# Whatcha Readin' March 2012 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 29, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388 "2012-02-29T20:46:56Z")\ **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 4, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/21 "2012-03-04T17:46:09Z")
Finished \*The Mostly True Story of Jack \*by Kelly Regan Barnhill (which I’m pretty sure someone mentioned last month.) This is an excellent modern-day fairy tale. It started a little slowly at first, but was compelling and very satisfying. I will read her next when it comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/22 "2012-03-04T18:42:58Z")
I just finished [Good Book](http://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Hilarious-Disturbing-Marvelous/dp/0061374245) by David Poltz. A book that I would recommend to anybody and everybody. Not only extremely informative on the Old Testament, but really, really funny. GET THIS BOOK AND READ IT NOW!! ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/23 "2012-03-05T10:00:50Z")
> [@Parenchyma](#): > > **The Book Thief** had an excellent reader, Allen Corduner. I sometimes have trouble with WWII stories because of family history, but this is so well written and read. I just finished reading _The Book Thief_. It was the first book in memory that made me cry. (Of course, it’s a WWII book narrated by Death, so you can’t expect unrelenting cheer, but it’s just so moving and so well done.) I wonder if Markus Zusak’s other stuff is as good? > [@koeeoaddi](#): > > **Believing the Lie** , by Elizabeth George. I’m about 2/3 through and, though it’s miles better than the last one (This Body of Death), Sgt. Havers continues to be the strongest character and she appears too infrequently. I’ve been waiting for this to come out! And of course, now that it’s out, I forgot to download it, but instead started on the next book in C.J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series, _Heartstone_. Which is a fabulous series (I know there are some other fans on the SDMB). ---
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/24 "2012-03-05T13:36:05Z")
Finished reading _Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute_ last night. Everybody’s favorite necromancer gets hired to go to the Dreamlands, there to find the manifestation of fear and kill it. A Lovecraft-love letter of sorts, with lots of cameos and for something like 80% of the time, intriguing. It gets very confusing in the end, though, and cliff-hangerish. Weakest installment of the series so far. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/25 "2012-03-05T13:55:01Z")
Starting _The Technologists_ by Matthew Pearl, about a secret plot solved by the first graduating class of MIT, in 1868. Only on Page 17. I’ve liked his previous books. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/26 "2012-03-05T14:50:39Z")
Thanks to **TheMerchandise** , I snagged the library’s copy of **[Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/295649.Bloody_Jack)** and read thru it this weekend. I quite enjoyed the story, and thought Jacky was a strong, well-drawn character - I’ll probably continue on with the series, and appreciate \*\*Parenchyma’s \*\* advise to not overdose on them; tho I may check out the audiobook version of the second book, if the reader is good. I found myself thinking of Polly “Oliver” Perks from [Monstrous Regiment](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34511.Monstrous_Regiment) as they faced similar circumstances. I’ve also worked my way thru the first 3 John Carter/Barsoom stories: **[A Princess of Mars](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40395.A_Princess_of_Mars)**,\*\* [The Gods of Mars](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/841973.The_Gods_of_Mars)\*\* and **[The Warlord of Mars](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40379.The_Warlord_of_Mars_Barsoom_3_).** The first novel is the best of the three, as it introduces both our protagonist, John Carter, as well as the world of Barsoom. While there isn’t much individual character development, Burroughs’ detailed descriptions of the environment, the creatures and the inhabitants of Mars - the truly alien green martians, and the basically human red martians - make for an entertaining read. The other novels pale in comparison, being more of the same - think “travelogue with swordfights”. John meets white, black and yellow martians, all of whom are relatively human in appearance, and equally warlike and savage. The fight scenes take up more and more of the content of the novels, and while exciting, grow a bit old. I’m glad I read them, but probably won’t continue the series. I’m curious to see how much of the source material ends up being used in the **John Carter** Disney film due out this weekend. It looks as if the white martians/tharns from the second & third novels make an appearance… ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/27 "2012-03-05T14:55:11Z")
