# Whatcha reading Dec. (08) edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075 "2008-11-30T18:22:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**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:** [December 28, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/181 "2008-12-28T18:53:16Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > I sat up late Christmas night reading my BIL’s copy of _Into Thin Air_. I’m currently sitting atop an Appalachian and I can say with complete honesty that this is about as high up as I want to get. I’ll look at Mt. Everest and K2 and all those really tall mountains, but I think I’ll wait for erosion to bring the top of them to me. :eek: I finished _Into Thin Air_ about a week ago and can’t get myself off the damn mountain. I just started the facsinating _High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed_, by Michael Kodas and ordered _The Climb_, by Anatoli Boukreev. After that, there’s still an endless supply of Everest disaster books. I think just about each one of the 1996 survivors has a book. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/182 "2008-12-29T00:03:51Z")
Did I already mention this in this thread? In addition to _Into Thin Air_, I also really enjoyed Jon Krakauer’s _Into the Wild_, about a young man who disappears for awhile into the Alaska outback, and _Under the Banner of Heaven_, about contemporary Mormon fundamentalism. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/183 "2008-12-29T00:13:17Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Did I already mention this in this thread? In addition to _Into Thin Air_, I also really enjoyed Jon Krakauer’s _Into the Wild_, about a young man who disappears for awhile into the Alaska outback, and _Under the Banner of Heaven_, about contemporary Mormon fundamentalism. I was about to recommend _Into the Wild._ I didn’t expect to “enjoy” it, but I did. I bought it in Alaska last summer - and read it that night in my cabin. The movie is excellent, too, it does not materially alter the story but tells it with a great deal of sympathy. This past year was a “read a lot of non-fiction” year for me, over and above the usual rereads of old favourites. “Collapse”, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, and “The 100 Mile Diet” were outstanding. Brian Greene’s “The Fabric of the Cosmos”. People don’t give me books for Christmas any more. I guess I wasn’t enthusiastic enough about the set of “Outlander” books . . .😉 ---
**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:** [December 29, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/184 "2008-12-29T05:53:16Z")
> [@vison](#): > > “Collapse”, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, and “The 100 Mile Diet” were outstanding. I’m reading Pollan’s followup, _In Defense of Food, An Eater’s Manifesto_. As someone who lives on a lowfat diet almost all the time, this calls to the stifled part of me that believes that there’s a bigger problem with how we eat in America - even, or especially, those of us trying to “eat healthy”. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2008, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/185 "2008-12-29T13:05:17Z")
> [@vison](#): > > I do not like Henry James and I confess that I do not like the Great Russians, either. This is a failing on my part, I know, but at my age I am not about to mend my ways. If hating Henry James is wrong, I don’t want to be right. I had to abandon The Big Necessity: the unmentionable world of human waste and why it matters, near the end\*. I just got bogged down\*. I read only for pleasure, and this book was a bit deep\* and serious for me to read at the rate of ten minutes every three days. (\*Boy, the jokes come easy on this topic.) However, the next book I picked up was one I’d been looking forward to for a long time, and I just loved it: Wally Lamb’s The Hour I First Believed. It has a lot of similarities (and some links) to another good book of his, I Know This Much is True. Like that book, the main character is reading a manuscript about the history of his family which turns out to have a lot more bearing on his modern life than he ever suspected. A lot of shocks and family secrets here; also quite a bit about the shootings at Columbine. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/186 "2008-12-31T00:14:06Z")
I just finished _The Charwoman’s Shadow_ by Lord Dunsany. Charming little fable, reminiscent of some of Wilde’s little fantasies. Not something I’d recommend to someone looking for high fantasy with epic adventures and fierce monsters. I’m now reading _Metaplanetary_ by Tony Daniel. Really really good modern space opera. Evil villains, dubious science, a fantastic world, plenty of action, and sypathetic characters you really care about. There are scenes in a concentration camp (sort of) that are heart-breaking. It’s very well written. My only complaint is that he over-explains his absurd science, which doesn’t do anything but make it seem more absurd. After I get further in it, I might start a thread about it. It’s a shame it’s out of print. I haven’t been this entertained by a fantastic fiction author since Mieville or Stephenson. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/187 "2008-12-31T02:24:06Z")
Just finished _Heart Shaped Box_ by Joe Hill. (I just read my first review. OMG I said Hill was the \*sun \*of King. He’s Kings _sun?_ Honest, English \*is \*my first language!) A very well-written and very creepy book. As I mentioned, I am no longer a big fan of the genre, but I will still endorse this book. Can’t decide what I’m on to next. Got the last in the Eragon series for Christmas, but I may have to re-read the others to enjoy it. I’m not sure I want to right now. Oh well, is nearly my bed time anyway. Also did a quick re-read of _The Forgotten Beasts of Eld_. I read this many years ago and still love it. A great novel of magic and revenge and how the latter impacts the lives of those seeking it. I always forget to recommend this when people ask for fantasy recommendations. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/188 "2008-12-31T04:37:41Z")
