Category: Blog Series Page 118 of 220

The Friday 56 for 12/17/21: Risen by Benedict Jacka

On December 17, 2021

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it

from Page 56 of:
Risen

Risen by Benedict Jacka

“Verus,” he said, crossing the path to meet me.

I nodded.

Talisid glanced at the long sightlines around us, the Greenway stretching in both directions with the Olympic Stadium – to one side and the view over London to the other, “A little exposed.”

“Hiding isn’t really an option for me these days,” I said. “How can help you?”

Our relationship had changed, and I could feel it in the way Talisid addressed me. For all the years I’d been meeting like this with Talisid, he’d always been the more powerful. He’d never used if to threaten me; he was too courteous for that, in his well-bred way. But always, in our dealings, Talisid had been the one to set the terms. Not anymore.

Book Blogger Hop: How Many Books in 2021?

By HCNewton

On December 17, 2021

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Elizabeteh @ Silver’s Reviews:

How many books have you read this year?

Well, as of last night, I’ve read and/or listened to…

290

books in 2021 but I’ve got another 15 days, so I’ll probably work in a few more.

What about you?

WWW Wednesday, December 15, 2021

By HCNewton

On December 15, 2021

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

I’ve been feeling super-productive this week, at least in a quantity-over-quality way. I don’t get weeks like this very often, so I’m trying to take full advantage of it (and need to remember it will end, so I don’t get too annoyed with myself when it does). This week’s WWW Wednesday shows that the Down the TBR posts (and my reading challenges for the year) are helping—you’ll see more of that next week, too.

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 (finally—and, yes, the disciplinary paperwork has been sent to HR) Risen by Benedict Jacka, and Jacka is holding nothing back for this end to the series. I’m also listening to A Private Investigation by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator) on audiobook, which is sort of a series end, but thankfully isn’t.

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished the grin-inducing Cherie Priest’s Grave Reservations and the impressive A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons by Ben Folds and my next audiobook should be Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives by Tim Hartford, Nicholas Guy Smith (Narrator). Ooh, two non-fiction works at the same time, I don’t do that often.

Blank Space

What have you been up to lately?

Down the TBR Hole Revisited (1 of 3)

By HCNewton

On December 15, 2021

In Books, Down the TBR Hole, News/Misc.

Down the TBR Hole Revisited

When I wrapped things up back in May, I’d trimmed the Want-to-Read list down to 132, and it’s at 154 right now. That’s not bad—I read a couple from the list, added a few more. But, in keeping with the aim of this project, let’s see if I can trim a little fat to go into the New Year not needing a diet. I didn’t quite get to too many from this list in the ensuing months…which does make me wonder (again) about the efficacy of this list. But that’s for another time—or maybe a therapist.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
Read the synopses of the books.
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives by Tim Harford Blurb: “celebrates the benefits that messiness has in our lives: why it’s important, why we resist it, and why we should embrace it instead. Using research from neuroscience, psychology, social science, as well as tales of inspiring people doing extraordinary things, I explain that the human qualities we value – creativity, responsiveness, resilience – are integral to the disorder, confusion, and disarray that produce them.” My Thoughts: Oh sweet—a justification for my lifestyle! Gotta get this as ammunition to use against my wife. Verdict:
	My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows Blurb: Mary, Queen of Scots, in the court of France, trying to hide that she shapeshifts into mice. My Thoughts: So they’ve run out of Janes and have turned to Marys? Huh. Sure, why not? Verdict:
	Darling at the Campsite by Andy Abramowitz Blurb: “Rowan Darling, an adrift thirty-three-year-old, owns a record store on a run-down block in Philadelphia. Then news of his estranged brother’s death forces a return to Maybee, Illinois, the hometown Rowan left in the dust years ago. Rowan’s plan? Dart in for the funeral, support his mother, then disappear just as quickly. Things to avoid? Margot Beckett, his childhood sweetheart, and Skid Hall, his former best friend who stole Margot and married her. Together, they’ve become the town’s ‘it’ couple.” My Thoughts: It’s Andy Abramowitz, I’ll likely enjoy it. But first I’ll leave it on the Want-to-Read list until his next book comes out… Verdict:
	Questland by Carrie Vaughn Blurb: Jurassic Park but instead of cloned Dinosaurs, it’s “a convincing, high-tech-powered fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and, yes, magic.” My Thoughts: I have the paperback sitting on my TBR shelf about 2 feet from me. Just need to get around to it. Verdict:
	Swashbucklers by Dan Hanks Blurb: “When Cisco Collins returns to his home town thirty years after saving it from being swallowed by a hell mouth opened by an ancient pirate ghost, he realises that being a childhood hero isn’t like it was in the movies. Especially when nobody remembers the heroic bits – even the friends who once fought alongside him.” Verdict: I really like the sound of this. I actually thought I bought it already.
	The 13th Witch by Mark Hayden Blurb: “Odin has a challenge for Conrad: sign up to protect England from wild magick and get a commission in the King’s Watch…Conrad never could resist a challenge. Before you can say “Ragnarok”, he’s plunged into a world of gods, mages, witches, dwarves and one very aggressive giant mole….Armed with nothing but a sense of humour and a willingness to cheat, Conrad has to find the Witch and save his life.” Verdict:
	Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest Blurb: A travel agent who’s an inconsistent psychic saves the life of a Seattle PD Detective. Desperate for a break in a cold case, he hires her to consult on it. Verdict: By the time this posts, I’ll be done with the book, so, yeah, cut this from the list.
	Faycalibur by Liam Perrin Blurb: “When five armies attack England, everyone on the Round Table is too busy to track down the missing court wizard. Seizing the opportunity to shine a light on the Less Valued, Thomas vows to rescue Merlin and sets himself on a collision course with a talented but overconfident rookie sorceress, a lizard with delusions of grandeur, and one rather unfortunate pigeon.” My Thoughts: The first book in the series was nice, I want to see him go on. There was an optimistic sweetness to it, and want to see Perrin try it again. Verdict:
	Ghost of a Chance by Dan Willis My Thoughts: I’d expected to get through book 3 by this point in the year, which obviously didn’t happen. Still, that means book 2 needs to stay on the list. Verdict:
	Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson Blurb: “Miss Mildred Percy is a spinster. She does not dance, she has long stopped dreaming, and she certainly does not have adventures. That is, until her great uncle has the audacity to leave her an inheritance, one that includes a dragon’s egg. The egg – as eggs are wont to do—decides to hatch, and Miss Mildred Percy is suddenly thrust out of the role of ‘spinster and general wallflower’ and into the unprecedented position of ‘spinster and keeper of dragons.’” My Thoughts: I can tell from the description that this is going to be something I love or I’ll be turned off within 50 pages…I’m on the border with it. I don’t know that I’m going to end up reading this, but I want to keep it on my radar for a little bit longer. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 1 / 10
Total Books Removed: 1 / 33
Current Want-to-Read Shelf Total: 153

