Category: Books Page 35 of 163

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Children’s & Picture Books (a look in Grandpappy’s Corner)

On July 22, 2024

In Books, Fiction, Grandpappy's Corner, Miscellany, News/Misc., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, YA/MG/Children's Books

(updated 7/22/24)

From the first moment that people did the strange thing of asking me to talk about their books on my blog, I’ve been impressed by the quality of a lot of what’s been published by authors going out on their own, taking all the risks, shouldering all the responsibility and doing all the work to get their words, their dreams, their blood, sweat, and tears. This should be celebrated—it’s definitely appreciated, as we’re trying to show this week.

In addition to the Q&As and Guest Posts I have this week, I’m also continuing my habit of highlighting the self-published works that I’ve blogged about over the last few years—just a sentence or two. Hopefully, this’ll be enough to make you click on the link to the full post. Beyond that, it’d be great if I inspired you to add a few of these to your TBR. Also, be sure you check out the other posts over at the SPAAW Hub.

I don’t know how I ended up on the radar of Children’s and Picture Book authors—particularly so many from Israel. But I’m just glad I did, these are guaranteed dashes of brightness and diversity to my reading schedule. I’ve also started to really dive into Children’s/Picture books on my own lately, so this is a pretty healthy list.

bullet Panda Pat and the Rat Called Cat by Neil Ballard, Steven Nosov (Illustrator)—a story of friendship and second chances (my post about it)
bullet Snobbity Snowman by Maria Bardyukova & Quiet Riley, Jr.—Snobbity is a snowman with an attitude (at least at the beginning). I loved the art. (my post about it)
bullet Elephant Wind by Heather L. Beal, Jubayda Sager (Illustrator)—A scientist explains a tornado to a daycare class. (my post about it)
bullet Hurricane Vacation by Heather L. Beal, Jasmine Mills (Illustrator)—Lily and Niko are visiting their family when a Hurricane Watch is issued, so they join their family in preparing the house for the storm and getting ready to go to a shelter. Along the way, they learn about what a hurricane is as well as all the ways that people can protect themselves, themselves, and so on. (my post about it)
bullet Tummy Rumble Quake by Heather L. Beal, Jubayda Sager (Illustrator)—A daycare class learns about earthquakes and earthquake safety. (my post about it)
bullet Bearded by Jeremy Billups—A Bearded Bear and a Red-Haired Little Girl go on adventures all over the world with an assortment of different animals. I love this art (and have a print of one illustration hanging on my office wall). (my post about it)
bullet Bearded Too by Jeremy Billups—A fun and fitting sequel to the above. (my post about it)
bullet Sea This and Sea That by Jeremy Billups—Set in a “crowded, hectic and gruff” city under the sea, with one quiet spot—The Sea This and Sea That Below the Seashore. Missus Bluffington gives a couple of kids (and the reader) a through her very unusual place, full of all sorts of sea creatures, sea plants, fish, and an octopus that shows up in some unusual places. (my post about it)
bullet Mike Nero and The Superhero School by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator)—It’s Mike’s first day at a new school—he meets his principal and some incredible children and learns a little about the superpower he has within himself—and those inside other students, too. (my post about it)
bullet Little Aiden – A Feelings Book for Toddlers by Albert and Anna Choi, Bettina Braskó (Illustrator)—A parent assures Aiden that the wide range of emotions that he’s feeling throughout a day are okay. It’s okay to be happy or scared or confused. (my post about it)
bullet Little Aiden – A Love Book for Toddlers by Albert and Anna Choi, Bettina Braskó (Illustrator)—A parent assures Aiden of their love for him in various moods and in the midst of a range of activities—not all of which are the kind that a parent likes to see/endure, but none of which changes their love. (my post about it)
bullet Be Brave, Little Puffy by Arline Cooper—A puffer fish gets tired of being a puffer fish and tries out life with other kinds of fish. (my post about it)
