Category: Blog Series Page 26 of 217

WWW Wednesday—May 7, 2025

On May 7, 2025

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

Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of my kidney removal–and what a year it’s been. This is not much of an introduction to a WWW Wednesday, but it’s all that I’ve got in me. Well, I mean–I’ve got one kidney in me, as well as a full roster of other organs, that was more of a figurative “all in me,” but then I realized how it sounded and, well…I now realize I should’ve skipped the intro.

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?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky	Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn, read by Jane Oppenheimer & Christina Delaine

I’ve been wanting to read Tchaikovsky for years, so I was excited to get the chance. This is a fun combination of creepy, fun, and solid adventure. I can see this not being my last time with Tchaikovsky–I just hope the next books by him that I read aren’t quite so arachnid-heavy. (Shudder)

I was hoping that the sequel to Killers of a Certain Age would be better than it was–sadly, Raybourn is nice an consistent. It’s good enough to keep listening, but that’s about it. I liked the idea and some of the characters, I just don’t think it’s enough to come back for volume three (assuming it comes)

What did you recently finish reading?


Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up by Dave Barry	Back After This by Linda Holmes

Here’s a shocker–Dave Barry’s memoir is a hoot. It’s more than just funny, but that’s a good start.

Holmes’ book was delightful. I think I’m going to have to look into her other novels.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Hive by D.L. Orton	Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

This is a revised version (I’m not sure how much) of a book I listened to four years ago. It should be fun to see this version.

Foxglove Summer is one of my favorites in the Rivers of London series, I’ve been looking forward to it

What are you working through?

LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Cindi Hartley

By HCNewton

On May 6, 2025

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

Literary Locals logo
I haven’t had a chance to read Cindi Hartley’s work yet, but I’m very excited to introduce you to her. When I met her at the Nampa Library’s Book Faire last month, her effervescent personality made me a fan. She’s new to being a published author, which brings a fun perspective. Hope you enjoy this–and that you give her book a shot.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Hi, my name is Cindi Hartley. I am a volunteer disability advocate and accessibility advisor with experience in training volunteer forces, setting up accessible spaces, and hosting events that focus on helping those with special needs and various physical disabilities find more inclusion within the community. I myself live with a condition known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Arthrochalasia type (aEDS) which has progressed to the point of needing a wheelchair due to stability issues when I try to walk. As my health has weakened through the years, I have had to step back more, but I continue to do what I can when I am asked for help which has included hosting a wheelchair challenge for my city leaders and being on call to answer accessibility questions or brainstorm solutions to accessibility barriers in the community.

I have been an avid reader and book lover for as long as I can remember. I have often dreamed of being a writer and have won small awards for various essays, poetry, and an old blog through the years. Even with all that though, I never thought I would get to see the day my name appeared on the byline of a book. It’s been humbling, overwhelming, exciting, and nerve-wracking all at once. Definitely a whole new experience, but one I am grateful to be having. My main goal with “Fifth Sparrow Rising” is to provide encouragement and a few simple ideas for how my readers can help bring more light into the world around them. I share a bit of my personal story and faith as well as experiences through some of the hardest parts of my life and things I have learned through it all in hopes that at least one person might feel seen and find help, hope, or courage from it. This is not a tell-all memoir, nor is it a complete summary of my life, but I hope it is enough to help show others they are not alone and that there is a way to find light again, as well as be a light, even when one has lived through darkness.

You can reach me through my Facebook page, titled the same as my book, or through my email address: The5thSparrow@yahoo.com, and I will do my best to respond as quickly as I can. My book is currently available through Mail Room ‘n’ More (Nampa), Mustard Seed (Nampa), or Sweet Zola’s (Boise). You can also get it directly from me at book signings. My next one is coming up on May 17th at Shared Stories in Caldwell.

What brought you to Idaho in the first place? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I am not a native Idahoan. I moved here from Kansas back in 2015 when my family and friends helped raise funds to get me to the Treasure Valley after a few doctors here made national news in the EDS community. I was able to see a couple of them before they retired or moved their practice out to the East Coast. Their help gave me back my stability for a few extra years, which I will always be grateful for.

