# Whatcha Readin' June 2011 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2011, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834 "2011-05-31T09:57:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/41 "2011-06-08T13:25:30Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > Russell’s writing is fantastic and I liked that book very much, despite the fact that I don’t think it’s very good science fiction, and despite having some trouble suspending disbelief. For instance: > > It’s ridiculous that anyone would make those assumptions about Emilio. It was obvious from the beginning that something very bad had happened to him, and that he had not in fact prostituted himself for the fun of it. That part hung me up too and also made me a little furious. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/42 "2011-06-08T14:06:32Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I had to read \*The Sparrow \*in college and I remember disliking it, but I can’t remember anything about it other than Jesuits in space. Maybe someday I’ll pick it up again. Every time I see a book that includes Questions For Your Reading Group, an alarm goes off. _The Sparrow_ was SF written by somebody who doesn’t know much about SF. And for people who would never stoop to reading SF… I was beginning to re-read _The Knight_ by Gene Wolfe, although his “unreliable narrator” thing can get irritating. Wolfe has never claimed his stuff is anything but Fantasy or SF, but he sure uses some serious literary techniques. However, the advance-ordered paperback edition of the latest Temeraire novel was on my porch yesterday. Thanks, Amazon! Even in the last one, I could tell the series had stopped being such innocent fun. But our dragon is growing up… ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/43 "2011-06-08T14:16:27Z")
> [@5-HT](#): > > Inspired by the fact that I’ve been playing LA Noire on XBox, I’ve been reading Raymond Chandler, _The Big Sleep_, _The Long Goodbye_, and now _The Little Sister_. > > Phillip Marlowe rocks. Very cool idea. I’ve been playing that game, too…now off to put some Phillip Marlowe on my library list. I’ve just picked up mysteries again after more heavy reading, and am currently reading _Seven Dials_ by Anne Perry. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/44 "2011-06-08T14:53:02Z")
I finally finished the beast that is _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_. I’ve already made my dislike for it known, so I will not comment further (much as I could) other than to say that I still would not recommend it. I think I’ll follow Little Nemo’s lead and embark upon a journey through classic SciFi (and maybe some fantasy) starting with \*The Left Hand of Darkness \*by Ursula K. LeGuin. It’s one of a few classics I recently picked up used and wondered why I’ve not read it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/45 "2011-06-08T15:26:52Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Very cool idea. I’ve been playing that game, too…now off to put some Phillip Marlowe on my library list. > > I’ve just picked up mysteries again after more heavy reading, and am currently reading _Seven Dials_ by Anne Perry. I’m reading some recent noir that I like very much - Philip Kerr’s series (the most recent is _Field Grey_, published this year). Great stuff - noir set in WW2 and post-WW2, Nazis and the Cold War. ---
**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 8, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/46 "2011-06-08T15:52:41Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Every time I see a book that includes Questions For Your Reading Group, an alarm goes off. _The Sparrow_ was SF written by somebody who doesn’t know much about SF. And for people who would never stoop to reading SF… Yes, it’s very obviously written by someone who hasn’t read much science fiction. There’s some really dumb stuff you have to overlook, but I liked the book anyway. I love the way Russell writes, although her work is very, very depressing. After _The Sparrow_ and its sequel she went on to write _A Thread of Grace_, a novel about Jewish refugees in Italy towards the end of WWII. It’s a great book, but will leave you feeling positively suicidal. I finished _Woken Furies_, the last book in Richard K. Morgan’s science fiction trilogy about Takeshi Kovacs. I liked these books very much. They’re hardboiled, dystopian and cyber-punkish, and very well written. I’ve started a re-read of _A Feast for Crows_. Getting ready for the new book next month. ---
**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 8, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/47 "2011-06-08T15:58:36Z")
I’ve heard similar criticisms of _The Sparrow_. I know no one else who liked the sequel, though. **Barkis** , do you think you might like to try Clarke’s magical-England short story collection _The Ladies of Grace Adieu_, or are you totally soured on her after _Strange & Norrell_? > [@koeeoaddi](#): > > I’m in the middle of [The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12609.The_Spirit_Catches_You_and_You_Fall_Down), about a Hmong family’s clash with modern medicine when their daughter is treated for severe epilepsy at a California hospital. It’s just brilliant. Probably the best book I’ve read so far this year. My wife’s book club read that and liked it. It’s been on my back burner for a loooong time. