# Whatcha Readin' May 2011 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2011, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277 "2011-04-30T12:15:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [May 10, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/41 "2011-05-10T01:06:27Z")
Yeah, I was going to mention it but never got around to it somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/42 "2011-05-10T01:09:08Z")
I just found out tonight that I vaguely, kinda know the author of this [book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1849610738). He works for a company that I used to work for. I’ve passed him in the hallway. I actually will probably work for them again as a consultant soon. I don’t really \*know \*him, but we share common acquaintances, and I promised I’d buy the book. A few of the user reviews compare it to Twilight, which scares the bejeezus out of me, but I promised so I’ll give it a read. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/43 "2011-05-10T04:26:21Z")
In the past few days I finished Paula Froelich’s _Mercury in Retrograde_, which as I said upthread is a _Sex in the City_-style name-dropping, fashion-obsessed NYC comic novel. Utterly silly, kind of fun, not at all my usual kind of book, but I finished it for my book club. I also finished Susanna Clarke’s very good short story collection _The Ladies of Grace Adieu_. If you liked her massive, Austenesque magic-returns-to-Regency-England novel _Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell_, you’ll like this too. I’m also still enjoying Theodore Sorensen’s nonfiction memoir _Kennedy_, about JFK, and also just started _The Boys of Summer_ by Roger Kahn. So far, so good. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/44 "2011-05-10T10:27:30Z")
I have finished Wild Hunt and Soul Hunt by Margaret Ronald, perfectly acceptable follow-ups to her Spiral Hunt. The first book had the protagonist take on a powerful Cabal of magicians, and I feared that it would get tedious if Ms. Ronald kept escalating that theme, but she took it in a different direction with a more personal plot in the next two. IMO though, the first one could stand alone, but you need to read the next two together. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/45 "2011-05-10T12:48:31Z")
So I’m just over 100 pages into \*Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell \*by Susanna Clarke. It’s early enough that I’m not too worried about the plot being slow to develop. Besides, it is well written. It was described to me as a Dickens-style fantasy, and you can tell that Clarke was definitely trying to emulate Dickens with her writing. The one thing I’m really not crazy about at all is all the darn footnotes. They’re somewhat distracting and some of the footnotes are multiple pages. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/46 "2011-05-10T13:02:45Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > So I’m just over 100 pages into \*Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell \*by Susanna Clarke. It’s early enough that I’m not too worried about the plot being slow to develop. Besides, it is well written. It was described to me as a Dickens-style fantasy, and you can tell that Clarke was definitely trying to emulate Dickens with her writing. > > The one thing I’m really not crazy about at all is all the darn footnotes. They’re somewhat distracting and some of the footnotes are multiple pages. That was exactly my complaint. I found it distracting enough that I did not enjoy the book and finally put it down. Others here told me to embrace them, that they really do add; but I found it unreadable. (Enough so that if another books emulates that particular conceit, I will not buy it.) ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/47 "2011-05-10T14:34:34Z")
Last book read was _The Hope_ by Herman Wouk. Last night, I received my Amazon order of the long and uncut version of Stephen King’s _The Stand_. I’ve had the original cut version for many years, so the 500 extra pages should make for a better than good read. ETA: In between, I gave up on _The Land of Painted Caves_ after about 100 pages. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/48 "2011-05-10T16:25:31Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > That was exactly my complaint. I found it distracting enough that I did not enjoy the book and finally put it down. Others here told me to embrace them, that they really do add; but I found it unreadable. (Enough so that if another books emulates that particular conceit, I will not buy it.) The footnotes are not _vitally_ necessary to an understanding of the book, I think, although they add context and depth that does pay off in the long run. I believe you could probably read the book and skip every footnote, but you’d be missing out on an important and flavorful part of the experience. Try _The Ladies of Grace Adieu_, Clarke’s short-story collection which I mentioned earlier, if you’d like a more bite-sized visit to the author’s alternative historical England. Very few footnotes indeed. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/49 "2011-05-10T21:01:53Z")
A final note on the footnotes. Apparently Clarke [didn’t even think the publisher would include them in the novel](http://www.sfsite.com/02a/su193.htm) for the very reason that they are somewhat inconsiderate to the reader. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/50 "2011-05-10T21:15:14Z")
