# Whatcha Readin' Oct 2012 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309 "2012-09-30T12:40:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![AlohaBear32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@AlohaBear32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlohaBear32)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/161 "2012-10-27T21:10:32Z")
Just started reading 50 Shades of Grey…just to see what the hubbub was about… I’m actually enjoying it waaaaaay more than I thought I would to be honest. It reminds me of “American Psycho” and “Wild Orchid” mix together. It’s funny how it started out as Twilight Fan Fiction.But I find it “fun” to read… Oh…and I’m a guy btw… ---
**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:** [October 27, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/162 "2012-10-27T23:42:13Z")
Peter Straub “Ghost Story” ---
**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:** [October 28, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/163 "2012-10-28T00:21:25Z")
> [@Politzania](#): > > Recently read… _A Secret Gift_ [by Ted Gup]… My book club read that a few years ago; I have to say, I was disappointed by it. For all the emotional power that those Depression-era stories ought to have had, I thought the book fell flat. I’ve finished two books in recent days. _Marina and Lee_ by Priscilla Johnson McMillan is a pretty interesting 1977 profile of Lee Harvey Oswald, his Russian wife Marina and their troubled marriage. It’s based, in part, on the author’s many hours of interviews with Marina throughout the Seventies. Oswald comes across as a liar, a cheat, a mooch, a narcissist with delusions of grandeur, and a violent man. McMillan is in no doubt that he shot the President on impulse, and was almost certainly not part of some greater conspiracy. The other book was _The French Cat_ by Rachael Hale, a charming collection of photos of Gallic cats, indoors and out, along with the author’s musings on life in France. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/164 "2012-10-28T00:47:05Z")
Finally got around to starting Stephen King’s **11/22/63**. It’s slightly annoying so far, and I really hate it when an author gets a fact wrong. Early in the book (which is about time travel), the old man is talking about “the 48 states”. The protagonist says “48?”. “Yeah”, says the geezer, “Hawaii doesn’t get in until next year” (1959). Er, that would be _Alaska_, Stephen, not Hawaii. Also finished **Cosmos** , by Sagan. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/165 "2012-10-28T16:38:38Z")
Finished [In the Woods](http://www.amazon.com/In-Woods-Tana-French/dp/0143113496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351441931&sr=8-1&keywords=in+the+woods). Overall, a very good book. I liked the characters and the writing, but the ending was disappointing. One of the plotlines dealt with an incident years before involving one of the two main characters in which his two friends disappeared and he was left covered in blood with no memory of what happened. That was never resolved, which was frustrating, given the amount of attention devoted to it. Moving on to [The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements](http://www.amazon.com/Disappearing-Spoon-Madness-Periodic-Elements/dp/0316051632/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351442252&sr=1-1&keywords=the+disappearing+spoon), based on recommendations here. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/166 "2012-10-28T18:28:57Z")
> [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](#): > > Finished [In the Woods](http://www.amazon.com/In-Woods-Tana-French/dp/0143113496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351441931&sr=8-1&keywords=in+the+woods). Overall, a very good book. I liked the characters and the writing, but the ending was disappointing. Agreed. Very much agreed. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/167 "2012-10-28T19:53:41Z")
> [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](#): > > Finished [In the Woods](http://www.amazon.com/In-Woods-Tana-French/dp/0143113496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351441931&sr=8-1&keywords=in+the+woods). Overall, a very good book. I liked the characters and the writing, but the ending was disappointing. And that type of ending seems to be a trend. I don’t recall the titles, but awhile back I read _In the Woods_ and two other recently published books with a similar plot – adults dealing with a traumatic childhood event or mystery – and they ended the same way. Finished _Elizabeth Street_ by Laurie Fabiano. I liked it a lot and wanted more. Next up is the new one by Sebastian Faulks, author of _Birdsong_. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/168 "2012-10-28T20:40:14Z")
> [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](#): > > Finished [In the Woods](http://www.amazon.com/In-Woods-Tana-French/dp/0143113496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351441931&sr=8-1&keywords=in+the+woods). Overall, a very good book. I liked the characters and the writing, but the ending was disappointing. I agree - except I really didn’t enjoy it for the reason you put in your spoiler. It just seemed like she (the author) wasted my time. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/169 "2012-10-29T00:20:23Z")