What keeps me here is twofold. The nature and beauty of this state fills my heart, and the kindness and acceptance of the overall community and people here have helped me feel at home. I may be a Kansan by birth, but I am an Idahoan at heart.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
My book was published in January of this year so I am still trying to find my feet in this new experience of being an author. I do however appreciate the kind and welcoming nature of other local authors who welcomed me with open arms at my first book fair. These are writers I have been a fan of and have eagerly looked forward to seeing at various book fairs over the years, and when I stepped to the other side of the table for the first time in April they immediately embraced me as one of their own which meant the world to me and provided more encouragement than I could express. I also have a friend I made from being a fan of her writing who has helped with advice and encouragement when I needed it while trying to complete my book.

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
I am still new to all this, but so far I have been at the Nampa Library book fair this past April and a book signing at Mail Room ‘n’ More in Nampa. I have another book signing coming up in May at Shared Stories in Caldwell and hope to be able to find a spot in another book fair in the fall.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
Through past writings I have known a global audience, but for this book my audience as been mostly local or from Vermont, where the artists responsible for the beautiful cover art are from. I have a few readers in a handful of other states as well, and one reader in Australia, which was a humbling thing to experience.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
I am not sure about challenges, but one advantage was the Nampa Library and the librarians who work there. They were a huge support throughout my writing process by helping with everything from beta reading and light editing support to helping me tackle tech issues when trying to transport my book from my trusty notebook to the computer. I could never have done all this so quickly without their support.

I also believe I couldn’t find more genuine support and encouragement than I do from the local author community here and the community of readers. That in itself is a huge asset tied to being in the Treasure Valley.

Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
I don’t mention Idaho specifically, but I do draw from some of my experiences while living here. I also highlight the importance of kindness, acceptance, and community which I believe are values that are shared by fellow Idahoans.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
Oh, that’s a hard one for a book dragon. lol If I had to narrow it down, I would say “Idaho’s Remarkable Women: Daughters, Wives, Sisters, and Mothers Who Shaped History” by L.E. Bragg and “Fuzzwiggs: the Switcheroo” by Amy Maren Rice. An odd pair at first glance, I admit, but I honestly feel they help summarize what makes Idaho so great. The former is a non-fiction book about some key people in Idaho’s past that helped shape this state and is full of the grit, heart, and the kind of determination that makes Idaho strong. The latter is a fun fantasy that highlights humor, nature, and adventure while bringing you a story of family bonds and personal growth, while the main characters learn the value of working together and building a mentality of teamwork and community. Idaho to me is a magical and beautiful place, where the history and culture is rooted in perseverance, strength, and courage, and the sense of community and family here is strong. There are several more books that I could add to this list, but I choose these two books to highlight because I believe that together they help capture a good summary of what makes this state what it is.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!

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Good Trouble by Forest Issac Jones: Marching toward Victory

By HCNewton

On May 5, 2025

In Blog Series, Book Tour, History, Non-Fiction, Politics/Current Affairs

Good Trouble:
The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972

by Forest Issac Jones

DETAILS:
Publisher: First Hill Books
Publication Date: April 1, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 200 pg.
Read Date: May 1-3, 2025

What’s Good Trouble About?

It’s really simple, based on several interviews as well as plenty of research, Jones shows the connections between the Catholic Rights movement in Northern Ireland and the Civil Rights Movement in the Southern US in the late 60s and early 70s.

Essentially, groups and individuals in Northern Ireland saw what the non-violent protests in the U.S. were able to accomplish, how they went about it—and the costs they paid. Drawing inspiration—at the least—and borrowing methodology, they sought to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors.

Selma

After a chapter or two covering Michael Collins, the Easter Rising, and the rise of the IRA to set the stage, Jones turns his focus to the Eastern US—he discusses the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the March on Washington, and the Selma to Montgomery March. It’s a real mix of hope, joy, and trauma.

The bulk of this section is on the Selma to Montgomery March—the first-person accounts from those who participated in the March adds so much to this.

