Category: Books Page 102 of 160

Saturday Miscellany—8/8/20

On August 8, 2020

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I got the most detailed and unexpected critique of my blog theme/graphics this week from someone–sandwiched in a very complimentary email. I think there’s a lot of merit to what this new reader had to say (although I didn’t understand most of what he said about the main site graphic). At the same time, it made me sort of defensive toward whoever designed the theme for WordPress and my friend who made the graphic (one comment he made has a lot of merit, and I’ll probably never be able to unsee, despite not catching it for years).

Beyond that, and only having limited time to read this week (am about 2.5 days behind my ideal schedule, 1.5 behind the realistic one), it’s been a good and largely productive week around here (self-discipline pays off). How’s August treating all of you?

Only one New Release for the first week of a month? Clearly, I missed a few–help me out, friends.

That’s a lot of blather, I’d better move on with things.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
16 Ways to Celebrate National Book Lovers Day—Tomorrow is National Book Lovers Day here in the U. S., and NetGalley’s Bookish blog has compiled a list of ways to note it. I’ll be taking a pass on it this year for religious reasons, but honestly, who needs a label on the calendar to do any of these, I tend to tick off a lot of this list on a day that ends in “y”.
Mental Illness Can Make It Hard to Read. Here’s Why — and What You Can Do
What I Learned From the Worst Novelist in the English Language
From Victorian demons to the Beijing night bus: why we tell each other urban legends
The Evolution of Dennis Lehane—I’m not as taken with Lehane’s later work as many/most, but that’s largely taste and temperament (mine). But he’s forever near the top of my list for the Kenzie and Gennaro books, and when I do get around to reading something he’s written, it never fails to impress.
The Last Lines From 19 of the Most Beautiful Books Ever Written—(Lashaan should probably avoid this piece, Gatsby and Old Man and the Sea warning)
A Guide to Stanning Book Blogs // What Are Book Blogs, How & Why You Should Support Book Bloggers, & More
You Are a Book Blogger and You Are a Reader.—the working title, “It Doesn’t Matter How Much You Blog, You Are a Blogger and It Doesn’t Matter How Much You Read, You Are a Reader” summarizes it best
Should You Read the [SF/F] Classics?
Wonderful and Whimsical Fantasy Worlds to Get Lost in This Summer—Yet another great list from The Orangutan Librarian.

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
The Worldshapers Episode 58: Faith Hunter—a great conversation Hunter shared on Facebook, after I listened to this, I’ve downloaded several other episodes (and listened to most of those), this is a pretty good podcast in a similar vein to The Once and Future Podcast and Author Stories, I also really appreciated Episode 47: Carrie Vaughn.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Heirs of Locksley by Carrie Vaughn—this novella checks in on Robin and Marian’s kids four years after the last one. Just fun books, as I wrote (especially compared to most modern Robin Hood stories).

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to ilaria.muzzi, bookshelflife, and angelicreader who followed the blog this week. Hope to see you around.

WWW Wednesday, August 5, 2020

By HCNewton

On August 5, 2020

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

Technical difficulties (and lethargy) kept me from this post last week, but I’m back, online, and caffeinated, so let’s break out the WWW Wednesday!

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?
What are you currently reading?
I’m reading The Revelators by Ace Atkins and am listening to Deadly Assessments by Drew Hayes, Kirby Heyborne (Narrator).

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?
I just finished Carrie Vaughn’s The Heirs of Locksley and The Answer Is . . .Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek, narrated by Ken Jennings and Alex Trebek on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?
My next book should be the Iron Druid Chronicles spin-off, Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne and some sort of audiobook, I’m not sure what–we’ll see what the Library has to offer.

Hit me with your Three W’s in the comments! (no, really, do it!)

Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 books where something went wrong

By HCNewton

On August 4, 2020

In Books, News/Misc.

Top 5 Tuesday has a new host, and a new slate of topics—I think I can have some fun with these next few.

This week’s topic is, “Top 5 books where something went wrong.” Now, really, what story doesn’t involve something going wrong?* At best, it’s a book about something that went wrong before it started and the protagonists are trying to set it right, or at least make things better. But pretty much every book focuses on things going wrong. It’s just a matter of how often and how wrong things go. Still, when you read the topic, you have a pretty good idea what’s meant, right?