I finally finished All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Smith. Liked it, but didn’t love it. I started reading Florence and Giles by John Harding. Also reading a book about haunted locations in Minnesota. Oh, and I also wrote a 60,000 -word novel, the bulk of it between Sept. 21 and last Friday. Now I’m gearing up for NaNoWriMo. 🙂 ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/170 "2012-10-29T01:45:05Z")
Finished _The Black Ice_, by Michael Connelly. Another excellent read, and I’ve become quite a Connelly fan. Next up is the final entry in this Connelly anthology of three Harry Bosch novels: _The Concrete Blonde_. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/171 "2012-10-29T03:08:39Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Finished _The Black Ice_, by Michael Connelly. Another excellent read, and I’ve become quite a Connelly fan. > > Next up is the final entry in this Connelly anthology of three Harry Bosch novels: _The Concrete Blonde_. I finished all those sometime last year and enjoyed them. Bosch is a good character. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/172 "2012-10-29T04:56:34Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I finished all those sometime last year and enjoyed them. Bosch is a good character. Try his Lincoln Lawyer series featuring Bosch’s defense-attorney half-brother. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/173 "2012-10-29T04:57:58Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > I finally finished All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Smith. Liked it, but didn’t love it. I started reading Florence and Giles by John Harding. Also reading a book about haunted locations in Minnesota. > > Oh, and I also wrote a 60,000 -word novel, the bulk of it between Sept. 21 and last Friday. Now I’m gearing up for NaNoWriMo. 🙂 Wow, you wrote a novel to prepare for writing a novel! Good luck with NaNoWriMo. It’s a ton of fun, but it sounds like you know that already. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/174 "2012-10-29T06:09:28Z")
Anyone want to recommend something high fantasy without a lot of misery and gore? ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/175 "2012-10-29T13:00:17Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > Wow, you wrote a novel to prepare for writing a novel! Good luck with NaNoWriMo. It’s a ton of fun, but it sounds like you know that already. I had a blast writing the one I just finished. Originally I had thought oh, it should take me a year or so to write. Heh. I’m hoping that, now that I have the hang of it, this one will be better than the last. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/176 "2012-10-29T14:28:03Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Anyone want to recommend something high fantasy without a lot of misery and gore? Perhaps you’ve heard of this Tolkien fellow…? ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/177 "2012-10-29T14:54:16Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Anyone want to recommend something high fantasy without a lot of misery and gore? Lord Dunsany perhaps? > **[The King of Elfland's Daughter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_Elfland's_Daughter)** > > The King of Elfland's Daughter is a 1924 fantasy novel by Anglo-Irish writer Lord Dunsany. It is widely recognized as one of the most influential and acclaimed works in all of fantasy literature. Although the novel faded into relative obscurity following its initial release, it found new longevity and wider critical acclaim when a paperback edition was released in 1969 as the second volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series. > It has also been included in the more recent Fantasy Masterwork... Or, more modern, there is _Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell_. Both concentrate more on the sense of magic inherent in high fantasy and have less gore etc. Another favourite of mine is _Gormenghast_, but there is nastiness in that one (mostly, a character who murders his way to the top). ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/178 "2012-10-29T16:08:25Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Anyone want to recommend something high fantasy without a lot of misery and gore? The Kedrigern series by John Morressy. I don’t know how “high” it is, but there’s very little misery or gore. It’s a charming series about an old Wizard who falls in love. The books are out of print but available for cheap at Amazon. [Link to the first title](http://www.amazon.com/A-Voice-Princess-John-Morressy/dp/0441848001/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1). ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/179 "2012-10-29T16:16:23Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > …Or… there is _Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell_… Ooh, yes, definitely. Loved it. A friend said it was a bit as if Jane Austen had written a Harry Potter book. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309/180 "2012-10-29T17:30:54Z")
Thanks for the recommendations. I’ve read most, and they’re good ones, so I’m squirreling away the others! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-oct-2012-edition/636309.md?page=10)