Derry

Jones then shifts to his discussion of the Catholic Rights movement—the way they self-consciously (and likely) unconsciously appropriated the methodology of the Black marchers and demonstrators on the other side of the Atlantic. They used similar thinking, learned lessons from the missteps of the Civil Rights marchers, and even used the song “We Shall Overcome.”

Despite some promising moves, and rallying after devastating counter-protests and police action, things did not stay non-violent in Northern Ireland, as we all well-know. Jones doesn’t spend as much time on that (if for no other reason than it stopped drawing inspiration from the South), but he does give a solid overview of it. Again, the first-person accounts he weaves into things like the account of the Long March from Belfast to Derry in 1969 are genuinely effective.

Some Minor Issues

I’m not sure that Jones inserting himself into the narrative quite as often as he did helped things that much. His friends fit in better—largely because they were among the first-person accounts mentioned before—but I’m not sure he needed to give them the same introduction every time. His parents might have been mentioned too often—they also didn’t need the same introduction almost every time they were mentioned. Nor did we need to be told twice in the same chapter how surprised they were to see Obama elected.

The repetition there makes me think of my main gripe—too many of the sentences and structure of various sections just needed a little more work. It really felt like another draft or two would’ve helped. The prose needed a little more tightening and a little less redundancy.

I don’t know that I’d have mentioned this in other circumstances, but it feels like a book talking about topics and themes that are this important should have writing to match—and this just doesn’t. I’d like for Jones to have elevated his prose to match this.

So, what did I think about Good Trouble?

In the movie The Commitments*, the band’s manager tells them:

Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I’m black and I’m proud.

Despite it being the wrong part of Ireland, that kept running through my mind while reading this book—and it only got louder when protestors in Derry started calling themselves “White Negroes.” Sure, it was a lighthearted moment in the movie—it wasn’t lighthearted (at least not for long) for those in Derry. This identification with the cause in the States underlines just how similar the causes and how precarious the situations for both groups were (this is particularly helpful for U.S. readers who may not be as familiar with “the Troubles” as we might want to be). Jobs, health, housing, and access to government—it all hung on getting the people and the government to sympathize with, to make systemic changes for these minority populations.

While hopeful—at least ultimately—this was not an easy read, the reminders, refreshers, or first-looks (depending on the reader) at the struggles, the hardships, the injustices before, during, and after the marches and the movement are harrowing and hard to read. Man’s inhumanity to man because of some perceived superiority is frightening and sickening—and Jones makes sure the reader sees that. And it won’t be easy to move on from that.

Yeah, there were some flaws with the book (hopefully some of them were caught before the final printing)—but they are overshadowed by the power of the book.

More than that—there’s a playbook to be found here for those who might be looking at mass demonstrations and marches in the future. They’re paths that are well-trodden, with various levels of success. Just knowing that others have faced these challenges and stuck to their non-violent convictions as much as possible can—and hopefully will—help others to do the same.

I’m glad I read this book—and think you will be, too.

* Probably the novel, too. But, it’s dangerous for me to check that unless I’m prepared to end up re-reading the whole thing.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972 by Forest Issac Jones

By HCNewton

On May 5, 2025

In Book Tour, History, Non-Fiction, Politics/Current Affairs

I’m very pleased today to welcome The Write Reads Blog Tour for Forest Issac Jones’ provocative Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972 on its last day! If you take a look at the feed for https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours from the last week, you’ll see what several other bloggers have had to say about it. My $.02 will be coming along in a little bit.

Book Details:

Title: Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972 by Forest Issac Jones
Genre: Non-Fiction
Age Category: Adult
Format: Paperback/Ebook
Length: 200 pages
Publication Date: April 1, 2025

About the Book:

Good Trouble will show the strong connection between the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the Catholic Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland – specifically the influence of the Montgomery to Selma march on the 1969 Belfast to Derry march through oral history, based on numerous interviews of events leading up to both marches and afterwards. This is close to the author’s heart as both of his parents marched to integrate lunch counters and movie theatres in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1963 as college students. His mother was at the 1963 March to Washington where Martin Luther King gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

