Category: Blog Series Page 95 of 220

Book Blogger Hop: Are You a Voracious Reader or a Book Nerd?

On November 16, 2022

This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:

Which do you prefer to be known as: a voracious reader or a book nerd?

If I’m going to limit myself to those choices, I guess I’d probably go with “voracious reader”. I like the term book nerd, though, and would answer to it unthinkingly. But voracious seems to fit me better (although it also feels like an understatement…from my first reading to today, I saw myself in Scout Finch’s “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”).

However, if I’m not limiting myself to those options, I have a few other ideas:
bullet The ubiquitous Book Wyrm/Book Dragon label
bullet A Book Shark (à la “I always read. You know how sharks have to keep swimming or they die? I’m like that. If I stop reading, I die.” as Patrick Rothfuss has said)
bullet An Irresponsible Reader (see this comic, and, well…the banner above)
bullet A Bookish Weirdo (thanks, Fahrenheit Press merch!)
bullet But I think my favorite description is something I stumbled onto via a Kevin Hearne tweet: “ink drinker” (buveur d’encre) (see this post from bluesyemre for other nifty international terms).

How do you self-identify as readers?

WWW Wednesday, November 16, 2022

By HCNewton

On November 16, 2022

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

We’ve reached the midway point for the week, and it’s about time that I actually produce something. Let’s start with this week’s WWW Wednesday and see if I can manage anything else.

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 having a blast with Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan and I’m listening to Missing Pieces by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator) on audiobook. I’m a little worried about what I’m going to do now that I’m a couple of hours short of being totally caught up on this series. I guess it’s about time to start it again.

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What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Michael Connelly’s Desert Star (hopefully you’ll read my take on it later today) and All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor, Ray Porter (Narrator) on audio—this series keeps getting better..

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What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones and my next audiobook should be Druid Vices and a Vodka by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator).

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What about you?

Saturday Miscellany—11/12/22

By HCNewton

On November 12, 2022

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Between Twitter collapsing and insert-your-own-description of Election Day, I didn’t see a lot of bookish things to read this week (could be me being distracted by the books I was working on more than the other items, honestly). So this is going to be another skimpy entry. By all means, point me at things you think I missed. We’ve also got the holiday season commencing, so that typical results in a plethora of things to read or a real desert.

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 Today in AWWWW: Reading out loud to dogs improves literacy in kids.—Along these lines, my daughter’s work has taken her to a few events at a local library where kids can read to therapy-dogs-in-training, as a way to help both participants. Which is about the most wholesome thing I can think of.
bullet 5 Helpful Ways to Overcome Reader’s Block—I’m pretty sure almost every piece on Blocks/Slumps I share has these tips, but who knows… (I just can’t help myself)
bullet Carlisle author MW Craven’s detective Washington Poe gives boost to Cumbria—a nice side effect to being the home of one of the greats
bullet Damppebbles’s annual recommendation-fest, #R3COMM3ND3D, is in full swing—be sure to drop by for all the temptation and maybe a new favorite or twelve:
bullet …with BookBlogger Joanne
bullet …with BookBlogger Kate
bullet …with BookBlogger Anita
bullet …with BookBlogger Emily Quinn
bullet …with Blogger, Reviewer and CrimeFictionCommentator Ayo Onatade
bullet …with Author Pernille Hughes
bullet …with Bookstagrammer Charlotte Bonner
bullet The Anxiety of the TBR Shelf—co-sign
bullet 23 of the Most Iconic Young Adult Books of All Time—I don’t consider myself much of a YA reader (not opposed to it, but, you know), but I’ve read a larger number of these than I’d expected to
bullet 5 Millennial-Approved Young Adult Book Series That Are Still Going Strong

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet The Thriller Zone Episode 105: Robert Crais, author of Racing The Light—a short and snappy chat with the great

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Desert Star by Michael Connelly—Ballard gives Bosch one last shot at his White Whale—the killer of a family of four who has gotten away with it for far too long. Expect a very positive post from me next week.
bullet Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson—like most Wilson books, this seems to defy summarizing in a line or two. Click the link for a description.
bullet Blue Like Me by Aaron Philip Clark—this sequel to Under Color of Law puts the LAPD detective-turned-PI on the hunt for a cop-killer.

The Friday 56 for 11/11/22: Less by Andrew by Sean Greer

By HCNewton

On November 11, 2022

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:
Less

Less by Andrew by Sean Greer

“Do you think of yourself as a genius, Arthur?”

“What? Me?”

Apparently the Head takes that as a no. “You and me. we’ve met geniuses. And we know we’re not like them, don’t we? What is it like to go on, knowing you are not a genius, knowing you are a mediocrity? I think it’s the worst kind of hell.”