This was a hard list to whittle down—a Top 15 would’ve been easier than Top 5, but I think I’ve got a good, eclectic, group. To make things a little more challenging for myself, I didn’t choose any book I’ve read this year (that also will prevent recency bias). Shall we see what I came up with?

* I’m tempted to make a theological point here, but I’ll restrain myself.

	The Freedom Broker by K. J. Howe I’m not sure why, this one was the second title that jumped to mind when I started thinking about the topic. I remembered few of the details without my post to jog my memory. But it works pretty well, Thea Paris is in private security, with a specialty in K&R (Kidnapping and Ransom)—both the negotiation side, and (when that fails) the rescue teams. She’s one of the best around. Until her super-rich father is kidnapped, and everything starts going wrong. I described Howe’s writing as: an “everything including the kitchen sink” approach to story telling—the number of things that go wrong during Thea’s search for her father, and the number of opponents and obstacles in her way is seemingly endless. I love it, every time you think she’s on a roll and things are going to start going her way, a problem that the reader should’ve seen coming (but almost never does) shows up to derail things again.
	All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai Since I read this book, it may be the one I’ve most frequently recommended to people who ask for a recommendation. 2016 is the future that 1950’s Sci-Fi promised, peace, prosperity, flying cars, all that. Until the day the first time machine was turned on and something went wrong. History was re-written and what resulted is the (relative) dystopia that was 2016 (who knows what Mastai would’ve had his protagonist think of 2020). The only person that knew this was the first time traveler. What happens next is a series of attempts—and failures, so, so many failures—to restore the timeline. It’s such a great read. I should probably schedule a re-read, come to think of it. (My original post about the book)
	Mechanical Failure by Joe Zieja It’s right there in the title, right? Any of the Epic Failure trilogy would’ve fit, but the first seems to feature more failures—from the Droid who can’t swear to the retired engineer who tried to be a pirate—and his failure ended up getting him re-enlisted and promoted, and promoted and promoted again after repeated failures. People are assigned to the wrong stations on board the (appropriately named) Flagship, every device malfunctions, battle droids don’t function appropriately, and so on. (My original post about the book)
	The Cartel by Don Winslow What doesn’t go wrong in this book? You’ve got a prisonbreak, freeing the head of the biggest Cartel in Mexico—if only so he can wage war to stay the largest. You’ve got corruption at every level of the War on Drugs (on both sides of the border). You have new gangs rising to prominence, mostly due to bloodshed. You have more and more money coming into the cartels and more competition for that money. You have journalists, politicians, doctors, cops trying to do the right thing and being hunted, shot, and/or killed for it. I can’t think of anything that goes right in this book—at least not for very long.
	The Martian by Andy Weir Mark Watney finds ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory time after time after time. The strength of this book is that it’s about problem-solving your way out of those defeats, but from the first page (moments before the first page, technically) until the very end—things go wrong for Watney, giving him plenty of opportunities to exercise his problem-solving ability. This is the first book I thought of when I saw the prompt, and it’s probably the best example on my shelves of it. (My original post about the book)

July 2020 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By HCNewton

On August 1, 2020

In Books, Calendar Items, Currently Reading, News/Misc.

I finished 27 books (okay, fine…26 books and one picture book), with 9,217 pages (800+ of those I’ve been working on for a few months, though) and a 3.85 average rating. That counts as a very good month around here. I didn’t post as many things as I wanted to (I talked a little bit about that this morning), but I liked what I did post. If I only felt free to leave me house, I’d call July a win—a pretty good month, regardless.

So, here’s what happened here in July.




	/td>





		Still Deciding

		Average =	3.85
	5		1
	1		0
	8		0
	8		0
	4

“Traditionally” Published: 19
Self-/Independent Published: 8

Genre	This Month	Year to Date
Children’s	1 (4%)	3 (2%)
Fantasy	5 (19%)	23 (15%)
General Fiction/ Literature	4 (15%)	12 (8%)
Horror	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Humor	0 (0%)	1 (1%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	7 (26%)	6 (32%)
Non-Fiction	1 (4%)	9 (6%)
Science Fiction	3 (11%)	14 (9%)
Steampunk	0 (0%)	1 (2%)
Theology/ Christian Living	2 (7%)	11 (7%)
Urban Fantasy	4 (15%)	21 (14%)
Western	0 (0%)	0 (0%)

Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine (Audiobook) by Derren Brown: DNF
Catch-Up Quick Takes: Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner; Out of Range; The Fangs of Freelance; Wonder Twins, Vol. 1: Activate!
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding: BOOK VIII., xi.-xv.
The Curator by M. W. Craven: I do not have enough superlatives in my repertoire to do justice to this novel
Elphie Meets the End of The World by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron Misgav (Illustrator): It’s the End of the World as he Knows it, and Elphie (eventually) Feels Fine
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding: BOOK IX., i.-iv..
One Man by Harry Connolly: A Broken Man Against the World
Spells for the Dead by Faith Hunter: Nell and Her Team Face a New Type of Deadly Threat
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding: BOOK IX., v.- BOOK X., i.
Peace Talks by Jim Butcher: Family Complicates Everything
Vagrant Queen by Magdelene Visaggio, Jason Smith: A Quirky Space Opera that Hits the Mark
The Silence by Luca Veste: A Chilling Look at Spiraling Consequences of One Fatal Night
I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman: The Cat’s in the Cradle and all that…
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding: BOOK X., ii.-v.
Classic Spenser: Looking for Rachel Wallace by Robert B. Parker

Other than the Saturday Miscellanies (4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th), I also wrote:

20 Books of Summer 2020: July Check-In
Ultimate Book Tag
Down the TBR Hole (8 of 24+)
Down the TBR Hole (9 of 24+)
WWW Wednesday for July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22
The Friday 56 for 7/3/20, 7/17/20, 7/24/20, 7/31/20

How was your month?

Saturday Miscellany—8/1/20

By HCNewton

On August 1, 2020

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I had a potential of 14 things I was going to post this week–it was ambitious, and I didn’t think I’d actually get all of it accomplished, but it was something I actually thought I might accomplish. I got 6 things posted. One was a repost, four of them I wrote last Saturday. So, yeah, I composed 2 posts this week. Every day this week after work, I sat down to do something and then I ended up closing the laptop with only a paragraph or two written (or re-written, if I’d tried to finish my abandoned post from the day before). I slept a little more than usual, but mostly I just stared at my screen not accomplishing anything (including finding things for this post). In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal–but man, it was really demoralizing.

But, tomorrow is another day. fiddle-dee-dee, and all that. (Also, it’ll shave a couple of minutes off of compiling my July report later today)

Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet The Trouble with Reading Multiple Books at Once—I can juggle a few at once, but rarely want to anymore. Anyone out there enjoy doing this?
bullet Making the most of your reading time—Nothing new here, but good advice.
bullet ‘Kingkiller Chronicle’ Editor Believes Author Hasn’t Written Anything for Years—I haven’t seen if Rothfuss has responded to this (and looked a little bit), and am fairly surprised at how little attention it received on Twitter, etc.
bullet THE LAST OF US PART II, COWBOY BEBOP, and Letting Go of the Past—I’ve never played the game or watched the series, but what it says about the end of a series is something that we can all appreciate.
bullet The Name’s Wolfe, Nero Wolfe: Rex Stout’s Influence on Ian Fleming—you know me, I’ll drop a link to a Stout/Nero Wolfe piece any day. It’s easier when they’re as fun as this.
bullet Guest Post: Which Generation Reads the Most Infographic by Best By the Numbers.—I’m also always a sucker for an infographic, this guest post at The Tattooed Book Geek is a good one.
bullet Discussion – What Book Bloggers Love To Talk About—yeah, pretty much.

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Spells for the Dead by Faith Hunter—Nell and PsyLED face off against a magical virus. I really dug this one.
bullet Chaos Vector by Megan E. O’Keefe—one of the things I didn’t write about this week was the first book in this series (I didn’t realize it was going to be a series when I started it, nor that the second one was coming so soon). Space battles, an AI with an agenda, and some scrappy heroes. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.
bullet Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben Aaronovitch—I had completely forgotten that this collection was coming out until it appeared on my Kindle yesterday, what a pleasant surprise!

Lastly I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Tannie LowA.C. Stark, and Mike Finn who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you (assuming it’s working, which it may not be)?

