Category: Blog Series Page 211 of 232

On October 28, 2017

Phew, the week’s over. Work’s been really busy, and have had barely time to read — most of which has been all about deadlines — ARCs, Library Due Dates, etc. One week to go and life calms down a bit. In the meantime, here are some 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:

Unseen Harper Lee letters give intimate view of To Kill a Mockingbird author — aside from Lee’s (I’m guessing intentional) misunderstanding of Hebrews 13:8, these sound fascinating.
When British Authors Write American Dialogue, or Try To — there’s some good stuff here.
New York Observer columnist who offered ISIS money to kill him thinks we should close all public libraries, takes heat — the writing is a bit too much for me here, but I saw this play out some on Twitter this week and wanted to post about it, in case anyone missed it. Poor guy didn’t know what he was getting into (or, he absolutely knew and wanted the attention).
Seanan McGuire: All Books Are Real Books — you don’t have to spend a lot of time/effort here to see I’m a McGuire fan. So it’s not surprising that I enjoyed this interview — but I expect that people who aren’t me will, too.
The Secret Of NIMH Was Inspired By A Horrific Experiment — A little behind-the-scenes look at The Secret of NIMH/Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (I read the book a more times than I saw the movie growing up, but I spent too much time doing both).
In Defense of Reading (and Writing) for Fun — Melissa Caruso speaks for many of us with this, saving the link to use for the next time I have to have that conversation with family/acquaintances.
Why We Keep Telling the Same Stories: Neil Gaiman, Halldor Laxness and the art of revisiting myths
PWs Best Books of 2017 — It’s October and we’re already doing this?
6 Famous Writers Injured While Writing

A Die Hard Christmas The Illustrated Holiday Classic by JJ Harrison, Doogie Horner — which I quite liked, as you can read here.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to Skulls and Coffee, BellaDonna, vickibrock44 and Rizky FAUZI (I’d never be brave enough to do what he’s doing with his blog — no matter how great the idea is) for following a version of the blog this week.

Saturday Miscellany – 10/20/17

On October 21, 2017

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.

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.

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.

Saturday Miscellany – 10/14/17

On October 14, 2017

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:

A Day in the life of…An Independent Bookshop
My Favorite Books to Sell Over 20 Years of Owning a Bookstore
Space Bikers Return on the Cover of Blood Binds the Pack — cover reveal, blurb and an interview with Alex Wells about the sequel to Hunger Makes the Wolf. I assumed a sequel was coming, but now that I’ve seen this, I’m excited and not all that inclined to be patient.
Commonplace Books Then and Now: From Marcus Aurelius to taggable book quotes: why we’re compelled to track our reads. — some of these make my little spreadsheet look pretty pathetic.
How Mark Twain helped Nick Offerman become a weirdo: The comedian brings Twain’s ‘A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court’ to life in a new audiobook from Audible — a nice piece from EW.com

A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell — The Witches of Lychford are back — it wasn’t my favorite, but it’s still soemthing you should read (plus the first 2). Here’s my $.02 on the novella
Drawing Dead by JJ DeCeglie — Fahrenheit Press’ latest offering features a drunk, gambling addicted PI in hock to the mob. Probably not the feel-good book of the year, but it has all the makings of a gripping read.

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Appointment with Yesterday by Christopher Stratakis

On October 9, 2017

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Book Giveaway:
Prize: One winner will receive a print copy of Appointment with Yesterday and a $25 Amazon gift card (Open to USA only)

Ends Oct 28

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BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Appointment with Yesterday by Christopher Stratakis

On October 9, 2017

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Book Details:

Book Title: Appointment with Yesterday: A Novel in Four Parts with a Prologue and an Epilogue
Author: Christopher Stratakis
Category: Adult Fiction, 334 pages
Genre: coming-of-age / WWII / immigrant experience
Publisher: IndieReader
Release date: January 2017
Tour dates: Oct 2 to 20, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is no bad language or violence, but there are references to sex and sexual situations (including between a pre-teen and teen)

Book Description:

A poignant and compelling first novel, Appointment with Yesterday tells the story of Yanni, a cheeky and delightful Greek boy growing up in a small town on an island in the eastern Aegean.

Left in the care of his loving grandparents, Yanni endures the deprivation and terror of the German occupation during World War II and finally leaves his beloved homeland and family to rejoin the parents who had left him behind to make a better life for themselves in America.

Filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming stories of love, devotion, disenchantment, and dashed dreams, Appointment with Yesterday is, ultimately, the story of hardships overcome and a determined boy’s journey toward finding his destiny.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Book Depository ~ Books-a-Million

Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Christopher Stratakis was born and raised in Greece. After moving to America, he graduated from Drexel University in 1951 and New York University School of Law in 1955. Shortly after joining the law firm of Poles, Tublin & Patestides in 1960, he became a partner, specializing in admiralty and corporate law.

He has written and published several articles, lectured on professional and historical subjects, served as Legal Advisor to several non-profits (pro bono), and was an arbitrator in maritime disputes. He is the author of Mnimes “Memories” (2010), a book of essays, short stories, and poems that he wrote as a teenager. In 2015, he co-edited Chains on Parallel Roads, a book published by Panchiaki “Korais” Society of New York. In recognition of his extensive community involvement, he has been the recipient of several awards from religious, governmental, and educational institutions.