“Well,” Less said. “I think there’s something between genius and mediocrity—”

“That’s what Virgil never showed Dante. He showed him Plato and Aristotle in a pagan paradise. But what about the lesser minds? Are we consigned to the flames?”

“No, I guess,” Less offers, “just to conferences like this one.”

Book Blogger Hop: Which Came First, the Book or the Movie?

By HCNewton

On November 9, 2022

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:

Do you watch film adaptations of books before reading them?

Almost always I read the book first. I want my imagination to be the dominant vision in my head. For example, I don’t want to put up with Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in my head when I read a Herron novel, as fantastic as he was (or as Dracula, or as Sirius Black). Having my mental image and the character’s voice firmly established, I can watch Slow Horses and enjoy Oldman’s take on the character.

This has backfired on me a few times, mostly when the adaptations are so divorced from the source material that it hurts the experience. take The Water Horse. I read that to/with my kids before the movie came out because we all wanted that experience. And boy howdy, could that movie have been more different from the book? I think it was perfectly nice and we’d have probably enjoyed it more had we not known the book.

Sometimes, I don’t care enough about the book based on what I’ve heard/adaptation trailer I’ve seen to care, and will watch the show/movie first. Occasionally, actually seeing the adaptation will make me reconsider and grab the book (I can’t come up with an example at the moment to use here, which is a shame).

Rarely, I think an adaptation looks so good that I don’t want to know what the novel is like. For example, Game of Thrones. You knew that the writers/producers were going to have to make changes from the novels for that, and I didn’t want to be one of those guys sitting there watching saying things like, “Well, actually Khal Drogo should have bells in his hair and…” After having seen season one, I could read the books and keep the two worlds separate in my mind. Sure, that seems to be the opposite of what I said in that first paragraph. It’s rare that an adaptation looks that good to me.

There’s always the stuff that I end up watching for one reason or another and don’t know it’s an adaptation until I’m watching/have watched. That usually inspires me to read it afterward, just to see.

So basically, the book first, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. I didn’t realize I had so many exceptions to the rule, though. Guess you learn something every day.

What about you, readers?

WWW Wednesday, November 9, 2022

By HCNewton

On November 9, 2022

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

While all of us in the U.S. are celebrating or grousing (or a little of each) about the election results (and you’re formally invited to not comment on them below), I’m going to take a quick break to tackle today’s 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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the ARC for NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority by Marshall Karp (an actual paper ARC, it’s been ages since I got my hands on one of those) and I’m listening to All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor, Ray Porter (Narrator) on audiobook, I’ve barely scratched the surface and Taylor has already upped the stakes more than I expected.

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What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Andrew Sean Greer’s Less and Screwed by Eoin Colfer, John Keating (Narrator) on audio. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve listened to and read two books with such divergent feels simultaneously.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Desert Star by Michael Connelly and my next audiobook should be Missing Pieces by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator) it’d be easy to draw a lot of parallels between these series at this point in their runs, but I know the voices are so different, that I’m not worried about them being too similar.

Blank Space

Have you been reading anything interesting lately?

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Terry’s Crew by Terry Crews and Cory Thomas

By HCNewton

On November 8, 2022

In Book Tour, Comics, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Today I’m very pleased to welcome the Book Tour for the graphic novel, Terry’s Crew by Terry Crews and Cory Thomas (which happens to publish today, something you should take advantage of). It’s a fun read and I’m happy to spend some time today highlighting it. Along with this spotlight post, I have my take on the graphic novel later this morning. (That links will work when the post goes live.) Be sure to check out the rest of the highlights, reviews, and other posts associated with the Tour here.

First, let’s take a look at Terry’s Crew.

Book Details:

Book Title: Terry’s Crew by Terry Crews and Cory Thomas
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: November 8, 2022
Format: Hardcover/Trade Paperback/Ebook
Length: 208 pages
ISBN: 9780316499989

About the Book:

Actor-author-athlete Terry Crews digs into his childhood in Flint, Michigan, to tell a story of fitting in and finding your place in his showstopping debut middle-grade graphic novel, the start of a series.

“Terry’s Crew is a true delight from beginning to end. It’s sure to provide a much-needed mirror and sliding glass door for countless kids.” —Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give

“A delightful, powerful, readable retelling of Terry Crews’s adolescence. Readers young and old will be captivated.”
—Sharon M. Draper, author of Out of My Mind

“A must read for all those kids who allow themselves to dream in a variety of big ways. Bravo!” —Pablo Cartaya, author of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

Young Terry Crews has a Big Dream Plan: He wants to become a MULTIHYPHENATE. That means he wants to be an artist. And a football player. And a musician. And maybe a NASA scientist, too! OK, maybe it’s ambitious, but his parents worked hard so he could go to a new school—Rock City Academy, a prestigious institution (read: rich kids go there) where he’s sure he can make his mark at the talent show. He plans an elaborate performance with his new friends, Rani, a passionate engineer, and Xander, a shy kid with a head like an encyclopedia.

