Category: Saturday Miscellany Page 18 of 25

This is the third week in a row that when I get to compiling this post that I wonder just what I did all week…and I honestly don’t know. Still, some good stuff here.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Building an antilibrary: the power of unread books—food for thought (even if a lot of what is said about personal libraries is odd). The footnote made me audibly chuckle.
Playing Favorites With Favorites, or, What We Talk About When We Talk About Our Favorite Books—second week in a row with a piece by Templeton about reading. Not quite as quotable, but just as good.
Rain City Rediscovered: Why Crime Novelists Are Drawn to Seattle—I think I’ve only read one Seattle-based series, and given it’s relative proximity to me, I do have to wonder why. (it doesn’t make this list, so I know the number is bigger than this piece suggests…IOW, I have no reason not to read more)
Where Do You Like To Read? – The Art of Creating Your Perfect Book Nook—A place I can ignore outside noises (semi-politely) and feel not-uncomfortable for a few minutes is all I really need, a perfect reading spot seems like a luxurious indulgence, but after reading this
My Blogging Journey || experiences, trials & regrets—she definitely takes this more seriously than me…I still can probably learn a bit from this.
This tweet contains either the very best 2 sentence To Kill a Mockingbird review (if it’s satire) or the absolute worst.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Pure by Jo Perry—”Caught in a pincer movement between the sudden death of Evelyn (her favourite aunt) and the Corona virus, Ascher Lieb finds herself unexpectedly locked down in her aunt’s retirement community with only Evelyn’s grief-stricken dog Freddie for company.” I’m trying hard to find a way to cram this in to my August reading. If any of my co-workers read this post and I happen to call in sick this week it’s absolutely a coincidence.
A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones—” Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior.” And, there’s a racoon that seems to be outsmarting the entire Sherriff’s Department. And Sunny’s quest to uncover the (probably urban legend of a) secret society that runs the town…It’s just a whole lot of fun, tried to describe recently.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to evidencemutumbu, wallacepublishing , and pranjal Narayan who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

Man…I accomplished so little here this week. Those SPAAW posts were supposed to be what I ran alongside new posts about individual books, not the sum total of what I produced this week. I don’t mind, really, except my “to write about” list is now at the despair-inducing length. I did have a good time going down memory lane with some of those books, though.

Part of my lack of production has to do with re-establishing a routine that includes being in the office. I’m not doing well with that, and don’t understand how I worked there for so long and was a productive reader/blogger. I’ll figure it out, I trust. I’m glad to take any tips you have, though.

But you’re not here for that, you’re here for these (I assume):
that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
A Guide to Developing a Deep Reading Habit: 7 principles to help you read more and read better—I don’t know why I keep posting pieces along these lines, it’s hard to imagine anyone reading my posts who need them. But you never know… Also, I enjoy reading them.
There’s No Wrong Way to Read a Book—this gets posted despite the idea of bacon as a bookmark, because it’s so quotable.
Our Woke Book Burners: Books are not violence—I would not use many of the words in this piece (or headline), as I don’t think they actually help communicate to those who disagree. But the ideas are important to wrangle with in our cultural moment.
When Writers Cave to Social Media Scolds—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar does a better job talking about related ideas.
Kempt, Couth, Ruth: On the Disappearing Antonyms of “Grumpy” Words: Arika Okrent Wonders Why Negative Descriptors Tend to Outlast Their Positive Counterparts—I love this kind of thing. I was just talking to someone that I took a class along these lines in college—I loved the results of the research but had no affinity for/interest in the work.
We Need More Victim-Focused Narratives—absolutely. Every time I read something that could be described along these lines, it feels like such a breath of fresh air and needed.
Bibliophiles Are Sharing The Most Annoying Book Tropes And I’m 100% On The Same Page As Them—I’m with all of these. However, with the exception of #18, I’ll buy into any of them if the author does something interesting with it.
Self-published Authors Appreciation Week—Witty and Sarcastic Book Club threw a little celebration of Self-Pubbed authors this week, here’s a list of (nearly?) every post that was part of it—I’m still working through the list myself—some really good stuff here, check it out.
For example: Ways You Can Support Self-Published Authors
On a related note, Gabino Iglesias tweeted about the benefits of the various modes of publishing (although his last point needs a little nuance—not that tweets have room for nuance)
Books That Ought to Come with a Box of Tissues—Fun idea for a post.

Like I said Wednesday, I’m back in the office after 15 months and I spent most of the week trying to adjust my reading/surfing/blog-hopping habits. So I really don’t have a lot for this post. On the other hand, as of yesterday, my NetGalley Feedback Ratio is at 99%, so, you know…what do I care about anything else right now?