Mr. Stratakis lives with his wife in New York City. He is the proud father of three and grandfather of three. This is his first novel.

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends Oct 28

Saturday Miscellany – 10/7/17

On October 7, 2017

Just a few 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:

How Do You Define Urban Fantasy? — B&N’s SF&F blog brings together a handful of good authors to define UF, I really appreciated the recommendations (and share many)
15 Children’s Books No One Reads Now — some of these I get, but no one reads Caddie Woodlawn any more? Really? That’s just criminal.
Ten years after The Sword-Edged Blonde — Alex Bledsoe looks back on the experience and lessons learned from the publication of his first novel, The Sword-Edged Blonde. One of those books that you all need to read. Need. Not should read. Need to.
Why do you Read? — we can all related to this, right?

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:

The Name of the Wind 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss — squee!

The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan — the 3rd (and final?) installment in the Magnus Chase series.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to Reasons To Resist.

Travels and Travails of Small Minds by Daniel Falatko

On September 26, 2017

Travels and Travails of Small Minds

by Daniel Falatko

eARC, 252 pg.
The Ardent Writer Press, 2017

Read: September 20 – 21, 2017

“I feel like I’m stuck in a mystery novel written by an unhinged individual, Amy.”

There’s a lot of truth to that lament Nathan makes to his girlfriend, Amy. In the same conversation, she had a different take on it:

“Mystery Englishmen? Ever-evolving eccentric casts of characters? Intricate layers of plot involving absolutely nothing? Two unaware and wayward employees leading the story? Nathan, you are living in a Wes Anderson film. And I’m not sure if I like it. You’re definitely more Life Aquatic than Rushmore at this point.”

There’s a lot truth to that, too. At the same time, neither of them is quite right (and please, don’t go looking for a Wes Anderson/unhinged mystery writer kind of book, you won’t get it. But you may get something that appeals to someone who’d like that kind of book). Just these commentaries on Nathan’s life during this novel shows you just how strange this is.

I don’t want to say there isn’t a plot — there is one; nor do I want to say that it’s not important, or nonsensical — there is a good amount of sense and it is a pretty good story; but compared to the experience of spending time with Nathan, his friends and colleagues, as well as those he meets over the course of the novel outweighs the story.

You’ve got Nathan; his girlfriend, Amy; his boss Dr. Behr, an elderly gentleman who just might be the living incarnation of “eccentric”; his coworker, Edward, who has spent far too many years working for Dr. Behr; and Nathan’s neighbor, who seems to do little other than use recreational pharmaceuticals. Throw in the study of a beatnik novelist of dubious quality, the attempted illegal eviction of a young woman, and some strange British citizens, and then step back and watch the lunacy begin. There’s a real estate deal at the core of this — which allows Falatko to indulge his fixation on NYC rental properties (and seals my conviction that I’ll never move there) — the sheer number of things that are wrong with the deal and that can go wrong with it. And here we are, proof that I can’t talk about this book in a way that makes a whole lot of sense.

This is a funny book, but not a comedy. It’s absurd in the best sense. It’s a wild ride, with a very human — and relatable center. Relatable might not be the best word, because I can’t imagine that any reader will have an experience like it. But even at the strangest moments, you’ll find yourself nodding with Nathan’s actions and reactions, saying to yourself, “yeah, I can see why he’d do that.” Even the conclusion that the plot careens to — for most of the book you’d say that wouldn’t work at all, but by the time it happens, it seems pretty perfect.

The illustrations are a nice touch — I don’t know that I needed them, and I don’t know that they really added all that much. At the same time, I enjoyed them. At what point was it decided that only kids could use a picture every now and then in their books?

I wasn’t a fan of Falatko’s previous novel, Condominium, but I thought it did display an element of talent. Travels and Travails put a lot more on display, and kept me entertained and engaged (and frequently smiling) throughout the novel. Although, I should note that I also spent a good deal of time wondering what I’d just read and why — but I was having such a good time that I really didn’t care about the answers to those questions. You won’t read many books like this one, but you’ll wish you could.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion and participation in this book tour. I just wish I had something more coherent to say about it.

—–

3.5 Stars

Book Spotlight: Travels and Travails of Small Minds by Daniel Falatko

On September 26, 2017

Welcome to our Book Tour stop for Travels and Travails of Small Minds. Along with this blurb about the book, my take on the book will be posted in a little bit.

Book Details:

Book Title: Travels and Travails of Small Minds
Author: Daniel Falatko
Details: 252 pages with 10 interior illustrations
Publisher: The Ardent Writer Press
Release date: October 1, 2017

About the Book:

Nathan is not ambitious, and he is perfectly happy doing nothing at the dusty and cluttered properties office of his boss, Dr. Behr, a quirky ex-literature professor pushing 80.

But things are about to get tossed in the air as Nathan uncovers a mysterious plan of Behr’s to oust one of his
renters for what appears to be a substantial but ill-gotten profit. Behr recruits his slacker employee to help in the plot, but as Nathan questions motives and discovers secrets, it is clear that Nathan might be in for surprises of his own.

About the Author:

Daniel Falatko is the author of a previous novel, Condominium. He is a graduate of the MFA in Writing program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. He lives in New York City.

Book Spotlight: BLACKOUT by Lawrence Johnson Sr.