# Whatcha Readin' June 2012 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701 "2012-05-31T20:48:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/81 "2012-06-24T19:46:12Z")
I’ve been on a bit of a crime/thriller trip these last weeks, with mixed results. Just now I finished Tana French’s _In the Woods_, something of a psychological thriller set in Dublin. I’m very ambivalent about it: I was initially a bit annoyed by its first-person narration, which seemed a bit hamfisted in places and then suddenly started to give foreshadowing of things to come; then I was hooked by the story, and finally I just wanted to find out how it ended, but had lost all interest in the narrator, whose descent into unlikeability and quasi-insanity seemed thoroughly over the top for me. I also read Mo Hayder’s first three Jack Cafferty novels, which I liked more thoroughly, though _Ritual_, the third, seemed a trifling too much to go for effect, at the expense of believability; and a couple of cheaply got paperbacks of Colin Dexter’s inimitable Inspector Morse, which is about as far on the other side of Hayder and French as it’s possible to be before smacking right into Agatha Christie… Otherwise, I’m reading Hilary Mantel’s _Wolf Hall_, which is utterly brillant both as historical novel as well as just as a novel, and Gore Vidal’s _Empire_, which has great bit and pieces but, as far as I’m in right now, hasn’t really picked up the pace. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/82 "2012-06-24T20:46:05Z")
I agree **Enterprise** , in the end, I didn’t care at all. I won’t read any more of her work. ---
**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 25, 2012, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/83 "2012-06-25T13:17:36Z")
Beginning on [Masterpieces: the best Science Fiction of the century](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0441011330/ref=sib_dp_ptu/186-2656976-4426561#reader-link), edited by Orson Scott Card. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/84 "2012-06-25T21:22:28Z")
It took me a long time to finish Theodore Dreiser’s _ **Sister Carrie** _, not least because my son keeps stealing my Kindle Fire to play\*\*\* Plants versus Zombies.\*\*\* But I did finally finish it, and it was well worth the effort. Now, I’m immersed in Wilkie Collins’ _ **The Woman in White** _. My only other exposure to Wilkie Collins was the Classics Comics version of _ **The** _ _ **Moonstone** _, when I was 7 or 8. So far, I’m enjoying it immensely. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/85 "2012-06-26T00:12:14Z")
I’m about 80% of the way through the first [Sandman Slim](http://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Slim-Richard-Kadrey/dp/0061976261/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340668975&sr=8-2&keywords=sandman+slim) books & loving it. I’ve also got [The Gone Away World](http://www.amazon.com/The-Gone-Away-World-Nick-Harkaway/dp/B002U0KO9A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340669140&sr=1-1&keywords=gone+away+world) on the go, good, well written but for some reason I seem to dip into it for a few days, go off to another book & then come back. ---
**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 26, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/86 "2012-06-26T01:41:40Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > I’ve also got [The Gone Away World](http://www.amazon.com/The-Gone-Away-World-Nick-Harkaway/dp/B002U0KO9A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340669140&sr=1-1&keywords=gone+away+world) on the go, good, well written but for some reason I seem to dip into it for a few days, go off to another book & then come back. Yeah, Gone Away World is that kind of book. It’s like a lot of brilliant riffs strung together, but it’s easy to lose interest. I’m just finishing [Soft Apocalypse](http://www.amazon.com/Soft-Apocalypse-Will-McIntosh/dp/159780276X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340674515&sr=1-1&keywords=soft+apocalypse+by+will+mcintosh), by Will McIntosh. It’s about educated suburbanites trying to preserve their humanity despite a very gradual decline of society, similar to live frogs in a pot of cold water, brought slowly to a boil. The author is a social psychologist, so the focus is on the narrator and the relationships he has with other people. Although the language is unextraordinary, the story is surprisingly compelling, and very well thought out. It’s been given much praise, and I do recommend it. Next up for me is [Gone Girl](http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/030758836X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340674877&sr=1-1&keywords=gone+girl), a new novel that I keep seeing recommended everywhere I turn. eta: I just noticed 3 books on this page with the word “Gone” in the title. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/87 "2012-06-26T14:58:50Z")
I am reading _The Yard_, debut novel by Alex Grecian, who writes a series of graphic novels called _Proof_. It’s a police mystery set in London in 1889. I’m on page 56 and totally hooked. Right now we’re in a flashback about the past of one of the detectives, who was a child coal miner. He is talking to one of his fellow miners: “Alice was six and would soon be moving to a bigger tunnel.” ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/88 "2012-06-26T15:10:07Z")