I just finished _Thirteenth Child_ by Patricia Wrede. It’s the start of a trilogy called Frontier Magic, set in an alternate just-post-Civil-War America (although they call it Columbia). Magic works, and in fact is something of a science; nearly everyone uses it. And instead of hostile Indians, the challenges of the frontier are prehistoric animals like mammoths & sabertooths, along with magical creatures like steam dragons and swarming weasels. I also read the newest collection of Honorverse short stores _In Fire Forged_, and have been re-reading my favorite parts of the Harry Dresden novels. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/51 "2011-05-11T00:12:16Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Last book read was _The Hope_ by Herman Wouk. > > Last night, I received my Amazon order of the long and uncut version of Stephen King’s _The Stand_. I’ve had the original cut version for many years, so the 500 extra pages should make for a better than good read.\ I’ve read both versions a couple of times, and honestly, I don’t know which version I prefer. King sometimes had some verbal diarrhea and took us down paths that didn’t really add much to the story, but other parts of the uncut version were quite good. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/52 "2011-05-11T22:28:40Z")
Finished _The Gaslight Dogs [Mass Market Paperback] by Karin Lowachee_. Not a bad start to a new fantasy series - but this was written a year ago and I do not see even a schedule for the rest, so I am unsure if it will continue. A young spirit-walker from a tribe in the north is captured and forced to teach a young army captain to spirit-walk. As I said, not a bad start, but nothing sensational either. If I catch that the next book comes out, I will likely buy it, but I will not make a specific attempt to watch for it. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/53 "2011-05-13T02:21:22Z")
Finished _Killer in the Rain, and Other Stories_, by Raymond Chandler. Highly recommended, especially if you’re a fan of _noir_. Chandler pretty much cobbled each of his novels together from several short stories. I’d read all of these stories in this book in one form or another – the short story itself, the novel it was incorporated into or both. In the few short stories I’d encountered only in the novels, they’re different here, with actual endings and slightly different events. Makes it seem like a parallel universe; familiar but different. Next up: _The Ambassador’s Wife_, by local American author [Jake Needham](http://jakeneedham.com/Authors_Site/Welcome.html). He writes _noir_ crime fiction himself, along the lines of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen but in a Southeast Asian setting. This one involves a veteran detective in Singapore. Hong Kong’s _HK Magazine_ has described Needham as “the best known American writer almost nobody in America ever heard of.” His first novel, _The Big Mango_, set in Bangkok, was excellent and the film rights were bought by Hollywood. James Gandolfini was reportedly tapped to play the protagonist (in the book, people are always remarking on the protagonist’s resemblance to Clint Eastwood, but I guess he’d be too old for the character), but then the project just sort of petered out. His next book, _Tea Money_, was good, but the next couple were bland. I’m hoping this one will be as good as it sonds. Needham is a lawyer, and his Thai wife is an Oxford-educated concert pianist who has played with the San Francisco Symphony. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/54 "2011-05-13T02:34:56Z")
Thanks to the TV series based on it, I’ve picked up the Song of Ice and Fire books. I’m 50 or so pages into A Game of Thrones, and I’m finding it quite enjoyable…though part of me really wishes I’d waited until the TV series was done before starting it. Some of the characters (Jon, Ser Jorah, Arya) are giving me very alternate takes on them, between the book and TV series, and I’m wondering if it may have been better to keep those two takes from overlapping. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/55 "2011-05-13T02:43:52Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Richard Stark’s (Donald Westlake pseudonym) _ **Butcher’s Moon** _. Recently reprinted by University of Chicago Press, after being out of print for over 30 years. Heh…_I just finished The Spy in the Ointment_, which happened to be my first ever Donald Westlake. I really enjoyed it; sort of an odd combination of comedy/spy/thriller. A little dated, about 40 years ago in fact, but some pretty good writing. My current read is a real oldie…from 1930 . _Coronado’s Children_ by J. Frank Dobie. It’s a book of Texas history and folklore, with emphasis on Spanish gold seekers, lost mines, Indian raids, buried treasures, outlaws, etc. etc. Exciting stuff, well-told and footnoted. Bought the book years ago, but stuck it away and never read it 'til now. SS ---