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Print Book Sales Soar in Year’s First Half—that’s some nice news
3 Ways to Become a Better Reader with Audiobooks—libro.fm has some good tips
Why do so few men read books by women?—good food for thought
Goodreads Tips & Tricks, Vol. 2—for those who want to use the ubiquitous/oft-maligned Social Network more effectively
Favourite Book Quotes of 2021 so far!—this is a good idea for a post, and filled with pretty good content.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Heathens by Ace Atkins—Quinn Colson and Lille Virgil are on opposite sides of a murder investigation—and probably a new stage in the local politics/organized crime saga, too. But that’s not in any of the official descriptions. I’m hoping next week is when I get to dive into this.
Dead Man’s Grave by Neil Lancaster—DS Max Craigie investigates the murder of Scotland’s most powerful crime family in the first novel of a promising-looking series. I’m starting this one today.

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

I’ve been out of town for most of the week and had limited internet time–so I didn’t have much of an opportunity for surfing. I was able to find a few things for this week’s post, but it’s a little small.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Andy Serkis to Narrate All 3 The Lord of the Rings Audiobooks—I’ve had The Hobbit narrated by Serkis in my libro.fm shopping cart for months, but couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger on it. But if he’s doing these, too? Think it’s time.
The Making of ‘Soul Taken’ A Mercy Thompson cover—this is fascinating (even if you have no interest in Mercy Thompson)
13 books perfectly summed up with one-liners from Gilmore Girls.
10 Reasons Why I Love Reading—Reading Ladies Book Club had a good entry for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt.
How Book Lovers Spend Their Time . . . And . . . We Don’t Have a Problem!

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Tender is the Bite by Spencer Quinn—Chet and Bernie hunt for a client who didn’t get around to hiring them I tried to convey my enthusiasm a few days ago.
Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt—Andy Carpenter heads to Maine to defend his latest client I opined about it recently

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
The Don Winslow Book Club was announced this week, will be giving its first picks on the 5th. I’m not sure how this is going to be different from Winslow’s hard push behind books/authors he likes on social media. But am betting he’s about to do some real damage to my Book Budget.
The Impossible Question at the Heart of Every Book Tour: Jason Mott on Attempting to Answer “What’s Your Book About?”
The Crime Books Top Authors Read Twice Because They’re Just That Good —Not only is this a good list of really good books, but I love some of the comments about them.
When In Doubt, Look Around—Matthew Norman talks about finding inspiration for his new novel, All Together Now.
Immortalizing Jack Reacher: Authors of long-running series face a difficult question: how should their characters age?—this is an interesting question authors need to wrestle with (and readers need to decide what they think of that choice), it has some special appeal to me as it compares the approaches of Parker/Atkins to Spenser and Child/Child to Reacher.
Have I Outgrown YA?
How to Get People to Read Your Bookish Blog and Keep Coming Back For More!—some decent advice and/or reminders
How to comment more on non-interactive book blog posts?—I keep trying this, good prompt to keep at it.
The 57 Best YA Books About Food that Will Make You Hungry Immediately—the fact that someone could find 57 YA books about food is pretty astounding. (personally, I’d have pushed this post back a few months until it could be 60, that 7 would drive me crazy)

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton—Mace Reid and his cadaver dogs are back and neck deep in Chicago City Corruption. I had some pretty enthusiastic things to say about it recently
Pug Actually by Matt Dunn—Doug, a rescued Pug, decides he needs to help his person fix her love life. I’m eager to see how Dunn approaches this.
I’ll Pray When I’m Daying by Stephen J. Golds—”The Story of a Bad Man Becoming Worse.” A corrupt Boston Detective’s life falls apart. Looks gripping. Hearing a lot of good things about it. Be worth buying just for the cover…

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Amanda @ Bookish Brews, Joseph D. Newcomer, and Hit-Man Slade who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

Record high temps and an AC system that’s not holding its own sum up most of the week for me. Thankfully, I read a few books that were good enough I could ignore how much I was perspiring. I truly hope you’re faring better in your corner of the world than the Northwest US is.

Also, have you all seen this site: BlogOverview.com? It looks like a great resource to find blogs on all sorts of topics, researched and curated by people, not an algorithm (and I’m not just saying that because I really dug the way they described this site, I’ve picked up a few to follow)