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

COVER REVEAL: The Other Side of Fear by Eoghan Egan

By HCNewton

On December 13, 2021

In Book Tour, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Welcome to The Irresponsible Reader’s part in the Cover Reveal for The Other Side of Fear by Eoghan Egan! I do this with a sigh of relief—unlike the last cover reveal I agreed to do for Red Dog, I saw the email with the details in my spam folder before the reveal date, and I’d hate to renege twice in a row. Also, this is a cool cover and I like sharing cool things with you. But before we get to the striking cover down below, why don’t we learn a bit about the book?

Book Blurb

Sharona Waters is determined to dig into loan shark Dessie Dolan’s business and see him brought to justice. But when a young woman she’s only briefly met goes missing, a much darker story emerges.

Pulled into the ruthless world of people trafficking—a world built on violent brutality and sudden death – Sharona finds herself caught between crime and conscience, pursued by powerful and ruthless criminals, and just one bad decision away from having her whole world crash down.

Sometimes, the only way forward is to risk everything, no matter the cost

Publication date: March 29, 2022

About the Author

A native of Co. Roscommon, Ireland, Eoghan wrote his first story aged nine. At college, he studied Computer Programming, works in Sales Management & Marketing, but his passion for reading and writing remain.

Eoghan’s stories were shortlisted for the 2018 Bridport Short Story Prize, and Listowel’s 2019 Bryan McMahon Short Story Award Competition. Others have been published in various anthologies. He has also completed two crime fiction novels in a planned trilogy set in the Irish Midlands and has started work on the third.

A graduate of Maynooth University’s Creative Writing Curriculum and Curtis Brown’s Edit & Pitch Your Novel Course, Eoghan divides his time between Roscommon and Dublin.

Eoghan constantly explores ways to increase his knowledge in the art of writing. He enjoys attending literary festivals and is excited about the prospect of getting back to face-to-face discussions with readers and writers. He’s also a heavy metal fan, and, post-Covid, can’t wait to headbang at a rock gig.

Find him on Twitter: @eoghanegan

And now…

The Cover

The Other Side of Fear

Once again, Red Dog Press nails the cover, their streak of winning covers continues.

As good as the cover is, I’m betting the interior of the book is better—you can (and should) pre-order this now at: Red Dog Press.

My thanks to Red Dog Press for the invitation to participate in this reveal and the materials they provided.

