Category: WWW Wednesday Page 1 of 25

I can’t think of an introductory paragraph (or even a sentence) today. So let’s just jump into things:

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?

Instinct: An Animal Rescuers Anthology edited by L. J. Hachmeister	Running and Jumping by Steven Kedie	Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work by Jesse David Fox

I’m almost certainly finishing the Kedie book today–it’s intense. I don’t know where it’s going to end up, but my blood pressure will be better when it does.

Instinct is a mixed bag–but mostly good. The Jim Butcher story made me so glad when I read it I wouldn’t care if the rest of the stories were horrible (they’re not, but I really would be fine with that).

Jesse David Fox is the kind of guy I’d like to talk comedy with, I have so many follow-up questions about the material in the first half of this book (not because he didn’t give enough information, I just want more). This is the kind of book I’ve wanted for ages.

What did you recently finish reading?

Teen Titans: Starfire by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo (Illustrator)	The Late Lord Thorpe by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

I really liked this take on Starfire (and Cyborg)–giving her Ehlers–Danlos syndrome was an interesting move (and might have got my daughter to read the whole series).

I’m already missing David Smith (and, yes, Grainger fooled me).

What do you think you’ll read next?

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan	I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue, read by Nasim Pedrad

Altered Carbon is one of those that I think I might have read a couple of decades ago, but I’m not sure. Anyway, this is the book for the Sci-Fi book club.

it was a while ago that I put a hold on I Hope This Finds You Well at the library, and I honestly don’t remember what it was about the book that intrigued me. It looks promising, and I trust post-me. Mostly.

Tell me what you’re reading–help me feel like I’m not in this rut I’ve been in lately (you’ll note how slow things have been turning over here lately).

Every title in this post is one that I own. That doesn’t happen too often–it’s rather nice to have a bunch of things to decrease Mt. TBR all together like this.

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?

Instinct: An Animal Rescuers Anthology edited by L. J. Hachmeister	Running and Jumping by Steven Kedie	The Late Lord Thorpe by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

I need some shorter reads that I can dip into here and there, so what better time to finally get around to this collection? Urban Fantasy stories starring some of my favorite fictional animals–how have I not read this yet?

And yeah, I decided to squeeze in another title before Kedie’s work, but I am getting this read now.

I’m still working through The Late Lord Thorpe–my job has been actively working against me listening to it a lot over the last few days (and will continue to do so through the end of the week), so I have no idea how long it will be before David Smith and his creator show me how wrong I was last week.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham

I think DS Miller’s first adventure was a bit more on the amusing side–but this second book is so good that I didn’t care. This was a really compelling and twisty read.

What do you think you’ll read next?

1-800-CallLoki (The Loki Adventures Omnibus) by Dawn Blair

This omnibus has been sitting near the top of my TBR for too long, it’s time to knock it out.

Given how long the new Grainger is taking me, and library due dates coming up, I honestly have no idea what my next audiobook will be (yes, the audiobook of What You Are Looking for Is in the Library had to be returned unlistened…the amount of work I’m putting into listening to this is outweighing my expectations, but at this point, it’s the principle of the thing)

What authors and titles have caught your attention lately?

Busy, busy, busy week here. I’m actually surprised I finished this at a semi-reasonable hour. I think I might have some better content coming in the next day or two…

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 Sky Full of Dragons by Tiffany McDaniel	The Late Lord Thorpe by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

I’ve yet to fall under the charm of A Sky Full of Dragons, but I still fully expect to.

I’m still working through The Late Lord Thorpe–my job has been actively working against me listening to it a lot over the last few days (and will continue to do so through the end of the week), so I have no idea how long it will be before David Smith and his creator show me how wrong I was last week.

What did you recently finish reading?

Nobody’s Hero by M.W. Craven	The World According to Cunk: An Illustrated History of All World Events Ever by Philomena Cunk	Adventures in Cryptozoology: Hunting for Yetis, Mongolian Deathworms and Other Not-So-Mythical Monsters by Richard Freeman, read by Derek Perkins

I’ll be raving about Nobody’s Hero at the first opportunity I get. I had visceral reactions to this thriller.

Philomena Cunk’s latest has some real laugh-out-loud moments, as one would expect. I’ll expand on that really soon, too.

