# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/21 "2010-03-09T03:15:17Z")
Finished _Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass_ a mediocre urban fantasy - the first in a series. The protagonist is a shadow chaser who’s mentor was killed by an Avatar of a fallen angel. Nothing new here, fairly predictable. The only thing to distinguish this from all the rest is the mythos - Egyptian. I doubt I will pick up the others. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/22 "2010-03-09T12:24:59Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > 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? I read this ages ago, unfortunately it’s been so long that I don’t think I could discuss any specifics with confidence. I loved the concept, I loved Square, the religious allegory parts I was more “whatever” about. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/23 "2010-03-09T13:36:21Z")
I’m reading _Grave Goods_ by Ariana Franklin, about a 12th-century female forensic investigator who has been enlisted by Henry II to identify the bones of what are possibly Arthur and Guinevere. They’re not. It’s not the kind of book I’d usually read but it got a good review in BookSense. It’s very slow but I do like the characters and the atmosphere, and I’ll finish it. It’s the third in a series and someday I may read the others. If you like this kind of book, I would recommend it. ---
**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 9, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/24 "2010-03-09T18:55:22Z")
Finished my audiobook, The Help, by Kathyrn Stockett. I shied away from it at first because it looks like the stereotypical Oprah-club-women’s-relationships novel, but it turned out to be a real jewel. I think that was mostly due to the readers, especially Octavia Spencer (voice of Aibileen). I don’t think I’d have enjoyed it half as much if I’d read it to myself. ---
**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 10, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/25 "2010-03-10T14:57:30Z")
New audiobook: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, written and read by Sherman Alexie. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/26 "2010-03-10T15:59:39Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > New audiobook: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, written and read by Sherman Alexie. I _adore_ that book, and didn’t realize Alexie read the audiobook himself. If you like it, and haven’t read the hard copy book, it has neat illustrations that you might want to page through sometime. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/27 "2010-03-10T16:05:25Z")
Oh wait, what am I reading? (I was too excited about replying about the Sherman Alexie book). Ah yes, _The Magicians_ by Lev Grossman. I think I liked this, but felt it a little like junk food, as if I was liking it even though I could tell it maybe wasn’t that good. Adult book, it got a lot of comparisons to Harry Potter because it’s about a guy who suddenly gets a mysterious invitation to attend magical college. I know someone who read it, expecting it to be _Harry Potter_ but with grown-ups, and was disappointed because it wasn’t. I started with the expectation that it would be more like _Less Than Zero_ but with magic, and that seemed to work out for me. Loved: the witty (too witty to be realistic) dialogue, it’s _funny_, keeping track of all the Narnia references. Not so good: characters are frequently difficult to like, and if you think too hard on the structure of the book, it doesn’t really hold together. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/28 "2010-03-10T16:09:09Z")
Read: **The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers** by Thomas Mullen ~ Not as fun a book as it should have been. **The Pillars of the Earth** by Ken Follett ~ Reread. I love this book. **World Without End** by Ken Follett ~ It was ok. Had pretty much the same ‘characters’ as the first book, it just took place 200 years later. The ending also seemed very rushed. **Heartsblood: Hunting, Spirituality, and Wildness in America** by David Petersen ~ Wow. Very eloquent and it’s refreshing to know that there are others out there who feel as I do regarding hunting. **In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex** by Nathaniel Philbrick ~ LOVED this book and could not put it down. I want to go to Nantucket to see their museum. **The Age of Innocence** by Edith Wharton ~ Trying to work on the ‘classics’ again. This one was decent if frustrating. **The Riven Kingdom (The Godspeaker Trilogy)** by Karen Miller ~ Second in the series. Working on the third one now. Reading: **Hammer of God (Godspeaker Trilogy, Book 3)** by Karen Miller I also have **Return to the Hundred Acre Wood** kicking around somewhere but as usual, I set it down and can’t find it. (We’re still unpacking.) ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/29 "2010-03-10T16:10:14Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > 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? I read it, years ago; justly, a classic. Real mind-bending stuff. The truly jarring note was the discussion of the role of women. When I read it I was too young to appreciate that it was a social satire on Victorian society. ---
