# Whatcha Readin' Sept 09 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154 "2009-08-29T14:42:07Z")\ **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:** [August 29, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/1 "2009-08-29T14:42:07Z")
As mentioned at the end of the August thread, I’m traveling and although I _expect_ to have internet access, I’m not _sure_ I will. So I may not be around to start this on Monday, which is the day I would traditionally start the September thread early. By this time tomorrow I will have finished _Darkness Calls_ by the smoking hot Marjorie M. Liu. Ms. Liu weaves a rich and complex world of Humans, Demons and Skinners (and other things too.) In it we have a human woman who has been linked to some demons and whose job it is to hunt down and kill other demons. By day the demons become tattoos on her skin and a sort of body armor. By night the wake and hunt with her. In this second book of the _Hunter Kiss_ series, Ms Liu continues the story of Maxine (the woman mentioned above) and her hunt to exterminate demons. It looks like the demon’s prison may break and Armageddon may be coming - unless Maxine and her lover Grant (referred to mysteriously as _lightbringer_) can stop it. As I said, it is a rich, complex world, sometimes too complex. Too many hints and open-ended plot loops. I think that if she wraps up the series in the next few books it may end up being richly satisfying. But I fear she may decide to drag this out and if so, I will soon lose interest. Also started: _The Healer_ by Sharon Sala. I’m only a chapter in, but I’m liking it so far. Link to August thread: [August](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=526466) ---
**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:** [August 30, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/2 "2009-08-30T06:35:17Z")
I’m very close to finishing _Deception Point_, by Dan Brown. If I can sit myself down to read some this evening, it shouldn’t take more than an hour or so. It’s very good. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/3 "2009-08-30T09:09:32Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > By this time tomorrow I will have finished _Darkness Calls_ by the smoking hot Marjorie M. Liu. Ms. Liu weaves a rich and complex world of Humans, Demons and Skinners (and other things too.) In it we have a human woman who has been linked to some demons and whose job it is to hunt down and kill other demons. By day the demons become tattoos on her skin and a sort of body armor. By night the wake and hunt with her. > > In this second book of the _Hunter Kiss_ series, Ms Liu continues the story of Maxine (the woman mentioned above) and her hunt to exterminate demons. It looks like the demon’s prison may break and Armageddon may be coming - unless Maxine and her lover Grant (referred to mysteriously as _lightbringer_) can stop it. > > Link to August thread: [August](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=526466) I’ve read most of her books and have enjoyed them. I am reading. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I am completely unfamiliar with the story line, so diving into it is a little rougher, as I have no visual references at all. But, JA captures human emotions and intrigues so well. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/4 "2009-08-30T13:53:02Z")
_Middlemarch_ by George Eliot. I’m surprised at the sly wit – didn’t know there was gonna be sly wit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MeDrewNotYou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@MeDrewNotYou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeDrewNotYou)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/5 "2009-08-30T23:23:47Z")
I’m about to read Alex Haley’s _Roots_ after finally borrowing a copy from a friend. I figure I can finish it in a week or two between classes. Then its on to Clausewitz’s _On War_ before the workload gets too heavy. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/6 "2009-08-31T12:28:26Z")
Over the weekend I read This Common Secret: my journey as an abortion doctor, by Susan Wicklund. I’m on about page 2 of George R. R. Martin’s Fevre Dream. This seems to be my year to read things that I’ve always heard highly recommended but just never got around to: Wodehouse, the Dresden Files, The Crimson Petal and the White, The Last Unicorn, House of Leaves, and now Fevre Dream. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/7 "2009-08-31T12:57:52Z")
I finished “Letter from Peking” by Pearl S. Buck over the weekend. A good story, written in a refreshing style. I find a lot of modern prose to be really flowery and overly descriptive at times. This was a nice contrast to that. I have now started “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. It’s been on my reading list forever. I’m about 80 pages in. It seemed a little slow at the start, but now I’m getting into it. I finished listening to “The Jane Austen Book Club.” No surprises there, since I’d already seen the movie. I’m now listening to “Change of Heart” by Jodi Picoult. As with most Picoult, it’s pretty formulaic. It’s also a pretty obvious ripoff of “The Green Mile.” I probably wouldn’t have bothered actually reading this, but since it’s just my audio book, I’ll finish it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/8 "2009-08-31T13:17:02Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’m on about page 2 of George R. R. Martin’s Fevre Dream. It’s the Book of the Month at [SFF World](http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23294). It’s my favorite vampire novel, and I’ve read a **lot** of vampire novels. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/9 "2009-08-31T13:35:37Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > I have now started “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. It’s been on my reading list forever. I’m about 80 pages in. It seemed a little slow at the start, but now I’m getting into it. I liked that way more than I expected to – let me know what you think. I finished _Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Changed Mankind_, which was less interesting than I hoped – more on economic and social history, less on the plants themselves. Plus it was written by a Brit, who took a lot of the British history for granted and overexplained the American, from my point of view. (Two of the plants were cotton and the potato.) It was good, just not what I expected. Started _[The Wild Trees](http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Trees-Story-Passion-Daring/dp/0812975596/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251725493&sr=1-1)_ by Richard Preston (the guy who’s written on ebola and stuff) – immensely readable. It’s about the people who have climbed the giant redwoods and other enormously tall trees and have found a whole unexplored ecosystem 350+ feet in the air. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/10 "2009-08-31T14:55:37Z")
