# Whatcha Readin' Sept 2012 Edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257 "2012-08-31T13:56:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/81 "2012-09-14T01:02:37Z")
_Yours in Truth: A Personal Portrait of Ben Bradlee_, by Jeff Himmelman. I’m fascinated by the newspaper business, or at least by my nostalgic view of what it might have been like back in its glory days, so this is right up my alley. Bradlee of course was a longtime employee, and ultimately, executive editor of the Washington Post, best known for his tenure there doing the Watergate scandal. I’ve only just gotten started, but it promises to be a great read. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/82 "2012-09-14T01:15:16Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I’m probably 2/3 through **Lonesome Dove** and I’m very much enjoying it. Just looking at the ratings for its sequels and prequels, it looks like McMurtry wasn’t able to quite achieve what he did with LD, so I probably won’t continue with the series. But man, what a good book so far. I would try _Dead Man’s Walk_ and see if you like it. I love it as much as _Lonesome Dove_. I also thought the others were very good as well. ---
**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 14, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/83 "2012-09-14T03:36:38Z")
I’m reading _The King’s Speech_, nonfiction by Mark Logue, grandson of Lionel Logue, King George VI’s speech therapist, and it’s pretty good. Draws heavily on Logue’s diaries and correspondence with the monarch. If you liked the movie of the same name (even though it took some liberties with the facts and timeline), you’d like this. ---
**Author:** ![MaltLiquor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@MaltLiquor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaltLiquor)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/84 "2012-09-14T05:31:24Z")
I am re-reading _Birds of Prey_ by Wilbur Smith. Yes, I know he has had some crappy books but he has also had some great ones in my opinion. _Birds of Prey, and Monsoon_ stand out as books that you didn’t think that author couldn’t write. A bit like the Great and Secret Show and…hmm drawing a blank on the sequel to that, From Clive Barker. Though I guess _River god…and another blank on sequels_ by Wilbur Smith are also pretty good. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2012, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/85 "2012-09-14T07:40:49Z")
Finished **Mongoliad** by _Neal Stephenson et al_ and have now started **Ragnarok** by _John Meaney_ which was listed among my ‘amazon recommends’ and I have to say that I’m quite enjoying it - a space opera a la Peter F Hamilton ---
**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:** [September 14, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/86 "2012-09-14T15:24:45Z")
Reading _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies_. It’s amusing but the charm is wearing off quickly at the halfway point. ---
**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 14, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/87 "2012-09-14T15:44:28Z")
Finshed **World Without End** on audio, now “reading” Robert Morgan’s **Boone** , a bio of Daniel Boone. Also finished the Conan books (and re-reading the old Lancer editions edited by L. Sprague de Camp to see what he changed. “The Black Stranger” did not get any better by being extensively re-written as “The Treasure of Tranicos”, although I thought de Camp did a creditable job finishing “Wolves Beyond the Border”) Wilkie Collins’ _The Moonstone_ is next on my list. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/88 "2012-09-14T16:05:25Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Reading _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies_. It’s amusing but the charm is wearing off quickly at the halfway point. I felt the same way when I read that. Have you read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter? I liked it much, much better than P&P&Z. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/89 "2012-09-14T21:34:20Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > I felt the same way when I read that. Have you read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter? I liked it much, much better than P&P&Z. No, but I have it on my Kindle! ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/90 "2012-09-14T23:25:59Z")
I loved it, although I went into it not expecting to at all. The movie, on the other hand, was terrible. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/91 "2012-09-15T00:16:11Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Just (a couple minutes ago) finished _1634: The Baltic War_, by David Weber and Eric Flint. About to start _1634: The Bavarian Crisis_, by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce. Both books are part of Flint’s “1632” alternate-history series, in which a small town is mysteriously transported intact from West Virginia, 2000 CE, to central Germany, 1631 CE. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > That sounds interesting, as I happen to know not only is that the height of the 30 Years’ War, but the German states bore the brunt of the damage. Those are the third and fourth books in one thread of a (so far) [11-book series](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1632_series) that began with _1632_. ---
**Author:** ![moonshot925](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@moonshot925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonshot925)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/92 "2012-09-15T00:58:10Z")
I just finished _Liberalism is a Mental Disorder_ by Michael Savage. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/93 "2012-09-15T19:16:26Z")
