Category: Books Page 138 of 168

2018 Library Love Challenge

On December 27, 2017

In 2017 Library Love Challenge, 2018 Library Love Challenge, Books, News/Misc.

I didn’t do any real challenges this year — other than simply “read as much and as widely as you can” (not sure everyone would agree with my definition of widely — including me) — with one exception: the 2017 Library Love Challenge. Which is basically taking my approach to reading but limiting it to one source: the public Library. I really don’t spend as much time at the Nampa Public Library as I used to — but I still depend on them as a source for books and inspiration. Still, 41 of the books I read this year came from there (more, really, but I didn’t track audiobook sources for some reason).

There’s a nice Goodreads group for this challenge. too. It’s a great source of encouragement — although it could be larger.

Anyway, I liked doing it enough that I’m signing up for 2018, too. You should give it a shot, too. Here’s the info that I blatantly copied from Angel’s Guilty Pleasures:

I hope you will join use in celebrating and support libraries.

If you are like use then you like to purchase every book you want to read. And, well that can put a hurt on your wallet. One way to help lessen the hurt is to check out books (prints, ebooks, or audios) from the library. If you do this then it will help save you LOTS of money $$.

Getting a library card in most places is FREE. So, if you love to read and/or listen to books then grab your library card and join the challenge.

Details:

Runs: January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018. You can join any time.

Put a sign up post on your blog or (dedicate a Goodreads shelf or LibraryThing) and link it below. Make sure it’s public.
The goal is to read at least twelve (12) books from the library, but you can read more. While twelve is the minimum, there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.
Any format will work for this challenge (prints, ebooks, or audios); as long as you checked it out from the library, it counts.
Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).
Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads. The goal is to support your local library and save money.
Write a review to enter the giveaway – 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences. Not sure what to write? How about something like, “The plot was a delight, but the characters didn’t capture me.” “I enjoyed the story and really liked the characters.”
As an added bonus: We are offering up a GIVEAWAY with this Challenge. Winner will be picked at the end of the year!! The entries are the direct links to your book reviews and you will have until Jan. 3rd, 2019 to enter your reviews in the linky and then the Rafflecopter. Go here to enter the giveaway: 2018 Library Love Challenge Review Link-ups.

Levels:

Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books
Thrifty Reader: Read 24 books
Overdrive Junkie: Read 36 books
Library Addict: Read 48 books
Library Card on Fire: Read 60+ books

Head on over to Angel’s Guilty Pleasures or Brooke Blogs to sign up!

I’ll be tracking my reads here or you can see the posts about the books here.

Saturday Miscellany -12/23/17

By HCNewton

On December 23, 2017

In Books, News/Misc.

It’s still technically Saturday (MST in the US) — I was really tired last night (fell asleep with my laptop on my lap and this post open and empty) and super busy today. But now, just under the wire: The Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

The Ultimate List of Fiction Books You Should Read At Least Once in Your Life — Literary Titan brings us the ginormous list that This is Writing assembled. I haven’t had a chance to dig deep on this list — but it’s thought-provoking at least.
Why Teens Find The End Of The World So Appealing — NPR has an interesting idea or two about why Teens dig Dystopian novels
Say My Name: A pronunciation guide to 15 tongue-tripping names in Fantasy and Sci-Fi — there’s a couple in here that helped me (would’ve helped me more years ago . . . )
Matt Shakman To Direct TriStar’s ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ Adaptation — No slight to Shakman, but man . . . this idea makes me nervous.
Do not f*** with Jane Austen Twitter — AV Club talks about some of the responses to the Washington Post’s unfortunate recent tweet about Austen
50 Hilariously Honest New Titles For Your Favourite Books — I think I posted an abbreviated version of this list a couple of weeks ago, but I’m too tired to see if that’s the case. Either way, you probably missed a chuckle or two the last time you went through these.

The Twisted Path by Harry Connolly — I liked this a whole lot, a new novella in the Twenty Palaces series, one of my favorites and I love seeing a bit of new life in it. Which you can read more about here, in yesterday’s post

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to Scarlett Brodie and Maria Bardyukova for following the blog this week (okay, Scarlett actually started last week, and I overlooked her — sorry!).

A Matter of Perspective

By HCNewton

On December 19, 2017

In Books, News/Misc., Quotations

A couple of weeks ago, I read Between Wittenberg and Geneva: Lutheran and Reformed Theology in Conversation by Robert Kolb and Carl R. Trueman. In his discussion of Reformed worship, Carl Trueman wrote:

Nevertheless, there is a sense in which beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The Reformed worship service with its simple aesthetics focused on the basic elements of prayer, preaching, singing, and sacraments has an austere beauty of its own, as anyone who has ever attended, for example, a traditional service of worship in a Presbyterian congregation on Scotland’s Outer Hebrides will affirm. The unadorned human voice and the air of tranquil and reverent piety possess their own peculiar and often powerful beauty. Simplicity has its own aesthetic and can indeed have its own unadorned beauty.

