# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 6
**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 26, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/101 "2011-05-26T16:14:21Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > IMO, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a book that’s much more about the journey than the destination. In other words, if you aren’t enjoying it now, I don’t think you’ll change your mind later. I really, really liked the book, and I’d have to agree. Try her fine short story collection _The Ladies of Grace Adieu_ if you’d like some more bite-size pieces of her alternative, magical England. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/102 "2011-05-26T16:16:08Z")
I agree about Jonathan Strange. I loved it, but it’s a book I think many people would find tiresome and I completely get why. Along the same lines, Mark Z. Danielewski’s _House of Leaves_ left me utterly cold even though it shares some features with Jonathan Strange. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/103 "2011-05-26T16:18:01Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > IMO, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a book that’s much more about the journey than the destination. In other words, if you aren’t enjoying it now, I don’t think you’ll change your mind later. Thank you for this. I’m about 8 hours into the 32-hour audiobook and it hasn’t really sparked me yet. The reader, Simon Prebble, is so very good, but the bits of excellent writing I’ve enjoyed are separated by so much grim verbosity. I’m gonna throw in the towel. I kinda knew the book was doomed when I was searching for **anything** else to listen to from the library. All that was available was a Maeve Binchy soap. And I enjoyed the Pollyana-ish treacle more. Thank god a bunch of things on my wait-list will be available soon. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/104 "2011-05-26T16:57:57Z")
Finished the Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson, and immediately picked up [Them](http://www.amazon.com/Them-ebook/dp/B004P1JDUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1306428883&sr=1-1). I’m about a third of the way through it and am completely engrossed. To the point that I’m taking the kindle into the bathroom with me at work. Urk! On deck, The Quantum Thief, 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America, and Danw Wells’ Mr. Monster and I Don’t Want to Kill You. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/105 "2011-05-27T00:29:42Z")
Finished _License To Ensorcell_ by Katharine Kerr. This plays off the idea that the US had a psychic ops agency created during the cold war. Nola O’Grady is a member of the modern-day psy-ops agency whose job it is to keep the balance between Chaos and Order(?) (I can’t recall if she calls it Order or some other name meaning non-Chaos - I guess I’m getting old.) She is paired with a man from another secret agency who is \*officially \*assigned to Interpol, in order to catch a serial murderer who is hunting and killing werewolfs. It was a by-the-numbers urban fantasy - replete with the sexual tension between her and her new partner - but it wasn’t bad. I won’t seek out the sequels, but if I run across them I’ll read it. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/106 "2011-05-27T06:11:41Z")
I finished [The Magicians](http://www.amazon.com/The-Magicians-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B002AU7MJU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1306476412&sr=1-1) in about two days. I view it as an older version of Harry Potter-ish. I loved it. Would I suggest it? I don’t know. I read in reviews people talking about how the main character is annoying and you just want to smack him…but I related to him very well. Which isn’t good. I say read the sample and if you like that you’ll like the rest of the 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 27, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/107 "2011-05-27T14:16:04Z")
I didn’t care for _Beguilement_. I found it bland and sappy and thought it read like a young adult novel. Even with pure romance, I thought Bujold would do a better job than this. I just finished _Water for Elephants_, and I liked it pretty well. It’s a bit contrived, but it was a quick, entertaining read. Since the movie is at the box office now you probably already know this, but it’s about a guy who runs away with a second-rate traveling circus during the Depression. It focuses more on the animals than the circus freaks. ---
**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 30, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/108 "2011-05-30T01:17:46Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > …I just finished _Water for Elephants_, and I liked it pretty well. It’s a bit contrived, but it was a quick, entertaining read. Since the movie is at the box office now you probably already know this, but it’s about a guy who runs away with a second-rate traveling circus during the Depression. It focuses more on the animals than the circus freaks. As I think I’ve said before, my wife’s book club read it awhile back, and really enjoyed it. She hasn’t seen the movie yet, and isn’t likely to - the reviews have been meh. Just finished Roger Kahn’s _The Boys of Summer_, about the Brooklyn Dodgers of the early Fifties (incl. Jackie Robinson), and what they did with their later lives. I’ve long heard it described as the best baseball book ever, and it was good, but it didn’t totally blow me away. Also recently skimmed some favorite chapters of George R.R. Martin’s _A Feast for Crows_, looking forward to the release of _A Dance with Dragons_ in just a month or so. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/109 "2011-05-30T06:16:26Z")
I picked up a bunch of old Heinlein books Friday and I’ve been rereading them. So far I’ve read _Double Star_, _The Door Into Summer_, _Orphans of the Sky_, and _Space Cadet_. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/110 "2011-05-30T07:56:02Z")
Finished _I am Not a serial Killer_ an interesting and odd read. I haven’t decided yet if I enjoyed it, nor if I will read the others. I found the ending a little odd and dissatisfying - with its supernatural undertones. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/111 "2011-05-30T13:11:08Z")
Just finished reading _Operation Mincement_ by Ben McIntyre, a non-fiction account of a British plot to fool the Germans in WWII by planting phony invasion plans on a corpse. The original idea came from Ian Fleming, though he was not involved in the planning or execution of the operation. Interesting story and the book gives a lot of insight into the intelligence world of the time. Recommended. Now reading _The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet_ by David Mitchell (of Cloud Atlas fame). I’m only a few chapters in, but I’m enjoying it so far. Mitchell is a master at using powerful and descriptive language–the kind of writing that you notice while reading, but in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/112 "2011-05-30T14:49:19Z")
> [@I'm Not Dennis Bergkamp](#): > > Just finished reading _Operation Mincement_ by Ben McIntyre, a non-fiction account of a British plot to fool the Germans in WWII by planting phony invasion plans on a corpse. The original idea came from Ian Fleming, though he was not involved in the planning or execution of the operation. Interesting story and the book gives a lot of insight into the intelligence world of the time. Recommended. I just read that, too. And before that I read [Agent Zigzag](http://www.amazon.com/Agent-Zigzag-Story-Espionage-Betrayal/dp/0307353400) by the same author. Both excellent and highly recommended. Then I read [The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington](http://www.amazon.com/Irregulars-Roald-British-Wartime-Washington/dp/B002BWQ4PA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306766781&sr=1-1) which was also very good. I’m a bit tired of British WW2 intelligence books now. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/113 "2011-05-30T17:07:34Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I just read that, too. And before that I read [Agent Zigzag](http://www.amazon.com/Agent-Zigzag-Story-Espionage-Betrayal/dp/0307353400) by the same author. Both excellent and highly recommended. > > Then I read [The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington](http://www.amazon.com/Irregulars-Roald-British-Wartime-Washington/dp/B002BWQ4PA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306766781&sr=1-1) which was also very good. > > I’m a bit tired of British WW2 intelligence books now. Based on _Operation Mincemeat_, _Agent Zigzag_ went on my wishlist. I’ll have to add _The Irregulars_, too. ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_N.Cheese)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/114 "2011-05-31T00:28:36Z")
Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/115 "2011-05-31T09:58:55Z")
[Link to June’s Thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13862230#post13862230) ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277/116 "2011-05-31T14:52:42Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > I finished _In the Woods_ this morning. I picked it up after having all and sundry recommend it to me. And even though I’m not normally a detective novel fan, I did really enjoy this book. I’m trying to decide if I should pick up the next in the series now or give it a month’s rest. I think it’s called _The Likeness_… has anyone read it? > > I also read _Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day_ and found it absolutely delightful, like sherbet on a hot day. I read The Likeness and didn’t particularly like it. There is just so much disbelief I can suspend, and the book went waaaaay beyond that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-may-2011-edition/580277.md?page=5)