Along the way, Terry’s plan is threatened by his grades, which slip below Mom-and-Dad-approved levels, as well as the schemes of the school’s football star, Rick, who won’t stop until Terry quits the talent show altogether. No matter what challenges he faces, though, Terry knows that he always has his crew to back him up.

Purchase Links

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository ~ Indigo ~ IndieBound

About the Author:

Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor and former American football player. He is best known for playing Julius on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, Sergeant Terry Jeffords on the NBC comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and for his appearances in Old Spice commercials, as well as films such as Friday After Next, Idiocracy, and The Expendables series. He is a host of America’s Got Talent.

Author Links

Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook

My thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours for the invitation to participate in this Book Tour and the materials (including the book) they provided.

Saturday Miscellany—11/5/22

By HCNewton

On November 5, 2022

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I don’t think I have much to say today before diving into things (I rarely do, probably, I’m just rarely self-aware enough to stop talking), so let’s skip my blather and get right to the good stuff:
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 Words we think we know, but can’t pronounce: the curse of the avid reader—Been there, done that. I particularly enjoy when strong Jeopardy! contestants display this. If those masters of the minutiae stumble, I can get away with it, too.
bullet On the Cult of Craftism
bullet ‘It provoked an erotic shock in me’ – Marian Keyes, Nick Hornby, Leïla Slimani and other writers on the books that changed them
bullet Five Mysteries That Inspire Serious Childhood Favorite Vibes: Find out what mystery you should read next based on your favorite childhood books.
bullet A Milestone, of a Sort: One Kay for The Iron Gate—Harry Connolly (who I will convince more of you to read if it’s the last thing I do) looks at his sales and ponders the state of his career
bullet My First Thriller: S.A. Cosby—A great profile of Cosby and his first novel.
bullet Thoughts on Cozy Fantasy by K. R. R. Lockhaven—Lockhaven dropped by Fanfiaddict to offer some thoughts on the subgenre. Apparently, I’ve been reading it longer than I realized.
bullet Dolls, weirdness, and imaginary numbers…—Fahrenheit Press announces an upcoming release. All I can say is that you have to read about it. (and probably order it)
bullet #R3COMM3ND3D is back! This is likely my favorite annual blog series and I’ve already been tempted by too many books to read (and I’ve been happy to see some familiar titles, too).
bullet …with #BookBlogger Lorna
bullet …with #BookBlogger Ally Parsonage
bullet …with #BookBlogger Carla
bullet …with Author Anne Coates
bullet …with Reviewer Me And My Books
bullet Transmissive Authors: A Theory and Thoughts
bullet A Blogger’s Life: Anxiety Ridden Mind of a Blogger—The Withering Blog talks about resuming blogging, or “My Return from Exile”
bullet Books, books, and more books—shelves to admire and a habit I can relate to

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet The Flood Circle by Harry Connolly—Fresh on the heels of The Iron Gate, Ray and Annalise are up against their greatest challenge yet—with the greatest rewards. I’m trying to work this into my schedule ASAP. If I go without sleep this week…
bullet Racing the Light by Robert Crais—Elvis Cole (with some help from Joe Pike and Jon Stone) hunts for a missing/abducted podcaster. I had a few enthusiastic things to say about it.
bullet Gardens by Benedict Jacka—an action-packed novella in the Alex Verus universe. .

EXCERPT from Kestrel’s Dance by Misty Massey: A Fish Slipping Its Net?

By HCNewton

On November 5, 2022

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction, Quotations

from Kestrel’s Dance by Misty Massey

The men throwing hounscozza cubes erupted into cheers and raucous teasing. Their noise proved enough for the reader. Slamming his book closed, he tossed back his drink and stood. Now that she could see his face, Kestrel realized she’d seen him before. She pressed her hands flat on the table, letting the residual ache remind her to stay calm. On Eldraga, after her fight with the knife-fighter. This was the strange man who stopped at her table and made the vague threat about the fish slipping its net, one she hadn’t put any stock in at the time. Yet she’d heard the threat more and more, and now here he was. With all that had happened, she wasn’t in a mind to think it was coincidence.

The man squinted at her. He smiled slowly, no trace of humor in his eyes. He rubbed his free hand over his belly, and marched out the door before she could say anything. The Islands weren’t so big that a person wouldn’t run into people this way, but something was wrong.

“Shadd,” she said. When the big man glanced over, she beckoned him to her. “That man who was reading in the corner — did you notice him leave just now?”

