# Whatcha Readin' Nov 2012 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457 "2012-10-31T17:20:53Z")\ **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:** [November 3, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/21 "2012-11-03T19:22:06Z")
Finished [Bleak History](http://www.amazon.com/Bleak-History-John-Shirley/dp/B005Q5UHSO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351970458&sr=8-1&keywords=Bleak+History) and enjoyed it. Was only disappointed that there is only one. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/22 "2012-11-03T20:20:11Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > That’s nice to know, I, too, haven’t read anything since Tommyknockers which was utter garbage. _No insult to Shirley Manson_ I’m not spoiling anything by saying it involves time travel, but he does it in a way that isn’t stupid. The characters are both frightening and endearing, and King always had a real knack for character development when he put his mind to it. Oh, and it should be “Stephen”. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/23 "2012-11-03T20:31:33Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > King always had a real knack for character development when he put his mind to it. Yes, he did, one of the reasons I plugged through a couple novels… ---
**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:** [November 3, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/24 "2012-11-03T21:49:57Z")
_Bayou of Pigs: The True Story of an Audacious Plot to Turn a Tropical Island into a Criminal Paradise_ by Stewart Bell and _The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace_ by H.W. Brands. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/25 "2012-11-03T21:53:31Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > That’s nice to know, I, too, haven’t read anything since Tommyknockers which was utter garbage. King’s admitted he wrote _The Tommyknockers_ when his drug problem was at its worst and he barely remembers writing the book. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/26 "2012-11-04T02:17:32Z")
I ran through four or so Nero Wolfe mysteries during the blackout. It was kinda fun, actually. (ETA: My Nero Wolfe project is convincing me that I’ve already read most of the early canon. I’m a bit curious as to where exactly I’m going to hit “new” material.) As I realized I was running through really short books rather too quickly, I picked up _ **Insomnia** _ and have just started into it–as a huge Dark Tower fan and not much of a King reader otherwise, it’s the Dark Tower connection that’s got me interested. I’m finding my memory a bit fuzzy though, and can’t for the life of me remember what Deepneau was doing in DT. Was he a breaker? Anyway, it’s a bit slow to start–wondering if I shouldn’t have went with _ **Salem’s Lot** _ instead… ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/27 "2012-11-04T03:35:14Z")
Currently reading Midst Toil and Tribulation by Davis Weber. Probably not a popular series around here. :p. waiting for the new Dresden book later this month, and have a couple books in the queue. Thinking of getting the Hornblower series on Audible, to listen to when I travel. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/28 "2012-11-04T03:59:27Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Thinking of getting the Hornblower series on Audible, to listen to when I travel. I’d recommend it. I very much enjoyed that series. But you have to decide which order you want to read it in. Forester started the series with Hornblower in mid-career. When the character became popular, he went back and wrote books that covered Hornblower’s early years. So you can read the books in the order they were written or in the order they were set. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/29 "2012-11-04T04:02:08Z")
I read them all years ago, but discovered that at least some of them are on unabridged audio on Audible so am thinking of getting them all for my next long trip. What order do you suggest? Was just going to listen to them in the order they are on Audible. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/30 "2012-11-04T04:19:04Z")
> [@XT](#): > > I read them all years ago, but discovered that at least some of them are on unabridged audio on Audible so am thinking of getting them all for my next long trip. What order do you suggest? Was just going to listen to them in the order they are on Audible. I personally read them in chronological order, but it was mostly by happenstance. I don’t think there’s any major need to read them in publication order - Forester’s writing was pretty consistent throughout the period when he wrote the books. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/31 "2012-11-04T04:41:31Z")
I’m now immersed in another classic author I’d managed never to read before: Edith Wharton. I’m about 20% through _ **The Age of Innocence.** _ ---
**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:** [November 4, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/32 "2012-11-04T05:02:22Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’m now immersed in another classic author I’d managed never to read before: Edith Wharton. I’m about 20% through _ **The Age of Innocence.** _ On a side note, when the 1993 film version played in Thailand, the Thais translated “innocence” to where it carried a connotation of adolescence, implying that it was a straight lurid tell of teenage love similar to, say, _The Blue Lagoon_. They change title a lot. There was a good Italian film called _The Flight of the Innocent_, about a little boy kidnapped from a wealthy family, and the Thai title translated to “Little Boy Running from Hell.” ---
**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:** [November 4, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/33 "2012-11-04T21:04:12Z")
I’ve just started _Bangkok Tattoo_, the second book in John Burdett’s mystery series set largely in Bangkok’s red light district. So far it’s just as good as the first one: anxious to protect their most productive prostitute, Colonel Vikorn proposes blaming the murder of her American john on Al Qaeda. “They’re practically blaming the weather on Al Qaeda over there.” Unfortunately, they have to admit that “it just doesn’t look like a terrorist castration/murder". I’m working my way through Barbara Hambly’s back catalog, and I have yet to be disappointed by anything. I’ve just finished _The Ladies of Mandrigyn_, and I have the next two novels in the trilogy lined up. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/34 "2012-11-04T22:07:15Z")
