# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/41 "2012-11-07T18:22:07Z")
Read Jasper Fforde’s latest Thursday Next novel: _**[The Woman Who Died A Lot](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13589159-the-woman-who-died-a-lot)**_ earlier this week - Thursday Next, former Jurisfiction officer is semi-retired (unwillingly) and faces challenges on a familial level - the future of her son, Friday is turned topsy-turvy, while her genius daughter, Tuesday attempts to thwart an angry Deity using technology. And then there’s poor Jenny. Goliath and Jack Schitt aren’t done with Ms. Next either. The novel was enjoyable enough, but definitely part of a series; I don’t think a new reader would understand very much of what’s going on at all. In fact, I found myself wishing I’d re-read at least the last 2-3 TN novels as I was a bit lost at times myself. The plot wasn’t as twisty as some of the previous books, and the characters are still well-written; but some of the quirky humor I enjoy from Fforde was missing, IMHO. I’m not in any hurry to acquire this novel, but probably will re-read it if/when I decide to start the series over. ---
**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 8, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/42 "2012-11-08T23:34:52Z")
Stopped at the library yesterday and picked up the new Lois McMaster Bujold novel, _Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance_. I recommend it - I think it’s Bujold’s best novel since _A Civil Campaign_ and _The Curse of Chalion_. And now the embarrassing admission. When I was in the library to pick up the Bujold book, I also went back to the movie section to look for some movie books. I picked up a copy of Kim Newman’s _Nightmare Movies_ (which I started today) but I also saw Olivia Munn’s _Suck It, Wonder Woman_. And I figured, “Why not? She’s good looking and a little light celebrity autobiography could be fun. I liked _Bossypants_ and Jewel Shepard’s autobiography was good.” What I found out is Olivia Munn is not Tina Fey or Jewel Shepard. _Suck It, Wonder Woman_ barely qualifies as a book, let alone a biography. It’s Munn telling a few stories (the kind of stories she probably tells on her talk show appearances) and filling out the space between them with publicity photos. Reading this book, you get the impression that the writer had never met Olivia Munn and just pasted together this book from some magazine articles. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/43 "2012-11-11T04:21:39Z")
Right now I’m reading Dan Chaon’s short story collection _Stay Awake_. It’s uneven but has some very good bits in it; not nearly as scary as I’d been led to believe. I’m also reading Harlan Ellison’s collected scripts of _Star Trek_’s classic episode “The City on the Edge of Forever.” It’s prefaced by his long but quickly tiresome aren’t-I-wonderful-and-aren’t-they-terrible screed against Roddenberry and the studio. Interesting to see how much the script changed over time, though (and no, Scotty wasn’t dealing drugs in any of them, despite what ol’ Gene kept saying over the years). > [@Politzania](#): > > On a related note, devoured Mark Millar’s _**[Superman: Red Son](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/154798.Superman)**_ graphic novel. What if Kal-El had landed in the Ukraine in the 1940’s, instead of Kansas?.. I read that a year or so ago and really enjoyed it. A particularly clever ending, I thought. > [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > _The Signal and the Noise_ by Nate Silver. I saw him half-heartedly flogging that on _The Daily Show_. What do you think so far? > [@tellyworth](#): > > …Now reading a few more of H.P. Lovecraft’s short stories so I can catch up with H.P. Podcraft… Have you read Neil Gaiman’s “A Study in Emerald”? A wonderful Conan Doyle/Lovecraft mashup, with a twist. The best short story I’ve read in several years, I’d say (warning: .pdf file): [http://www.neilgaiman.com/mediafiles/exclusive/shortstories/emerald.pdf](http://www.neilgaiman.com/mediafiles/exclusive/shortstories/emerald.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/44 "2012-11-11T16:18:20Z")
I’m about halfway through [The Revolution Was Televised](http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Was-Televised-Slingers-ebook/dp/B00A44AL10/ref=la_B001K8C6KS_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352650384&sr=1-2) by Alan Sepinwall, a fairly deep look at revolutionary TV shows, starting with _Twin Peaks_. He talks about _Oz, The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Lost, The Shield_ and others. Even if you followed Sepinwall’s weekly reviews of the shows, there will be something new here. But it’s chock-full of spoilers, so don’t read it if you were planning to someday watch these shows. Recently finished Sebastian Faulks’ new one _A Possible Life_. Five novellas, featuring five different people in different historical periods (and one in the future) linked in theme (our need for connection). I liked it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/45 "2012-11-11T18:40:30Z")
_The Celestial Globe_ by Marie Rutkowski, a sequel to _The Cabinet of Wonders_. It’s a pretty good fantasy, with some terrific monsters, the Gristleki. ---
**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 11, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/46 "2012-11-11T18:40:37Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Stopped at the library yesterday and picked up the new Lois McMaster Bujold novel, _Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance_. I recommend it - I think it’s Bujold’s best novel since _A Civil Campaign_ and _The Curse of Chalion_. That’s good to hear! My copy is on its way. I’m reading _The Life of Andrew Jackson_, by Robert V. Remini. Remini was the Historian of the US House of Representatives from 2005-2010, and this book is his abridgement of his three-volume history of Jackson. So far it’s pretty good, and plainly written. ---
**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 11, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/47 "2012-11-11T19:16:50Z")
_Time and Again_, Jack Finney ---
**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:** [November 12, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/48 "2012-11-12T16:51:43Z")
Over the weekend read Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s latest horror comics, _Locke & Key: Clockworks_, which had an interesting flashback to Lovecraft, Mass. during the American Revolution. Otherwise not quite as good as the previous books, I’d say. Also read _The Great Molasses Flood_ by Deborah Kops, about the would-be-pretty-darn-funny-if-21-people-hadn’t-died accident in Boston in 1919. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/49 "2012-11-12T17:31:15Z")