Saturday Miscellany—12/11/21

By HCNewton

On December 11, 2021

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I feel bad not having an introduction of sorts this week (I remember when I didn’t do that at all, but that was a while ago), but I really don’t have anything on my mind today. And then I started thinking that if I’m not careful, I’m going to end up as the bookish equivalent to a recipe blog that makes you slog through a thesis on the history of potpourri or finding just the right pillow for their dog or whatever before getting to the ingredient list. And who wants that?

Oh look, I found an introduction. I never said that I wanted a good one. I’d better shut up and make with the links.

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:
bullet A Double Loss: Ford and Waterman—there were something special about G. M. Ford’s Leo Waterman books, I’ll miss them.
bullet A novelist says fake editions of his works were listed on Amazon as centuries old, with one $7 book going for $1,008—what?
bullet Bookstores are dying. Barnes & Noble’s pricing policy may help explain why.—again, I say, what? (this feels like I’m starting an Amber Ruffin sketch from Late Night)
bullet PEN America Calls Out Texas School District for Banning Eleven Books—you know, I might (might) feel a teensy-weensy bit better about this wave of School Book purges if there was even one book on this list that punched Left.
bullet Of course, it’s spreading…Iowa legislators target books and teachers for upcoming session
bullet The 101 Best Book Covers of 2021—I usually enjoy this list, but the overwhelming majority of these didn’t do anything for me. There are some worth checking out though–and I’ve spotted those in the wild (and have been led to at least read the back of the book)
bullet The Curse of Englishness: Why Every British Thriller Is Also a Black Comedy
bullet How Can You Be A Fantasy Author If You Flunked Creative Writing Class? – An Origin Story by Thomas Howard Riley
bullet Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too! An Interview with Jamie Jackson—Lockhaven’s starting a series of interviews along these lines (I meant to drop a link to the first one, with Camila Sortica AKA Blackbird (@Bbird_26), back when it posted, too).
bullet Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Broken Room by Peter Clines—Nice interview to go along with that reveal, too.
bullet The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles keeps chugging along, expanding TBRs of all who read the posts. The posts over the last week were:
bullet Book Blogger Sarah Swan
bullet Book Blogger Lynne aka Fictionophile
bullet Bookstagrammer Zoebeesbooks
bullet Book Blogger David
bullet Book Blogger Anne Williams
bullet Book Blogger Kate
bullet Let’s Talk About Mood Reading
bullet Quotables: Words that Stuck with Me- 2021—This is a great collection over at Witty and Sarcastic Book Club. It’s inspired me to start something in 2022, too, that will absolutely be the most blatant rip-off (but will hopefully be thinly disguised enough that I can get away with it).

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon. This looks like it’s going to be a slim month for new releases, but at least it starts off promising:
bullet Risen by Benedict Jacka—As I whinged about Wednesday, I didn’t get this on time. So I can’t link to my (expected) tear-filled rave about the last Alex Verus novel, so check in mid-week next week for that. In the meantime, go procure your own copy.
bullet Family Business by S.J. Rozan—a new Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery? I’m in, even before reading about it: “The death of a powerful Chinatown crime boss thrusts private eye Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith into a world of double-dealing, subterfuge, murder, and—because this is New York City—real estate”
bullet The Liar’s Knot by M. A. Carrick—the follow-up to The Mask of Mirrors is out. I’m honestly a bit intimidated about diving back in to this world, but I imagine it’ll be worth it.

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

The Friday 56 for 12/10/21: Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

By HCNewton

On December 10, 2021

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it

from Page 56 of:
Grave Reservations

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

“You’re really going out on a limb here, aren’t you?” she asked.

He shook his head and gazed balefully at the clippings. “This case has never made any sense, and we’ve never had any real leads, Something about it just … stuck in my craw, as they say.”

“Who says that?”

“My late wife’s family, in North Carolina. They have a wide selection of colorful expressions in circulation out there.” He used his index finger to move a few of the paper scraps around. “Consensus is that the murders were part of an interrupted robbery … but that explanation never felt right. This isn’t that kind of hotel, you know what I mean? We’re in the wrong part of town for a cheap shakedown, and this isn’t the kind of place that a tech CEO would choose for legitimate business activities.”

The restaurant manager sauntered by with a plate of pungent chicken wings and a lifted eyebrow.

“No offense,” Grady called over his shoulder.

Book Blogger Hop: Main or Supporting Character?

By HCNewton

On December 10, 2021

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Julie @ JadeSky:

If you were in a book, would you rather be the main character or in the background?

When I saw this question, a line from The West Wing* jumped to mind, President Bartlet asks Josh:

You know what the difference is between you and me? I want to be the guy; you want to be the guy the guy counts on.

That’s me. Put me as the loyal sidekick, the comic relief guy, the one the protagonist comes to for answers, resources, venting, whatever. Keep me out of the limelight, let me get stuff done.

* from “Guns Not Butter” from Season 4, Episode 12