Category: WWW Wednesday Page 1 of 33

It’s time again for the Wednesday check-in. We’ve got some real winners here, folks:

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?

We Be Dragons by Michael Weitz	What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack	Ghalen by Walter Mosely, read by Dion Graham

We Be Dragons is a fun bit of historical fiction (I can’t stand to think of historical fiction set when I was a teen) with some fun fantasy elements.

What’s Next is almost as comforting as my umpteenth rewatch of the series. I’m taking my time and savoring it.

I’m going to try to listen to Mosely’s new one starting today, mostly because I have no idea when I’d get to it in print, and I’m vary curious. I’m not sure audio is the right format for me and this book, however. So, this could be a quick DNF without prejudice.

What did you recently finish reading?

Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley	The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst, ready by Caitlin Davies

Oh wow. Everything I heard about McSorley’s book was bang-on right. This was so fun, so violent, so…I don’t know. I really didn’t know what to expect from chapter to chapter (page to page sometimes). Loved the ride.

The Enchanted Greenhouse wasn’t quite as good as The Spellshop, but it got the job done and was a very pleasant listen. Which means I’ll probably be back for more soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?

All Systems Red by Martha Wells	Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, read by E. B. Stevens

I’ve got summer reruns in my future. First off is the first Murderbot book so it’s fresh in my mind for the book club meeting next week.

Brandon Mull came up in conversation the other day, and it gave me a hankering to revisit the series (also, I’m curious about the sequel series, but it’s been so long since I read these with my kids that I have to refresh my memory)

What books are capturing your attention this week?

The last week and a half has found me fighting sleep almost every minute I’ve been awake–which hasn’t made for a lot of reading or writing. But the reading I’ve managed to do more than makes the struggle worth it. I’m on a great streak of winners right now–and hope it continues for a while.

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?

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman	What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack	Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen, read by George K. Wilson

The famed DCC starts off slow, not un-entertainingly. It needs to set up ground rules (literally) for the book/series. I think I’m close to finishing that part–and I’m eager to get to whatever comes next. I’m beginning to see the appeal of it all.

I feel like I could easily sit and tear through What’s Next in one sitting–despite the 600-ish page length. I’m glad I’m limiting myself to a chapter or two a day so I can relish it.

Hiassan has a lot of style and quirky characters. I’m really digging this.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson	Some Sort of Justice by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

Johnson gave us one of the best Longmire novels this year. I was grinning throughout.

Grainger’s latest was more than satisfying. The only problem is that I’m going to have to wait another 12+ months for the next one.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley	The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst, ready by Caitlin Davies

It’s been a while since I read about a morally grey Scottish police officer. I’m hoping McSorley’s DI Alison McCoist fixes that for me.

I’m dipping another toe into the world of The Spellshop. Time to find out if I’m a fan of Durst in general or just that book.

How’s your summer reading going? You have any winners?

This is the third (and, I think, final) “hey, what am I reading” kind of post for the week. If I’d planned better, maybe I could’ve broken them up more. But I didn’t. So at least I can move on now.

<img class=”aligncenter” src=”http://www.hcnewton.com/irrreader/wwwweds.jpg” alt=”The WWW Wednesday logo with the Irresponsible Reader pilcrow icon in the corner />

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 Devils by Joe Abercrombie	What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack	Some Sort of Justice by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

I heard just a little bit of the alternate history involved in Abercrombie’s fantasy novel on Monday. That alone seems worth cracking it open.

I’m about 10% into What’s Next, and already I’m glad I finally stopped putting this off.

It took less than 20 minutes of listening to Gildart Jackson for me to be content in Grainger’s world again. Ahhh…

What did you recently finish reading?

Three Hitmen and a Baby by Rob Hart	Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano, read by Angela Dawe

The latest installment in the Assassins Anonymous series is just as fun, action-packed, and full-of-heart as its predecessors. Hart pulls no punches here (unlike his characters, who are trying to avoid all that).

The Lucy and Ethel of amateur detectives are up to their usual antics. I think this was better than their recent excursion to Atlantic City, which tested my patience.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson	Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen, read by George K. Wilson

This is possibly the longest that I’ve let a new Walt Longmire gone unread in years. Hope to crack it open no later than this weekend.

I’ve been curious about Hiaasen for ages. This just showed up as a new addition to my library’s audio collection. Figured I might as well try it.

How are you all starting the month?

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?

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein	The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love edited by Alice Hoffman	Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read on TikTok by Oliver James, read by James Shippy

I’ve heard countless times that the movie is different than Heinlein’s novel. And boy howdy, everyone was right. I think I’m liking the book–but Heinlein had some issues.

I think I made the right call reading The Best Dog in the World one essay at a time–if I’d gone cover-to-cover, it probably would’ve taken a day, and I’d have been checked out for most of it. Still enjoying it.