Adventures in Cryptozoology is the dullest imaginable book with that title. I think that’s intentional, but that doesn’t change my utter apathy about it. More soon, too.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Running and Jumping by Steven Kedie	What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, read by Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, Winson Ting, and Shiro Kawai

I’ve never been able to put my finger on it, but despite me not really caring about sports at all in the real world, I really get into a good sports novel. I’m told that’s what Running and Jumping is, so I might as well give it a whirl, right?

I actually borrowed the audiobook of What You Are Looking for Is in the Library this time. Getting the right file type should go a long way toward actually listening to it.

What are you using to distract yourself from the outside world this week?

Here on October 30, I’m sitting here next to 3 of my September TBR books, probably won’t finish in time, eh? But let’s see what I have been working on…

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?

Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg	I’m Still a 10-Year-Old Boy by Nancy Cartwright

I’m starting the second Sharpe & Walker book today–I’m really eager to see what this book says about the series as a whole. Also, Eve Ronin is supposed to show up–can’t complain about that.

It’s fun to hear Cartwright talk about her life and career so far. I expect that the book will get even more fun once she starts voicing the titular 10-year-old.

What did you recently finish reading?

Spook Street by Mick Herron	Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book of Death by Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes, read by Spencer Henry, Madison Reyes, and Annette Amelia Oliveira

Spook Street was just fantastic. I really don’t understand why I haven’t made the time to read everything by Herron yet*. And while I know the titular “Spook” is a reference to spies, this is his spookiest (in terms of unnerving) yet.

Obitchuary is a cute and light-hearted look at the biggest taboo topic I can think of. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come up with more to say.

* Paul, my friend, feel free to not say anything in response to this. I know you’ve been telling me this forever. Feel free to resume telling me this in January when I’ll have seemed to have forgotten.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Nobody’s Hero by M.W. Craven	Adventures in Cryptozoology: Hunting for Yetis, Mongolian Deathworms and Other Not-So-Mythical Monsters by Richard Freeman, read by Derek Perkins

I’ve been sitting on this ARC of Nobody’s Hero for awhile, wanting to post about it closer to the release date. I’m beyond ready to dive in.

Adventures in Cryptozoology seemed like it could be fun. At the very least, it’ll help boost my sagging Non-Fiction numbers for the year.*

* (that’s mostly a joke)

What have you been reading lately, what are you planning on reading while dealing with (or hiding from) Trick-or-Treaters?

I’m a whiny bookwyrm today. I got hit by a ton of bricks masquerading as a mild cold yesterday and it’s really knocked me for a loop. And everyone in earshot knows just how miserable I am. (typical guy, I know, I know…I don’t plan on changing that. Self-improvement is not my bag)

But you didn’t come here to read me go on and on about that (and I could). So, let’s turn to the WWW.

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?

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein	Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor; read by Ray Porter

I might have read a Heinlein book in Middle School—I honestly don’t remember if I finished it. But he’s one of those guys you often wonder if you missed something by skipping. So, I might as well, right? Also, it’s the book that the SF Book Club will be discussing next week.

Not Till We Are Lost continues Taylor’s effort to explore deeper and darker issues—while not losing all the yuks. I’m really enjoying this.

What did you recently finish reading?

Hermit of Paradise by Kim Sanders	Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, read by Keval Shah

The less said about Hermit of Paradise the better. So…Dreadful is about a dark wizard who wakes up in his lab, with no recollection of his name, his goals, why he has a princess locked up in a cell, or pretty much anything else. It’s worth the time. Also…last week, in our RPG session, I ended up playing a necromancer who had no memory of his abilities (or that he was a necromancer). It was a nice bit of coincidental timing, and I probably owe Rozakis something for borrowing so much.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Spook Street by Mick Herron	Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan, Dave Keyser

I had to put Spook Street on hold Monday so I could hit a couple of deadlines…can’t wait to get back to this. A fantastic setup from Herron, can’t wait for the other 2/3.

Pigeon-Blood Red looks like a promising crime thriller. Intrigued by it.

How do you distract yourself from colds/flu/etc.? TV, a comfort read, whatever’s next on the TBR, rewatching beloved movies? (I’m a combination–I used to turn to Rex Stout like chicken soup). What are you reading now (hopefully while healthy)?