20 Books of Summer 2020: July Check-In

By HCNewton

On July 31, 2020

In Andy Carpenter, Books, Chet and Bernie, Currently Reading, David Rosenfelt, Don Winslow, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Ian Rankin, InCryptid, John Rebus, Kevin Hearne, Luca Veste, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Spencer Quinn, Urban Fantasy

So, I did a lousy job of taking into account new releases, review copies, and life when I made the original list. I only read 4 of the remaining 13 books in July, which doesn’t bode well for August. I think I can still pull this off, but I’m going to have to make a couple of more substitutions, based on how long it took me to read Winslow’s The Cartel and Hearne’s A Plague of Giants, I’m not going to be able to tackle their follow-ups in August (which annoys me greatly, I was counting on this challenge to help force my hand with these). So I’m substituting Hearne’s next book, the launch of a new series, Ink & Sigil (there’s a balance to that) and The Revelators by Ace Atkins (not as epic in scope as Winslow, but … it’s the best I can realistically do).

✔ 1. Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why by Alexandra Petri
2. The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold
3. Screamcatcher: Dream Chasers by Christy J. Breedlove
✔ 4. The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton
✔ 5. Fair Warning by Michael Connelly
✔ 6. One Man by Harry Connolly
✔ 7. The Curator by M. W. Craven
8. The Ninja Daughter by Tori Eldridge
9. The Rome of Fall by Chad Alan Gibbs
✔ 10. American Demon by Kim Harrison

11. Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
12. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
✔ 13. Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire
14. Curse the Day by Judith O’Reilly
✔ 15. Of Mutts and Men by Spencer Quinn
16. Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin
✔ 17. Muzzled by David Rosenfelt
18. Bad Turn by Zoë Sharp
✔ 19. The Silence by Luca Veste
20. The Revelators by Ace Atkins

20 Books of Summer Chart July

Ultimate Book Tag

By HCNewton

On July 29, 2020

In Book Tag, Books, News/Misc.

Ultimate Book Tag
I saw this over on Way Too Fantasy last month, and it looked fun. It was maybe a touch too long in the end. But still, hopefully you enjoy. I’d like so see what you all come up with for these.

Do You Get Sick While Reading In The Car?

Not typically, but on a recent road trip, I got hit hard by it. I was in misery, my wife couldn’t understand what was going on–reading’s supposed to be the thing I can do anywhere, anytime. Thankfully, it passed after a miserable hour (and I was able to finish the book before it was my turn behind the wheel).

Which Author’s Writing Style Is Completely Unique To You And Why?

I honestly don’t get this question (and read a few other bloggers versions of this tag, which didn’t help). Lisa Lutz, Josh Bazell, Russell Day, Douglas Adams, Abbi Waxman jump to mind as great voices, with fantastic styles. If I spent more time, I could find another dozen names to list, but I’m not sure any qualify as “completely unique to me.”

Harry Potter or Twilight? Give 3 Reasons Why.

Harry Potter

Better written, better plotted, better executed.
I liked each successive Twilight book less. Exponentially so.
I want to re-read Potter several more times. Can’t see myself ever picking up a Twilight again.

Do You Carry A Book Bag? If So, What’s In It (Besides Books)?

Not since college.

Do You Smell Your Books?

Of course. I’m only human.

Books With or Without Illustrations?

Don’t know if I have a preference one way or another, but I’m always in favor of a well-done and fitting illustration.

What Book Did You Love While Reading, But Discovered Later It Wasn’t Quality Writing?

“Discovered” bothers me in that question. I find it amusing that every version of this I read points at Twilight. There are plenty of books I really enjoy while not being all that impressed with the writing, but I can’t think one that fits this scenario.

Do You Have Any Funny Stories Involving Books From Your Childhood?

Should probably ask my mom–she’d be the one who’d remember those. I just remember never having enough of them 🙂 (a problem that plagues me to this day)

What Is The Thinnest Book On Your Shelf?

Being There by Jerzy Kosinski

What Is the Thickest Book On Your Shelf?

Jane Austen The Complete Novels by Jane Austen

I have a Don Quixote paperback that’s about the same size, but I have an image of The Austen, so I’ll give that the credit.

Do You Write As Well As Read? Do You See Yourself Being An Author In the Future?

I have written a few novels that should never be seen by anyone. A handful of short stories, essays, and whatnot. I don’t see myself developing the necessary discipline to get published, but you never know.

When Did You Get Into Reading?

I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t. There are stories of me getting into reading when I was three and starting to figure out that the black squiggles meant words. Once I got into school and had a lot more options available to me, my addiction got worse.

And worse.

And now…

What Is Your Favorite Classic Book?

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

What Was Your Best Subject In School?

History/Social Studies/Government. Though English classes were always my favorite.