I’m digging Unread–I’d like a little more depth and a little less repetition, but it’s still a solid read.

What did you recently finish reading?

Robert B. Parker’s Booked by Alison Gaylin	Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell, read by Ann Marie Gideon

I think Gaylin tapped into a big trait (some would say flaw) of Sunny in a solid way in this book that Parker and Lupica didn’t. It was a fun read, too.

Last week, I said I was picking up Cultish because of Mrs. Irresponsible Reader. I didn’t tell her that, though, which is good, because I don’t have a lot of good things to say.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Remington Platypus by Steve Nash	After the Fall by Edward Ashton, read by John Pirhalla

I’ve been trying to get to Remington Platypus since the end of December. Finally! (The BookTempter’s TBR Challenge is helping)

I’m a little worried that After the Fall is going to be one of those books that’s better for my eyes than the ears, but I want to give it a shot.

Have you been reading anything good lately?

After an annoying run of having to return library books before I can read them, I’m 3 for 3 this month (well, 2.2 at the moment, but it’ll be 3 in a day or two). That’s a relief–also, they’ve all been worth prioritizing. My wallet also appreciates that.

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 Photonic Effect by Mike Chen	The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love edited by Alice Hoffman	The Final Vow by M.W. Craven, John Banks

The Photonic Effect starts out as Chen’s SF-iest book yet.

It’d be really nice if more of the essays about the love of/from a dog weren’t eulogies. Surely these people can talk about fantastic living dogs, right? (still, it’s such a good one)

Still early into revisting The Final Vow, but we’re just at the point where things are starting to pick up.

What did you recently finish reading?

Go Gentle by Maria Semple	The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander, read by Words Take Wing Repertory Co

Go Gentle wasn’t as good as Where’d You Go, Bernadette (few things are), but it was much better than Today Will Be Different. So I’m calling that a win. I truly spent most of the novel trying to figure out where Semple was going next–and I was always, always wrong. Her choices were far better than I could’ve guessed.

The Arkadians wasn’t Alexander at his best, but it was plenty of fun.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Robert B. Parker’s Booked by Alison Gaylin	Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell, read by Ann Marie Gideon

It’s time to check-in on Sunny Randall.

I’m not really sure what Cultish is beyond the subtitle, but Mrs. Irresponsible Reader just finished it and told me I’d probably really appreciate it.

Okay, that’s my list–what do you have?

I’m having another one of those weeks where everything is taking approximately 50% more time to do than it should, and I’m distracted from doing everything 70% more than usual. Put the two of those things together, and you get…silence on this here blog. So, here I am trying to make a little noise.

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?

Nice Places by Vicent Chu	The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love edited by Alice Hoffman	Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames, Katherine Fenton

I haven’t made much progress in Nice Places, and I’m really not sure where Chu’s going with this. But I’m really enjoying the journey.

I’m tackling an essay each evening for the next couple of weeks from The Best Dog in the World. Bonnie Garmus has convinced me to give Lessons in Chemistry a try because of hers. I’m assuming she won’t be the last one to do so.

Following on the heels of Kings of the Wyld, I decided to tackle Bloody Rose on audiobook (if only to reduce Mt. TBR by a hair). Putting the two so close together, I’m doing a better job of understanding and appreciating the differences in tone and focus between the two.

What did you recently finish reading?

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames	The Terminal List by Jack Carr, read by Ray Porter

Kings of the Wyld had everything I remembered–humor, heart, action, and fantastic fantasy creatures. It’s one that I’m glad to see holds up to multiple re-reads.

Well, The Terminal List proved that I will listen to Ray Porter read anything. That’s all I can say about it.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Go Gentle by Maria Semple	The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander, read by Words Take Wing Repertory Co

The library due date for Semple’s new book is looming, time to jump on it.

I forgot I had The Arkadians waiting for me. Ooops. So, it’s again the next one on my list 🙂

Tell me something good about a book you just finished and/or are working through.

I am on a roll of reads better than I expected–and I expected to enjoy all the things I’ve picked up this year. I know it won’t last–but I’m enjoying it while it does. Here’s a quick glance at the books I’m talking about:

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 Book of Spores edited by Frasier Armitage, Eleni Argyró, Adrian M. Gibson & Ed Crocker	Out Law by Jim Butcher	The Terminal List by Jack Carr, read by Ray Porter

I will be finishing The Book of Spores in the next 24 hours. Readers, this is something else.

Butcher’s latest is sure to make me happy–as I said recently, you can never go wrong with more Marcone.

I barely scratched (got to 7%) The Terminal List last November before I had to give it back to the Library. It took this long to get to the top of the waitlist again. If it’s half as good as the demand seems to suggest, this’ll be a good time. And if it’s not? Eh, 12 hours of Ray Porter narration should make it pleasant.

What did you recently finish reading?