I got new glasses today and the vertigo-ish feeling from wearing them is not my favorite thing in the world. I can’t wait for that to be over with.

Also, to paraphrase a certain Fez/Bowtie/Stetson-wearing Mad Man: I wear trifocals now. Trifocals are cool.

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?

Robert B. Parker’s Buzz Kill by Alison Gaylin	Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, read by Keval Shah

Weeks after I initially tried (aka the week it was released) I get to dive into Gaylin’s second at-bat with Sunny Randall in Buzz Kill.

Dreadful is a fun light fantasy with a lot of heart, and I really wish I got to spend more time listening to it today.

What did you recently finish reading?

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke	Constituent Service by John Scalzi, read by Amber Benson

I’m going to be writing a post for A New Lease on Death soon, but the tl;dr version is this: of the four Blacke novels I’ve read/enjoyed, this is the best.

Consistent Service is zany Scalzi SF humor with a dynamite job from Benson. (she’s gotta be in the running for my coveted 1st Annual Narrator of the Year designation)

What do you think you’ll read next?

Spook Street by Mick Herron	Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor; read by Ray Porter

Spook Street is likely up next. Not (just) so I can watch the new season of Slow Horses.

And unless I hear about an audio review copy or a library hold that comes up, I get to catch up with the new Bobiverse book. Which should be fun. Maybe a little dark. But fun.

What’s keeping you busy/entertaining you/distracting you from life in general?

So, it turns out I reserved, and checked out, the ebook for What You Are Looking for Is in the Library last week, whoops. Back for another 6 week wait on that one. It’s been a week of writer’s block and fatigue so far–maybe not block, but writer’s dissatisfaction. Which is results in the same thing. But hey…let’s do a quick WWW check in anyway, and I can pretend I’m a consistent blogger.

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?

My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby	On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune Godedited by Matthew Barrett	How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley, read by Clare Corbett

Cosby’s first novel isn’t as polished as his second one–but he hits you with his talent on every page. (at least so far) Yeah, Blacktop Wasteland was a leap ahead of this one. But I’d buy a handful of books of this caliber without a complaint.

I should finish with the Barret book by the end of the week–I should be done with it by now, actually. It’s not a book that should be read this quickly–and when I re-read it, I will take weeks longer to do so.

I’m not sure what to think of Pooley’s novel yet. There are parts that are a lot of fan–and there are parts that are just there. It’s Gayle’s All the Lonely People meets How the Penguins Saved Veronica with a dash of Richard Osman thrown in. I’m not quite at the halfway point as of this writing–I’ll have more to say soon.

What did you recently finish reading?

The More the Terrier by David Rosenfelt	Starter Villain by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton

Hopefully you’ll see my thoughts about The More the Terrier this week, but the short version is: reliably entertaining with a dash of holiday cheer.

It took me a little longer to finish Starter Villain than I expected–it was just one of those weeks. That just prolonged the time I got to spend in that world. I’m ready to listen again (well, not really…it’s still too fresh. But give me a couple of months…)

What do you think you’ll read next?

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke	Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller, read by January LaVoy

I wondered if Olivia Black was done with the Record Shop Mysteries by the end of the last one, and it certainly appears she is with the launch of this new series. So, what is it? It’s got an Odd Couple-ish pair of roommates solving supernatural mysteries in Boston. The grumpy roommate is a new ghost, and the younger, happier woman is alive. Hard to get more mismatched than that.

The Library brought me Lula Dean’s Little Library again, so I can finish it–and decide if it was worth coming back to.

Tell me what kinds of things you’re reading that I should add to my pile.

This turned into a read or blog kind of day, given a bunch of looming Library due dates, I’m opting for the former. But I’ll still try to get this done on time. Allyson—yes, I do still read all the comments, and “respond to comments” is always the next thing on my list. I just need to get better at checking the box ahead of it.

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?

Blind to Midnight by Reed Farrel Coleman	Starter Villain by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton

Blind to Midnight starts off strong (even after this afternoon’s post), and…well, that’s all I know. But I’m looking forward to seeing more.

I’m enjoying Starter Villain just as much the second time as I did the first, I can just sit back and enjoy the lunacy without wondering what’s coming next. Wheaton’s doing a bang-up job. (I should’ve finished this today, but I didn’t get a chance to open the app–just one of those days. Been a long time since I couldn’t listen at work)

What did you recently finish reading?