I couldn’t help thinking of that passage yesterday when I read the following passage from Peter May’s The Blackhouse:

No colourful stained glass in this austere Calvinistic culture. No imagery. No crosses. No joy.

. . . A cheerless place, with worn floorboards and dark, varnished wood. It smelled of dust and damp clothes and time. . . .

Fin traced his childhood footsteps through the left-hand door and into the church itself, rows of unforgiving wooden pews flanking two aisles leading to the raised and railed area at the far end, from which sombre elders would lead the psalm-singing. . . .

In his head, Fin could almost hear the singing of the Gaelic psalms. A strange, unaccompanied tribal chanting that could seem chaotic to the untrained ear. But there was something wonderfully affecting about it. Something of the land and the landscape, of the struggle for existence against overwhelming odds. Something of the people amongst whom he had grown up. Good people, most of them, finding something unique in themselves, in the way they sang their praise to the Lord, an expression of gratitude for hard lives in which they had found meaning.

Different perspectives on Scottish Presbyterianism, to be sure — written with different aims, in very different kinds of books, but if you look hard enough, you can see them describing the same thing. It was a little striking running into those so close together.

Saturday Miscellany – 12/16/17

By HCNewton

On December 16, 2017

In Books, News/Misc.

When I posted Thursday about my lack of posting this week, I wasn’t sure what else to say, but for those who are curious about distractions of this past week —read this from my other blog.

Meanwhile, here are the odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

‘Women are better writers than men’: novelist John Boyne sets the record straight — I think there are many problems with this, but it’s still nice to see as an alternative to things written saying the opposite (equally problematic).
Why Write Fiction in 2017? — Interesting (but as problematic as the above).
The Craft of Fiction: Lee Child and Andy Martin in Conversation — A fun, if long, chat between the two.
Where do you write? — this video clocks in at less than 3 minutes. Nice to put a face to some names if nothing else.
This Delightful Letter Shows Conan Doyle’s True Feelings Toward Sherlock Holmes headline says it all.
How Indie Presses Are Elevating the Publishing World
Elon Musk’s Mars-Bound Tesla Roadster to Carry Towel and “Don’t Panic” Sign — Hitchhiker’s Guide in space. How fitting is that?
Ready Player One Author Ernie Cline Confirms He’s Writing A Sequel — I’d prefer he play in another sandbox, but I’ll read this with pleasure.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to bloggerfingers and MladenR for following the blog this week.

Something had to give…

By HCNewton

On December 14, 2017

In Books, News/Misc., Writing, YA/MG/Children's Books

Yeah, nothing for a couple of days here — just how I want to follow-up one of the best weeks I’ve had traffic/share/etc.-wise. I’ve got a couple of posts ready to go for Friday, and I’ve finished 5 books already this week, so it’s not like I’m hurting for material. Just hurting on time and energy.

There’s a good reason for this — and I’ll talk about it sometime. In the meantime, come back Friday.

Saturday Miscellany – 12/9/17

By HCNewton

On December 9, 2017

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Why You Should Surround Yourself With More Books Than You’ll Ever Have Time to Read — not that I needed the excuse . . .
Dear Broke Reader: Your Sense of Entitlement is Killing Me — Yeah, it’s a year and a half old, but still good. I’m not sure why I’m reading all these anti-piracy pieces lately — but there’s probably a need.
Netflix Grabs Hold Of John Scalzi’s Sci-Fi Novel ‘Old Man’s War’ For Jon Shestack, Madhouse — It’s not my favorite Scalzi book, but by far the most adaptable (I think). Oh, yeah, it also left to one of the more amusing tweets I read this week.
PC Grant Series by Ben Aaronovitch — Books are My Cwtches gives a nice overview of that fun series.
These Parody Book Covers Of Famous Classics Will Make Any True Literary Nerd Laugh Out Loud — There are some good ones here.

A Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter — the third installment of the Nell Ingram series is just great. I had a lot to say about it recently.
The Defense by Steve Cavanagh — Cavanagh’s debut novel about a con man turned lawyer is out in paperback here in the States — a great series to jump on at a decent price.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to Anushka for following the blog this week.

Saturday Miscellany – 12/2/17

By HCNewton

On December 2, 2017

In Books, News/Misc.

