Category: Blog Series Page 109 of 220

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Today is Independent Bookstore Day—be sure to go spend some time at a store near you, they probably have something fun going on
Why We are An Indie Bookstore—a short little post from the people who will be getting some of my money today
Book Sales in the U.S. Are Stronger Than Ever
Why Reading is Good for You: Neuroscientist and author Ali Hazelwood on the benefits of curling up with a book
Why the Mystery Novel Is a Perfect Literary Form: David Gordon on the long, rich history of private eyes – and why contemporary novelists keep on turning to them.—Yup.
“It’s The Most Stressful Book I’ve Ever Read, And I Couldn’t Put It Down”: People Are Sharing The Book They Wish They Could Read Again For The First Time—been there…
Thank you and Goodnight!—one of my favorite book bloggers (despite how little our tastes overlap) calls it a night.
Witty and Sarcastic Book Club is back with another Fantasy Focus, this month, tackling High and Epic Fantasy—there are some great reads and authors featured here.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Author Stories Podcast Episode 1224: Don Winslow interview—obviously they talk about City on Fire but listening to talk about writing and writers is a treat.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon (starting with one that I forgot last week):
Against All Odds by Jeffery H. Haskell—Haskell steps away from super-heroes to launch a Military SF trilogy.
City on Fire by Don Winslow—Winslow’s trilogy about the mafia in New England draws upon Homer and other classic epics. This looks fantastic.
Rosebud by Paul Cornell—”When five sentient digital beings—condemned for over three hundred years to crew the small survey ship by the all-powerful Company—encounter a mysterious black sphere, their course of action is clear: obtain the object, inform the Company, earn lots of praise. But the ship malfunctions, and the crew has no choice but to approach the sphere and survey it themselves.”

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Raylene Second who followed the blog this week.

On Monday, I hit a little landmark:

A few years ago, I’d struggle to get 4 posts a week–so it came as a surprise when WP let me know last year that I’d gone 30-40 days in a row ( the details are fuzzy). Then I turned it into a personal challenge–could I hit 100? It was unexpectedly easy. Then I decided to try for a year. I will admit I struggled a bit, but I managed to pull it off. A few months back, I thought about taking the day after the one-year mark off, but I forgot to. Now, I’m not shooting for 2 years, but I have no intention of taking a break or going back to my early/very sporadic days. I like the discipline–but if I happen to miss a day, I’m not going to sweat it.*

Much.

Anyway, you didn’t come here for my own horn-tooting, on with the miscellany:
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
I’m a High School Junior. Let’s Talk About ‘Huckleberry Finn’ and ‘Mockingbird.’—worth a read if you can evade the paywall
A preview clip from CBS Saturday Morning (the whole thing just aired, I guess) where Don Winslow announces his retirement—from writing, anyway. Hate to see him set down the pen, but at least I now have a chance to catch up on the backlog.
There’s more Winslow to come on this list, he does have a book releasing next week, and I’m excited for it.
Murder, revenge, power: Don Winslow reveals classical inspirations for crime novel ‘City On Fire’—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
Author Don Winslow Reveals Why We’re Obsessed With the Mafia and What’s To Love About His New England Mafia Book City on Fire
He also tweeted this video from his Polish publisher showing the book printed—I could watch this kind of thing all day
Neil Gaiman on book bans and the secret to a good book-to-film adaptation—anytime is a good time for a Gaiman interview
A Veterinarian’s Perspective on Writing Animals—I’d already put this vet’s book on my list when I read this piece on CrimeReads. Now I’ve moved it a little higher on the list.
Rarely Seen Paintings by J.R.R. Tolkien Portray a Lush ‘Lord of the Rings’ Landscape—ooh…
Ben Aaronovitch Celebrates 11 Years of ‘RIVERS OF LONDON’—haven’t had a chance to watch this yet, but looking foward to it.
8 Reasons Why Reading Is Better Than Sleeping—in case there was any doubt
Do You Annotate? Pros and Cons
Are Readers Patient?—a question I’d never have thought to ask
Alternatives to Goodreads: Literal—I’d never heard of this Goodreads Alternative.
It’s okay to collect books—yup
The books that shaped me as a reader – The Early Years!—I love reading things like this
The Problem With “Problematic” | The Book Community’s Perpetual Witch Hunt—I wouldn’t co-sign every jot and tittle of this, but most of them….

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen—a small Texas town is rocked by the murder of a waitress. Which is a lousy way to pitch this, but in a sentence, that’s as good as I can do. Why don’t you just read my post about it?
King Of The Crows Anniversary Edition by Russell Day—This was one of my (possibly the) favorites of 2020, the anniversary edition looks gorgeous. Get it while you can.
Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild—A woman fights to clear her name after being falsely accused of murdering her husband. But she has killed three other people…
The Sweet Goodbye by Ron Corbett—An FBI agent looks into small-town corruption in northern Maine.
Fifty-Four Pigs by Philipp Schott—A Canadian veterinarian investigates a murder to save a friend

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Sarah Tavanello, who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!