")
[Link to NPR article with books recommended by their critics](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127404457). If you click on the links in the article, you’ll be taken to excerpts. I’m surprised to see a fantasy novel on the list – the new one by Guy Gavriel Kay. I loved _Tigana_ but my next Kay was _The Lions of Al-Rassan_, which was very disappointing, due to an unlikely HEA ending. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2010-edition/541366/180 "2010-06-24T19:56:49Z")
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