# Whatcha Readin' October 2011 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194 "2011-09-30T20:10:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/1 "2011-09-30T20:10:42Z")
Happy Halloween everyone! Fall is here and today was just an amazing day weather-wise. Enjoy the crisp air and the falling leaves! [Link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=622599)to last month’s thread. ---
**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:** [September 30, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/2 "2011-09-30T20:16:26Z")
Just posted this in the other thread: > [@](#): > > Just picked up “Two Years Before the Mast” from the library and put “1493” on hold; there are 250 people waiting on 62 copies, so it will probably be March before I see it. On Kindle, I’ve started “Cannery Row”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/3 "2011-09-30T20:37:05Z")
Poul Anderson’s _The Long Night_, a short story collection with the theme of the fall of the Terran Empire. ---
**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 1, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/4 "2011-10-01T04:36:27Z")
Still checking out Lonely Planet’s _Washington DC_ guidebook. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/5 "2011-10-01T05:26:17Z")
I just picked it up at the library - “Inside Wikileaks.” It should be interesting. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/6 "2011-10-01T22:02:03Z")
Count Zero - Wm Gibson. It’s about time I read the book. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/7 "2011-10-02T00:09:34Z")
The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy by Adrienne Mayor. I just finished The Lost Chalice: The Epic Hunt for a Priceless Masterpiece by Vernon Silver. History, Archaeology and Scandal all wrapped in a Mystery. I recommend it. ---
**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 2, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/8 "2011-10-02T03:09:25Z")
Just finished Adam Nicolson’s _God’s Secretaries_, about the translation and writing of the King James Bible, and it was pretty good, with lots of detail on the personalities and politics involved. Am now starting George R.R. Martin’s _A Dance with Dragons_. Too soon to have an opinion on it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/9 "2011-10-02T12:50:32Z")
Finished \*Wayfinder \*the second in C. E. Murphy’s \*Truthseeker \*dualogy. In general I like Murphy’s stuff and this was no exception. It moved quickly enough to be interesting and had a few twists. It wasn’t the best of her work, but I don’t mind that I have read it. She left a little wiggle room such that there might be more, if her fans clamor for them, but I hope she lets it be. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/10 "2011-10-02T13:28:42Z")
I’m about halfway through [The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths](http://www.amazon.com/Believing-Brain-Conspiracies-How-Construct-Reinforce/dp/0805091254) by Michael Shermer. I don’t disagree with his theory, but man - he’s a complete ass. I can’t stand him. Snarky comments about “believers” abound. It seems like someone who has written a whole book about how people construct their beliefs first, then add evidence to support those beliefs later, should be a little more self-aware about his own beliefs. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/11 "2011-10-03T01:25:25Z")
Just started _The Nature of Monsters_ by Clare Clark ---
**Author:** ![Trick\_Rider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Trick\_Rider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trick_Rider)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/12 "2011-10-03T01:59:54Z")
I’m currently about halfway through Dickens’ “David Copperfield” and just starting “Baroque Music” by Claude V. Palisca. I figure I’ll move on to Robert Monroe’s “Ultimate Journey” when I’m done with those. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/13 "2011-10-03T02:09:55Z")
> [@Trick\_Rider](#): > > I’m currently about halfway through Dickens’ “David Copperfield” … How are you getting along with David Copperfield? It’s definitely in my top 5. ---
**Author:** ![Trick\_Rider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Trick\_Rider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trick_Rider)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/14 "2011-10-03T02:15:30Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > How are you getting along with David Copperfield? It’s definitely in my top 5. Clearly. 😃 It’s been great so far. I’ve really enjoyed what little Dickens I’ve read. His work is great for characters. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/15 "2011-10-03T12:28:55Z")
Finished _Ready Player One_; followed with _97 Orchard Street_; now reading _A Stranger in Mayfair_, fourth in the Charles Lenox mystery series by Charles Finch. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/16 "2011-10-03T13:23:54Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Finished _Ready Player One_. What did you think? I just started the book this morning and it seems like a true geekgasm. The idea of it seems pretty neat to me. I was heading to the bookstore with the intention of buying _Reamde_, but I heard a thing on the radio about _Ready Player One_ and decided on it in the store. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/17 "2011-10-03T13:30:43Z")
I liked it better than I expected to. It’s been getting great reviews, but didn’t really seem like my kind of book as I am not a gamer. Very likable narrator and you really root for him. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/18 "2011-10-03T18:14:54Z")
**C3** , I don’t like Shermer much either. I really wanted to like Why People Believe Weird Things, but the writing style is just the opposite of engaging. (I also can’t help but think of the fact that he’s a Libertarian, which annoys me.) Anyway, I’m reading _A Night in the Lonesome October._ I’m cheating and reading as much as I like, rather than trying to read it day-for-day. I’m also a couple chapters in to _The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie_ (thanks to \*\*Tapiotar \*\*who suggested it in my Fall reading thread), and I’m concurrently reading _123 Magic_, as my 3yo has had her obnoxious levels set to 11 lately. (I like it, by the way!) ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/19 "2011-10-03T18:58:24Z")
> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#): > > Anyway, I’m reading _A Night in the Lonesome October._ I love that book, but I’m a big fan of Zelazny. I never have managed to read a chapter a day. I always tear through it in a sitting. ---
**Author:** ![Future\_Londonite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Future\_Londonite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Londonite)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194/20 "2011-10-03T19:11:39Z")
I’m a third into the Helliconia trilogy (about to finish Helliconia Spring) by _Bryan Aldiss_. Once finished I have finished I have **The Sisters Brothers** lined up by Patrick deWitt [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-october-2011-edition/598194.md?page=2)