I’m finishing up _The 6 Messiahs_ by Mark Frost. Boy, did I struggle to get going with that one, but I have no idea why. It’s a brisk read. Just starting _Help the Poor Struggler_ by Martha Grimes (in my quest to reread the earlier books and finish the Jury series). If I remember correctly, this book depressed the hell out of me when I first read it, ten or so years ago. Also just starting _Dissolution_, by CJ Sansom. And because a most fantastic, wonderful person gave me a gift certificate to Powell’s Books, I was just able to order 11 new-to-me books and will be crowing about them as soon as they arrive. Whee! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/189 "2008-12-31T14:00:41Z")
Reading \*The Black Tower \*by Louis Bayard, author of \*The Pale Blue Eye. \* ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/190 "2008-12-31T16:41:21Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Also just starting _Dissolution_, by CJ Sansom. I enjoyed that book. His second book, _Dark Fire_, was also good. About to start _Boswell’s Presumptuous Task: Writing the life of Dr. Johnson_ by Adam Sisman ---
**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:** [December 31, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/191 "2008-12-31T17:06:33Z")
> [@vison](#): > > I was about to recommend _Into the Wild._ I didn’t expect to “enjoy” it, but I did. I bought it in Alaska last summer - and read it that night in my cabin. The movie is excellent, too, it does not materially alter the story but tells it with a great deal of sympathy. I think I will read this one. I saw the movie and thought it was very good, though I seesawed between wanting to throttle the kid and wishing I could take him home and feed him cookies. ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/192 "2008-12-31T17:25:51Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I didn’t like the couple of early Carpathian books that I read. They were the type of romances where a powerful alpha male becomes obsessed with a rather pathetic woman who is his “lifemate” whether she wants to be or not, and begins to control her life for her own good. I get that impression, I’ve scan read a couple of chapters and don’t think these are for me. **Attila** , however, is great so far provided you can accept Romans using modern English slang. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/193 "2008-12-31T17:28:30Z")
I just finished _Dissolution_, which I enjoyed. I’ll think I’ll get the next book in that series pretty soon. I’m now reading _The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay_, which is strange but entertaining so far. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/194 "2008-12-31T17:30:39Z")
Finished: **The Briar King** , **The Charnel Prince** , and **The Blood Knight** by Greg Keyes. I see the next in the series will be released on paperback next month so I won’t have to wait long to continue the story. (_shakes fist at Patrick Rothfuss_) Also read: **Never Suck A Dead Man’s Hand** by Dana Kollmann. That’ll do it for 2008. If my list is correct, I read 107 books this year. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/195 "2008-12-31T19:22:25Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Just finished _Heart Shaped Box_ by Joe Hill. I’m going to add this to my list. I’ve also read _20th Century Ghosts_, which is a collection of his short stories. Some are not horror, and they’re nearly all extremely good. If you come across this at the library or whatever, you would probably enjoy it. I finished _Joe College_, which was the humorous novel about a kid at Yale … I was lukewarm on it. I really enjoyed _Not A Happy Camper_, a memoir about a girl’s experiences at sleepaway camp in the 70s – especially great for people who went to camp as kids. _Outside Beauty_ was terrific – a YA novel about four sisters. It’s a bit of a strange premise – the girls’ mother is fixated on her looks and how to best attract an endless series of men, and each of the daughters has a different father. Most of the action takes place during a summer when each girl goes to live her own father. I’m currently reading _Death at Wentwater Court_ by Carola Dunn which is a murder mystery in the style of the 1920s. It’s okay, but didn’t really convince me that it’s on par with actual mystery novels from the 1920s. I’m also reading _The Hidden Land_, the second of Pamela Dean’s Secret Country trilogy. Fun YA fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a87d85/32.png) [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/196 "2008-12-31T21:54:47Z")
They Thirst by Robert McCammon Up next: Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick and Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/197 "2008-12-31T21:58:48Z")
[Link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10636036#post10636036) to next year’s thread! ---
**Author:** ![Sublata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@Sublata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublata)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/198 "2008-12-31T22:01:51Z")
I just started _Let Us Now Praise Famous Men_ and I want some of what James Agee was smoking. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/199 "2008-12-31T22:07:06Z")
I’m now working on Christmas books. I’ve already finished a biography of Mike Oldfield - not great, but all there is. Now starting a collection of essays on James Bond and philosophy, showing that professional philosophers are fanboys too. I also finished a serial from Analog (Jan - April) called Marsbound by Joe Haldeman. Neither Haldeman not Analog is what it used to be. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/200 "2009-01-01T00:26:43Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I’m also reading _The Hidden Land_, the second of Pamela Dean’s Secret Country trilogy. Fun YA fantasy. Every time I read Pamela Dean, I’m left with the unshakable impression that I have no idea what she’s talking about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075.md?page=11)