**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 10, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/30 "2010-03-10T16:22:47Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I _adore_ that book, and didn’t realize Alexie read the audiobook himself. If you like it, and haven’t read the hard copy book, it has neat illustrations that you might want to page through sometime. Picked it up on your recommendation, no doubt. 🙂 ---
**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 10, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/31 "2010-03-10T17:16:58Z")
> [@Enterprise](#): > > 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… I agree. I’ve recommended it before here on the Dope and elsewhere. I’m now reading _Hell to Pay_ by D.M. Giangreco, about the planned invasion of Japan at the end of WW2 that was averted by the surrender. I’ve long been interested in Truman’s decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Giangreco makes a compelling case that not only were Japanese very unlikely to surrender otherwise, but that an amphibious invasion would have killed far, far more people on both sides, lengthening the war by up to two years. I’m also reading the new _Vanity Fair’s Presidential Profiles_ book, with pencil sketches of each U.S. president and a short essay about each. Pretty interesting, with a great cover: [Vanity Fair's Presidential Profiles: Defining Portraits, Deeds, and Misdeeds of 43 Notable Americans-And What Each One Really Thought About His Predecessor: Carter, Graydon, Bachrach, Judy, Friend, David, David, Kamp, Todd, Purdum, Windolf, Jim, Vanity Fair, Summers, Mark: 9780810984875: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Vanity-Fairs-Presidential-Profiles-Americans/dp/0810984873/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268241331&sr=1-1) I’m also skimming some of my favorite bits of Asimov’s first _Foundation_ novel. ---
**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 10, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/32 "2010-03-10T19:36:03Z")
I’m reading the _I, Robot_ stories to my kids. It’s been forever since I read them myself. The prose is very awkward, especially to read aloud, but the kids are intrigued by the logic puzzles centered on the Three Laws, and they’re very amused by the 1940’s image of the future. I’m amused myself to see that in the second story Asimov uses his chemistry background and manages to slip in a little Gilbert & Sullivan. I’m really craving some good space opera. I wish I had held back a couple of the Vorkosigan books for a rainy day. I have something like 100 books in my to-read stack, and the only potential for space opera is Michael Flynn’s newest novel. There’s a David Weber book in there, too, but I’m still pissed at him over the last Honor book, so I don’t want to read it. I bet there’s a “Recommend Space Opera” thread around here somewhere, I’ll have to search for it. ---
**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 10, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/33 "2010-03-10T20:19:19Z")
I’m really enjoying [A Shortcut in Time](http://www.amazon.com/Shortcut-Time-Charles-Dickinson/dp/0765306395/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1), by Charles Dickinson. This is the one **Auntie Pam** has been recommending for years, and I can see why. **Auntie Pam** , which of his other books do you recommend next? ---
**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 10, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/34 "2010-03-10T20:57:59Z")
I’m about half way through Peter Straub’s new book, **A Dark Matter**. It’s about a group of kids in the sixties, a guru and a Very Bad Event. Lots of fun, so far, except the characters strike me as very 21st century and their sensibilities are not particularly far out and psychedelic. Could be that that’s because the tale is unfolding through the eyes of a contemporary man (and/or that the author is a better writer and more subtle than I’m used to). Either way, I’m really enjoying it. ---
**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 10, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/35 "2010-03-10T22:22:10Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I’m reading the _I, Robot_ stories to my kids. It’s been forever since I read them myself… I urge you to read Harlan Ellison’s unproduced screenplay for an _I Robot_ movie (not the Will Smith version). It’s very, very good. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/36 "2010-03-11T01:06:31Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > I’m really enjoying [A Shortcut in Time](http://www.amazon.com/Shortcut-Time-Charles-Dickinson/dp/0765306395/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1), by Charles Dickinson. This is the one **Auntie Pam** has been recommending for years, and I can see why. **Auntie Pam** , which of his other books do you recommend next? Any of them, but his other books aren’t as “complete” as _Shortcut_. They’re more like character studies than stories. I think _The Widows’ Adventures_ was the one that got me started on Dickinson. It’s about two sisters driving across country (the one driving is blind). But they’re all good, IMO. He’s written a follow-up to _Shortcut_ but can’t get it published, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/37 "2010-03-11T01:52:29Z")
I’ve finished _Complexity: The emerging science at the edge of order and chaos_, by Mitchell Waldrop. It was pretty good, though I would have liked more science and less human interest stories. Reading it I was curious how dated it was. I’m not sure what I’ll read next. I’m on a bit of a pop science kick. ---
**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, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/38 "2010-03-12T14:23:28Z")
Started on Missing Abby, a YA novel, last night and got through about half of it. An interesting and fast-paced read about a teenage girl who was the last to see an old friend before the friend’s disappearance. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/39 "2010-03-14T02:02:58Z")
Finished _Spider’s Bite: An Elemental Assassin Book_ the first in a new urban fantasy series. It was only OK, but might have some potential. If there are others I might give them a try. ---
**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 14, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742/40 "2010-03-14T05:26:05Z")
I really like how [_Madness of Angels_](http://www.amazon.com/Madness-Angels-Resurrection-Matthew-Swift/dp/0316041254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268543951&sr=8-1) is starting out. It seems more literary than much of urban fantasy, and I happen to have a jones for dark angel stories just now, as I’m watching season 4 of Supernatural. The book I’m really looking forward to is _Angelology_, [reviewed here by NPR](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124547082&sc=nl&cc=bn-20100311). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2010-edition/530742.md?page=3)