Running a bit late today . . . okay very late today. Mrs. Irresponsible Reader had me far away from my keyboard and wifi signal for most of the day. Still, got a couple of things I want to encourage you to read . . . So here are the odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men? — something many of us are thinking about lately . . . Thanks to Nathaniel Barber for putting this in front of my eyeballs a couple of times.
When Making Books Was As Much Of An Art As Writing Them — a coworker told me about a class he took that did much of this a few years ago. If I only had the time/money/ability to do anything with my hands . . .
At what point do we give up on books? Big data has the answer — This is creepy. And interesting.
Rise Of The Angry Robot — a nice piece on that great publisher

The Squirrel on the Train by Kevin Hearne — It’s the second of Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries! Which I liked a lot — listened to most of the audiobook today, too — which was also very entertaining — the Force is strong with Luke Daniels.
Briefly Maiden by Jacqueline Chadwick — the follow-up to this year’s fantastic In the Still. It’s dark, twisted, and so much fun while telling a tragic and horrifying story. I checked in on that Thursday — sooo good. I’ll expand on that in a couple of days.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to annebonnybookreviews, thehuntandpeckblog, Richard Klu, and The Cable Denning Fan Club for following the blog this week.

November 2017 Report

By HCNewton

On December 1, 2017

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

I had a pretty good month, it seems. I gave out a whole lot of 4 Stars — which means I read/talked about a whole lot of good books. Good way to spend the penultimate month of 2017.

Here’s what happened here in November.

Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to:

Still Reading:

Reviews Posted:

Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton
Moshe Comes to Visit by Tehila Sade Moyal, Fatima Pires
The Squirrel on the Train by Kevin Hearne
Grace Alone–Salvation as a Gift of God by Carl R. Trueman
Communication Failure by Joe Zieja
Bodacious Creed by Jonathan Fesmire
Righteous by Joe Ide
The Rat Tunnels of Isfahan by Alejandro de Gutierre
Meddling Kids (Audiobook) by Edgar Cantero, Kyla Garcia
The Freedom Broker by K. J. Howe
Breaking Bad 101 by Alan Sepinwall
Paradox Bound by Peter Clines
Dead Souls by Ian Rankin
All Hands on Pet! by Susan E. Davis, PT
Artemis by Andy Weir
Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter
The Hidden Face by S. C. Flynn
The Midnight Line by Lee Child
Curse of the Coloring Book by Howard L. Hibbard
Deep Blue Trouble by Steph Broadribb

How was your month?

Saturday Miscellany – 11/25/17

By HCNewton

On November 25, 2017

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Yeah, Thanksgiving was a couple of days ago, but I thought these first two were interesting, regardless: 22 Famous Writers Told Us About The Book They’re Most Thankful For
B&N Survey Finds Thanksgiving Eve ‘Busiest Reading Day of the Year’
An Author Photo Is Worth a Thousand Words
Science fiction triggers ‘poorer reading’, study finds — huh
All the Known Portal Worlds in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children Series — This is a handy piece.
Kate Neilan brings us this helpful reminder
22 Reasons We’re Thankful For Independent Bookstores

The Hidden Face by S. C. Flynn is scheduled to release today, so that counts, right? I think there’s a strong chance you can grab it for pretty cheap, too. A good book at a good price. Jump on it. In case you missed what I said about it yesterday, just click here.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to Mr and Mrs NW, abokrose and LizScanlon for following the blog this week.

Saturday Miscellany – 11/18/17

By HCNewton

On November 18, 2017

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the Kindle’s launch — which would change so much of the book business. The Guardian has a pretty good piece on its impact: Amazon’s Kindle turns 10: have ebooks clicked with you yet?
And Mashable lists The most popular books on the Kindle
Little House, Small Government: How Laura Ingalls Wilder’s frontier vision of freedom and survival lives on in Trump’s America. — I’m not saying I buy everything in this piece, but it’s an interesting read
Not at all surprisingly, I loved Don’t Panic: Paying Tribute to Douglas Adams
Andy Weir on Ernest Cline, Doctor Who, and More — from Unbound

Hank Garner’s The Author Stories Podcast had two strong episodes this week: Episode 260: Andy Weir was great — he talked about a novel he had to shelve, his one problem with The Martian movie, and the genesis of Artemis.
Episode 262: Janet Evanovich — I’ve actually never read/heard an Evanovich interview before (that I recall, anyway). This was great to hear.

Artemis by Andy Weir — Can Weir follow The Martian with anything but a let down? I finished this last night, and my answer is YES! Also: Phew!! Basically, it’s a heist novel set in the first city on the Moon. And it’s great.
Deep Blue Trouble by Steph Broadribb — Lori Anderson, the wonderful single-mom/bounty hunter from Deep Down Dead (and possibly my favorite new character this year) is back for more. I’m pretty sure I knew this was coming out this week, but I’d forgotten it, so seeing it show up on my Kindle really screwed up my reading schedule for the rest of the month. How much do I care? Not one whit.
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant — None of Seanan McGuire’s alter ego’s books have appealed to me yet (beyond being written by one of the best around). This one just might get me to give Grant a shot. For those more open to the horror or SF-Horror type of read, you should probably consider this one.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to theartdive and M.L.S.Weech for following the blog this week.