Award-winning author Julieann Campbell (On Bloody Sunday) wrote the introduction for Good Trouble, looking back at her times growing up in Derry, in the heart of the Catholic Civil Rights Movement. Jones traveled to Dublin, Belfast, and Derry to conduct interviews for the book. In all, he did fifteen interviews with people who were involved in the movement in Northern Ireland (including Billy McVeigh – featured in the BAFTA winning documentary, Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland) and in the United States (including Richard Smiley and Dr. Sheyann Webb-Christburg – both were at Bloody Sunday in Alabama and on the Selma to Montgomery march among others). Jones was also able to talk with Eamonn McCann (he took part in the Belfast to Derry march in 1969; he was the John Lewis of Northern Ireland).

Unlike most books on Northern Ireland, this goes into detail about the connection and the influence between the two movements. Also, most focus on Bloody Sunday and not the pivotal incidents at Burntollet Bridge and the Battle of the Bogside. Building off of unprecedented access and interviews with participants in both movements, Jones crafts a gripping and moving account of these pivotal years for both countries.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The StoryGraph

About the Author:

Forest Issac Jones is the author of the upcoming Good Trouble, a historical examination about the connection between the US Black Civil Rights movement and the Catholic Civil Rights movement in Northern Ireland. ‘An insightful and compelling examination of a terrible period in our shared histories” (Brian McGilloway), it focuses specifically on the influence of the 1965 Montgomery to Selma march on the 1969 Belfast to Derry march through oral history, based on numerous interviews from people who were there on the front lines.

He is an award-winning author of nonfiction and essays, specializing in the study of Irish history, the US Civil Rights movement, and Northern Ireland. His latest essay, ‘The Civil Rights Connection Between the USA and Northern Ireland’ was awarded honorable mention in the category of nonfiction essay by Writer’s Digest in their 93rd annual writing competition in 2024.

In addition, Forest is a member of the Historical Writers Association, Crime Writers of Color, and the James River Writers.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Saturday Miscellany—5/3/25

By HCNewton

On May 3, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday 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:
bullet Most parents don’t enjoy reading to their children, survey suggests—might as well start on a down note, right? Can only go up from here…
bullet A Fifth of American Adults Can’t Read. Here’s How To Teach Them.—well, maybe not. (I don’t know enough to comment on the “how to teach” bit, as inclined as I am to agree). There’s probably a link between these two pieces.
bullet People who buy books faster than they can read them usually share these 7 traits—This’ll lift your mood a bit (I think this also applies to people who check out too many library books at once)
bullet Premodern Chinese Literature Can Be Trendy Too—Sure, why not? I’m mostly posting this for the one friend who will despair that one of his niche interests is trendy, but this did make me wish I had a little room on ye olde TBR.
bullet So, You Want to Write a Cookbook?—huh.
bullet Triumph of the Undead: The Public Domain as Horror Hero
bullet Scholars Have Lost the Plot!—This showed up as a sidebar link to the Public Domain piece, and I’m a little obsessed with it now. I’d like to take 2-3 weeks off to read the materials he’s interacting with and interact with this piece.I probably won’t. Okay, I definetly won’t, but it was a nice daydream.
bullet The Edgar Awards were given this week, which means it’s time for CrimeReads to post their roundtable discussions with the nominees. I love these annual posts. The State of the Mystery, Part 1: Craft Lessons and Favorite Reads and The State of the Mystery, Part 2: Issues, Concerns, and The Long Road Ahead.
bullet Speaking of the Edgars, I might as well share the list of the winners: 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
bullet Nabokov’s Favorite Color, Stephen King’s Adverb Bullshit, Language’s Value Only As A Measure of Time—I really wish I remembered whose link I followed to this.
bullet What’s the deal with dystopian picturebooks?—I didn’t know this was a thing. There’s at least two of these that I had to fight the impulse to buy. (for now)
bullet Remembering the Average Reader—Yes. The phrase “average reader” is accurate but has a strange tone to me (I know Krysta wasn’t being pejorative—that’s the whole point). My friends tend to phrase it as: “people who aren’t like HC” or “normal readers.”
bullet 3 Truly Odd Protagonists & Why We Really Really Like Them—Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Dent, and Quentin Coldwater in the same piece. Worth reading just for that interesting combo.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Fairest by Marissa Meyer—that was 10 years ago??
bullet Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig—That was only 10 years ago??
bullet Dark Heir by Faith Hunter—a turning point in my appreciation for the series
bullet I mentioned the release of Darkened Blade by Kelly McCullough

