# Whatcha readin' (March 09) Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783 "2009-02-28T12:36:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/81 "2009-03-11T23:35:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > [ Shirley Ujest\*\*, I have seen the movie but not read the book of _The Tale of Despereaux_. I’d give the movie a solid “B.” Not terrible, but not great either. We are about two chapters away from finishing \*\*Tales of Despereaux \*\*and I have to say it is an superbly crafted, well written tale. My kids never want me to stop reading it. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/82 "2009-03-12T01:28:25Z")
I finished _The Midwich Cuckoos_, it was excessively and (in the case of one character) ornately verbose. Started Ken Follett’s _World Without End_ - recommended by a friend who also recommended _Pillars of the Earth_, which I also liked. I’m a sucker for historical dramas. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/83 "2009-03-12T01:41:02Z")
I’m still in my historical mystery phase. I wonder how long this will last? I ordered some YA books from the library to see what I could suggest for my almost 10-year-old niece who reads too fast. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/84 "2009-03-12T02:20:09Z")
I started reading Anthony Flacco’s _The Hidden Man_, but I don’t think I’ll finish it. It’s set in 1906, but the dialogue is jarringly modern, as are the characters’ behavior. There’s also something odd about the narrative pacing that’s off-putting. Eh. Does it count if I’m listening to an audio version of a book I’ve already read? That would be Michel Faber’s _The Crimson Petal and the White_, as read by Jill Tanner. She does a great job with all of the accents, but her pace is so plodding it sucks some of the life out of the crafty, nimble-footed narration. Still, it’s one of my favorite books, so overall I’m enjoying it. (Oh, Henry Rackham, how I dearly love thee. Sigh.) ---
**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:** [March 12, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/85 "2009-03-12T03:18:51Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Done. Do not recommend, despite \*Publishers Weekly \*starred review. About a “brilliant and psychotic” college student who is a bit of a Mary Sue (from the press release: “Wildly intelligent and fiercly independent, she is an enigma to her classmates, a loner with lavender eyes and long, raven black hair. She captivates her professors with her vast knowledge and intellect, speaking with an insight far beyond her years of the works of iconic psychologists Freud, Jung, and Hillman.” > > She has been squatting in an abandoned farmhouse with her dog while attending classes; she then begins living with one of her professors who had been dating another of her professors. When her new lover tells her he won’t tolerate dogs, she abandons her dog. > Some of it has grit; some has just “Look at me! I’m an Important Writer!” all over it. Pretentious. Too bad. I loved Zippy. I’m currently reading and enjoying **The Carpet Makers** , science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/86 "2009-03-12T03:32:53Z")
**Sigmagirl** —Jeez, lavender eyes? The really went with that? Why not give her a freakin katana, while she was at it. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/87 "2009-03-12T12:30:27Z")
I’m reading Richard Dawkins’s _Ancestor’s Tale_, which is about evolution. Bit of a slog – got through the first chapter with content (after two introductory chapters) and realized I didn’t really understand it, so last night I got halfway through the re-read of it and I’m following it much better. Note to self: If you don’t get it the first time, I’m going to make you reread it, so just slow down and read it a paragraph at a time if you need to, don’t worry about finishing a chapter a night. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/88 "2009-03-12T12:44:41Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > **Sigmagirl** —Jeez, lavender eyes? The really went with that? Why not give her a freakin katana, while she was at it. Tell me about it. Somebody’s editor has no stones. ETA: Now reading \*Much to Your Chagrin: A Memoir of Embarrassment \*by Suzanne Guillette. It could be better. I’m not loving that it’s written in the second person. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/89 "2009-03-12T14:20:20Z")
I’ve started _Blue Shoes and Happiness_, one of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books. It’s been a while since I read the last book in this series, and the TV show will be starting soon on HBO. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/90 "2009-03-12T14:38:10Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Now I’m on to Skeleton in The Closet, a short story collection by Robert Bloch. So far, also profoundly lame. Abandoned. Next up: Why We Make Mistakes : how we look without seeing, forget things in seconds, and are all pretty sure we are way above average, by Joseph Hallinan. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/91 "2009-03-12T15:03:39Z")
I finished up two books of poetry by Julia Alvarez: _Homecoming_ and _The Other Side/El Otro Lado_. Good stuff except when she starts in on her inability to keep a relationship. I finally picked up _Hunters of Dune_ so now I can find out what happens next after Sheeana and Duncan get lost in time and space. I’ve been told Erasmus from the Butlerian Jihad comes back which I hope is true. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/92 "2009-03-12T15:10:50Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Abandoned. > > Next up: Why We Make Mistakes : how we look without seeing, forget things in seconds, and are all pretty sure we are way above average, by Joseph Hallinan. B-but… **we** are, aren’t we? ---
