# Whatcha readin' November edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2007, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696 "2007-10-31T12:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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 9, 2007, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/61 "2007-11-09T03:37:25Z")
I finished _Bangkok Eight_, by John Burdett. Very good. He’s really got Bangkok down. But I’m always curious when authors mix real places with made-up ones. For instance, the bars he names in Nana Plaza really exist, but the two he names in Soi Cowboy do not. He also has the prison on the river, which it’s not; it’s very far from the river. But an excellent read, and I look forward to buying and reading his sequel, _Bangkok Tattoo_, in the near future. For now, though, I’m just starting _The Crossing_, by Cormac McCarthy, which is volume 2 of his Border Trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/62 "2007-11-09T08:52:10Z")
I’m reposting here, because I got sidetracked by other reading. I’ve put Morrison’s _Bluest Eye_ aside; I picked up a cheap, cheap copy of _The Great Gatsby_ by F. John Fitzgerald at a second-hand book store and finished that over the last three days. I also got Robert Middlekauff’s _The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789_, in hopes that it will prove more useful than David McCollough’s seriously overhyped _1776_. So I’m currently reading that on the train, with Chaucer’s _Canterbury Tales_ being left for home reading. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/63 "2007-11-09T12:14:31Z")
This is almost on-topic. Here is my first Amazon order, a few more will come before I fly out of here on 15 December. Anything to add? 2 of: **The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need
** 1 of: The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class
Sold by: [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com), LLC 1 of: Library **Scrabble** Game 1 of: T **he War: An Intimate History, 1941-19** 45
Sold by: [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com), LLC —3 November 2007— I **nstructions for American Servicemen in Britain, 1942** : Reproduced from the original typescript, War Department, Washington, DC (Instructions for Servicemen) - The Bodleian Library $9.99 - Quantity: 1 **Mafia!** - Jay Mohr $13.99 - Quantity: 1 **Bored of the Rings:** A Parody of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings - Harvard Lampoon $10.20 - Quantity: 1 - **VIP - The Complete First Seaso** n - Barry Primus $44.99 - Quantity: 1- A classic season of a classic chassis. **The Works: Anatomy of a City** - Kate Ascher $23.10 - Quantity: 1 **Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich** - Robert Frank $16.47 - Quantity: 1 - **1634: The Bavarian Crisis** (The Ring of Fire) - Eric Flint $17.16 - Quantity: 1 - **Chef! - The Complete Collectio** n (Series 1-3) - Hilary Lyon $40.49 - Quantity: 1 **OBIT. Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People who Led Extraordinary Live** s - Jim Sheeler $21.51 - Quantity: 1 - The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (The Liberation Trilogy) - Rick Atkinson $20.99 **The Best Of The Colbert Report** - Stephen Colbert $14.99 - Quantity: 1 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/64 "2007-11-09T12:14:57Z")
I am still slogging through my October books. I go through stages like this. Sometimes I’ll read two or three books a week and then other times it will take me weeks to read two books. The last Potter is OK, but drags for me at times. Alpine For You - I’m still not sure why I am finishing it. ---
**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 9, 2007, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/65 "2007-11-09T13:45:45Z")
I picked up _The Scent of Shadows_, the first of an urban fantasy series by Vicki Pettersson, but I couldn’t get into it immediately so I put it back down. Meanwhile, I’m really enjoying Dorothy Sayers. I finished _Have His Carcase_, and I’m almost done with _Gaudy Night_, which is great. I think I’ll continue with more of Harriet Vane in _Busman’s Honeymoon_ next, and then T_hrones, Dominations_. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/66 "2007-11-09T16:04:09Z")
I’ve finished _The Forsyte Saga_ and started _Summer of Night_ by Dan Simmons, for a group read at SFF World. It’s a re-read but so long ago that I’ve forgotten everything. _Forsyte_ was wonderful. Even after 700+ pages, I wanted more. I’m sad at leaving those people, but their time, their age is over, so I guess it’s fitting. _Summer_ is a coming of age novel with a horror element. It reminds me of Stephen King’s _It_ – kids uniting to defeat evil and deal with their own personal/family issues. I don’t think there’s any group sex though. ---
**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 9, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/67 "2007-11-09T16:19:21Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] I’ve finished _The Forsyte Saga_ and started _Summer of Night_ by Dan Simmons, for a group read at SFF World. It’s a re-read but so long ago that I’ve forgotten everything. _Forsyte_ was wonderful. Even after 700+ pages, I wanted more. [/QUOTE] Now you can watch the [Masterpiece Theatre](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/forsyte/) series. There were [two](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/forsyte2/) of them, both very good. I’m reading _The Gathering_, by Anne Enright. I don’t know what to make of it yet. It’s kind of a weird hallucinatory Irish wake. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/68 "2007-11-09T18:17:27Z")
Finished: [The Book of Joby](http://www.amazon.com/Book-Joby-Mark-J-Ferrari/dp/0765317532). I absolutely hated it but it’s my fault for not researching it better. I am TOO damn stubborn to put a book aside if I’m not enjoying it, a habit I wish I could break. Reading: [Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the World’s Premier School for Exotic Animal Trainers](http://www.amazon.com/Kicked-Bitten-Scratched-Lessons-Trainers/dp/0670037680) & [A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire](http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Red-Empire-Espionage-Desire/dp/0060522763) which is about the discovery of cochineal. Both, so far, have me hooked. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/69 "2007-11-09T19:07:27Z")
“_On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen_” by Harold McGee. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/70 "2007-11-09T19:46:34Z")