Ghost Story by Peter Straub. A real good one! ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/35 "2012-11-04T22:51:51Z")
I finished The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco. It’s fascinating, and possibly the easiest of Eco’s fiction to read, if you don’t mind offensive and despicable characters. I found it odd though that he felt the need to explain the historical connections in the appendix, and even provide a table outlining the chronological plot. Surely if you made it that far you’ve figured most of that out already. Now reading a few more of H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories so I can catch up with H.P. Podcraft. I plan to continue with Ivanhoe after that. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/36 "2012-11-04T23:21:56Z")
I’m in the middle of reading what is almost a WWII spy ‘trilogy’ by **Ben Macintyre**. Last week I finished his [Operation Mincemeat](http://www.amazon.com/Operation-Mincemeat-Bizarre-Assured-Victory/dp/0307453286/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352070734&sr=1-1&keywords=operation+mincemeat), a terrific read about what used to be known as ‘[The Man Who Never Was](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat)’. Today, I have only about thirty pages left in [Agent Zigzag](http://www.amazon.com/Agent-Zigzag-Story-Espionage-Betrayal/dp/0307353419/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352070700&sr=1-1&keywords=agent+zigzag). Zigzag was the code name given to an extraordinary double agent who, almost singlehandedly, and with ice in his veins, turned the Nazi spy agency, the [Abwehr](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abwehr), inside out. When I’ve finished it, I plan not to miss a beat and dive right into Macintyre’s latest, called [Double Cross](http://www.amazon.com/Double-Cross-Story-D-Day-Spies/dp/0307888754/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352070653&sr=1-1&keywords=double+cross) (about the D-Day spies). Anyone who’s at all interested in espionage/adventure, especially as it occurred during the Second World War, cannot go wrong by looking into any of these marvelous books. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/37 "2012-11-05T05:07:24Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Wow, it’s not even November over here yet. But I’m about halfway through _The Concrete Blonde_, the third and final entry in a Michael Connelly anthology of the first three of his Detective Harry Bosch series. Enjoying it like all the others. Finished _The Concrete Blonde_ and thus the Michael Connelly anthology of the first three Harry Bosch novels. It was very good. Some time back, I said I started the series with the fourth book and that while good, it was not up to snuff with his later Lincoln Lawyer series. Well, I guess that fourth entry is the weakest in the series, because these first three have all been of Lincoln Lawyer quality. Next up: _Cloud Atlas_, by David Mitchell. I’ve heard a little about this book and seen the trailers for the film version, which has not come to Bangkok yet. But it’s coming soon, and I’d like to read the book before the movie hits town. It sounds like something I will enjoy. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/38 "2012-11-05T05:25:56Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I’m in the middle of reading what is almost a WWII spy ‘trilogy’ by **Ben Macintyre**. > > Last week I finished his [Operation Mincemeat](http://www.amazon.com/Operation-Mincemeat-Bizarre-Assured-Victory/dp/0307453286/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352070734&sr=1-1&keywords=operation+mincemeat), a terrific read about what used to be known as ‘[The Man Who Never Was](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat)’. Today, I have only about thirty pages left in [Agent Zigzag](http://www.amazon.com/Agent-Zigzag-Story-Espionage-Betrayal/dp/0307353419/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352070700&sr=1-1&keywords=agent+zigzag). Zigzag was the code name given to an extraordinary double agent who, almost singlehandedly, and with ice in his veins, turned the Nazi spy agency, the [Abwehr](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abwehr), inside out. When I’ve finished it, I plan not to miss a beat and dive right into Macintyre’s latest, called [Double Cross](http://www.amazon.com/Double-Cross-Story-D-Day-Spies/dp/0307888754/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352070653&sr=1-1&keywords=double+cross) (about the D-Day spies). > > Anyone who’s at all interested in espionage/adventure, especially as it occurred during the Second World War, cannot go wrong by looking into any of these marvellous books. Yes, I’ve posted about those books here as I read them in the last year or two. I agree completely that they are great. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/39 "2012-11-06T18:06:33Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I’m working my way through Barbara Hambly’s back catalog, and I have yet to be disappointed by anything. I’ve just finished _The Ladies of Mandrigyn_, and I have the next two novels in the trilogy lined up. I love her stuff! Wolf is awesome and I have had the biggest crush on Antryg Windrose since I first read The Silicon Tower back when it came out. Don’t forget to read her Abigail Adams mysteries under the pen name of Barbara Hamilton She also has (or at least had) some short stuff available on her website. [http://www.barbarahambly.com/](http://www.barbarahambly.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/40 "2012-11-06T18:11:42Z")
I had started [The Deviners](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031612611X/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00) but the newest [Eli Monpress](http://www.amazon.com/Spirits-End-Eli-Monpress-Novel/dp/0316198366/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352225420&sr=1-3&keywords=eli+monpress)will arrive today and I will pick it up and read it when it comes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457.md?page=3)