He furrowed his brow. “I think so, Captain. Is somethin’ amiss?”

“Can you follow him a bit? And tell me where he stops?”

“On my way,” he said. He stopped at his table and muttered something to McAvery, then sauntered out the door, as if he’d meant to go all along.

“What’s wrong, my girl?” Binns asked.

“Did you know that man?”

“Can’t say I do. He usually orders a drink and reads until his mug is empty. Hasn’t given the barmaid any trouble.”

Of course not. There’d have been no reason to draw attention to himself, not if he was waiting for someone. For her. “He approached me on Eldraga. Very mysterious. He said something strange to me about a fish not staying netted, then walked away.”
Binns’ eyes widened. “Did he say anythin’ else?”

“No,” she said. “Why?”

He drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “I had a network of informants, back in my day. You might recall one of ’em givin’ you a message about roses and thorns one time.”

She did remember. On Eldraga, the night before Binns was arrested and jailed, and his ship stolen from the harbor. She’d believed the messenger to be a drunken tramp at the time, talking nonsense. “You mean that was one of yours?”

“He wasn’t. But that phrase, ‘fish not staying netted’? That was one o’ mine.”

“What did it mean?”

He frowned. “It means someone you thought safely locked away may have gotten loose.”

Interested in the rest? Go grab your copy of Kestrel’s Dance by Misty Massey now!

My thanks to Psst…/Let’s Talk Promotions for the invitation to participate in this Book Tour and the materials (including the book) they provided.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT (and GIVEAWAY): Kestrel’s Dance by Misty Massey

By HCNewton

On November 5, 2022

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction

Today I’m very pleased to welcome the Book Tour for the second Mad Kestral novel, Kestral’s Dance by Misty Massey. Along with this spotlight post, I have an excerpt from the novel to share, then I’ll be giving my take on the novel (a little later. Those links’ll work when the posts go live in an hour or two. If you scroll down to the bottom of this post (or, you know, read it), you’ll find a nifty giveaway.

First, let’s take a look at Kestral’s Dance.

Book Details:

Book Title: Kestral’s Dance by Misty Massey
Publisher: Lore Seekers Press
Release date: June 24, 2022
Format: Ebook/Paperback
Length: 319 pages
AISN: B09YC8JSP5

About the Book:

Kestrel, the King’s Privateer, is preparing to wait out the annual storm season when she receives an unexpected royal order to capture and deliver a rare creature for the king’s menagerie. Before she can weigh anchor, news reaches Kestrel of a long-ago friend in desperate need of help—in the opposite direction of her assigned voyage. In addition, her ship may be haunted by something big, loud, and terrifying.

Before Kestrel can plot a course, she crosses paths with an enigmatic dancer who offers an enticing bargain: sail her home to the Continent, an ocean away, and she’ll reveal the mysteries of magic Kestrel has longed all her life to know.

The temptation of answers endangers her crew and might ruin her privateer status. Worse, taking on this passenger could thrust her into the clutches of the ever-watchful Danisoban mages who lie in wait for her to make the perfect mistake.

Every decision is fraught with danger. Each wrong turn may mean her death or the death of her crew. And Captain Kestrel can walk away from none of them.

Kestrel, the pirate who can whistle up the wind, returns in book two of the Mad Kestrel Series. Captain Kes will defy the king, gamble with her friends’ lives, and run the risk of capture by evil mages to get her hands on the magical knowledge so long denied to her.

Purchase Links

Amazon ~ Try Book 1: Mad Kestral

About the Author:

Misty Massey is the author of Mad Kestrel, a rollicking adventure of magic on the high seas, Kestrel’s Voyages, a collection of short stories featuring those rambunctious pirates, and the upcoming Kestrel’s Dance. She is a co-editor of The Weird Wild West and Lawless Lands: Tales of the Weird Frontier, and was a founding member of Magical Words. Her short fiction has appeared in many anthologies and she’s working on a series of Shadow Council novellas for Falstaff Press featuring the famous gunslinger Doc Holliday. When she’s not writing, Misty studies and performs Middle Eastern dance and will, on occasion, surprise everyone with a batch of home-baked snickerdoodles. She’s a sucker for good sushi, African coffee, SC Gamecock football, and the darkest rum she can find. You can keep up with what Misty’s doing at mistymassey.com, Facebook and Twitter.

Social Media Links:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ TikTok ~ Instagram

GIVEAWAY:

There’s a tour-wide giveaway for a Gift Card for Barnes and Noble or Amazon—Winner’s Choice
a Rafflecopter giveaway

If the Widget isn’t showing up, just click here: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9751c04276/?

My thanks to Psst…/Let’s Talk Promotions for the invitation to participate in this Book Tour and the materials (including the book) they provided.