If You Were Given A Book As A Present That You Read Before And Hated, What Would You Do?

Thank profusely and add it to my shelf. Not to read again, but to remember the gesture.

(and to chuckle to myself about, I’m sure)

What Is A Lesser Known Series That You Know Of That Is Similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?

Similar to Potter? Jeremy Scott’s The Ables, just replace Wizards and Witches with Super Heroes.
Similar to the Hunger Games? Mercedes Lackey’ Hunter series, you’ve got the media/celebrity thing, the exceptional young woman from a rural area who proves to be a superstar/super-competent fighter.

What Is A Bad Habit You Always Do (Besides Rambling) While writing?

I can’t spell definitely to save my life. I overuse “honestly,” “to be honest,” ellipses, and so on.

What Is Your Favorite Word?

Sesquipedalian? Floccinaucinihilipilification? Indeed? Flummery?

Pfui. Too many to choose from.

Are You A Nerd, Dork, or Dweeb?

Nerd. (I prefer Geek, but it wasn’t an option)

Vampires or Fairies? Why?

Fae.

Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?

Shapeshifters. Changeling (formerly, and now, known as Beast Boy was one of the first superheroes that I got into–and remains a favorite. Then I got into Lycans and similar characters. I just find them interesting.

Also, the use of angels always leaves me a bit uneasy. No one gets them right, and it’s usually stepping too close to the sacred for my comfort.

Spirits or Werewolves? Why?

Werewolves. This is related to the above. Spirits are to ephemeral, ineffable, and insubstantial to really work for me.

Zombies or Vampires? Why?

Vampires. They have brains, agency, personality.

Love Triangles or Forbidden Love?

Forbidden love, I guess.

Full-on Romance Books Or Action-Packed With A Few Love Scenes?

Action (or something else) packed with romance on the side.

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

Saturday Miscellany—7/25/20

By HCNewton

On July 25, 2020

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

How’re we already on the brink of the last week of July? Who’s ready for that?

I really don’t have anything to say here, I guess, on with the links.

Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet The New Era of Book Launches—Social Distancing Edition
bullet Growing Up Surrounded by Books Could Have Powerful, Lasting Effect on the Mind: A new study suggests that exposure to large home libraries may have a long-term impact on proficiency in three key areas
bullet What 100 Writers Have Been Reading During Quarantine—interesting mix of writers and books
bullet There Have Always been Fantasy Novels For Adults – Article by Author Ryan Howse—I saw so many tweet reactions to this stupid article, “Finally: A Grown-up Fantasy”, and figured there’d be at least one good longer response. Howse knocks it out of the park (others may have, too, but I only saw this one—and it’s enough)
bullet 5 Things I’ve Learned in 5 Years of Blogging—Bookidote’s Lashaan has been blogging for 5 years now, and drops some wisdom (and Looney Tunes .gifs) to celebrate.
bullet Glossary for the Bibliophile—”a nifty list of words for all you book lovers out there”

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Annihilation Aria by Michael R. Underwood—It’s been two years since I’ve had anything from Underwood to talk about. He’s back with the first book in a Space Opera series, “an adventure of galactic subterfuge, ancient alien lore, a secret resistance force, lost civilizations, and giant space turtles.” Here’s his Big Idea about it.
bullet The Sin in the Steel by Ryan Van Loan—This looks like a lot of fun, a fantasy about “dead gods, a pirate queen, shapeshifting mages, and a Sherlockian teenager determined to upend her society.”

Lastly I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome toNewDogNewTricks, francescocat, penelopeburns, tensecondsfromnow, and beyondthecryptsandcastles who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

WWW Wednesday, July 22, 2020

By HCNewton

On July 22, 2020

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

What, already? Another Wednesday? July is speeding by. Guess it’s time for WWW Wednesday.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?
What are you currently reading?
I’m reading Venators: Legends Rise by Devri Walls and am listening to The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (narrated by the author).

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?
I just finished Wesley Parker’s Coffee and Condolences and Land of Wolves by Craig Johnson, George Guidall (Narrator) on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?
My next book should be The Revelators by Ace Atkins (assuming it’s available at my Library in time), or it’ll be Betty by Tiffany McDaniel and Dark Jones by Alex Bledsoe, Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator) on audiobook.

Blank Space

Hit me with your Three W’s in the comments! (no, really, do it!)

