# What's everyone reading? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868 "2006-01-27T17:44:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/1 "2006-01-27T17:44:21Z")
I just finished – well half-finished and then skimmed – **The Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet** by Ellis Peters (4 books in one). I liked it, and the skimming only started when I realized that it was all English king and marcher barons agree to truce, break truce, agree to truce, break truce, etc. I got a nice feel for the times though, and it fit nicely with the Nova program on trebuchet construction. Now reading a fantasy, **Illusion** by Sarah Volsky, while waiting for **Cell** (Stephen King) and **The Bone Hunters** (Steven Erikson) to arrive. What are you reading? What have you dumped lately? Anything knock your socks off? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/2 "2006-01-27T17:50:08Z")
Working on Darwin’s _Voyage of the Beagle_ mostly. And Woodrow Wilson’s (yes, _that_ Woodrow Wilson) _George Washington_ a liittle bit. Recently read David Quammen’s _Song of the Dodo_. Fabulous book. Had it sitting around for several years. Dunno why I didn’t read it earlier. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/3 "2006-01-27T18:09:21Z")
I’m almost halfway through _Against All Enemies_, by Richard Clarke. It’s very interesting, though I feel like I’m drowning in acronyms. It’s fun to read the quotes from high-mucky-mucks when they’re talking like real people and not politicians and even (gasp!) swear. It’s also interesting to see Clarke’s personal opinions come through so clearly even in purely factual passages. For instance, in my head, the title of the current chapter is “Louis Freeh is a Dickhead.” I’m also reading \*The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding \* for homework - I’m working on becoming a LLL leader with an eye to geting certified as a lactation consultant. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/4 "2006-01-27T18:12:53Z")
Just finished His Excellency: George Washington, by Joseph J. Ellis. Now reading Mencken: The American Iconoclast, by Marion Elizabeth Rodgers. I seem to be on a non-fiction binge. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/5 "2006-01-27T18:14:11Z")
When I was a kid I bought some _Ballantine’s History Of A Violent Century_. Since I found that Spitfire kit (posted in MPSIMS) I’ve started re-reading some. I’ve just finished the one on the Battle of Britain, and I’m starting _Spitfire_. After that, probably _Lancaster Bomber_. I’ve also read three _Biggles_ adventures recently. I’m also reading a book about Borley Rectory (‘The Most Haunted Place In England’), though I don’t believe in ghosts. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/6 "2006-01-27T18:16:04Z")
Vladimir Nabokov’s _The Enchanter_, the prototype for _Lolita_. About three pages away from the ending. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/7 "2006-01-27T18:24:31Z")
I’m working my way through Patrick O’Brian’s series. I’m about halfway through _The Nutmeg of Consolation_. I’m also reading Temple Grandin’s _Animals in Translation_. We went to see her at a local bookstore where she gave a talk. Very interesting and engaging and quite funny. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/8 "2006-01-27T18:26:01Z")
Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I’m partway through the third book (The Waste Lands) and I’m really enjoying it. I haven’t read any King in years and I forgot what a good writer he can be when he’s not just pumping out cash cows. ---
**Author:** ![furthur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@furthur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furthur)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/9 "2006-01-27T18:30:02Z")
I’m currently reading _Monkeyluv_ by Robert Sapolsky. He’s fantastic, whatever he writes. A Primate’s Memoir is one of my all-time favorite books. This is a collection of his essays – currently in the midst of one about Munchausen by Proxy. Just finished _The End of the Affair_ by Graham Greene. Damn, is he a fantastic writer. That may be the apotheosis of his career, I dunno, but it’s amazing. Next up: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz (sp?) Zafon. Either that, or The Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Mrs. Furthur ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/10 "2006-01-27T18:33:44Z")
_Fifth Business_, by Robertson Davies, and _Leisure, The Basis of Culture_ by Josef Pieper. Both good. After I finish I should read _Shadowmarch_, by Tad Williams. He’s my almost favourite fantasy writer. Robin McKinley is first. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/11 "2006-01-27T18:34:00Z")
Just finished Bill Bryson, [a short history of nearly everything](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076790818X/qid=1138386412/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-7209332-9580737?n=507846&s=books&v=glance). I’m working on Re-reading [Night](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553272535/qid=1138386491/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/104-7209332-9580737?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) by Elie Wiesel Finishing [Jefferson’s War](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786714042/qid=1138386553/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/104-7209332-9580737?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) by Wheelan (about Halfway through it) Getting ready to start [Freakanomics](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006073132X/ref=pd_bbs_null_1/104-7209332-9580737?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) by Levitt and Dubner All links are to look inside copies for those truly interested. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/12 "2006-01-27T18:39:42Z")