Well I finished \*Blade Runner \* (or _Do Anroids Dream of Electric Sheep?_) and have moved on to \*Eye of The Needle \* by Ken Follet. I’m 5 chapters in and I’m hooked. I normally don’t get into spy/war type novels but after reading _QBVII_ by Leon Uris last year, I’m getting more curious about the genre. Any authors I should avoid on the subject? Oh and because I’m a geek to the nth degree and a dork extraordinaire, I am also re-reading an old college text. _Intro to Linguistics_. Yeah, this girl knows how to have a good time. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/71 "2007-11-09T21:12:59Z")
[QUOTE=Gulo gulo] Finished: [The Book of Joby](http://www.amazon.com/Book-Joby-Mark-J-Ferrari/dp/0765317532). I absolutely hated it but it’s my fault for not researching it better. I am TOO damn stubborn to put a book aside if I’m not enjoying it, a habit I wish I could break. [/QUOTE] I loved the book and have been recommending it like crazy. What didn’t you like? (So I’ll know who not to recommend it to.) 🙂 ---
**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:** [November 9, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/72 "2007-11-09T21:38:40Z")
[QUOTE=Shark Sandwich] “_On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen_” by Harold McGee. [/QUOTE] Welcome to the boards, fellow Floridian! ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/73 "2007-11-09T22:57:42Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] I loved the book and have been recommending it like crazy. What didn’t you like? (So I’ll know who not to recommend it to.) 🙂 [/QUOTE] In general, I wasn’t expecting the story to be so religious & was expecting a more modern Arthurian-esque story. IF I had known about the religious theme, perhaps the title would have had more meaning to me and I would have known what to expect! (I did also read it as “The Book of Toby” when I first grabbed it. Yes, I’m a dork.) 😉 I don’t have the book handy but I’ll have to read the book description on the back again to see if this was user error. If I had read the description on Amazon, I would have passed it by. And because I don’t want to ruin anything for those who may be enjoying this livre: When Joby moved to Taubolt (sp?), the story picked up a bit for me as it reminded me of living on the coast but overall it was just too miserable a plot for me. I just wanted to slap Joby silly throughout most of the book. It just boils down to not enjoying ANY of the characters whatsoever which made the result of the ‘bet’ unimportant to me. The Arthurian aspect to the plot seemed to me that it was a tacked on addition and didn’t really make sense being there. Oh, and I also discovered today that the [author](http://www.markferrari.com/index.php) is an artist and has some gorgeous work posted on his site. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/74 "2007-11-10T00:00:18Z")
Because, apparently, I need to have a longer to-be-read list, I’ve added several to my goodreads to-read shelf. 🙂 I’m about 1/3 of the way through _Freedom and Necessity_. Haven’t had time to sit down and read for long stretches, so it’s slow going. I’m really enjoying it, though. I’ll be reading [Born on a Blue Day](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416549013?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1416549013&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2) next. GT ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/75 "2007-11-10T00:08:02Z")
[QUOTE=gardentraveler] I’ll be reading [Born on a Blue Day](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416549013?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1416549013&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2) next. GT [/QUOTE] I read that – thought it was good, not great. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/76 "2007-11-10T00:12:31Z")
[QUOTE=Gulo gulo] In general, I wasn’t expecting the story to be so religious & was expecting a more modern Arthurian-esque story. IF I had known about the religious theme, perhaps the title would have had more meaning to me and I would have known what to expect! (I did also read it as “The Book of Toby” when I first grabbed it. Yes, I’m a dork.) 😉 [/QUOTE] A _Book of Toby_ would have involved clowns and gone in a whole 'nother direction, so I think I understand your disappointment. 🙂 I think Ferrari was very brave to tackle God, angels, Arthur and Merlin in one book. That doubles the number of people he could offend. It’s good that he has his artwork to fall back on. I was more familiar with the Book of Job than with Arthurian legend, so I was very happy with the book. There were some slow spots though, but like you say, things picked up when he got to Taubalt. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/77 "2007-11-10T00:15:44Z")
Am currently in the middle of **Anansi Boys** , and just finished **Good Omens**. I have to say, the latter was amusing but I don’t think it quite lived up to the hype. As for the former, I can already tell it’s not going to be my most favorite Gaiman book. It seems decent enough. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/78 "2007-11-10T04:55:22Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] I read that – thought it was good, not great. [/QUOTE] It’s for my book group, so I’ll at least be giving it a try. (No one feels obligated to finish the selected book. We can always find something to talk about…) It’s not something I would have selected, but that’s sometimes the point of our group. GT ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/79 "2007-11-10T05:10:00Z")
**Eat, Pray, Love** (falling-asleep book) **Unlikely Destinations** (bathtub book) **Made to Stick** (treadmill book) None of them spectacular. I am now done with several critical projects, so I’ll try to get my book reviews up to date on LiveJournal. I think my goodreads list is up to date, though not all of my recently added books are fully categorized yet. ---
**Author:** ![wouldn\_t\_you\_like\_to\_know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb8c5e/32.png) [@wouldn\_t\_you\_like\_to\_know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wouldn_t_you_like_to_know)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696/80 "2007-11-10T06:08:48Z")
_Hitler’s Scientists_ by Cornwell - about 1/3 of the way through it - difficult to read, due to writing style and topic Just finished _The Brief History of the Dead_ by Brockmeier. I thought it was a good book, but a little longer than necessary - although that may have been the authors goal/message. Spending most of my time reading on this one _Ambitious Brew - The Story of American Beer_ by Ogle. Pretty easy read (read about 200 pages on a 2 hour flight over last weekend. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-november-edition/424696.md?page=5)