Down the TBR Hole (9 of 24+)

By HCNewton

On July 22, 2020

In Books, Down the TBR Hole, News/Misc.

Down the TBR Hole

My most severe cuts yet, which I enjoyed. I’m up to 10% cut off the total list (and I’m roughly 40% through the list I started with), which isn’t quite as dramatic as I’d hoped, but it’s some progress. I’ve also reminded myself of some promising reads that I haven’t made time for yet.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
Read the synopses of the books.
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	Don’t Get Caught by Kurt Dinan Blurb: “Max Cobb—Mr. 2.5 GPA, Mr. No Social Life, known throughout the school as Just Max—has just been set-up by the prank-pulling Chaos Club. But this time they’ve messed with the wrong guy. Because if his favorite heist movies have taught him anything, it’s time for Heist Rule #7: Always get payback. It’s time to recruit a crew, and he knows just who to ask. Let the prank war begin.” My Thoughts: This looks like a fun way to spend a day’s reading. I’d probably enjoy it, and understand why I put it on the list. But…it’s just not going to happen. Verdict:
	Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell My Thoughts: The third (and final?) installment in Cornell’s Shadow Police series looks good. I think the only reason I haven’t read it yet is that when it was released, my Library didn’t get a copy (I’d read the first two in the series from them), and I didn’t have the cash to get it. Now, I’m just being lazy. Verdict:
	Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo My Thoughts: A few years ago, I read all of Russo’s novels (and 50% of them since then). The completist in me feels like I need to read this one, but I really never cared for Sully and just am not that interested in spending more time with him. This is going to bug me, but I’ll get over it. Verdict:
	The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman Blurb: A collection of non-fiction pieces by Neil bleeping Gaiman, “Analytical yet playful, erudite yet accessible, this cornucopia explores a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to): authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts the author’s experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood.” My Thoughts: It’s Gaiman. No contest. Verdict:
	Blood Defense by Marcia Clark My Thoughts: I enjoyed Clark’s series about a prosecutor, would probably enjoy her take on a defense lawyer (if only because I have a soft spot for them), but these books have never drawn me. Guess I’ll pass for now. Verdict:
	True Grift by Jack Bunker Blurb: “A bankrupt lawyer and a greedy insurance adjuster concoct a personal injury scam involving a runaway grocery cart and recruit a half-wit golf course greenskeeper as their fall guy. But the plan goes horribly wrong, and as it spirals into a murderous fiasco, the grifters must deal with betrayals, shakedowns, bombs and mobsters to avoid prison… or worse, an early grave in a Southern California landfill.” Verdict:
	Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman Blurb: “[A] heartwarming story about a woman rediscovering herself after a personal crisis.” My Thoughts: Fredrik Backman. No doubt about it. Verdict:
	Congratulations on Everything by Nathan Whitlock Blurb: “A dark and comic novel, Congratulations On Everything tracks the struggles, frailties, and cruelly pyrrhic victories of the middle-aged owner of a bar-restaurant and a 30ish lunch-shift waitress…In an era when the gourmand rules and chefs become superstars, Congratulations On Everything is a hilarious and occasionally uncomfortable dose of anti-foodie reality that reveals what goes on when the customers and Instagrammers aren’t around — and even sometimes when they are.” My Thoughts: eh…. Verdict:
	Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me: What Pop Music Rivalries Reveal About the Meaning of Life by Steven Hyden Blurb: “Beatles vs. Stones. Biggie vs. Tupac. Kanye vs. Taylor. Who do you choose? And what does that say about you? Actually — what do these endlessly argued-about pop music rivalries say about us?” Verdict: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
	Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies (And Why We Don’t Learn Them From Movies Any More) by Hadley Freeman Blurb: “In this personalised guide, ]Freeman] puts her obsessive movie geekery to good use, detailing the decades [sic] key players, genres and tropes, and how exactly the friendship between Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi influenced the evolution of comedy. She looks back to a cinematic world in which bankers are invariably evil, despite this being the decade of Wall Street, where children are always wiser than adults, and science is embraced with an intense enthusiasm, and the future viewed with excitement. She considers how the changes between movies then and movies today say so much about pop culture’s and society’s changing expectations of women, young people and art, and explains why Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles should be put on school syllabuses immediately.” My Thoughts: As I said about the first book in this installment, this looks like a fun way to spend a day’s reading. I’d probably enjoy it, and understand why I put it on the list. But…it’s just not going to happen. Verdict: