I almost didn’t get any reading done yesterday, a very uncommon event. I did find myself early to something, so I was able to read most of the inaugural issue of Grimdwarf Magazine, and I can see this becoming a regular part of my reading rotation.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that the other day as I was packing to go to work, I grabbed the Guards! Guards! and put it in my coat pocket. I can’t remember the last Mass Market Paperback I read. It’s so convenient! I love a good hardcover, and ebooks are so essential now. But wow…I miss MMPs. We need a resurgence of them.
This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Easy enough, right?
What are you currently reading?
I’m reading Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, and am shaking my head at how I stopped reading this series years ago. My current audiobook is the haunting The Curator by by M.W. Craven, John Banks (Narrator) on audiobook.
What did you recently finish reading?
The last book I finished was Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire, I talked it up yesterday. The fascinating, entertaining, and often convincing, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland, narrated by the author and several others was my last audiobook.
What do you think you’ll read next?
My next book should be The Mayors of New York by S. J. Rozan (I am so looking forward to it) and my next audiobook should be Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison, Kristen Sieh (Narrator).
Are you reading anything that’s making this holiday season happy? Or are you preparing to air a grievance?
allyson johnson
Not much progress on “War and Peace” this week. I read a second short story in Adam Johnson’s collection “Fortune Smiles” – another amazing immersive tale, not quite as mind-blowing as the first, but still needing a couple of days to mull over.
I started to read the classic Dumas story “The Count of Monte Cristo”, but though I loved Dumas as a teenager and read the whole “Three Musketeers” series more than once, I just couldn’t get into this one. So instead, I started Peter Carey’s Booker Prizewinner, “Oscar and Lucinda”. Much more interesting.
I picked up one of the early Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn combined books by Tony Hillerman, “Talking God”, one of his most creative plots, involving both Navajo policemen unexpectedly in Washington DC, an Indian rights activist, some Chilean terrorists, and the Smithsonian Institution – a fun read. Also read “The Paris Apartment” by Lucy Foley, expecting a nice fluffy expat romance – boy was I wrong! It’s a dark and twisty mystery, but with a plucky heroine.
Next, I will be reading “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride, and “Nobody’s Fool” by Robert Russo -both for book groups I am in on.
Enjoyed the thread of folks disgusted with the disintegration of the Jack Reacher series. I’ve read some good things about the TV series, though – any comments on that? (Or are we supposed to just talk about books?)
HCNewton
LOL…I haven’t found time for season 2 of Reacher, but season 1 was great! I’m not sure how faithful it was to the Killing Floor–it’s been too long since I read that to remember all the details, but I was more than satisfied with the show.
Hillerman…another on my “I should’ve read this by now” list.
I’ve heard good things about the Foley book.
Bob Germaux
I’m currently reading Dick Ebersole’s “From Saturday Night to Sunday Night: My Forty Years of Laughter, Tears, and Touchdowns in TV,” a fascinating look at the author’s experiences with “Saturday Night Live,” Sunday Night Football, the Olympics, the NBA, etc. I’m just one year older than Ebersole, so we have pretty much the same historical touchstones, which undoubtedly plays a part in my enjoyment of this work. Over the past several decades, Ebersole knew or at least interacted with just about everyone of note in the world of sports and entertainment. So far, a great read.
I just finished (well, not quite) Tessa Bailey’s “Same Time Next Year.” I came across Bailey’s work on Amazon and decided to give her a try. She says she can solve everyone’s problems except her own, so she focuses on “stubborn, fictional blue collar men and lovable heroines.” On one hand, she’s a very good writer, but “Entertainment Weekly” describes her as the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” which is somewhat of an understatement. Let me be clear: I don’t have a problem with foul language (my serial killer in “Small Talk” is more than proof of that), but I want it to be in context, not just for effect. Personally, I found Bailey’s characters to be crude simply for the sake of being crude, which is why I didn’t finish the book. Again, no problem with foul language, as long as it is within the parameters of the characters you’ve created for your readers. That being said, other people (lots of other people, judging from her sales) definitely aren’t put off by her language, so judge for yourself.
Next up (probably) will (finally) be the new Spenser by Mike Lupica.
HCNewton
Most of what I know about Ebersole is vague memories of him from when I watched sports with my grandfather decades ago. And then from his encounters with Conan O’Brien years later. So…basically I don’t know much–but I can see where he’d be in a position to have great stories about a lot of people.
“well, not quite” that says a lot (how far did you get, though?)