# Whatcha Readin' March 2010 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742 "2010-02-28T13:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/1 "2010-02-28T13:02:53Z")
Tomorrow is March 1st and spring can’t be too far off. We may have a few more snow storms, but we should be beyond the worst of it. No doubt when July/August gets here I’ll be looking back on the cool weather fondly, but for now I am ready to be rid of this snow! Finished _Hunting Ground_ the second in Patricial Briggs’ Alpha and Omega series. This is a servicable urban fantasy centered mainly around Werewolves and their packs. In this edition the Marrock (the head of all Alphas in the US) has decided to “come out.” He is meeting with the alphas from other continents to address their concerns. Due to concerns on the part of his son, his son and son’s mate (the titular characters) are sent in his stead. It is light and quick and I will continue to read the series. [Last Month’s Link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=550218) ---
**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:** [February 28, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/2 "2010-02-28T18:00:31Z")
I’m reading _The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation_, by Ian Mortimer. I like the writing, and it has maps, illustrations, genealogy trees, and eight appendices! I wish it was a hardback: it’s a UK edition, a short, fat trade paperback with narrow margins and small type. There’s a short story collection being published this month called \*[Warriors](http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-George-R-R-Martin/dp/0765320487/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267379789&sr=1-5)\*that might interest some people. It’s edited by George R. R. Martin and includes a new short story by him, and also new stories from Diana Gabaldon, David Weber, Naomi Novik, Steven Saylor, Robin Hobb and Joe Haldeman, just to name the authors I personally read. I’m looking forward to it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/3 "2010-02-28T19:18:32Z")
Oh cool – I put _Warriors_ on my wish list. 😃 Finished _Those Who Hunt the Night_. I liked it a lot, but I wish Hambly would have explained how Anthony got to London from Paris on his own, and how he was able to find Asher and Ysidro out there in the boonies. It’s a stretch to believe that Anthony, a vampire who’s spent hundreds of years in the catacombs, would be able to manage all that. Next up is an Aubrey-Maturin, _Surgeon’s Mate_ (or something like that). ---
**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 1, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/4 "2010-03-01T02:22:45Z")
Nearing the end of _Archangel_, by Robert Harris. A much better book than his _Enigma_, which was not bad. ---
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/5 "2010-03-01T13:00:51Z")
I bought Jon Krakauer’s _Under the Banner of Heaven_ on Friday and finished it yesterday, so I suppose it barely counts for the March thread. An excellent, disturbing book. My edition came with an afterword about a review of the book that took it to task for being somehow “against” Mormonism, but I have to say that I couldn’t think how Krakauer could have been more even-handed – I actually felt uncomfortable sometimes when he matter of factly recounted how Joseph Smith had a revelation; he never ones doubts the validity of those revelations, despite the large number of prophets running around the place. I’ve almost made my way through Christopher Golden’s anthology _Zombie_. So far, one of the better zombie anthologies. Max Brooks contributed another episode from World War Z, and David Liss’s _What Maisie Knew_ is one of the best zombie short stories I’ve ever read. Recommended! Also up: Alexis de Tocqueville’s _Democracy in America_. ---
**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 1, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/6 "2010-03-01T13:34:32Z")
Finished The Sociopath Next Door: the ruthless versus the rest of us. There weren’t any titillating horror stories here, for which I was grateful. In fact, after some of the case histories, I was tempted to say, so what? The fun of this book lies in “diagnosing” people you have known. There are also some tips on recognizing and dealing with sociopaths. Altogether a decent read, and it dovetails nicely with my current book, Horns, by Joe Hill. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/7 "2010-03-01T13:47:18Z")
Starting _A Beautiful Blue Death_ by Charles Finch. I enjoyed The September Society, and this is the first book in that series. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/8 "2010-03-02T12:51:31Z")
I finished February 1025 pages deep into **Reaper’s Gale** by Steven Erikson on my new Amazon Kindle. It’s book 7 of **The Malazan Book of the Fallen**. Looking back on last month’s thread, I read around 305 pages this past month. For work, I’m reading **Concurrent Programming on Windows** by Joe Duffy. On Chapter 5, Page 242. Dry, dry reading. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/9 "2010-03-02T14:39:36Z")
Somehow I got caught up in the Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child series about Agent Pendergast, and I’ve been running through them pretty quickly. Not great literature, but good page turners, and lots of twists. I picked up Under The Dome, signed, at a charity auction last month, and that is next on the to read pile. Also on deck, [First Contact](http://www.amazon.com/First-Contact-Later-Than-Think/dp/006174977X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267540398&sr=1-1)by Evan Mandery, [Altered Carbon](http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345457692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267540451&sr=1-1)by Richard Morgan and [Freedom](http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-TM-Daniel-Suarez/dp/0525951571/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267540496&sr=1-3) by Daniel Suarez, the follow up to Daemon from last year. It’s going to be a good reading month in the lebeef household anyway. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/10 "2010-03-02T15:23:09Z")
