# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/41 "2008-12-04T14:25:57Z")
I’m still working my way through _The Scramble For Africa: White Man’s Conquest of the Dark Continent 1876-1912_ by Thomas Pakenham, having just finished Paul Theroux’s very readable _Dark Star Safari_. I’ve got _The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress_ by Robert A. Heinlen and _The Man In The High Castle_ by Philip K. Dick on order, but if they don’t arrive before Christmas I have Jared Diamond’s _Collapse_ to keep me going… ---
**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 4, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/42 "2008-12-04T16:07:33Z")
Finished _Jar City_, my Icelandic entry into my around-the-world challenge. Holy mackerel, the Scandinavians write some grim books. ---
**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/43 "2008-12-04T18:31:00Z")
I’m about a third of the way through _Three Days to Neve_r by Tim Powers. This is another novel set (as far as I can tell so far ) in the world of his prior novels _Last Call_ and _Expiration Date_. Weird scenarios involving ghosts and paranormal powers are being played out behind the scenes of our real world while all the “normal people” go on with their lives in blissful ignorance. Powers has a real knack for this kind of story. ---
**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 4, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/44 "2008-12-04T19:37:35Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’ve got _The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress_ by Robert A. Heinlen and _The Man In The High Castle_ by Philip K. Dick on order, but if they don’t arrive before Christmas I have Jared Diamond’s _Collapse_ to keep me going… You might want to wait until after Christmas to read Collapse. It will bring you right down. His attempt at being optimistic in the last chapter wasn’t very convincing. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/45 "2008-12-06T23:57:47Z")
Finished _Princeps Fury_. Quite enjoyed it and I think it may be indicating that the next one will be the last. I have mixed feelings - I am enjoying the series, but also don’t want a series to go on forever like the Robert Jordan one. We’ll see. As I warned you last month, I am reading some sappy Christmas books this month. Finsihed _'Twas the Night Before_. Trite, sappy, predictable and of course being the big old sap I am, I loved it. Noella falls in love with Tom Douten. Noella is a true believer of Santa and Tom is a Scrooge and non-believer (yes, yes, his name is a little heavy handed). She can’t let go of this one thing and it ruins their romance - until Tom is lost in a storm and she realizes that her love for him is more important than his lack of belief. But of course, Tom learns something about the magic of Christmas. Scrooges and humbugs - stay away, you’ll hate it. If you are a lover of the season, give it a go; you’ll have to over look the the flaws, but you’ll still enjoy the story. Started _The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness_ By Yongey Rinpoche Mingyur. So far facinating, but I am just starting it. It has been explained that his brain waves have been monitored during meditating and he has been “named” the happiest man on earth. He talks about meditation and how it can change the brain. I suspect that this will be a long read for me, because my mind wanders a little when reading this type of book, but I think I will enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/46 "2008-12-07T00:40:29Z")
I’m reading _Amagansett_ by Mark Mills. The writing is fine, but I’m getting really tired of crime fiction where the main character (usually a cop but not always) is romantically involved with the victim, or someone in the victim’s family. I guess I’m tired of romance in crime novels. If I wanted to read romance, I’d read romance. Why can’t cops care about victims just because they’re human beings? I’ll keep reading, but if the cop falls for the victim’s sister, I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/47 "2008-12-07T01:54:21Z")
Gave up on the Alcott (have I mentioned I hate excerpts?) and replaced it with John Kelly’s _The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death._ So far, very good. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2008, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/48 "2008-12-07T06:21:56Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > \*a book from each country of the world > [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > oooh! Do you have a list or is there a thread on this? > [@jsgoddess](#): > > I started [a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=490187) but _sniffle_ didn’t get any takers. We have a thread on Goodreads about it, too. I don’t know if this counts for Singapore, since it was written by an American in Bangkok who now lives in Abu Dabi, and I don’t know how easy it is to find outside of this area, but a friend of mine, James Eckardt, wrote _Singapore Girl_, about a torrid love affair he had with a Singaporean transsexual in the city-state in the mid-1970s. A review is [here](http://jlundberg.livejournal.com/537258.html). I bought my copy straight from the author himself, and it’s quite a good read. Considering his present status as honorable family man and grandfather, I have to say he had some balls to write this. (The book is actually banned in Malaysia.) For Thailand, I would recommend anything by Pira Sudham. He’s very good. Look him up. From the poor Northeast, he managed to receive a quality education in England thanks to some scholarships. Writes only in English, never in Thai, but a big theme in his writings is what it’s like to be a poor northeasterner. I have an autographed copy of his _People of Esarn_, a collection of short stories. ---
