Category: Books Page 35 of 159

Not much to say today as an intro. (“Phew!” is the collective response, I’m sure).

The next couple of weeks are going to be very interesting, I think, here. I’ll talk about it Monday—but I’m telling you now, reader, you’re going to want to stop by a lot (or just a couple of times, I guess—but it should read it all).
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:
We’re All Reading Wrong: To access the full benefits of literature, you have to share it out loud.—hmmmmm….
But Why a Penguin?—Who among us hasn’t wondered?
I missed the provocative essay No One Buys Books last week, where Elle Griffin dove into the data from the recent Penguin vs. DOJ case to look at what it says about book sales.
This week, there were two (at least) responses to that: The Puzzle of Publishing and Yes, People Still Buy Books: How a viral post got some key statistics wrong.—between the three of these pieces, there’s a heckuva education into the business side of book publishing.
M.W Craven up for Theakston Old Peculier Crime award for 3rd year—a quick catch-up with Craven
The Edgar Awards were this week, which means it’s time for Crime Reads’ annual nominee roundtable on The State of the Crime Novel. Part 1: Writing Life and Part 2: The Future of Crime Writing
How Fiction Became Edible: A new genre of cookbooks is reverse engineering the foods of all your favorite pieces of pop culture. Now your stomach can travel to Westeros, Tatooine, the Shire, and more.
The Author as Protagonist: Why are so many fictional writers solving crimes in detective novels?
A few good books about too-good-to-be-true tech (to read after your Tesla explodes).—a fun listicle
Andrew Miller: Namaste Mart Confidential—A quick Q&A with Miller (and a website I need to spend more time with, you will likely enjoy it, too)
Historical Fiction Pros & Cons—Reading Ladies Book Club looks at the genre
Why I No Longer Request ARCs—I absolutely get this (and agree with almost every part of it). But my stack-o’-ARCS suggests I may need to consider Krysta’s words more closely soon.
Speaking of things I need to think more about: How Negative Am I? Posing the Question of Negativity on the Internet
7 Reasons Adults Should Read Children’s Books—#1 & #3 are the big ones for me. With #4 gaining steadily, as the Grandcritter ages, I expect it’ll take first place.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
<bOutlander by Diana Gabaldon—left me utterly unimpressed
In Defense of the Descent by Daniel R. Hyde—a short and compelling book about the controversial line in the Apostle’s Creed. I still refer to this book.
Dawn’s Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris—steampunky fun in the U.S. of A.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Namaste Mart Confidential by Andrew Miller—A pair of unlicensed PIs/Grocery Store Clerks search for a missing (possibly kidnapped) woman in the L.A. of 2013. I rambled about it a little earlier this week
Takeout Sushi by Christopher Green—a collection of short stories from (mostly) contemporary Japan. I posted about it recently and managed not to make a single joke about one of the world’s least appealing (to me) types of food. That’s personal growth right there.
Crimson Arches by Rebecca Carey Lyles—in this follow-up to Shadow Ranch, Kasenia somehow finds herself in a tense situation with another polygamous bunch.
What’s Eating Jackie Oh? by Patricia Park—a YA look at cooking competitions and dealing with parental expectations.
The Vanishing Station by Ana Ellickson —”a lyrical and bold YA debut about an underground magic system in San Francisco—and the lengths one girl is willing to go to protect the ones she loves.” Intriguing setup and world.

For U.S.-types, Happy Independent Bookstore Day!! Be sure to venture forth and take advantage of the fun in your area. I actually have 3 choices to go to today (and, yes, I’m tempted to hit all three, but time and money prevent that). This month has not been good for my To Be Read mountain, and I don’t think today will help a lot.

(non-U.S.-types should go and visit your local indie shop, too.)

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:
A novel experience: Why small bookstores are thriving in Canada—this seems to be a good day to celebrate those stores north of the border, too.
There’s a revolution happening in children’s publishing—you can thank the book bans—the Law of Unintended Consequences has teeth
Yes, It’s Okay to Throw Away a Book: We love acquiring, hoarding, and displaying books even more than we love reading them—That subtitle is a bit much, but the rest of the piece is worth a read. Unconvincing, I think.
The literary romantic holiday that should replace Valentine’s Day.—this one also seems like a bit of a stretch, but I’m inclined to be swayed.
Shakespeare and Fanfiction: Despite an enduring slice of audience that treats his work as precious and mythic, most Shakespeare fans have rarely met an adaptive concept they didn’t like.
The Unexpected Resurrection of Harlan Ellison
The Heyday of Pulp Fiction: Keith Roysdon on the heroes and villains of American pop culture, introduced to millions of readers in cheap magazines.
Encyclopedia Brown: A Story for My Brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman
How to Read More—Armed With a Book brings a fresh idea or two to this perennial topic.
Brian Bilston is “fed up with people pointing out all the mistakes in my poetry” and responds with Pedants—absolutely worth the read.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
It looks like whatever was distracting me from blogging in April 2014 started to wane, and I managed to note the publication of a few books that looked promising (I read at least 3 of them—all 3 winners)
The Dragon Business by Kevin J. Anderson
Attack The Geek: A Ree Reyes Side-Quest by Michael R. Underwood
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Heaven’s Queen by Rachel Bach
Dawn’s Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

This Week’s New Release that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Next of Kin by Samantha Jayne Allen—Annie McIntyre’s third adventure finds her looking into a client’s family history and stirring up dust that causes problems for her and the client in the present. Looking forward to diving into this one.

