Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
- Book Publishers Go Back to Basics: As consumer e-book sales fall, publishers look to find new footing with old ground—and faster pipelines. UPDATE: Well, pfui, there wasn’t a paywall on the article when I read it. Basically, publishers are scaling back e-book efforts and putting out more paper editions– and embracing making them nicer/more attractive/etc. which seems to be helping sales. Thanks to Bookstooge, my unofficial (and very much needed) Saturday Miscellany editor, for catching this.
- Book Blogging: Back to Basics — Speaking of Back to Basics, this book blogger reminds us all of something many/most of us have felt. I like her approach to getting through it.
- The Best Baby Names from Sci-Fi and Fantasy Literature — I’m not sure this is a great idea. I was somewhere recently where I heard some parents refer to their 10-12 year old daughter by the name of a YA heroine, and couldn’t help wondering what the kid will be thinking in her 20s about that choice.
- …and that’s apparently all I saw this week.
- A Book-ish Related Podcast Episode you might want to give a listen:
- Mysterypod with Reed Farrel Coleman — Coleman talks to Stephen Usery about his latest Jesse Stone novel, and a little about Gus Murphy, his book with Michael Mann and more.
- This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
- A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne — Hearne trades the Urban in for Epic in this fantasy novel. I started this 2 days ago and am making incredibly slow progress (my fault, not the book’s), but it’s just gorgeous. I am going to have many, many good things to say about this next week.
- Righteous by Joe Ide — Isaiah Quintabe is on the hunt for his brother’s killer and trying to keep a DJ safe from various criminals.
- How to Think by Alan Jacobs — building on recent works about the science of thinking, Jacobs focuses o the art of it. I had a little tosay about it.
Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to whatsnonfiction for following the blog this week.
Bookstooge
just so you know, the first link to the B2B for publishers is hidden behind a paywall.
As for that second B2B post, I have noticed that most of the people who write posts like that are the ones who are doing arc reviews, blog tours, etc, etc. All that stuff that turns blogging into a job. For free. Which is why I don’t do that.
If I had a kid, I’d name him Paul Maud’dib and let the chips fall where they may 😀
HCNewton
I was worried about that, but I never had a problem with a paywall on that article. How strange.
There are sons everywhere relieved that you’re not their dad 🙂 (maybe you’d be better at it after the whole naming thing, but it’s a tough call to make after such a rocky start. Then again, what do I know? I’ve got a kid with a name only 1 in 5 get right on their first [or third] try. Naturally, he’s the one with a chronic illness, meeting new medical personnel all the time…)
Bookstooge
Do you subscribe to the wsj?
I suspect Mrs B would have something to say about any naming conventions, so they’d be safe 🙂
HCNewton
Haven’t subscribed to the WSJ in decades (had to for Econ in college…what a waste of money. Good paper, just most of it wasn’t in my wheelhouse). Updated the post with a very brief synopsis, btw.
Moms: saving kids from Dads’ silly notions for millennia.
Bookstooge
?