I started _11/22/63_ by Stephen King but I keep getting distracted and going back to _Washington Square_ by Henry James. I already saw the Jennifer Jason Leigh period drama so I know the story and really, not much happens, but I’m still enjoying it. The snark by the author towards the characters is amusing although I doubt it’s a comedy. ---
**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 5, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/28 "2012-03-05T15:34:00Z")
> [@Politzania](#): > > Thanks to **TheMerchandise** , I snagged the library’s copy of **[Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/295649.Bloody_Jack)** and read thru it this weekend. I quite enjoyed the story, and thought Jacky was a strong, well-drawn character - I’ll probably continue on with the series, and appreciate \*\*Parenchyma’s \*\* advise to not overdose on them; tho I may check out the audiobook version of the second book, if the reader is good. I found myself thinking of Polly “Oliver” Perks from [Monstrous Regiment](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34511.Monstrous_Regiment) as they faced similar circumstances. Ha, I picked it up too, for the same reasons, and I’m enjoying it on audiobook. The reader is fabulous. However, this was the only one of the series my library has on CD, so I very likely won’t continue. Still working my way through [The Book of Cthulu](http://www.amazon.com/Book-Cthulhu-Ross-Lockhart/dp/1597802328). ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/29 "2012-03-05T16:03:46Z")
I finished [The Lady in the Tower](http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Tower-Boleyn-Random-Readers/dp/0345453220/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330962460&sr=8-1) - enjoyable, but somewhat dry. I think I’d get more out of it if I reread it, more slowly this time. I still have a problem keeping the people I’m less familar with straight, when everyone’s referred to by their titles. Like Northumberland or Wessex or Ormond - I’m all “who is that again?” I picked up the book my sister-in-law is reading, [Still Alice](http://www.amazon.com/Still-Alice-Lisa-Genova/dp/1439102813/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330962816&sr=1-1), on Saturday and read most of the second half of it. It’s a quick read, and fairly poignant. The main character struggles with Alzheimer’s, and the book is reminiscent of **Flowers for Algernon** as she slowly loses herself. It’s a bit heavy handed, and perhaps not the best written, but engaging enough. Sunday, I started **The Hunger Games** for a reread and read about half of it. Fun book. I’m still not certain whether Katniss’s…distance (for lack of a better word)…works, but it’s still a good book. I think Haymitch is right - she’s got no sense of self, only a firm grasp on what she’s not. So that doesn’t really work for me. ---
**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 6, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/30 "2012-03-06T04:27:42Z")
Looking for an excellent U.S. history book for kids? I just got _Worst of Friends_ from the library, a book about the on-again, off-again friendship of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The moral of the story - quite apropos in a campaign year - is that political foes can disagree without being disagreeable, and that a deep friendship can, and should, transcend the issues of the day. An engaging story and lively, funny illustrations. It’s by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain, illus. by Larry Day, the same team that gave us the wonderful _George Did It_ (about George Washington’s reluctant rise to leadership) a few years ago. > **[Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American...](https://www.amazon.com/Worst-Friends-Thomas-Jefferson-American/dp/0525479031)** > > Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud \[Jurmain, Suzanne Tripp, Day, Larry\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an... > **[George Did It: Jurmain, Suzanne Tripp, Day, Larry: 9780142408957: Amazon.com:...](https://www.amazon.com/George-Did-Suzanne-Tripp-Jurmain/dp/0142408956)** > > George Did It \[Jurmain, Suzanne Tripp, Day, Larry\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. George Did It ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/31 "2012-03-06T05:19:23Z")
I’ve just started A Hundred Years of Solitude for school. Hopefully I like it. ---
**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:** [March 6, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/32 "2012-03-06T14:28:57Z")
I finally had to put down **Shadow’s Edge.** Brent Weeks is a very poor writer and I cannot recommend him. I wanted to pick up an easy read outside the fantasy genre so I’m a few pages into **And Then There Were None** by Agatha Christie. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/33 "2012-03-06T14:50:26Z")