The worst day of the year to work in an Adolescent Drug Rehab facility is April 20. It’s been years since I left and I still tense up with I write the date.

I had so many plans this week for the blog, and I don’t think I accomplished any of them (but boy, oh, boy do I have several drafts in some stage of incompletion). I have a Tour Stop on Monday for a strong read. Let’s hope I can put something together for that at least. Stay tuned.

I can tell you that May is going to be a great month around here, thanks to some very generous authors, bloggers, etc. (see this post for details). Hopefully, I can keep things interesting enough until then.

In the meantime, here’s a quick Saturday Miscellany.

Oh, wait…one more thing: Jo Linsdell is trying to start up a new Weekend Link Up Party. Drop by, leave a link, and follow a few.

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:
Who doesn’t look to Forbes magazine for their literary news? They recently released their list of The 30 Greatest Book Series Of All Time—(it’s actually a pretty good list) “rankings are based on specific factors, including critical acclaim, commercial success, mass appeal, and cultural impact among readers of all ages over the years.” The box set they use for the Narnia image is the one I grew up with.
In honor of the 637th Anniversary of The Canterbury Tales on Wednesday (who knew?), Lit Hub asks: What if Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales came out today?
On Writing a Book When The World is On Fire: Sara Koffi on turning to thrillers when justice is missing.
“Bad” Books, and the Readers That Love Them
On Narrative Weight and Moral Arguments
A Guide to Blog Commenting —A good post on the subtle art of blog commenting from Jo Lindsdell (for people who aren’t trolls or spammers). I’m pretty sure I should’ve read until the end of this one before I left a comment on her latest post. Oops. Will try to do better!
Addictive tropes in books — Found Family—a good look at Found Families
Why is Sherlock Holmes so Popular? It’s Elementary (Updated)—from Witty & Sarcastic Bookclub
Love And The Male Redemption Arc: A Ramble Through Fantasy Literature—on a week where I struggle to finish anything, Peat Long puts up a post as good as this one and the one about Moral Arguments (above). Show off.
What to expect from Wyrd & Wonder
The Joy of Book Blogging from an Introvert’s Perspective—I can identify with a lot of this (shock!)
Yeah, it’s a little mean—and maybe even a little lazy—but you’re going to chuckle if you click this link for at least a moment
A cute little song with a message that needs to be heard

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman—I dunno what this is about, I stopped reading at “Abbi Waxman.” Seriously, it’s about an antisocial scientist dealing with the media spotlight, family drama, and possible romance. I’m certain Waxman can do a lot with those elements.
Bad Actors by Mark Pepper—the taxi driver you do not want to cross is back in action in L.A. of all places. Not surprisingly, it appears that he brought his personal brand of chaos with him. I cannot wait to get to this.
Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz—Horowitz and Hawthorne are back in action.

A new local bookstore opened pretty close to me this week. I stopped in last night and it won’t be the last time I do that (and not just because they’re holding a book for me). Welcome to the world, Shared Stories!

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:
Lynne Reid Banks obituary—The Indian in the Cupboard was one of those books I returned to over and over and over again (and somehow, I don’t think I’ve ever talked about the book).
One of the Best Things We Can Do for Ourselves as We Age: This will help feed your soul and boost your overall health.—betcha can’t guess what “this”  is
Books are trash too: Remember to throw them away during spring cleaning—I endorse almost none of this. But it’s something to consider. (I suppose)
Autistic Literature Will Flourish When We Stop Insisting That Writers Qualify Their Autism: Wouldn’t it be a relief if we could stop asking authors to meet a specific set of diagnostic criteria? —Especially in Autism Acceptance Month, a good read
Sherlock’s Double: At William Gillette’s Castle—barely qualifies for this list, but I don’t care
Inheritance of Magic – Six Month Mark—Benedict Jacka talks about the sales numbers for his new series—and what those numbers likely mean for its future (spoiler: good news all around). I appreciate when authors can be this open (but understand when they don’t, I doubt I’d be able to).
The new book, health, and a few other updates—a similarly open update from Harry Connolly
Hello, my name is D I Jolly—a nice intro to this author who keeps popping up on the blog (and hopefully continues to do so)
Can a Book Really Be For Everyone?: What makes a book for everyone? Is it the presence of universal themes? Approachable prose?—Templeton’s latest is reliably good.
Chet and Bernie Tribute—a fan-made Spotify playlist. And yes, I will be listening to this when I dip into the upcoming Chet and Bernie book.
Considering the cosy turn in SFF: who gets to be comforted?
Booktok And Consumerism: For The Filthy Book Buying Capitalists Out There…
Seven books that I reviewed when this blog started thirteen years ago—A cool way to look back on an anniversary (happy 13th, Mike Finn!)
Good Books With Disappointing Endings—this was supposed to go up last week. Ooops. Great idea for a list.
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub got on her Twitter soapbox about policing reviews and was absolutely correct

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Bridge to Bat City by Ernest Cline—”a mostly true tall tale about an unexpected friendship between a young girl and a music-loving colony of bats.” A departure from Cline’s usual, but something tells me this is going to work really well.
Status Drift by Ian Robinson—the second in the re-issued Sam Batford series is not to be missed.
Rain Falls Hard by David Nolan—to commemorate the news about the TV adaptation, Farenheit Press is issuing Nolan’s Manc Noir trilogy in one handy (and cheap) volume. If you missed buying (and reading) these separately, now’s your chance to remedy that.
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann—true stories of “the superheroes of reading”