I finished [The Book Thief](http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340723203&sr=8-1&keywords=the+book+thief), and cried buckets. Loved that book. Loved loved loved that book. I’ve just started [Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea](http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Envy-Ordinary-Lives-North/dp/0385523912/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340723264&sr=1-1&keywords=north+korea). I started it last night, so I’m only a chapter into it, but it’s fascinating. The author has a knack for making these very real stories come alive, so it’s not just rote reporting. It probably helps that her subject is so bizarre - it’s easy to make The Hermit Kingdom a compelling setting. I’ve snatched a glimpse at some of the upcoming pages, and I think this one’s going to be good. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/89 "2012-06-26T16:10:39Z")
Finished [**The Dead of Night**](http://www.amazon.com/The-Dead-Night-Tomorrow-Series/dp/0439829119/) this morning, going to keep going with the series. Next up is [**A Killing Frost**](http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Frost-The-Tomorrow-Series/dp/0439829127/). ---
**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 26, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/90 "2012-06-26T16:11:48Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > It took me a long time to finish Theodore Dreiser’s _ **Sister Carrie** _, not least because my son keeps stealing my Kindle Fire to play\*\*\* Plants versus Zombies.\*\*\* > > But I did finally finish it, and it was well worth the effort. Glad to hear that. I plan to read it myself soon, as it’s in the queue. Have you read his _An American Tragedy_? It’s great. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Not\_Appearing\_In\_This\_Film](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Sir\_Not\_Appearing\_In\_This\_Film](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Not_Appearing_In_This_Film)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/91 "2012-06-26T17:02:14Z")
Slogging through the last quarter of Hilary Mantel’s _ **A Place of Greater Safety** _, which I picked up after enjoying _ **Wolf Hall** _ so much. She does a good job of making her protagonists sympathetic, especially Desmoulins and Robespierre, but for the last half of the book their arcs just seem to have stalled along with my enthusiasm to finish. Oh well, the number of pages remaining match up well with the historical dates of The Terror, so it won’t be long now. Promised myself I would finish this one before downloading _ **Bring Up the Bodies** _. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/92 "2012-06-26T17:49:26Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Finished _Keeping It Real_ based on a recommendation here. > Either the person was having me on, didn’t understand some of my earlier comments or I didn’t catch what was being said - but it didn’t float my boat. That may have been me - if so, my apologies. I liked the first in the Quantum Gravity series well enough for what it was; urban fantasy with a scifi twist & softcore romance thrown in. I dumped the second one about halfway thru - it got more complicated, plot and character-wise than I was willing to invest in. However, I quite enjoyed _**[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11936279-the-technologists](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11936279-the-technologists)**_ by Matthew Pearl, which I checked out from the local library. Described as a “historical thriller” - we follow 4 members of the first (and possibly last) graduating class of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as they investigate bizarre happenings in the town of Boston just after the Civil War. These disasters appear technology-based, and many believe the Institute is to blame. How can these students use their training and intellect to find the real culprits? There’s more than a touch of steampunk in this novel; but the straight historical aspects of the fiction are just as important. I found myself wondering which elements of the story were true, or at least possible. The main characters are generally well-developed, especially Marcus Mansfield, the protagonist. The plot moves along well, and despite its 496 pages, kept me quite entertained all the way through, with a couple of surprising-to-me twists along the way. Recommended to alt-history fans who appreciate a suspenseful story - I’ll probably be picking this up at some point for myself. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/93 "2012-06-26T18:24:32Z")
Crud - the book referenced above was supposed to be \*\*\*The Technologists \*\*\* by Matthew Pearl … ---
**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 26, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/94 "2012-06-26T19:13:18Z")
I finished _Mistborn_ by Brandon Sanderson the other day. I thought it took a while to get the story moving, but the payoff was pretty good. I just started the 2nd book of the Mistborn trilogy, _The Well of Ascension._ So far so good, but I’m only a couple chapters into it. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/95 "2012-06-26T19:42:57Z")
Closing out the month will be David Brin’s latest, [Existence](http://books.google.com/books?id=suSsVhcu8AcC&lpg=PP1&dq=David%20Brin's%20latest%2C%20Existence&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=David%20Brin's%20latest,%20Existence&f=false). ---