**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:** [March 12, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/93 "2009-03-12T15:16:08Z")
Well, \*we \*are. I haven’t got to the part that says that yet, but I’m sure it’s in there. ---
**Author:** ![Taenia\_spp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@Taenia\_spp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taenia_spp)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/94 "2009-03-12T16:06:39Z")
I’m in somewhat of a Victorian mood lately, so I’ve been reading _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ by Verne. Halfway through! As per Doper recommendations, I’ve picked up a copy of _World War Z_; this gives me a reason to get through _20TL_. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/95 "2009-03-13T23:27:01Z")
Finished _Just Another Judgement Day_. It isn’t great lit, but I enjoyed it and thought it was the best of the series. (note that I erroneously reported it as _The Walking Man_ in one thread earlier. That was the name of one of the characters.) Towards the end I thought it was going to let me down with something trite or predictable, but he managed to pull away (a little) from the predictable. I am still reading _Drood_ and still hate the characters. But I am leaving an open mind on the plot. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/96 "2009-03-14T01:14:42Z")
I’m reading _1776_ by David McCullough. I hope there isn’t going to be a quiz, cause I’ve been doodling, passing notes and staring out the window for the last several chapters. I know, I know, everyone loves this book, but after _Beloved_, _The Sparrow_ and _Children of God_ it’s drier than Mr. Lindinger’s 4th period history class. _insert feckless slacker smilie_ ---
**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:** [March 14, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/97 "2009-03-14T01:29:03Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > I’m reading _1776_ by David McCullough. I hope there isn’t going to be a quiz, cause I’ve been doodling, passing notes and staring out the window for the last several chapters. I know, I know, everyone loves this book, but after _Beloved_, _The Sparrow_ and _Children of God_ it’s drier than Mr. Lindinger’s 4th period history class. > > _insert feckless slacker smilie_ Count me in as loving the book. The wife and I watched the _John Adams_ miniseries, which was good, but it passed over the siege of Boston so quickly, you’d’ve thought it all happened over a long weekend. I was glad I’d read the detals of that gruelling months-long incident first. BTW: Regarding the retreat from Manhattan, my direct ancestor was one of the last few soldiers to leave. Seeing as how General Washington was THE last one to leave, it’s certain that my great-great-etc grandfather was in very close proximity, perhaps exchanged words. (He was also on a New York committee welcoming Washington – former president by this time, I think – to New York.) ---
**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:** [March 14, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/98 "2009-03-14T04:58:42Z")
If you want to read more about the great George Washington, I’d recommend James Flexner’s _The Indispensable Man_ or Richard Brookhiser’s _Founding Father_. I have to admit I was underwhelmed by Joseph Ellis’s _His Excellency_, especially after really loving his _Founding Brothers_. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/99 "2009-03-15T03:59:44Z")
Hugh Laurie wrote a book??? Craig Ferguson did, too. He seems to have had an interesting past, so his book is on myl list. I just put aside “In Spite of Myself” by Christopher Plummer. A real doorstop of an autobiography, all about the THE-AY-TUH, full of high flown pretentious language and telling you far more about acting in the Classics on stage than you ever imagined was possible. And even with those lists and lists and lists of names of co-stars on every page, not all that interesting. His segments on his movie career, including “Sound of Music”, are quite brief, as are mentions of his first two wives and the family he was born into. After he left for his Great Career, they are never mentioned ever again. What IS mentioned is his long, long love affair with alcohol. Every. single .page . mentions a favorite bar, drinking buddy, hangover… (He was a good friend of Peter O’Toole - no more need be said.) Mr. Plummer comes across as somewhat of a dick totally devoted to acting in Shakespeare and other classics. But not a dick meaning in a mean way, just rather thoughtless of others, and something of an airhead - probably due to his heavy drinking! But - He seems rather modest, very devoted to his third wife, and appears to have enjoyed his life immensely. Still working, too. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2009, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783/100 "2009-03-17T12:49:01Z")
I just finished listening to The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. It was pretty decent. Not a great book, and I did have some complaints, but overall, it really made my drives to and from work much happier for the last few weeks. I’m beginning to read The Séance by John Harwood. (You should see my to-be-read pile. Almost all the titles are death or occult related. What do the librarians think of me?) Anyway, this is getting off to a pretty promising start. It’s about a girl in Victorian England who is learning to become a medium (or at least how to fake it). The gloomy old mansion and the mysterious diaries come later. _rubs hands together with glee_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-09-edition/487783.md?page=6)