Finally(!!!) finished _ **Insomnia** _. Dear god, what an unsatisfying slog that was. I feel that I was suckered into 850 pages of sheer drudgery by the promise of 50 pages of Dark Tower related stuff. Plus, it gave me a new King Phrase to Hate: “Exalted and Revered Baby”. We’ll put that one down right next to “that fabled A-train”. I’ve moved on to an Amazon recommend, _ **Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities** _. It is, if nothing else, mercifully short after _ **Insomnia** _, and so far interesting. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/50 "2012-11-12T17:42:36Z")
The imagination of Catherynne M. Valente in her _Silently and Very Fast_ is blowing my mind. I had to come here to recommend it. It’s a story about the evolution of a single artificial intelligence through its connection to generations of a human family, recounted as myth might be. It’s so odd to see a story with such heart and such almost hallucinatory visual language up against a far-future tech tale, but she’s pulled it off wonderfully, and in only 127 pages. This is the best book I’ve read in a really long time. Available on [Kindle](http://www.amazon.com/Silently-and-Very-Fast-ebook/dp/B00772YNV6/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1352740458&sr=8-6), OOP hardcover, and for free in three parts on the Clarkesworld website. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/51 "2012-11-12T18:26:14Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Finally(!!!) finished _ **Insomnia** _. Dear god, what an unsatisfying slog that was. I feel that I was suckered into 850 pages of sheer drudgery by the promise of 50 pages of Dark Tower related stuff. Plus, it gave me a new King Phrase to Hate: “Exalted and Revered Baby”. We’ll put that one down right next to “that fabled A-train”. _Insomnia_ has been frequently described as a cure for the same. Downloaded a sample of [San Miguel](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670026247) by T. C. Boyle. Fell in love and bought it, only realizing later that I’d paid $14.99 for an e-book. But it’s excellent. Historical, late 1800’s and 1930’s, two families living on an island off the coast of California. This is my first Boyle. ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/52 "2012-11-12T19:11:44Z")
**wonderlust** - good timing on your post - I just finished the audiobook version of Catherynne M. Valente’s _**[Deathless](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8694389-deathless)**_ and loved every moment of it! As I mentioned earlier - the insertion of Russian folktale elements into Stalinist Russia was incredibly entertaining, and at times, heartbreaking. Marya Morevna is one of my new favorite “strong female” characters, despite the mistakes she makes. Valente’s use of language fit the fairy tale tone perfectly, with repetitions of phrases (“life is like that”), plot elements going full-circle and things happening in threes. Even in her descriptions of the Siege of Leningrad - she achieves the poetic: _“A ration card says, This much life we have allotted you. It says, This much death we can keep from your door. But no more.”_ I’m not quite sure this novel qualifies as “magical realism”, but it definitely has that flavor - _ **Deathless** _ was a nominee for the “Mythopoetic Fantasy Award” and that seems like a pretty good place to put it. Kudos also go out to the narrator, Kim de Blecourt - I’m sure I would have stumbled over many of the Russian proper names in print, but they flowed off her tongue marvelously. **Deathless** has been added to my Christmas wishlist and I’ll definitely be reading more of Valente’s work. I’ve had \*The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making \* on my ToRead list for awhile & it’s getting bumped to the top - I also bought _Silently and Very Fast_, thanks to **wonderlust’s** review. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/53 "2012-11-12T19:26:54Z")
**Politzania** : This is why I love this thread. I wasn’t sure about\* Deathless\* because I’m not informed about Russian History, but I have a collection of [Russian boxes](http://www.sunbirds.com/cnt/Palekh) (folk tale depictions) which I bought in the 70’s during the Soviet Union era, and after reading your comments, I’m pretty sure I’ll love reading more about those same stories. I still have her _Orphan Tales_ books waiting to be read too. At first I thought I’d have to be “in the mood” for her language in order to enjoy reading her, but I learned that she actually puts me right into the mood. But I have to admit that sometimes I need to put my Kindle down due to being blinded by all the beauty of her imagination and language. I need a few minutes to let it soak in. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/54 "2012-11-12T19:39:29Z")
Finished Kim Stanlet Robinson’s **Red Mars**. I have Blue Mars but not Green Mars. Until I get it, I’m reading other things. Now I’m reading a verse translation of **Beowulf** (Michael Alexander’s Penguin version, not Seamus Heaney’s) After that we’ll see. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/55 "2012-11-12T20:28:21Z")
I’m moving at a snail’s pace through **Cloud Atlas** , now just over halfway finished. Having not seen the movie, I can see how it inspired a thread titled “Unfilmable Books.” Turning this into a movie would be a considerable undertaking and frankly, although I’m enjoying the book, I can’t see it working well. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/56 "2012-11-12T20:44:59Z")
It took me forever to get halfway through **Cloud Atlas** too. Then I dumped it. I saw the movie a couple days ago, and upon reflection, I think it was a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/57 "2012-11-12T23:01:54Z")
Cloud Atlas is in my queue, but based on these reports, maybe I’ll put it in the back of the queue. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/58 "2012-11-12T23:09:11Z")
**Politzania** / **wonderlust** , thanks for giving me my next read. 🙂 ---
**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:** [November 13, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/59 "2012-11-13T00:20:37Z")
**Khadaji** : my opinion is just mine. Many others on this board loved **Cloud Atlas**. ---
**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:** [November 13, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457/60 "2012-11-13T14:51:46Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Cloud Atlas is in my queue, but based on these reports, maybe I’ll put it in the back of the queue. Maybe my favorite book of the last two years! The audiobook, which I just finished, is wonderful too, **Khadj**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-nov-2012-edition/639457.md?page=4)