Category: Saturday Miscellany Page 27 of 35

Okay, I think I’ve got the whole reading and listening adjustment to the new job handled, now I’ve got to figure in blogging—which, as you may have noticed, isn’t going as well as it has in the past. Am sure I’ll figure something out, but that “to write about” pile is growing. If anyone knows of an app that allows me to just think about a post rather than having to sit and type, please mention it in the comments!

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Barnes & Noble Climbs Back
Is failure the new literary success?—this is an interesting little trend.
André 3000 Joins Cast of ‘White Noise’ Adaptation—Wait, what? Someone’s adapting White Noise? I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around that—it feels like the moment has passed for it to feel relevant to movie audiences, but I’m hopefully wrong (still, Noah Baumbach’s probably a good guy to do it).
The ‘Twilight’ romance no one talks about: Bella fell for Forks and its forests. That fantasy transformed the town’s reality.—I can’t believe I’m linking to something about Twilight, but it’s not often you can see so clearly the impact of a book on something.
The Most Translated Books From Every Country in the World—huh. The U.S. entry on this list is embarrassing, but this is an interesting list.
Psychological Thriller Book Covers: What Makes A Good Thriller Cover?—Matt Witten summarizes the research he did while working on the cover for his psychological thriller. As I (almost always) say about this kind of piece: I find this stuff fascinating.
In Stephen Mack Jones’ novel ‘Dead of Winter,’ August Snow and Detroit star—a nice profile of Jones, probably my favorite new-to-me writer in 2021.
Decisions Are Hard: Picking What to Read Next—I think we’ve all been there
What are the Best Audiobook Apps in 2021?—This is a great overview of the better available apps. ‘Tho I’d quibble with the description of Chirp’s app as being “stable” is a bit pie-in-the-sky (or maybe that’s iPhone vs Android).
Why Libraries Matter
This week’s Let’s Talk Bookish prompt was a good thought-provoker about Blogger Identity Crises (and, as usual, it was too much thought for me to find time to actually do something like writing about it), these posts in response caught my eye:
Blogging Insecurity from Thoughts Stained With Ink
A Blogger Identity Crisis
Reasons Why I Love Reading

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Not Awkward by Matthew Hanover—right before his wedding, Scott ends up stuck at his ex’s house while her family sits shiva for her dad. I blogged about it recently and asked Hanover a few questions about it, too.

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

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Putting down my phone and picking up a book has saved my sleep
How to Remember What You Read
What Do Fiction Writers Owe Their IRL Inspiration?
Red Herrings in Contemporary Crime Literature: Celebrating the 21st century masters of misdirection.—I love a good red herring (especially when they frustrate me and make me feel dumb). How about you?
Interview with Author Kevin Hearne—Beth Tabler had a great Q&A with Hearne
Percy Jackson’s Most Iconic Moments—Percy’s birthday was this week, this is a fun way to commemorate it (I didn’t do the math on how hold it would make him, I’m sure I’d be depressed)
Between A Clock And A Hard Place: How To Prioritize Reading—This Dad Reads has some good tips
6 SFF Reads under 200 pages—If you’re pinched for time, this list from Spells & Spaceships might come in handy
Escapist Fantasy: 5 Series To Turn Off Your Brain and Have Some Fun—is another handy list
How Book Synopses Set Reader Expectations and Why That Matters
A Little List of Songs Book Lovers May Appreciate!

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
No Stupid Questions Episode 64—the second question this week was dealing with “should you feel guilty if you don’t read books?” the discussion of which should interest readers of this post (nothing against the first question, it’s just not that germane).

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
In Ten Years by Ian Shane—a When Harry Met Sally-esque take on two friends who make pact to marry at 40 if they’re both single. In case you missed the four posts here about it recently—here’s my take.
How to Be Fearless: In 7 Simple Steps by Jessica Hagy—I’ve been reading Hagy’s daily webcomic of Venn diagrams for years, here she combines them with encouragement to “shake off worry and get to work.”

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Marilynn Champion who followed the blog recently.

This is a book-blogger-heavy collection this week—which I love doing (hey, this is the end of Book Blogger Appreciation Week—a nice coincidence). Hope you find something you enjoy!