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet The Mystery of the Crooked Man by Tom Spencer—”Fraudulent cozy mystery expert Agatha Dorn is cancelled — and severely ticked off! — in this quirky homage to Golden Age detectives, lost manuscripts, and famous authors.” I dig the premise here, if the execution matches, it’ll be a winner.
bullet Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker—”In this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.” There’s no way I’d make it through this horror novel—but, man, it sounds great. Someone read it and tell me what I missed, okay?

WWW Wednesday—April 30, 2025

By HCNewton

On April 30, 2025

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

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?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis	Back After This by Linda Holmes

I should be finishing Lewis’ Space Trilogy here this evening–if nothing else, each book in this trilogy is radically different than the one before. I’m very curious about how he wraps this all up.

I really have no idea why I picked up Back After This but one of my favorite (non book) bloggers recommended it, and our tastes generally align. I’m less than a chapter into it at the moment, so I really can’t say anything about it yet.

What did you recently finish reading?


A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick	Orconomics: A Satire by J. Zachary Pike, read by Doug Tisdale Jr.

A Scanner Darkly was something, that’s for sure. I’m not sure what, though. Really well-written, fantastic ideas, but I’m not sure about the whole package.

Pike’s satire was everything I’d hoped it’d be–and more.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972 by Forest Issac Jones	The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven, read by John Banks

I’ve been reading a lot of dark and heavy things, so as an antidote, let’s see what Good Trouble has in store. Oh, more of the same. Okay, then.

At least at the end of the latest Poe and Tilly book, there’s a somewhat happy ending after all the dark and heavy.

What are you escaping into lately?

Book Blogger Hop: Do You Have Enough Shelf Space?

By HCNewton

On April 28, 2025

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:

Do you have enough shelves for all your books?

This is one of those very important questions that any book hoarder collector has to ask themselves regularly. Possibly frequently. As the meme says, it’s not a matter of too many books, it’s not enough shelves.

We have shelves in almost every room of the house–and one hallway. Some of these shelves could be replaced by taller versions. Some could be filled more efficiently/to greater capacity. Nevertheless, we’re running out of places for shelves. This is going to be a problem–possibly as soon as 2026.

But right now? I do happen to have enough space for my books and a little room to grow. This is not a phenomenon that I’m all that familiar with, honestly. But I’m enjoying it. There’s a bookcase that serves as my physical TBR stack (with a shelf of “you need to write about these soon”), a few Non-Fiction cases, more Fiction cases, a couple that are for my wife’s books, a little bench/shelf unit for the grandchildren’s books. The TBR unit is overflowing (sadly), the Non-Fiction has a little room for growth, the Fiction cases are really close to filling, but my wife’s cases are in real danger of hitting the limit. Oh, I’ve got a couple of those corner shelf units, too. They’re not bad, but not particularly large or helpful–I think I could fit a handful onto one of them. The grandchildren’s shelves are about half full–so that’s promising.

Okay, thinking about it in those terms make me think I have less breathing-room than I initially thought. 2026-me definitely has a problem, and had better start coming up with some solutions.

Remember, as the meme/tshirt/poster says:
It's not hoarding if it's books

How about you, reader? Do you have enough shelf space?

Saturday Miscellany—4/26/25

By HCNewton

On April 26, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Did I spend too much at the Independent Bookstore Day event I attended? Yes. Am I bothered by that? No, because I actually showed restraint–I could’ve easily spent 2 or 3 times as much. And, I did cut myself off from going to multiple bookstores. Don’t tell me I don’t have self-control.