**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 8, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/49 "2008-12-08T13:35:45Z")
Working on I shot a man in Reno : a history of death by murder, suicide, fire, flood, drugs, disease, and general misadventure, as related in popular song, by Graeme Thomson. A lot drier than you’d think. Finished my car audiobook, So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger. It was decent and held my interest, but seemed to end abruptly. I was frequently annoyed with the narrator because I identified more with his wife. And the title seems to refer to Hood Roberts, who I thought was a minor character. Anyway, it got me through the last month. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/50 "2008-12-08T13:46:27Z")
Just finished reading for the first time the first two books in the Dresden Files, _Storm Front_ and _Fool Moon_; I’ll have to pick up the rest of the series as the local library doesn’t have them. And the first book in his Furies series, since they don’t have that either. I’m about halfway through _Worlds of Weber_ ( David Weber short stories ) and _The Feeling of What Happens_ by Antonio Damasio. Rereading _Crown of Slaves_. Next up, probably _Gardens of the Moon_ by Steven Erikson. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/51 "2008-12-08T13:56:58Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > You might want to wait until after Christmas to read Collapse. It will bring you right down. His attempt at being optimistic in the last chapter wasn’t very convincing. Having just finished **Collapse** , I’ll second that. Depressing as hell. Also, while I found the premise interesting and thoroughly enjoyed Diamond’s **Guns, Germs, & Steel** , this one was a chore to finish. I don’t know why, but it seemed very dry to me, much moreso than GG&S. Maybe I’m just not as interested in the subject matter as I thought, since the writing style is pretty much the same as the previous book. Currently finishing **The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Soccer** by David Goldblatt. It is, as the title suggests, a comprehensive look at soccer from its earliest beginnings in various cultures to the continuing development of the modern game. Very interesting if you like the game. Well-written, too. And I just started Stephen King’s **Needful Things**. I got it as a gift over ten years ago, but was kind of burned out on King at the time, so never bothered to pick it up. Never saw the movie, either. I’m only a hundred or so pages in, but so far, I really like it. Seems to have a similar feel and tone to **It** , which is one of my favorite King books, and which ended my self-imposed King moratorium when I re-read it around this time last year. Could be the start of a new holiday tradition at my house. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/52 "2008-12-08T14:25:39Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Just finished reading for the first time the first two books in the Dresden Files, _Storm Front_ and _Fool Moon_; I’ll have to pick up the rest of the series as the local library doesn’t have them. And the first book in his Furies series, since they don’t have that either. I’m about halfway through _Worlds of Weber_ ( David Weber short stories ) and _The Feeling of What Happens_ by Antonio Damasio. > > Rereading _Crown of Slaves_. Next up, probably _Gardens of the Moon_ by Steven Erikson. I thought the first was the weakest - it started slowly for me. But if you’ve followed my posts, I’m really enjoying the Furies series. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/53 "2008-12-08T15:04:50Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I’ll keep reading, but if the cop falls for the victim’s sister, I’m done. Well, I’m done. The cop didn’t fall for the vic’s sister but he fell for the librarian. The former BF of the victim fell for the sister. If Mills had shown as much love for his characters as he did for the region, I might have kept going. I picked up the next book on the night table but there were too many “as if” clauses in the first couple pages, so I dumped that too. I’m back with a re-read of _A Game of Thrones_. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/54 "2008-12-08T15:12:53Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > Reading _Winter in Kandahar_ by Steven E. Wilson, about fighting factions in Afghanistan. This is the author’s first fiction book and I’m having a lot of problems with his writing style. He’s prone to needless exposition. His sentence structure is very basic and repetitive. > > Also reading \*Pet Sematary \*for something easy in bed. _Winter in Kandahar_ was terrible. Terrible, terrible, terrible. I cannot type that enough times in relation to this book. \*Pet Sematary \*was creepy and the last sentence is a killer. I’m listening to _Something Wicked This Way Comes_ and \*Sound of Thunder \*, shorter works by Ray Bradbury. Enjoying Bradbury’s use of language. I also find I have a voice-crush on the narrator. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/55 "2008-12-08T16:18:58Z")