Errrm… my attention span is grasshoppering so: Shakespeare’s Kings by John Julius Norwich- not bad, a bit plodding in places Sempster’s Tale by Margaret Frazer - I really don’t like Sister Frevisse so it’s a slow go Kill Artist - Daniel Da Silva - way too many characters to keep track of The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter - NO way was this utter crap written by Pratchett Mask Of Ra by P.C. Doherty - too early to have an opinion yet ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/94 "2012-09-15T19:49:21Z")
I just finished **Immortal Lycanthropes** , which as a mammal fan, I very much enjoyed. No spoilers, but a neat YA supernatural bildungsroman. Just bought the new Michael Chabon - btw, everyone, there’s a new Michael Chabon novel out! It’s called **Telegraph Avenue.** I think it’s about record stores, or something equally historic. I wonder if it will compete with Nick Hornby’s **High Fidelity** in the small but very amusing category, “Novels About People Who Run Record Stores.” (I wonder when Nick Hornby will publish another book. It’s been a while since **Juliet, Naked**.) ---
**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:** [September 15, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/95 "2012-09-15T20:08:50Z")
I ended up liking _The Stress of Her Regard_. I spent some time on Wikipedia looking up Byron, Shelley and Keats so that I could better understand this bizarre alternate history. I especially liked the portrayal of Lord Byron towards the end of the book. I just started _Bangkok 8_, by John Burdett, and so far it’s really good - I love the writing style. Thanks to Marley & Sam for mentioning it in last month’s thread. ---
**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 15, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/96 "2012-09-15T21:09:04Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I’m reading _The King’s Speech_, nonfiction by Mark Logue, grandson of Lionel Logue, King George VI’s speech therapist, and it’s pretty good. Draws heavily on Logue’s diaries and correspondence with the monarch. If you liked the movie of the same name (even though it took some liberties with the facts and timeline), you’d like this. Just finished this (and should’ve credited the coauthor, Peter Conradi). I’d give it a B. Now I’m mulling over my next book: _The Lovely Bones_ by Alice Sebold (a popular novel about grief and the afterlife), _Marina and Lee_ by Priscilla Johnson McMillan (nonfiction about Lee Harvey Oswald and his wife), or _The City’s End_ by Max Page (an offbeat survey of all the ways NYC has been destroyed in stories, books and movies over the years - since 1824!). ---
**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 15, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/97 "2012-09-15T21:19:17Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I ended up liking _The Stress of Her Regard_. I spent some time on Wikipedia looking up Byron, Shelley and Keats so that I could better understand this bizarre alternate history. I especially liked the portrayal of Lord Byron towards the end of the book… Looks interesting. There’s even a Wiki page for the book (spoilers, for those who haven’t read it yet): [The Stress of Her Regard - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stress_of_Her_Regard) ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/98 "2012-09-16T05:55:08Z")
Just finished The Alexander Cipher by Will Adams. It’s a “thriller” and appears to be his only book so far. (I hope he writes more, especially a sequel.) It’s about Egyptian archeology and seems to be pretty precise, and detailed at times. I’d have to also call it an “action” book because it’s written like scenes in a movie that grab you hurtling to the end which, BTW, takes up about the last quarter of the book and is very satisfying in tying up all the loose ends. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/99 "2012-09-16T12:19:54Z")
Finished _Midnight Riot_ by Ben Aaronovitch, a good solid urban fantasy. Probationary Constable Peter Grant gets intel regarding a murder from a ghost and enters the world of wizardry. It was fast-paced and overall I enjoyed it, but I thought the ending was a little bit of a let down. I will read more from this author. Finished, \*Cursed \*the second Alex Verus novel and enjoyed it. Will continue to read this series. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257/100 "2012-09-16T16:48:03Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I just started _Bangkok 8_, by John Burdett, and so far it’s really good - I love the writing style. Thanks to Marley & Sam for mentioning it in last month’s thread. I liked it too. The style is so breezy. My daughter also liked it a lot, and this isn’t a genre that she reads. Finished _Among Others_ by Jo Walton (won a Hugo and a Nebula). It was better as a coming-of-age story than as SF/Fantasy. The book is the journal of a year in the life of a 15-year-old Welsh girl in 1979. Her twin died because their mother was practicing dark magic and the girl was badly injured. She runs away from home and ends up in an English boarding school, where she has a hard time making friends until she finds a SF book club. She fears her mother and the book leads to a brief and not very convincing confrontation at the end. The best part of the book was her comments about what she was reading. Just started \*City of Women \* by David Gillham. Berlin, 1943, the main character’s husband is at the front and she’s having an affair with a Jewish man. It’s pretty bleak. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-readin-sept-2012-edition/633257.md?page=6)