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
How Extortion Scams and Review Bombing Trolls Turned Goodreads Into Many Authors’ Worst Nightmare—I know there are many other problems with Goodreads, but to get Time to cover the site? This has got to be really damaging.
A Dorothy Parker Quip for Every Occasion—I’m pretty sure I’ve linked to this a time or two before, but the Pocket app suggested this to me again this week, and who am I to argue with algorithm? Always a good time for some Parker lines.
While on LitHub, I also saw: 10 Literary Classics We (Not So) Secretly Hate—I’m sure many of you can relate to at least one of these
12 Favorite Books: Happy #NationalBookLoversDay—I’ve never done a National Book Lover’s Day post—which is weird, it seems natural around here (or, really, anywhere). My wife literally buys me a gift for it (this year a nice little “It’s Not Hoarding if It’s Books” print and a Book necktie). I’m glad to see at least someone else notes the day.
Let’s Talk About Audiobooks
I Know Science Fiction and Fantasy Can be Daunting—Bath Tabler, not at all surprisingly, knocked it out of the park with this post.
If she inspired you to stick a toe in the Fantasy water, why not grab something off one of these handy lists? Here There Be Dragons Part One—12 Books starring a beloved fantasy favorite that comes in all shapes and sizes: Dragons and Dragon Shifters and Here There Be Dragons Part Two—Round Two: Here are 12 TBR books featuring dragons that I can’t wait get my hands on!
Reviewing the Practice of Reviewing Books
Why You Should Re-Read An Old Favourite Book
How I Rate & Review DNFs
Disappointing Read & Replacement Recommendations—I like this idea: I don’t want to recommend X, but maybe this would scratch the same itch, and do it better?

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne—the second adventure of Al MacBharrais features a great postscript to the Iron Druid Chronicles–and is a pretty bonkers book, too. I talked about it a little recently.
Meadowlark: A Coming-of-Age Crime Story by Ethan Hawke, Greg Ruth—why, what do you know, I found a graphic novel I’m interested in without needing Lashaan to recommend it first! A father-son crime novel traces the course of one dramatic day. What little I’ve seen of the art looks great (up to the “casting” of Hawke as the father)

I was on the cusp of establishing a new reading/writing schedule that would work for me and I just threw it out the window–my last day for my employer of 5+ years was yesterday. For the next few weeks, my commute to my new gig promises to be a giant pain in the tuchus (I hope I’m not too Protestant to use that word), but I think that I’ll have a longer lunch break. What this means for my reading/audiobook listening is up in the air.

But that’s something to tackle over the next couple of weeks. For now, let’s dive into this very miscellaneous miscellany:

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
A Brief History of Summer Reading: We rarely talk about spring books or winter reading. What is it about summer that inspired a whole genre of its own?—If you subscribe, haven’t read your free article for the month, or use enough browsers to dodge the paywall, this is a great way to spend a couple of minutes (and, yes, you shouldn’t dodge…I shouldn’t, either)
Maybe You Can Have Too Many Books in Your TBR Pile
Typos, tricks and misprints: Why is English spelling so weird and unpredictable? Don’t blame the mix of languages; look to quirks of timing and technology—in a different world, where I followed up on a scholarly whim or two from college, I’d be producing things like this. Instead, I get to geek out over those who do.
The Silver Age of Essay—excerpted from the Introduction to a collection that I’ll aspire to—but probably won’t get around to—reading.
SA Cosby: ‘The holy trinity of southern fiction is race, class and sex’—great interview with Cosby. I’m ready to order his work-in-progress right now.
7 Music Novels to Shape Your Summer Soundtrack—I don’t understand music novels…I just don’t. The two art forms shouldn’t work. But I’ll read and reread and reread a good one. What about you? Anyone read anything off this list? (I haven’t yet)
In the New Era of Social Distancing, It’s Time to Revisit the Genius of Monk: Who’s overreacting now?—sure, this is about the TV show. But Monk’s great enough that I don’t care. And the novels by Lee Goldberg fit what’s said here, and I’ve now turned this bullet point into something about reading, so the uptight voice in my head can shut up.
This Is Why I Love J.R.R. Tolkien – And You Should Too—I appreciate Tolkien, but nowhere as much as Strasser does. But maybe I should.
Books That Made Me Cry Like A Lil’ Baby—I wouldn’t have expected to find any of these books on this list (although, I (inexplicably) haven’t read Bloody Rose, but I can see Eames doing that to me), but I get what Chilcottharry is saying.
Words Have Power — Neurodivergence in Fiction—I’ve linked to a couple of the early pieces in the Neurodivergence in Fiction series (and I feel awkward about dropping the Monk link above given what they said about the show), and you should read them all. But I wanted to call attention to this new entry by Friend of the Blog, Jodie from Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub.
What is Grimdark to Me? by Clayton W. Snyder—Snyder’s post makes me want to read more Grimdark.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Bodacious Creed and the Jade Lake by Jonathan Fesmire—in this sequel to the very odd Western-Zombie-Steampunk novel, Creed goes to Chinatown to investigate what (I think) we’d call sexual exploitation aided by technology. Even if I got the wrong idea from the synopsis, this is sure to be a good read.
Grenade Bouquets by Lee Matthew Goldberg—the sequel to the 90’s grunge tribute/coming-of-age novel Runaway Train, tells the continuing story of Nico as she tours with a band over the summer. I should have had the foresight to put this on my 20 Books of Summer list, so I could dive in.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Angela, Cristina Monica @ Hit or Miss Books, Amy and Anketsu who followed the blog this week. Don’t be strangers—introduce yourselves in the comments below, maybe pick up another reader?

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: