Books - The Irresponsible Reader

Saturday Miscellany – 11/2

On November 2, 2013

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:

Customizable Metal Bookmarks — I go through bookmarks like crazy, these look like they’d last awhile
— and since I’m talking buying stuff, here’s A quick guide to buying an e-reader or tablet cover
Why Successful Authors Are Giving Their Books Away for Free — the times they are a-changin’
Neil Gaiman on reading for pleasure as a way to sustain a thriving society — Shocking, I know . . . Gaiman had good things to say about reading for pleasure. So worth the read.
Trailer for ‘The Gods of Guilt’ by Michael Connelly — I don’t need a trailer, even a title, all I need to know is MIchael Connelly and I’m there (throwing in Mickey Haller is a nice bonus). But, this’ll whet your appetite
Paolini’s Eragon Revisited 10 Years Later — 10 years? It’s been 10 years? A nice second-look at Eragon

Behind the Sofa by Steve Berry — this looks like a lot of fun for Whovians

Saturday Miscellany – 10/26

By HCNewton

On October 26, 2013

In Books, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne, News/Misc., Robert B. Parker, Spenser

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:

How Amazon and Goodreads could lose their best readers — Wasn’t crazy about Goodreads aquisition by Amazon, and here’s another reason for it. More fallout from the recent content moderation kerfuffle
Beautiful Library Chairs for Literary Abodes — there are some of these I’d love to put to use, others I’d just like to look at
Dear Readers, A Letter from Mike Braff — a Del Rey editor talks about some clichés in epic fantasy.
SHATTERED release date — Sure, this is noteworthy due to Shattered‘s release date, but Hearne lays out the timeline of his writing/publishing over the last couple of years. I found this behind the scenes stuff fascinating.
Alex Verus: The Future (Continued) — Jacka announces more Alex Verus books. And there was much rejoicing!!

Allegiant by Veronica Roth — The concluding volume of the Divergent Trilogy came out this week to much wailing and moaning from fans, apparently. I finished it yesterday and was satisfied — review to come soon.
Rags & Bones edited by Tim Pratt and Melissa Marr — the concept behind this is great, an impressive lineup of authors. What’s not to like here? Read The Big Idea entry on it.
Silent Night: A Spenser Holiday Novel by Robert B. Parker with Helen Brann — On the one hand, I’d really like to read what it was that Parker was working on at his death, and I’m curious to see how well his editor/someone other than Ace Atkins can do with the Spenser-verse. On the other hand — a Christmas story?!?!?
Poe by J. Lincoln Fenn — this one intrigues me — sounds creepy, suspenseful, and really good

Categories: Books, News/Misc.
Tags: Miscellany

Saturday Miscellany – 10/19

By HCNewton

On October 19, 2013

In Books, News/Misc.

Been one of those weeks, and I’ve accomplished almost nothing blog-wise. I’ve started three reviews, and have notes on a couple more, but haven’t been able to translate those into something worth reading. Still I’ve been able to cobble together a decent batch of 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:

Harper Lee sues hometown museum in Alabama — Wouldn’t it be nice to see her name in a headline about something good?
PW Talks with Nicholas A. Basbanes — Publisher Weekly’s mini-interview with Basbanes is pretty interesting, I bet his book is fantastic or dry as dust. Not sure which, but I should try to get my hands on a copy.
Mental Floss Exclusive: Our Interview with Bill Watterson! — Speaking of interesting interviews . . . Bill Watterson? Zowie!
11 Lessons That ‘Jane Eyre’ Can Teach Every 21st Century Woman About How To Live Well — title probably says it all.
Just a few hours left in Harry Connolly’s The Great Way Kickstarter, that I talked about a couple of weeks ago. If you haven’t yet, you really should check it out.

Somehow, only saw new release this week that got my attention — which is fine as my TBR pile is tall enough that a strong breeze could topple it on me and cause serious injury. Taking a glance around, next week will be fuller. Still, the fact that Michael Connelly’s The Black Box is out in Mass Market Paperback is great news, I’m always up for Harry Bosch.

Saturday Miscellany – 10/12

By HCNewton

On October 12, 2013

In Books, Calendar Items, 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:

so, am I the only one who has no idea what Alice Munro writes? I’ve seen the name, but until this week, didn’t realize I was missing out on anything.
Why Charlotte Brontë Hated Jane Austen — And I thought I couldn’t like Brontë more. I should probably get my hands on this book.
How To Become A Better Reader — Some excellent advice here — for young and older alike
The Thirtysomething Teen: An Adult YA Addict Comes Clean — Jen Doll speaks for many here (bonus points for the Eleanor & Park quote
New book deal – SHIELD AND CROCUS — it’ll be weird to have a paperback copy of a Michael R. Underwood book, but oh so nice.
‘The Big Bang Theory’ star Kunal Nayyar is writing a memoir — this should be a good read
Interview with Kevin Hearne — a good interview with one of my favorite UF (and probably epic fantasy) writers

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan — The Heroes of Olympus series keeps barreling along
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch — oh, goody, goody, goody — the third Gentlemen Bastards novel! Check out the trailer here.
Inherit the Dead: A Novel by just about everyone under the sun — this looks interesting, love the idea.

From the Mailbag: Whither Pratchett?

By HCNewton

On October 11, 2013

In Books, News/Misc.

Received this e-mail today from someone submitting a comment to the “Suggest a Book” form:

Do have reviews on ANY Terry Pratchett book. Would love to “hear” your thoughts…

Thanks for the question! Not just because I like getting suggestions/e-mails, but also because I had nothing else to post today, having opted for sleep and time with my family over finishing a book.*

Pratchett’s a legend — almost universally praised and adored. I read the first two Discworld novels back in 2011, and didn’t care for ’em. Which I assume is an indictment of me, my taste, and very likely my morality, patriotism and love for my wife. So, readers, is it just these first couple of books? Should I start with a different Pratchett book? I’d like to bask in his particular brand of genius, just need a hand.

Anyway, I wasn’t going to bother dusting these off as they’re so short, but since you asked, here are my 2-star reviews for the first two Discworld novels.

The Colour of Magic

by Terry Pratchett
Hardcover, 183 pg.
St. Martin’s Press, 1983

It was amusing enough–chuckle-inducing in more than one place–but I never connected with it, not the story, not the characters, not the world. Left me pretty durn blah.

Probably just me, eh?

The Light Fantastic

by Terry Pratchett
Hardcover, 189 pg
Colin Smythe, 1987

I liked this one better than The Colour of Magic — it was better constructed, the characters were a touch more believable as characters, and I certainly laughed more. But, I had the same issues with this as I had with the previous.

I just didn’t care about anything or anyone, and saw no reason why I should.

Funny, clever stuff, and I couldn’t wait to be done with it.

—–

* Not that I didn’t try for all three

Saturday Miscellany – 10/5

By HCNewton

On October 5, 2013

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:

Scribd Challenges Amazon and Apple With ‘Netflix for Books’ — Oh goody, another literary Netflix. Wonder if one of these will take off.
British Students Ban “Blurred Lines” From Their Own Universities — I thought in the shadow of Banned Book Week this was a provocative — and disturbing — piece
The Inevitability of Formulaic Writing in Literary Fiction: A Case Study — a fun read

Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman — The more I learn about Offerman, the more I admire him — beyond his acting, he seems to be a heckuva guy.
Entangled by Amy Rose Capetta — This YA SF book has a heckuva concept.
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie — Another book with a killer concept.
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente — My daughter loves these books, keeps telling me I need to read them. Sure looks like a good idea.
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion — I like the sound of this one

Anton Strout-Apalooza 2013

By HCNewton

On October 2, 2013

In Anton Strout, Books, Fiction, News/Misc., Urban Fantasy, Writing

I want this blog to be about more than just my reviews, like many readers, I’m interested in the process of writing and the people who do it. So I thought I’d try to look at what various authors are up to. One of the best side-effects of one of your favorite authors coming out with a new book in this social media-heavy age, is them being interviewed and/or writing guest posts for various and sundry blogs.

To promote his new book, Stonecast (which I’ll be reviewing here tomorrow), Anton Strout‘s been just about everywhere over the last couple of weeks, talking about Stonecast as well as sharing his thoughts about Urban Fantasy and writing in general. Thought I’d share a sample, there’s a lot to chew on and enjoy here:

Ten Questions About Stonecast — Chuck Wendig fires 10 questions at Strout
New Release Interview — from Suvudu.com
The Pop Quiz at the End of the Universe — this one is more about Anton Strout than Stonecast
Interrogate the Author — Amber Benson does a quick intereview with Strout.
Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together: You’ve Got Your Nerds in My Urban Fantasy! — Strout talks about the tone for his current series, how he mixes in nerddom with his UF
Getting Stoned: Gargoyles, Golems, and Why Petrification Magic Is Awesome — Strout talks about some of the inspirations for his current series
Para-urban Rom-antasy — Strout talks about the differences and similarities in Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasty, and why he writes the kind he does
Blank is the New Vampire — Strout talks about attempting to write “The Next Big Thing” in a genre
Kasey Kasem Is My Spirit Animal — behind that odd title (and odder thought, Kasem? Really??) is some good advice for aspiring writers
Got Writer’s Block? No, You Don’t — very valuable writing advice
Life as a Serial Murderer — Strout talks about his struggles with learning how to write not just a book, but a series

Hopefully that gives you a decent flavor of both the author and the book/series. Check out both The Spellmason Chronicles as well as his Simon Canderous books.

Saturday Miscellany – 9/28

By HCNewton

On September 28, 2013

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Before we get to the regular subjects: I’m starting to play with the typical format my reviews come in, as you’ll see in a couple hours. Links should take you to more official sites for the author/book, I’ll try to offer a little more information about the particular book I read, and it’ll look a tad different, too. I’d appreciate any feedback you’d care to share.

Only one entry in the ol’ Odds ‘n Ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye and seemed worth sharing. You may have seen this already, but just in case:

We are the people of the book…. — not sure what to call this Cory Doctorow quotation, but I like it. I like it a lot.

Stonecast by Anton Strout — book 2 of the Stonemason Chronicles, been looking forward to this for a while. Expect to see a lot about this one soon
Charming by Elliott James — Know nothing about this author, read nothing about it other than the description, but seems like the kind of thing worth a read.
The Plague Force by Jason M. Hough — The Dire Earth Cycle concludes
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson — go read The Big Idea entry for this one

Categories: Books, News/Misc.
Tags: Miscellany

Saturday Miscellany – 9/21

By HCNewton

On September 21, 2013

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:

Don’t Ban Books Like Eleanor and Park, Teens Need Them — While I’m anti-book banning on principle, I can understand the reasoning* some institutions have for some books. But Eleanor and Park? Really? No. Not a chance. Reprehensible with a capital R-E-P-R-E-H-E-N-S-I-B-L-E.
Writing in Your Books: An Act of Engagement or Blasphemy? — A decent survey of the question. But ultimately, Goldberg’s position is wrong.
The 20 stages of reading — Lynda Barry does a pretty good job of capturing the life cycle of the reader, thankfully, I’m ahead of the curve
Hemingway estate’s Vanity Fair grudge — I can only imagine that Hemingway would endorse his heirs’ actions regarding Vanity Fair
5 Ways to Make Football More Appealing to Book Nerds — B&N’s Paul Goat Allen gives some snicker-worthy suggestions

Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff — Book 2 of The Lotus War. I loved Book 1 of this Japanese Steampunk series and have been eagerly awaiting this. Such a rich world, realized and depicted so skillfully and wonderfully.

—–
* Please note, I said understand, didn’t say agree with

The Great Way Kickstarter

By HCNewton

On September 19, 2013

In Authors, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, News/Misc.

Harry Connolly, writer of the criminally underselling UF series The Twenty Palaces, has moved on to Epic Fantasy. This project sounds great — watch the video, read the Kickstarter page, toss some money at the guy.

Category: Books Page 159 of 162