Recently, I finished: _The Other Boleyn Girl,_ by Philippa Gregory. Chick lit disguised as historical fiction. The history is loose, at best, but the writing is good and the story is very intriguing. Philippa Gregory does a great job at building tension at the end of the book. You know Anne is doomed, but you keep hoping that somehow she’ll avoid the executioner’s block. _The Mediator: Twilight_, by Meg Cabot. I like YA novels and this was a fun series. _Nation_, by Terry Pratchett. This was a very engaging audiobook, with a delightful narrator. There were some laugh-out-loud moments here and I had a good time with this. Now I’m reading: _The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao_, by Junot Diaz. Another audiobook with a good narrator. I’m enjoying this, mostly because this is not my normal type of book and it’s a refreshing change. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/11 "2009-08-31T15:04:38Z")
I just finished Pet Peeve by Piers Anthony. This was my first Xanth book and I will definitely be reading more of them. That was a very good book. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/12 "2009-08-31T15:13:06Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > It’s the Book of the Month at [SFF World](http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23294). It’s my favorite vampire novel, and I’ve read a **lot** of vampire novels. Yeah, there doesn’t seem to be many people out there who _didn’t_ like it! Another constantly recommended author that I’m trying (but forgot in my last post) is David Sedaris. Pretty enjoyable but I’m impatient to move on to a long novel now. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/13 "2009-08-31T15:54:47Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > _The Other Boleyn Girl,_ by Philippa Gregory. Chick lit disguised as historical fiction. The history is loose, at best, but the writing is good and the story is very intriguing. Philippa Gregory does a great job at building tension at the end of the book. You know Anne is doomed, but you keep hoping that somehow she’ll avoid the executioner’s block. I agree that it was very readable, but I can’t forgive Gregory for the ending. To make Anne Boleyn actually guilty of those things Henry’s minions accused her of - adultery, incest, and witchcraft - was beyond the pale for me.Gregory seems to dislike Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth and writes nastily about them. Between that and my reaction to her repulsive novel _Wideacre_, I’m off her books permanently. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/14 "2009-08-31T16:27:29Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’m very close to finishing _Deception Point_, by Dan Brown. If I can sit myself down to read some this evening, it shouldn’t take more than an hour or so. It’s very good. I did finish Dan Brown’s _Deception Point_, but not until today (Monday). Very good, but I’m definitely noticing a pattern with all of his bad guys. Next up: _When the Women Come Out to Dance_, a collection of short stories by Elmore Leonard. The wife has read it first and tells me some of the stories feature characters from his novels, such as from _Tishomingo Blues_ and Karen Sisco in _Out of Sight_ (played by Jennifer Lopez in the 1998 film). ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/15 "2009-09-01T18:03:15Z")
Today, I read monster by Frank Peretti. This was another really good book. I had a feeling right at the beginning that I knew what the story was going to be about, and I was right. But, I had no clue what the real story behind the story was until the last few chapters. My sister is really annoyed that I finished it before her and I’m on strict orders not to talk about it. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/16 "2009-09-01T18:05:24Z")
[The Good Earth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Earth). I have a copy from 1962 that cost 35¢ new. I don’t remember where I got it, but I’m finally reading it. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/17 "2009-09-01T18:17:58Z")
I’m finishing up **The Meteor Hunt** by Jules Verne. It has an interesting history. I read **The Hunt for the Meteor** twenty years ago, in an edition published in 1965, translated by I.O. Evans. It turns out that all editions published before the past few years were “edited” by Verne’s son, Michel, who actually added four chapters and at least three characters, and re-arranged events. The story has been significantly altered. So altered, in fact, that after twenty years the only parts I remember are those Michel added. The unedited translation just became available three years ago. I’m reading it side-by-side with the one I read earlier. Michel’s book is interesting – he effectively invented the Tractor Beam in it, decades before Edmond Hamilton or E.E. Smith had the same idea, but he really screwed up his father’s plotting and characters, and especially his science. I’ve also picked up a couple of obscure Verne books I’ve been wanting to read for a long time – **The Underground City** and **Propellor Island**. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/18 "2009-09-01T18:25:38Z")
**Dung Beetle** , I hope you like _Fevre Dream_ as much as I do. I’ve recommended it several times on the Dope already, and once chose it for my book club. If you want to try some GRRM sf after that, run - don’t walk - to get your hands on _Tuf Voyaging_. It has almost nothing in common with _Fevre Dream_ other than its wonderfulness. I’m now reading _Eiffel’s Tower_ by Jill Jonnes, about the design and construction of the famous tower, and life in Gay Paree in the late 1800s. Haven’t gotten very far into it but it’s pretty good. I’m also leafing through _Spy vs. Spy: The Complete Casebook_, the collected MAD cartoons of Antonio Prohias. I remember them cartoons from when I was a kid and it’s fun to see them again. I’d completely forgotten the Gray Lady who plays the spies against each other; looks like she was before my time. In bits and starts, I’m also reading _American Creation_ by Joseph J. Ellis, about the early days of the infant republic, but it’s not quite as good a book as I’d hoped. He’s never quite measured up to the genius he showed in _Founding Brothers_, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/19 "2009-09-01T18:37:00Z")
I’m reading “Historical Atlas of Central Europe.” I’m in the middle of 14-15th century Hungary-Croatia and Venice. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154/20 "2009-09-01T19:09:36Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > **Dung Beetle** , I hope you like _Fevre Dream_ as much as I do. I’ve recommended it several times on the Dope already, and once chose it for my book club. If you want to try some GRRM sf after that, run - don’t walk - to get your hands on _Tuf Voyaging_. It has almost nothing in common with _Fevre Dream_ other than its wonderfulness. I may just do that. I’ve been avoiding George R.R. Martin because I know he’s written some long drawn-out series that may not be completed, and I definitely don’t want to get sucked into that! But I got a few more chapters into Fevre Dream and I’m liking it very much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-09-edition/508154.md?page=2)