> [@ChordedZither](#): > > I’m about a third of the way through _Three Days to Neve_r by Tim Powers. This is another novel set (as far as I can tell so far ) in the world of his prior novels _Last Call_ and _Expiration Date_. Weird scenarios involving ghosts and paranormal powers are being played out behind the scenes of our real world while all the “normal people” go on with their lives in blissful ignorance. > Powers has a real knack for this kind of story. Heh. I just last night finished rereading **Last Call**. I love Powers’ books. Any of you out there who love magical realism _and_ pirates (and who doesn’t?) should read **On Stranger Tides**. Blackbeard, the fountain of youth, and voodoo: what more could you want? > [@Khadaji](#): > > _Godel Escher Bach_ is probably the most started-not-finished book I know of, at least amongst my friends and acquaintances. It is a fascinating book - and a very tough read. I may have to try and finish it again myself one day. Started _and_ finished it . . . twenty years or so ago. Don’t remember a bit of it. I hope I still have my copy, so I can read it again. RR ---
**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 8, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/56 "2008-12-08T16:52:15Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Just finished reading for the first time the first two books in the Dresden Files, _Storm Front_ and _Fool Moon_; I’ll have to pick up the rest of the series as the local library doesn’t have them. And the first book in his Furies series, since they don’t have that either. I love the Dresden books (I think the later ones get better). But I was a bit eh on the Furies. I read the first book and thought it was okay but I think I pushed the sequel into my “no hurry to read” category. ---
**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 10, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/57 "2008-12-10T13:44:57Z")
Just started The Horror Writers Association presents Blood Lite : an anthology of humorous horror stories, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. I must admit I’ve been putting off reading this because the cover art is so awful. I think it’s an artist’s rendition of Pee Wee Herman wearing a vampire costume. A classic case of “don’t judge a book by its cover”! I’ve read the first two stories and enjoyed hell out of both of them (of course, one was by the great Joe R. Lansdale). ---
**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 10, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/58 "2008-12-10T15:07:21Z")
Between the holidays and the wrap-up of a project at work, I’m under a lot of stress right now with very little free time to read. When this happens I tend to sacrifice sleep and read late at night, although I can’t decide if this helps or makes things worse. Anyway, I’m looking for light material. I finished another David Sedaris book (I like those okay) and last night I picked up Georgette Heyer’s _The Talisman Ring_. It appears to be one of her madcap comedies, so that will suit me. I found a copy of Christopher Moore’s \*Fluke \*at the used bookstore the other day, and I might try that next. I wasn’t crazy about the first book of his that I read, but I wanted to try one more before I give up on him. ---
**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 10, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/59 "2008-12-10T15:09:08Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > Between the holidays and the wrap-up of a project at work, I’m under a lot of stress right now with very little free time to read. When this happens I tend to sacrifice sleep and read late at night, although I can’t decide if this helps or makes things worse. I sacrifice the reading, but it gives me a rotten attitude. ---
**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 10, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075/60 "2008-12-10T17:43:17Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I found a copy of Christopher Moore’s \*Fluke \*at the used bookstore the other day, and I might try that next. I wasn’t crazy about the first book of his that I read, but I wanted to try one more before I give up on him. I loved _Fluke_! I hope you enjoy it too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatcha-reading-dec-08-edition/475075.md?page=4)