> [@Parenchyma](#): > > Simon Vance is my preferred reader. He’s my favourite too. He won me over with his reading of _Sophie’s World_. > [@](#): > > And I am about 3/4 through Jeffrey Eugenides’ **Middlesex** , which I was not in the mood for at all at first, but as I listened the reader’s enthusiasm and humor has really won me over. With all the conflicting reviews I saw for that, I decided to try _The Marriage Plot_ instead. I’m more than halfway through and still waiting for something to happen. I’m doing _Wicked_ as an audiobook. The Broadway show was fun and clever, the book is an epic which keeps developing and then dropping subplots, so I’m finding it a bit of a struggle. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/34 "2012-03-06T18:18:52Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Ha, I picked it up too, for the same reasons, and I’m enjoying it on audiobook. The reader is fabulous. However, this was the only one of the series my library has on CD, so I very likely won’t continue. > > Still working my way through [The Book of Cthulu](http://www.amazon.com/Book-Cthulhu-Ross-Lockhart/dp/1597802328). She IS really good. She has a really great grasp of accents and voices. ---
**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 6, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/35 "2012-03-06T18:31:21Z")
Yes, her name is Katherine Kellgren. I wrote her name down so I can keep an eye out for her work in the future. Thanks for the recommendation! ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/36 "2012-03-06T19:38:57Z")
I have to finish Suzanne Collins’ _[Mockingjay](http://www.amazon.com/Mockingjay-Hunger-Games-Book-3/dp/0439023513/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331062353&sr=1-1)_ before the 23rd so I can be prepared for any Easter Eggs in _The Hunger Games_ movie. Promise not to spoil anything! Already finished the first two of Jack Campbell’s _Lost Fleet_ series (_[Dauntless](http://www.amazon.com/Dauntless-Lost-Fleet-Book-1/dp/0441014186/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2)_ and _[Fearless](http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Lost-Fleet-Book-2/dp/0441014763/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_5)_). I tried to get started on Weber’s Honor Harrington books with _[On Basilisk Station](http://www.amazon.com/Basilisk-Station-Honor-Harrington/dp/0743435710/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331062669&sr=1-1)_ a while back, and these struck me as much better. Reminds me a bit of the old TSR game _Star Frontiers_. I’m also in and out of Margaret Atwood’s _[The Handmaid’s Tale](http://www.amazon.com/Handmaids-Tale-first-Text-Only/dp/B004V6XC1I/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331062524&sr=1-3)_. Not sure when I’ll get time to devote to actually sitting down and getting through some chapters. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/37 "2012-03-06T20:57:11Z")
I’ve been digging heavily into the woo and the weirdness lately, so here goes: Just finished Alex Owen’s _The Place Of Enchantment: British Occultism and the Culture of the Modern_. Though it certainly has its critics, it’s a solid bit of scholarship and a fine work. Recommended. A couple of essays from the _Acta Masonica Scandinavica_, a yearly volume of studies in Scandinavian Freemasonry, written and published by Freemasons themselves. Mostly about the anti-Masonic discourse in the late 19th century. [This dissertation from the University of Texas](http://repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2011-08-9993/THOMAS-DISSERTATION.pdf?sequence=2) about the relationship between the Nazis and the German Freemasons. (Long story short: The Nazis hated Freemasonry, but were often cool with individual Freemasons; in turn, the German Freemasons generally went out of their way to adapt to the new regime.) [This other dissertation (in Danish) from Aalborg University](http://projekter.aau.dk/projekter/files/6140083/Cay%20Lembcke,%20spejdersport%20og%20fascisme%201910-1923.pdf) about Cay Lembcke, the founder of the Danish Nazi party, and his early work in establishing the Danish section of the Boy Scouts. Two books about Johannes V. Jensen, a Danish Nobel Prize winner (literature, 1944), and his pro-British, colonialist, white supremacist views. Plus _Hidden Intercourse: Eros and Sexuality in the History of Western Esotericism_, a fine anthology edited by Wouter Hanegraaff of the University of Amsterdam. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/38 "2012-03-06T21:54:47Z")