I’m (re)reading the _His Dark Materials_ trilogy by Phillip Pullman; I’ve been thinking about starting a thread to discuss it, if anybody’s interested. Let me know. ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/13 "2006-01-27T18:50:34Z")
_The Golden Ratio_ by Mario Livio. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/14 "2006-01-27T18:50:46Z")
I have _Assembling California_ by John McPhee here in my office for emergency material (I have read it twice before and understand a little more each time…it is about the geological history of California). I just finished _The Life of Pi_ by Yann Martel. It was pretty good but had been hyped up quite a bit by the folks who recommended it. A couple of nights ago I started _The Archer’s Tale_ by Bernard Cornwell. It is the first part of the Grail Quest Series. Seems pretty good so far but I’ve only read 60 pages or so. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/15 "2006-01-27T19:00:29Z")
I just finished **Glass Castle** , a memoir by Jeanette Walls that I recommend highly. She describes her childhood with brilliant but dangerously & negligently eccentric parents, two people you really like except for when you want to kill them with a brick and take their kids to safety. (Of course in light of James Frey it’s possible she in fact grew up in a split level ranch style house in a suburb of OshKosh and that the childhood of poverty and constant relocation was actually based on a vacation to Disney Land where her father’s Master Card was declined and he had to use traveller’s checks.) I’m currently reading **The Crucible** as I’ve been offered the role of Judge Danforth in a production and am debating whether to accept it. (Great role but I’m worried about the time commitment.) ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/16 "2006-01-27T19:13:29Z")
**The Wind-up Bird Chronicle** by Haruki Murakami translated by Jay Rubin. I am about half-way through, its pretty good although I do find myself occasionally thinking get on with it. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/17 "2006-01-27T19:21:42Z")
I just fininshed Carpe Demon a very light fantasy about a former demon hunter (Hunter actually) who has retired and now has a family. It wasn’t too bad. I am now reading Troy by one of my favorite fantasy writers David Gemmell. This one seems - at least so far - to be straight forward historical fiction rather than fantasy, but I am still enjoying it. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/18 "2006-01-27T19:23:52Z")
I just finished Connie Willis’s novella **Inside Job**. It’s cute, a typical Willis story. It’s about a professional skeptic investigating a psychic channeler. I’m now reading Alexander McCall Smith’s **No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency** series. They’re about a lady detective (obviously) in Botswana. I’m also halfway through Owen Parry’s **Faded Coat of Blue** , the first of a mystery series set during the Civil War. **AuntiePam** , have you tried Sharon Kay Penman’s Welsh trilogy? I really enjoy all of her books. The trilogy starts with **Here be Dragons** , where King John’s illegitimate daughter Joanna marries Llewelyn. **cher3** , I absolutely love the the Aubrey-Maturin books. I read them all straight through about a year ago, and I am gradually working through them again, whenever I run out of something else to read. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/19 "2006-01-27T19:24:43Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Working on Darwin’s _Voyage of the Beagle_ mostly. … > > Recently read David Quammen’s _Song of the Dodo_. Fabulous book. Had it sitting around for several years. Dunno why I didn’t read it earlier. Isn’t _Dodo_ excellent? I named it “Best Nonfiction Book I Read in 2005.” I’m currently reading his [_Monster of God_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007XAWUS/sr=1-3/qid=1138389186/ref=pd_bbs_3/104-5775950-5029513?%5Fencoding=UTF8), which isn’t as good, but how could it be? It’s not bad, though, and as usual with him there’s stuff to think about. Speaking of Darwin, recently read [\*The Darwin Conspiracy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400041376/qid=1138389559/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-5775950-5029513?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)\*, which is pretty much an effort to cash in on the Da Vinci Code craze, but which was a fun, quick read. I’ve been thinking I need to go back to the source on Darwin – do you recommend _Voyage of the Beagle_? Have you read _Origin of Species_? ---
**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868/20 "2006-01-27T19:26:03Z")
Last week I finished [Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486402975/qid=1138389002/sr=1-13/ref=sr_1_13/104-3677752-1947969?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) by Fred Howard. It was quite an interesting and detailed account of how the brothers invented the airplane. It also discussed the other inventors who were also making their first attempts at flight. Before that I read **Freakanomics**. My current reading is somewhat mundane: **Operating Instructions for the Sony RDR-VX511 Video Cassette Recorder/DVD Recorder** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-reading/341868.md?page=2)