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/48 "2011-06-08T17:56:29Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > **Barkis** , do you think you might like to try Clarke’s magical-England short story collection _The Ladies of Grace Adieu_, or are you totally soured on her after _Strange & Norrell_? I already read her other short story collection, called _The Footnotes of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_. But seriously, I could give _The Ladies of Grace Adieu_ a chance someday, but I wouldn’t pick up another 800+ page novel of hers. Her ramblings seem better suited to short stories and her style is entertaining in short bursts, so yeah, I’d crack it open if I found it on my nightstand. ---
**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 8, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/49 "2011-06-08T18:29:04Z")
I hope you will. When you do, the title story, “The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse” and “Mr Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower” are particularly good. ---
**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 9, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/50 "2011-06-09T17:37:05Z")
Just started on Other Kingdoms, by Richard Matheson, a great but uneven writer. This book is told from the point of view of an old man who is writing down events that happened to him when he was young. I haven’t made up my mind whether the writing is just poor quality or supposed to be part of the old man’s character. The plot is interesting enough so far. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/51 "2011-06-09T19:06:01Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > I just finished _The Sparrow_ by Mary Doria Russell on a long road trip. What an incredibly powerful and painful read! This one will be rattling around in my mind for a long time. I remember liking the book, even while finding it frustrating for the reasons cited by other Dopers - the fundamental bones of the story stick with you. I read the sequel and remember thinking it was good, but it hasn’t stuck with me as much. If you like the writing in The Sparrow, and the type of tension created in the plot, I strongly recommend **[Octavia E. Butler’s Xenogenesis Series](http://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Xenogenesis-Bk-Octavia-Butler/dp/0446603775/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307646312&sr=1-1)**, starting with the book Dawn. Earth is shattered by a cataclysm (I want to say a war) and humanity is all but extinct, but then an alien species arrives to help - but it involves combining their DNA with ours. So what are we now as a species? A great story, well-written and a powerful metaphor for race and miscegenation. I just finished David Liss’ [A Conspiracy of Paper](http://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Paper-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0804119120/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307645811&sr=1-1)and the sequel, A Spectacle of Corruption. Fun romps - basically hard-boiled detective fiction but set in 1719 London - the prose is “flowery” to reflect the setting, but it is an easy, page-turning read. I would equate it to that series of books set in ancient rome featuring a would-be-detective [Marcus Didius Falco](http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Marcus-Didius-Falco-Mysteries/dp/031235777X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307646255&sr=1-1). I am now reading [Out of the Vinyl Deeps](http://www.amazon.com/Out-Vinyl-Deeps-Ellen-Willis/dp/0816672830/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307645961&sr=1-1) - a new collection of articles by an under-recognized female rock critic, Ellen Willis. She was the first pop music critic for the New Yorker. Damn, she is good, good, good. The first piece is an essay on Bob Dylan - it was this essay that brought her to the attention of The New Yorker and got her the job - for being written in the late 60’s, she reflects a perspective on Dylan that still holds today; I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of the commonly-held perceptions about Dylan can be traced back to this article. Deeply insightful and very, very well-written. It is my understanding that she devoted her later writing to feminism and other topics and therefore didn’t invest time or energy in keeping her profile up as a rock critic. It is great to see her work get new light. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/52 "2011-06-10T01:53:04Z")
Finished _The Woodcutter_ by Reginald Hill, author of the Dalziel-Pascoe series. This one’s a stand-alone, about a man framed for pedophilia and financial fraud. I liked it a lot, but an unnecessary “twist” at the end takes it down a notch. Went to the library. They didn’t have _Dodsworth_ (or anything else by Sinclair Lewis – for shame!) so I picked up _The Forgotten Garden_ by Kate Morton and something by Thomas Cook. ---