Finished _The First Rule of Ten: A Tenzing Norbu Mystery (Dharma Detective)_. Tenzing Norbu is an ex-buddhist monk - he grew up in a Tibetan Monestary reading forbidden Sherlock Holmes books at night. He leaves the monastery to become a cop in LA and then leave the police force to become an PI. Despite the premise, there is little about it to remind you of Holmes - but it is still a fun read with a mixture of mystery with a dollop of Buddhist teachings thrown in. I will read the others when they come out. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/39 "2012-03-06T22:22:39Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > I’ve been digging heavily into the woo and the weirdness lately, so here goes: > > Just finished Alex Owen’s _The Place Of Enchantment: British Occultism and the Culture of the Modern_. Though it certainly has its critics, it’s a solid bit of scholarship and a fine work. Recommended. > > A couple of essays from the _Acta Masonica Scandinavica_, a yearly volume of studies in Scandinavian Freemasonry, written and published by Freemasons themselves. Mostly about the anti-Masonic discourse in the late 19th century. > > [This dissertation from the University of Texas](http://repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2011-08-9993/THOMAS-DISSERTATION.pdf?sequence=2) about the relationship between the Nazis and the German Freemasons. (Long story short: The Nazis hated Freemasonry, but were often cool with individual Freemasons; in turn, the German Freemasons generally went out of their way to adapt to the new regime.) > > [This other dissertation (in Danish) from Aalborg University](http://projekter.aau.dk/projekter/files/6140083/Cay%20Lembcke,%20spejdersport%20og%20fascisme%201910-1923.pdf) about Cay Lembcke, the founder of the Danish Nazi party, and his early work in establishing the Danish section of the Boy Scouts. > > Two books about Johannes V. Jensen, a Danish Nobel Prize winner (literature, 1944), and his pro-British, colonialist, white supremacist views. > > Plus _Hidden Intercourse: Eros and Sexuality in the History of Western Esotericism_, a fine anthology edited by Wouter Hanegraaff of the University of Amsterdam. Have you ever read _The Rosicrutian Enlightenment_ by Frances Yates? I quite liked it, though of course it deals with an earlier period; all about the real-world impact of hermetical orders in the 17th century (surprisingly extensive). The general thesis is that the movement was more or less accidentally sparked by what would these days be termed a work(s) of science fiction that many were, for various reasons, willing to take seriously … > **[Amazon.com: The Rosicrucian Enlightenment (Routledge Classics) (Volume 98):...](https://www.amazon.com/Rosicrucian-Enlightenment-Routledge-Classics-98/dp/0415109124)** > > Amazon.com: The Rosicrucian Enlightenment (Routledge Classics) (Volume 98): 9780415109123: Yates, Frances: Books ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388/40 "2012-03-07T12:07:21Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Have you ever read _The Rosicrutian Enlightenment_ by Frances Yates? I quite liked it, though of course it deals with an earlier period; all about the real-world impact of hermetical orders in the 17th century (surprisingly extensive). The general thesis is that the movement was more or less accidentally sparked by what would these days be termed a work(s) of science fiction that many were, for various reasons, willing to take seriously … > > [Amazon.com: The Rosicrucian Enlightenment (Routledge Classics) (Volume 98): 9780415109123: Yates, Frances: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Rosicrucian-Enlightenment-Routledge-Classics/dp/0415109124) Haven’t read that one yet, no! Sure sounds interesting, though: > [@](#): > > “In Yates’ view, the Rosicrucian Manifestos of the early 17th century were perfect expressions of the new and exhilarating view of human potential and prowess that made the scientific revolution possible. With their call for the ‘Universal and General Reformation of the Whole World’ and their conviction that creation can be brought back to the state in which Adam found it, The Rosicrucian Manifestos provided a bridge between Renaissance Hermeticism and modern science. On the basis of this evaluation of their importance, Yates suggested the word ‘Rosicrucian’ should enter the vocabulary of serious historians to describe the kind of activist, reforming mentality that paved the way for modern science.” I’m well aware of Mrs. Yates’ huge contribution to the field - it seems clear that her radical re-evaluation of the role of the woo in European history paved the way for guys like Hanegraaff and his crew down in Amsterdam. They’re not drooling fanboys, of course - they often go out of their way to show that our understanding of the woo has progressed dramatically since Yates’ day - but they all seem to agree that she was an important pioneer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-march-2012-edition/614388.md?page=3)