**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 26, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/96 "2012-06-26T20:46:42Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Closing out the month will be David Brin’s latest, [Existence](http://books.google.com/books?id=suSsVhcu8AcC&lpg=PP1&dq=David%20Brin's%20latest%2C%20Existence&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=David%20Brin's%20latest,%20Existence&f=false). I’d be interested in your opinion of this…the reviews have been mixed. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/97 "2012-06-28T14:21:07Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > Next up for me is [Gone Girl](http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/030758836X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340674877&sr=1-1&keywords=gone+girl), a new novel that I keep seeing recommended everywhere I turn. I’m also seeing this book everywhere but haven’t actually read what it’s about. I’m eager to read your feedback. I enjoyed her [Dark Places](http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Places-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/0307341577/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1340892845&sr=8-1). I finished [Redshirts](http://www.amazon.com/Redshirts-A-Novel-Three-Codas/dp/0765316994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340892915&sr=1-1&keywords=Redshirs), which was my first John Scalzi novel, but will not be my last. The book’s a total geek-fest, but has lots of heart. Also read [We Need to Talk About Kevin](http://www.amazon.com/Need-Talk-About-Kevin-tie-/dp/0062119044/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340893035&sr=1-1&keywords=we+have+to+talk+about+kevin) by Lionel Shriver and hated it. It suffers from Important Book Syndrome, common of books that are about touchy and controversial subjects (in this case, school shootings… From the shooter’s side) and so beyond criticism or reproach. The writing style was forced and pretentious, every single one of the characters were awful people and the book ended with a gimmicky twist I saw coming from page 4. Right now, I’m on the\*\* Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter\*\* bandwagon. It’s crowded here! ---
**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 28, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/98 "2012-06-28T15:05:22Z")
Finished _The Reversal_, by Michael Connelly. Very good. I’ve become a Connelly fan. Next up is another one by him, _The Brass Verdict_. Slightly earlier in time and the first instance of his two normally separate protagonists, Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch, working together. ---
**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 28, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/99 "2012-06-28T21:49:53Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > I’m also seeing this book everywhere but haven’t actually read what it’s about. I’m eager to read your feedback. I enjoyed her [Dark Places](http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Places-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/0307341577/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1340892845&sr=8-1). > > I finished [Redshirts](http://www.amazon.com/Redshirts-A-Novel-Three-Codas/dp/0765316994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340892915&sr=1-1&keywords=Redshirs), which was my first John Scalzi novel, but will not be my last. The book’s a total geek-fest, but has lots of heart. I’m really glad to hear that Redshirts is good. I like Scalzi. As for Gone Girl, I may not finish for a while, but I have to say I’m riveted by it so far. Another post in this thread is favorable toward it. > [@Glory](#): > > Just finished reading [Gone Girl](http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/030758836X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339615817&sr=8-1&keywords=gone+girl) by Gillian Flynn and I thought it was an outstanding thriller. She’s 3 for 3 with me now (Sharp Objects, Dark Places were also excellent). ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701/100 "2012-06-29T08:12:25Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > The Long Earth. I’m about 1/3 of the way through, and I’m liking it a lot. > > I rarely read fiction any more, and Pratchett is the only fiction writer I’ll always read. > > The Long Earth is reminding me of what I liked about SF when I used to read it; an interesting and imaginative premise, with enough realism to allow a suspension of disbelief about the wacky stuff. > > While it’s more “serious” than the Discworld books it still has plenty of the gentle humour and charm that makes Pratchett such an enjoyable writer. The characters are interesting and likeable, the premise is cool, and I’d recommend it. Of course, it could still go awry, but thus far it’s very enjoyable. Finished. Not sure about the end, it didn’t really seem to resolve very well. But it’s worth reading anyway, the ending isn’t _bad_, just sort of _meh_. Now reading [Mr Briggs’ Hat](http://www.amazon.com/MR-Briggs-Hat-Victorian-Railway/dp/0349123594/ref=la_B001JRXCS0_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1340957342&sr=1-3): _A Sensational Account of Britain’s First Railway Murder_ by Kate Colquhoun. Good stuff. I like true crime, I like the Victorian era, I like trains. I even like hats. All good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-june-2012-edition/623701.md?page=6)