I also found the time to put this post together before I go to celebrate the Grandcritter’s 2nd Birthday (boggles my mind that he’s that age already). We start with a couple of links that aren’t technically bookish, but I appealed to the owner/manager of this site, and he agreed to let me post them anyway.

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 The Thursday Murder Club movie has released production photos!—sure, they’re just photos. But hard to imagine them getting the look better. Makes me feel hopeful about the rest.
bullet May the Fourth Gift Giving Guide—This Dad Reads is providing an essential servce here
bullet Ten Recommended Superhero Novels II—C.T. Phipps has put together a really nice list over at Before We Go Blog.
bullet 5 Year Blogiversary: Half a Decade of Cozy with Books—Congrats to Cozy with Books for making it to 5!
bullet Books About Books: A List—Witty & Sarcastic Book club commemorated World Book Day with this list and some great quotations about books.
bullet The Nicest Characters in Fiction—characters that need to be celebrated
bullet Andr3wsky has one of my favorite takes of the week

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson
bullet The Diamond Conspiracy by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
bullet And I mentioned the releases of Second Olympus by K. A. Stewart and The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler—two books that I never got around to reading and completely forgot about (and I think I regret both…still look pretty good)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg—the arson investigators, Sharpe and Walker hunt for a serial torcher on a spree (with a little help from Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone)
bullet Death Rights by Shannon Knight—Knight follows up Grave Cold with this sequel that ramps up the stakes in a very satisfying way. (well, the beta version I read was very satisfying, and from what I can assume from the changes Knight described, it’s even stronger).

Opening Lines: A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

By HCNewton

On April 24, 2025

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

Head & Shoulders used to tell us that, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s true for wearing dark shirts, and it’s especially true for books. Sometimes the characters will hook the reader, sometimes the premise, sometimes it’s just knowing the author—but nothing beats a great–or strange–opening for getting a reader to commit.

Once a guy stood all day shaking bugs from his hair. The doctor told him there were no bugs in his hair. After he had taken a shower for eight hours, standing under hot water hour after hour suffering the pain of the bugs, he got out and dried himself, and he still had bugs in his hair; in fact, he had bugs all over him. A month later he had bugs in his lungs.

Having nothing else to do or think about, he began to work out theoretically the life cycle of the bugs, and, with the aid of the Britannica, try to determine specifically which bugs they were. They now filled his house. He read about many different kinds and finally noticed bugs outdoors, so he concluded they were aphids. After that decision came to his mind it never changed, no matter what other people told him… like “Aphids don’t bite people.”

They said that to him because the endless biting of the bugs kept him in torment. At the 7-11 grocery store, part of a chain spread out over most of California, he bought spray cans of Raid and Black Flag and Yard Guard. First he sprayed the house, then himself, The Yard Guard seemed to work the best.

from A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

Opening Lines Logo

WWW Wednesday—April 23, 2025

By HCNewton

On April 23, 2025

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

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?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick	Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

The Sci-Fi Book Club at Shared Stories is doing a great job of getting me to read things I’ve meant to get around to forever. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly is just one of those books.

I just realized that, if I want to finish this re-listen through The Rivers of London in time to read the new book when it’s released, I’d better get moving. Broken Homes is one of my favorites, so that helps incentivize me.

What did you recently finish reading?


Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson	Summer Knight by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

I love it when a sequel surpasses the original, and Stevenson succeeded there.

I (as expected) thoroughly enjoyed Summer Knight, I’d forgotten how much happened in this particular novel.

What do you think you’ll read next?


That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis	Orconomics: A Satire by J. Zachary Pike, read by Doug Tisdale Jr.

I’m a little behind schedule with my Lewis read for the month, but better late than never for this conclusion to the Space Trilogy–the only one I haven’t read before.

I remember wanting to pick up Orconomics when it came out in print a few years back, but I remember nothing else about it. I guess I’m about to see if I was right.

Category: Blog Series Page 26 of 217

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What’s Good Trouble About?

Selma

Derry

Some Minor Issues

So, what did I think about Good Trouble?

Book Details:

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Do you have enough shelves for all your books?

How about you, reader? Do you have enough shelf space?

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What are you reading?