Black Maria by Christine Boyer	Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune by Keith Thomson, ready by Feodor Chin

Black Maria ended up satisfying most of the expectations I expressed yesterday and surpassed them. The things I wrongly predicted, I’m very glad I did. Boyer’s version (as you’d expect) was better than mine was. Solid story, well told.

Brief thoughts on Born to Be Hanged: amusingly written, interesting story, and I could barely pay attention. I’m not sure if that’s me, the narrator, or the text. I’d believe any of those, or a combination.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The More the Terrier by David Rosenfelt	What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, read by Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, Winson Ting, and Shiro Kawai

I’m going to need the lightness of the next David Rosenfelt holiday novel, based on the opening paragraphs (alone) of Blind to Midnight.

A friend recommended What You Are Looking for Is in the Library, saying it’s similar to No Two Persons. That’s good enough for me.

Do you try to go for something seasonal—either harvest season/fall-like or spooky this time of year? Or do you just read whatever’s next?

No intro today…I really don’t have much to say. Let’s just get on with it.

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?

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson	On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God edited by Matthew Barrett	An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka, read by Will Watt

I’ve barely scratched the surface of The Space Between Worlds but I can tell that this is one that’s going to mess with my head, but the writing is so nice that I don’t care. I’m reading this for a SF Book Club that meets next week. I’ve never tried a book club before, I’m looking forward to doing that (he says days in advance, we’ll see if my introversion will let me leave the house).

I’m still plugging away at On Classical Trinitarianism, it’s rewarding…but I spend a lot of time feeling that I’m not quite smart enough to read it. But I’m getting enough out of it to put up with feeling like I’m wearing a dunce cap.

I’m not far in An Inheritance of Magic, but I’m digging Watt’s narration and am enjoying revisiting this world before An Instruction in Shadow releases next month.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo	Sleepless City by Reed Farrel Coleman, read by Peter Giles

Russo’s latest novel is one of those where you end up reading a lot further in each session than 1. you intended to and 2. you realize until you stop. I don’t know if it’s the story, the character, or his prose—but something just moved so smoothly about this. I’ll try to say more soon—and I should have a Q&A with Russo about it, too.

I’d like to say I adjusted to Giles’ narration, but his raspy narration and a couple of interesting (to try to be charitable) pronunciation choices never really settled with me. I did like some of the supporting character voices and accents he used, I have to say. Coleman’s story was just as gripping as I remembered.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Black Maria by Christine Boyer	Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune by Keith Thomson, ready by Feodor Chin

I have no idea what Black Maria is about—a few weeks ago, Vern Smith from Run Amok Crime sent me a copy of the ARC. He’s yet to lead me astray, so I’m going for it.

I remember reading the back cover/jacket flap for Born to Be Hanged a year or so ago, and thinking it looked pretty fun (and maybe educational). Who doesn’t like a good pirate story, right? When I saw it browsing the library’s audiobooks, I had to jump.

What’s the end of September hold for you?

Yup. I’m late with this. It’s not even Wednesday for many of you…it’d been a day and I needed some good no-screen time today, and thankfully my wife drug me away from them. But I’m home now, and have time to finish this off.

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 urore-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?

I’m reading (and meant to finish yesterday) the ARC for Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne—it might be my favorite thing in this series, I am making progress in On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God edited by Matthew Barrett, and I’m listening to Sleepless City by Reed Farrel Coleman, read by Peter Giles on audiobook. (Giles’ raspy, tough, Bales-as-Batman narration has had to have shredded his vocal cords, I hope he was taken care of)

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What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary and #CrimeTime by Jeneva Rose and Drew Pyne, read by: Abelardo Campuzano, Jennifer Damiano, Phil Thron, Gary Tiedemann, Peter Berkrot, P.J. Ochlan, Nancy Linari, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Piper Goodeve, Kevin R. Free and Samantha Desz on audio.

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo—a book I told Russo I’d read before March 20 of this year. Ugh. My next audiobook should be An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka, read by Will Watt. I don’t know if I can handle Jacka with a different narrator (as age-appropriate as he might be compared to Gildart Jackson)

What are you working through?