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Douglas Coupland on Generation X at 30: ‘Generational trashing is eternal’—Sure, this is more of an advertisement for his new book, but the fact that the novel Generation X is 30 should be noted.
On the Road to Bridget Jones: five books that define each generation—Fun lists to go along with that Coupland piece
Bosch Season 7 Preview: In a Changed World, How Should We Feel About Police Shows?—applies to the book version of Bosch, too.
Ditto for this one: title—Michael Connelly Says Bosch Is Just Like Batman – Without ‘the Cape and Mask and Stuff’
Books and Bias: Rediscovering the writing and ideologies in Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels—I’d quibble with some of the details sure, but great piece.
Lessons of a self-published writer: independent bookstores are good, Amazon not so much.
Coffee and Condolences: One Year Later—Some thoughts from Wesley Parker about the genesis of his book.
Deadpool Creator Fabian Nicieza on (Finally) Finishing His Novel: It only took 35 years of writing comics to learn that 35 years of writing comics would help him write his debut mystery.—this reads a lot like something written by Deadpool’s creator should. Interesting look at the process of getting to his debut.
Why I Like To Reread Books
Why I am NOT telling you my book number… (But I will shout about books I love.)—I get this argument. I like it. I don’t think I’m going to stop mentioning my number and judging myself by it in my monthly posts, but…maybe?
The Pros and Cons of Historical Fiction
Reading during the pandemic—I think many of us can identify with this.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Questland by Carrie Vaughn—Jurassic Park, but for D&D types.
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza—Click the link for the whole blurb, but “a hilariously entertaining debut featuring two unlikely and unforgettable amateur sleuths. An engrossing and entertaining murder mystery full of skewering social commentary, Suburban Dicks examines the racial tensions exposed in a New Jersey suburb after the murder of a gas station attendant.”

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to tubasarwat, Elias Graves, and jakeschubert7 who all took the time to hit the follow button this week.
I wish I knew who to attribute this to, I saw it on the feed for The Shaggy Shepherd Book Reviews and had to share:

Some of these miscellanies lately have felt extra miscellany, but maybe that’s just me. Hope you all are finding something worth your time here, I enjoyed all of these.

Also, in the States this weekend we observe Father’s Day, “the most sacred of the b******t Hallmark holidays” (as a href=”https://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2015/06/happy-fathers-day.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>the great Ken Levine has dubbed it). If you are blessed enough to be a father, I hope you have a good day.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Legible Launches Browser-Based Reading and Publishing Platform—I like this idea. Won’t be jumping on right away due to time/money constraints, but hope they’re around long enough for me to give this a shot.
On My Most Embarrassing Literary Encounters (So Far): Matthew Norman Doesn’t Always Play It Cool With Famous Authors
20+ Best Audiobooks for Family Road Trips—This is a really good list.
What is a Cozy Mystery?—a handy infographic
Book Covers Are in A Rut—yup. Which makes the good ones all the better.
Dos and Don’ts for Reading Outside—For those in less oppressively hot areas.
Music and Song in Books!—from Before We Go Blog, a nice look at some of the better uses of Music/Song in Fantasy.
Comfort Reads!—a comfy little post from Lizby’s Nerdy World
I came across a reference to when I shared this link a few years ago, and thought it deserved a repeat for the title alone: C.S. Lewis’s Greatest Fiction Was Convincing American Kids That They Would Like Turkish Delight—nice Lewis-esque title to accompany this great piece. Some great lines in this: “It was like looking into Harry Potter’s Mirror of Erised, but for desserts: When you think of a treat worth betraying your family for, what do you see? Turkish Delight is our collective candy id.”

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Blood Brothers Episode 60 with TJ Newman—Newman’s book is going to be one of the biggest of 2021, and this was a fun discussion. Worth listening to if only to hear this American trying to describe the wonder of S’Mores.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Shots Fired by Ian Robinson—DI Nash and DC Moretti return for their third book, this one focusing on the hunt for a weapon tied to killings in Scotland and Northern Ireland in addition to London.
All Together Now by Matthew Norman—”A dying man brings his oldest friends together for one last beach blowout.”
A Good Kill by John McMahon—A School Shooting leads a Georgia detective to investigating a local conspiracy. I really dug this one.
Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison—Harrison’s revived Rachel Morgan/Hollows series is as strong as the series ever was. I had a bit more to say about it recently.
title by soandso—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
title by soandso—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Bethany Waller, who followed the blog this week, hope your fledgling blog does well!

This feels a bit more hodge-podge-y than usual, but hey, just one of those weeks, I guess. Hope you’re having a good weekend!