**Author:** ![Anna\_Nimity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Anna\_Nimity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anna_Nimity)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/53 "2011-06-10T03:36:25Z")
I also loved “The Sparrow” and “Thread of Grace” by Mary Doria Russell, and I agree they were both devastating reads. I’m currently reading the USA trilogy by John Dos Passos. I’m only about 100 or so pages into the 42nd parallel, but am thoroughly enjoying it so far. ---
**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:** [June 10, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/54 "2011-06-10T03:49:51Z")
> [@Anna\_Nimity](#): > > I’m currently reading the USA trilogy by John Dos Passos. I’m only about 100 or so pages into the 42nd parallel, but am thoroughly enjoying it so far. I read that not too long ago and liked it too. Some of the story lines sort of peter out, but it’s still good. ---
**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 10, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/55 "2011-06-10T12:19:53Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Just started on Other Kingdoms, by Richard Matheson, a great but uneven writer. This book is told from the point of view of an old man who is writing down events that happened to him when he was young. I haven’t made up my mind whether the writing is just poor quality or supposed to be part of the old man’s character. The plot is interesting enough so far. _shudder_ Ugh, I can’t do it. I got through over a hundred pages, but it just sucks. ---
**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 10, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/56 "2011-06-10T13:56:31Z")
Well, I finished The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet and have to say that pace really picked up in the final third of the book. I’m glad I stuck with it and would rate it 3.5 out of 5. I suspect that rating may improve over time, though, as it seems like the kind of book that needs to percolate in the mind for a while. Anyway, I am now reading The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo. Norwegian detective fiction. Only a few pages in, but I like the writing style, which is very direct and straightforward (a radical change from Mitchell’s prose in De Zoet). ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/57 "2011-06-11T16:42:13Z")
Finished books 2,3 and 4 in the _Persephone Alcmedi_ series. Mind candy that is OK for me to pass the time with at this point, but I can’t say that it stands out. I won’t recommend it, but won’t recommend against. She turns up the ookie a little with some graphic sex, but doesn’t obsess over it. She tends to focus more on the various relationship issues Persephone has and less on plot - making it a page flipper for me. Started file:///C:/Users/Ron/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-7.png file:///C:/Users/Ron/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-8.png _Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles_ which has the potential to be fun (finally urban fantasy with a male protagonist!) ---
**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 11, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/58 "2011-06-11T16:48:42Z")
I am reading Erik Larson’s _In The Garden Of Beasts_, about Ambassador Dodd and his family living in pre-WWII Berlin shortly after the ascension of Hitler to the chancellorship. Its a non-fiction narrative that reads like a novel. Its pretty engaging, I must say. And I am still not smoking! Yay me! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/59 "2011-06-11T17:19:02Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > And I am still not smoking! > > Yay me! Indeed! My husband quit smoking when he was going through a divorce too. It seemed odd to me, to quit at such a stressful time, but he did it. I’m reading _The Last Talk with Lola Faye_ by Thomas Cook. A man has a conversation with his murdered father’s mistress, realizes that – cliche alert! – things aren’t always what they seem. It’s intriguing. ---
**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 11, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834/60 "2011-06-11T21:23:53Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Indeed! My husband quit smoking when he was going through a divorce too. It seemed odd to me, to quit at such a stressful time, but he did it. > > I’m reading _The Last Talk with Lola Faye_ by Thomas Cook. A man has a conversation with his murdered father’s mistress, realizes that – cliche alert! – things aren’t always what they seem. It’s intriguing. I had quit prior to knowing for sure that I was going to get a divorce, but if there was ever a time to start back up again it was recently. I stocked up on lozenges and patches instead. Those things cost a fortune up front. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2011-edition/583834.md?page=4)