51% by Matt Witten	The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond, read by Shannon McManus

The 51% left me shocked. Stunned. Stupefied. I’ll try to expand on that soon.

The Frame-up wasn’t as silly as I thought it would be. Plenty of fun, but a little more Patricia Briggs than Elle Cosimano.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Kings of the Wyld by AUTHOR	The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander, read by Words Take Wing Repertory Co

Eames is going to leave me in a very good mood for the next few days.

My local library just added this Lloyd Alexander audiobook–and it’s one of those novels I didn’t know he’d written. Seemed like a good idea.

Do you have something good on your nightstand?

I’m dealing with a stupid cold this week–nothing like a cold to make me feel like I’m 12 again. Snot-nosed punk. It’s messing with me–I have a different kind of post that was supposed to go up yesterday or today–and now I’m hoping I can get it together by tomorrow. We’ll see if I can stay awake long enough.

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 Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine	The Book of Spores edited by Frasier Armitage, Eleni Argyró, Adrian M. Gibson & Ed Crocker	Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh

I’m having some trouble getting into Martine’s book (yesterday, I couldn’t get my eyes to focus…stupid cold). But what I’ve read, I’ve really dug. This world is fascinating.

The Book of Spores features a lot of stories that are not in a genre I read much of, but on the whole, they’re working for me. I think I’m going to end up being really impressed.

I haven’t found a lot o time for an audiobook this week, but the third book in Leckie’s trilogy is really strong. I’m having more fun with it than I did with the other two–which makes me pretty sure that things are going to get dark before it’s over.

What did you recently finish reading?

Worse than a Lie by Ben Crump	This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

Crump might be a great attorney, but he’s no novelist. Do yourself a favor and bypass this one.

On the other hand, Page’s book is a celebration of the life-changing power of the right book at the right time, a tribute to readers, and a love story to independent bookshops. The story might be a little on the predictable side (still, she zagged a couple of times I expected a zig–including with the resolution). A sweet read.

What do you think you’ll read next?

A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper	The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, read by Amber Faith

I have no doubt that I’m going to be in awe over A Violent Masterpiece–which is a pretty good tagline for Harper’s novels in general.

I read The Naturals a few years back, but didn’t finish the series–I think I want to tackle that this year, better start with a revisit. Okay, I just checked…”a few years” is 11 in this case. Yeah, I’d better revisit.

How are you all feeling? Is that helping or hindering your reading?

I literally just remembered it was Wednesday. Better get this done.

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?

Guns of Brixton by Paul D. Brazill	Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach

My first Brazill book will not be my last. This is fast, frenzied, and oh so fun (and not nearly as bloody as I thought it would be when I started…although I still have 40 pages to go, so I could be wrong).

Replaceable You is your typical Mary Roach–packed with a lot of info, some interesting conversations, some quality jokes, and jokes I wish she’d lost in editing.

What did you recently finish reading?

Soul Taken by Andrew Givler	Enemy of My Enemy by Alex Segura, read by Michael David Axtell

I had a blast with Soul Fraud, as I mentioned a few times earlier today.

Enemy of My Enemy was a great mix of Crime Fiction and Super-Heroes. I should have a post up about it tomorrow.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Worse than a Lie by Ben Crump	This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

I’m in the mood for some Crime Fiction with a conscience. I’m glad I have Crump’s book sitting on my desk.

This book from Page is either going to annoy me greatly with how treacly it is, or will make me swoon.

Are you using a book to distract yourself from Tax Day? Or are you too busy scrambling to get them done for something that frivolous?

I would make a lousy recipe blogger–yet again, I can’t come up with an intro for this post. Let’s just get into it, shall we?

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?

Electric City Switches by M.D. Presley	Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh

I just got started with this ARC from Presley, so I don’t have much to say yet. But it’s nice to be back in this world.

Okay, I’ve not heard how to pronounce a lot of the books in Ancillary Justice, and I was right about 2 of the many. And the new characters/worlds/ethnicities? I wouldn’t even want to guess how to spell 99.5% of them. Like I said last week, I’d heard the narrator is great–and she is. But Leckie’s text is complex enough that I am listening to this much slower than usual–and have had to rewind some

What did you recently finish reading?

Paranormal Payback edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes	Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn	Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, read by Emma Ladji

Paranormal Payback is (as one might expect) a mixed bag–but the highs are very high. And the lows aren’t that low. I’ve added a couple of authors to my “look into” list.

I enjoyed this Chet and Bernie bookas I talked about earlier today.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson	Enemy of My Enemy by Alex Segura, read by Michael David Axtell

I really don’t know what to expect about Dickinson’s book (one Fantasy group I’m in on Facebook featured a tepid-at-best review of this book a couple of days ago), but I’m looking forward to seeing for myself. At least for now.

Yes, I’m afraid of ODing on Daredevil. Oh, well…I’ve been waiting for this book too long, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

What are you (hopefully) enjoying this week?