**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:** [May 13, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/56 "2011-05-13T12:54:55Z")
Just finished the second book in Dan Wells’ YA John Cleaver series (Mr. Monster) and am starting the third (I Don’t Want to Kill You). The protagonist of these books is a teenage sociopath fascinated with serial killers. There is a supernatural angle as well. Mr. Monster had some scenes of cruelty to people and animals, which I generally avoid, but for some reason was tolerable here. Maybe because it didn’t seem gratuitous, and I didn’t have the creepy feeling that the author jerked off after writing it. It was not extremely drawn-out and detailed the way an adult book might be. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/57 "2011-05-13T13:08:29Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Just finished the second book in Dan Wells’ YA John Cleaver series (Mr. Monster) and am starting the third (I Don’t Want to Kill You). The protagonist of these books is a teenage sociopath fascinated with serial killers. There is a supernatural angle as well. Mr. Monster had some scenes of cruelty to people and animals, which I generally avoid, but for some reason was tolerable here. Maybe because it didn’t seem gratuitous, and I didn’t have the creepy feeling that the author jerked off after writing it. It was not extremely drawn-out and detailed the way an adult book might be. I have the first in my queue and started it once. I will go back to it I think, but then night I started it, it did not catch me. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/58 "2011-05-13T13:31:15Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Just finished the second book in Dan Wells’ YA John Cleaver series (Mr. Monster) and am starting the third (I Don’t Want to Kill You). The protagonist of these books is a teenage sociopath fascinated with serial killers. There is a supernatural angle as well. Mr. Monster had some scenes of cruelty to people and animals, which I generally avoid, but for some reason was tolerable here. Maybe because it didn’t seem gratuitous, and I didn’t have the creepy feeling that the author jerked off after writing it. It was not extremely drawn-out and detailed the way an adult book might be. I’ve stayed out of the “Whatcha Readin’…” threads because I’ve felt like my choices are a little unusual, even by Dopers’ standards, but perhaps I was wrong. I read a lot of YA and just finished the third book in this series. John Cleaver is a compelling character. I rarely read in the horror genre, and am not sure I’d have even thought of the first book in that way had I not read it on Wells’ web site. If there is a fourth book I’m not sure I’ll rush to read it. In progress at home right now I have Joyce Carol Oates’ A Widow’s Story, and The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle. I’m ashamed to admit that I was unaware that The Commitments, one of my favorite movies to break a sad spell, is based on a novel by Doyle. My library didn’t have that one so this is where I’ve started. It’s short and going quickly. I’m enjoying it now that I’m used to the style (dialog without quotation marks, in particular), and will seek out more of his work. I’m also reading through (just a little each day) The Restored New Testament translated by Willis Barnstone. I’d recommend it to anyone with scholarly or spiritual interest in the New Testament. I discovered it in the library, mentioned to my sister how much I was enjoying it and she very kindly bought me my own copy about a month ago. Just yesterday she forwarded me an email from Barnes & Noble offering to buy it back, along with any other textbooks she has. I guess the assumption is that no one who didn’t have to would buy this book. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/59 "2011-05-13T14:03:11Z")
I just finished re-reading _A Storm of Swords_ - whew, that’s a hell of a book. In June I’ll read _Feast for Crows_, and then I’ll be ready for _Dance with Dragons_ in July. I’ve started reading a newer Urban Fantasy novel, _A Madness of Angels_, by Kate Griffin. It has gotten good reviews, but I don’t think I’m going to like it. The writing is full of distracting similes (“The one who spoke had a heavy, breathless voice like the deep snorts of a walrus”). I also can’t take the magic as seriously as the book wants me to. For instance, the litterbug monster, which is defeated with dustbins, might work in a Harry Dresden novel, but it’s not working for me here. > [@gwendee](#): > > I’ve stayed out of the “Whatcha Readin’…” threads because I’ve felt like my choices are a little unusual, even by Dopers’ standards, but perhaps I was wrong… I love to see the unusual book choices! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/60 "2011-05-14T23:26:25Z")
Finished _Sartori by Don Winslow_ a prequel to Trevanian’s _Shibumi_. First a word about Shibumi. I read it first when I was quite young. Nicholai Hel, the protagonist is a westerner raised in Japan. He is an assassin trained in the naked/kill arts. The young me found his superior disdain for all cultures American, French, British (you name it) very entertaining. At that age I was so full of myself and so sure that I too was the superior man and held everyone in equal contempt. The book was action-packed and great read. Upon rereading, an older me found him to be an arrogant ass and my pleasure was lessened, but it is still a great action-packed read. An older me can acknowledge that there are flaws in every culture, but greatness too. Winslow did a better-than-average job of capturing the essence of Hel and for the most part kept true the original. I found it a fast and enjoyable read. As I said, “for the most part” it was true to the original book. But Winslow seemed to confuse two of the characters, giving the personality of Le Cagot from the original to De Lhandes (also from the original), a mistake that took me out of the book pretty quickly. Sartori also suffered from the same problem every prequel has: We _know_ Hel survives, since we see him in a later time-frame in the original work. This means that the dramatic tension is much less than it could be. Still, if you have read the original and enjoyed it, give this one a go. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277.md?page=4)