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
New exhibition shows Peanuts creator Charles M Schulz’s take on grown-ups—I would enjoy seeing this exhibition, while the one strip the article shows demonstrates that Schulz needed to develop things a bit more.
Telegraph columnist wrongly claims literacy at the lowest level in UK history.
Those Descriptions on the Inside of Book Covers Are Full of It: They’ve become meaningless mush—but they don’t have to be.—I think Farwell’s critiques are problematic, but I like the look at developing the descriptions for a book.
How TV Shows Use Books as Props: From SCHITT’S CREEK to MAD MEN
Shop Talk: Ace Atkins Writes on a 40-Year Old Keyboard and Doesn’t Believe in Word Counts—an interview with Atkins about his process—even if you’re not a fan of Atkins (which just means you haven’t read him yet), it’s worth a read. I love seeing how different authors go about things.
FPTV: Ben Aaronovich & Andrew Cartmel introduce Rivers of London: Body Work (Deluxe Writer’s Edition)—I haven’t found time to watch this yet, but it looks good. Also, I need to get my hands on the that edition.
Some Thoughts and a Problem—Many of us can identify with Bookforager here.
Dear Authors – This Reader Wants More Courage, Complexity and Atmosphere—BookerTalk has a wishlist for authors/publishers.
Pros and Cons of Audiobooks: My Experience So Far—FanFiAddict’s David S. discusses audiobook listening
Musings on Mood Reading
Lie About Your Age, Not About Reading Books—some good stuff about lying about reading and related ideas over at The Bookwyrm’s Den

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Meat is Murder by Chris McDonald—the third Stonebridge Mystery finds the amateur sleuths investigating a death at an abattoir (not the routine kind, it should be stressed). I’ll be talking about it next week, hint: it was fun.
Darling at the Campsite by Andy Abramowitz—an “adrift thirty-three-year-old” returns to his hometown for the funeral for his estranged brother and has to deal with baggage from his past.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Support your local bookstore — before it disappears—there’s a reassuring headline
Watch a young Flannery O’Connor teaching her chicken to walk backwards.—sure…this is exactly the kind of thing you expect to see out of a literary legend.
9 most beautiful bookstores and libraries in Japan—some of these are just stunning (the others have to settle for being super-impressive). Would love to browse any of these.
What Novels Can Borrow from the Sweeping Mythology of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Benjamin Percy on Creating a New World Within the Old—Not sure I’m all that tempted to read this new series, but I find the thought process interesting
5 Old Book Features That Died with the Times (Thankfully)
Why I think you should check out self published SFF!—in case you haven’t dabbled yet, this from Spells and Spaceships, could be the encouragement you need. The list applies pretty well to things outside SFF.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Dead Ground by M. W. Craven—the latest Washington Poe/Tilly Bradshaw novel finds them taking on a(seemingly) very different kind of case. Coincidentally, I’ve installed a cot near my mailbox for the next week or so.
Moonlighting: An Oral History by Scott Ryan—A great read for TV fans of a certain age, as I enthused recently.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to saniya | sunnysidereviews, Esther, and ljwrites85 who followed the blog this week. I appreciate the follow and hope to see you back here!

Okay, I think things at work are getting back to normal. Which means I should be able to browse more blogs/book sites, bloghop, etc. And maybe not feel like a zombie for 70% of my waking hours, too. Either way, things should be more, um robust here in the next week or so (who knows what the short week next week will bring).

For those of you this applies to: have a great three-day weekend, hope you enjoy it. Those who don’t have one right now? Sorry!

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
An Interview with Zoë Sharp—from Murder & Mayhem
On Accountability, Artistry, and The Hard Work of Becoming Better People—while I disagree with a lot (but not all) of this, Yoon makes some good points, and this kind of thing needs careful thought right now–not knee-jerk reactions.
We’re Drawn To Mysteries in Fiction Because Life Itself Is a Mystery—hmmm..
Eight thrillers and mysteries to read this summer—S. A. Cosby has some recommendations (the Post has some related articles, too—worth checking out)
15 Authors Share the Book at the Top of Their Summer TBR
15 Ways to Read More in 2021!—Now that June is nigh-upon-us, maybe you want to revisit some Jan. 1 Resolutions.
From Merlin to Mistborn—Witty and Sarcastic Book Club has a great series this week looking at various magic system, thoughts about magic in fiction, and related ideas. I can’t pick one or two to highlight, go read ’em all.
The Restorative Power of Reading—I think we’ve all felt that.
@JenMedBkReviews defines a couple of new terms that all book bloggers should add to their working vocabulary

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Curious Reader: Facts About Famous Authors and Novels | Book Lovers and Literary Interest | A Literary Miscellany of Novels & Novelists edited by Erin McCarthy & the team at Mental Floss—”This literary compendium from Mental Floss reveals fascinating facts about the world’s most famous authors and their literary works.” I’ve flipped through this a little since picking it up at my bookstore, I have no idea how to describe it—or how I’m going to write about it. But it’s going to be fun trying to figure it out.
Hard Reboot by Django Wexler—”Kas is a junior researcher on a fact-finding mission to old Earth. But when a con-artist tricks her into wagering a large sum of money belonging to her university on the outcome of a manned robot arena battle she becomes drawn into the seedy underworld of old Earth politics and state-sponsored battle-droid prizefights.” Oh, that old chestnut…this is just such a strange collection of ideas I think I have to try it.