I’ve been reading a fair amount of Pratchett and Gaiman the last couple of months: _Unseen Academicals, Nation, American Gods, Anansi Boys_, and thought it was time for a change. So, now I’m reading _Don Quixote_. I’m just past the point where he attacks the sheep. Right now, I’m thinking it’s a decent enough book, certainly capable of holding my interest. But, as some suggest, the greatest novel ever to come down the pike? Not so much. Still, I’ve been told that the second book is at a whole different level from the first, so I’m reserving judgement. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/11 "2010-03-02T16:14:18Z")
I’m in the middle of _Alice Cooper: Golf Monster_, and am rereading _The Spark_. I love Alice Cooper, and that book has given me so much insight into his life, and I have an increased respect for him. _The Spark_ is from the creator of SparkPeople: it’s a fantastic book for anyone who is starting (or restarting) a diet/exercise plan. And, continuing my work-related book tradition (it seems that’s all I read, most of the time) I have _Microsoft Office 2003 All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies_. I hate Outlook. Despise it. But I have to use it at work, so I might as well learn some tricks to make my life easier. My bookshelf here seems to be full of Dummies books. They are so well written and explain things on an easy to understand level. I would have never understood Sarbanes-Oxley without them. ---
**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 3, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/12 "2010-03-03T03:11:09Z")
Finished _Archangel_, by Robert Harris. Again, a much better book than his _Enigma_, which was itself not bad. We are now only a month away from flying out to Hanoi, so I’m going to peruse pertinent sections of the _Lonely Planet Vietnam_ guidebook again. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/13 "2010-03-03T04:17:04Z")
Finished _Shutter Island_, finished _The Stupidest Angel_, and am now reading _To The Last Man_, by Jeff Shaara. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/14 "2010-03-03T04:43:34Z")
Just started _Cider House Rules_ by John Irving. ---
**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 3, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/15 "2010-03-03T12:48:06Z")
I finished Horns, by Joe Hill, and I liked it a lot. It was very hard to put down. However, it sort of fell apart near the end…the big climactic scene went on too long, and some elements didn’t pay off like I’d hoped. Now I’m on to a book of short stories about cats, Tails of Wonder and Imagination, edited by Ellen Datlow. It contains a short story by Stephen King I’d never seen before (and after reading it, I can see why). After that, I went through about the first six stories in the book, and found I’d read almost all of them before. So I can’t say I’m enjoying this book much so far, but I still have hopes of finding something worthwhile in it. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/16 "2010-03-03T16:42:46Z")
Recently, I finished: _Song of Kali_, by Dan Simmons. This is his first book, and it’s good, but he improves so much during his writing career. It’s not particularly scary, although it’s billed as a horror novel, but it is unsettling. This book suffers from some peachiness and some xenophobia. I’m not certain if that was Simmon’s bleeding into his character or not. _Wizards and Glass_, by Stephen King. I’m going through the Dark Tower series a second time, listening to them all on audiobook. Frank Muller narrated this one and he’s fabulous, my favorite audiobook reader. The first time I read this book, I rushed through, absolutely pissed that I had to waste my time on a flashback before getting back to the story of Roland, Eddie, Susanna, Jake and Oy and their search for the Dark Tower. Subsequently, it was my least favorite book in the series. This reread totally changed my opinion of the book. It was utterly necessary to the story, to show where Roland had come from and to show that first misstep that lead to his entire obsessed journey. I’m currently reading _The Book Thief_, by Markus Zusak. The only thing I really knew about it before picking it up was that everyone on The Dope loved and every critic in the entire world loved it. I’m only 40 pages in, but I am impressed already. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/17 "2010-03-03T16:58:02Z")
I finished Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People. I enjoyed most of it, but admit to finding some parts rather dull. Next I’m going to read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. I also got to check out a new audio book, since I am nearing the end of Pillars of the Earth (cue Hallelujah Chorus), and chose Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. I’m also still reading Somewhere in Time and should finish that this week. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/18 "2010-03-07T01:43:45Z")
I finished _Lips Touch: Three Times_, by Laini Taylor last night. YA fiction, three short fantasy/supernatural stories each one revolving around a kiss. It was a little racier than I was expecting, and I liked it because the stories were complicated. I haven’t read \*Twilight \*so I can’t directly compare, but I’ve heard a lot of complaining about how the vampire dude was so emasculated. In _Lips Touch_, there are a lot of girls chasing after pretty boys who are FOR REAL dangerous. ---
**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 7, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/19 "2010-03-07T19:21:04Z")
Barbara Hambly’s _Traveling With the Dead_ wasn’t quite as good as _Those Who Hunt the Night_, but it was still a good read. Lydia and Ysidro traveling across Europe together, looking for Asher, who is chasing after vampires and spies. Every scene with Ysidro was fascinating. I read Georgette Heyer’s _The Devil’s Cub_, and I liked it better than _These Old Shades_, but it still didn’t hit the spot for me like her later books do. I found Vidal even more unlikeable than his father, although the heroine was an improvement over Leonie. **gallows fodder** , you were right that Avon and Leonie are more enjoyable in this book. I thought the scenes with an elderly, cane-wielding Avon were well done. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/20 "2010-03-08T00:11:36Z")
I was going to start a thread on this, but we’ll see how it does here first. I’m reading Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott. I’m curious if anyone has read it? I would think if anyone has… it’d be people on this board. What did you think of it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742.md?page=2)