bullet What’s in Your Howl? by Douglas Gamble, Illustrated by: Steve Humke, Terri Isaacson—a great look at trying to understand each other (my post about it)
bullet Kitties Are Not Good To Eat by Cassandra Gelvin—A board book/electronic equivalent full of cat photos and handy tips like the title. (my post about it)
bullet Kay-9 The Robot Dog by J.M. Gulmire—a young man who can’t even have a hypoallergenic dog makes a work around (my post about it)
bullet Vernon the Vegetarian Lion by John Hughson, Ali Smith (Illustrator)—Vernon tries out vegetarianism. It goes as well as you’d think. (my post about it)
bullet Meeting of the Mustangs by Cathy Kennedy—This is for kids older than the rest on this list (7+ was my guess). A story of a wild mustang growing up. (my post about it)
bullet The Fed-up Cow by Peta Lemon, Maria Dasic Todoric (Illustrator)—Hilda the cow tries out the lives of other animals before learning to accept herself. (my post about it)
bullet Noam’s Monstersby Shai Levinger, Kaustuv Brahmachari (Illustrator), Ephrat Abisror (Translator)—Written by a Clinical Psychologist, this is about a boy struggling with anxieties and fears. Hopeful yet honest. (my post about it)
bullet George the Bannana: Book One by Elliott Linker—A graphic novel by a local 3rd grader (probably a 4th grader now, actually) about a crime fighting banana and his sidekick/best friend Elliott. (there’s a very good sequel that I haven’t had the time to write about yet, too) (my post about it)
bullet George the Bannana: Book Two by Elliott Linker—George faces off against more dastardly types (my post about it is forthcoming)
bullet Moshe Comes to Visit by Tehila Sade Moyal, Fatima Pires (Illustrator)—A young boy discovers that everyone is afraid of something. (my post about it)
bullet Bear with Bear by Hagit R. Oron, Galia Armeland by Hagit R. Oron, Galia Armeland (Illustrator)—A young boy tries to choose a pet. (my post about it)
bullet Bravo and Elphie by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)—Ephie and her pet have some struggles at the playground. (my post about it)
bullet Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)—An imaginative dad turns running errands with his son into an epic adventure. (my post about it)
bullet Elphie Goes Trick or Treating by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)—The title pretty much sums it up. (my post about it)
bullet Elphie Meets the End of The World by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron Misgav (Illustrator)—Elphie is playing hide and seek with Phante and Phante’s older brother comes in talking about how he saw on the news that the world ending. Eliphie doesn’t take the news well and runs home to hide. Mom and Dad try to comfort and assure him. But it doesn’t really take—so they decide that if the world is going to end, they might as well make a party of it. That seems to work, and in the end, drives home the lesson that every day—even our last—ought to be enjoyed as a gift. (my post about it)
bullet Under the Barnyard Light by Carla Crane Osborne, Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)—a quiet night’s chores (my post about it)
bullet Practice Makes Perfect by Michael Portnoy, Adelia Drubetski (Illustrator), Freda Zolty Kovatch (Translator)—Madam Fly’s two sons are musical geniuses, or something like it—because she’s convinced they should put on concerts despite having no experience with playing whatsoever. Experience and the crickets who run the local music shop try to teach them an important lesson when it comes to music (or just about anything). (my post about it)
bullet The Incredible Ordinary Hero or The Brave Bystander by Aida Rascanu, Beatrice Magrini (Illustrator)—a double-whammy of a lesson for the readers/audience. First, there’s a discussion of what it means to be a hero (doing things that are heroic) and there’s a little first aid lesson—age-appropriate, mind you—to help parents/teachers train up young ones. (my post about it)
bullet How Did the Hippopotamus Get There? by Sohrab Rezvan, Kyana Mitchell (Illustrator)—the answer to this question is not what you’d expect (my post about it)
bullet Lulu and the Missing Tooth Fairy by S. E. Richey—an incredibly cute story about…well, a missing tooth fairy and tooth fairy-ish creatures all over the world. (I apparently somehow never posted about this, but it’s so good I have to share a link for it)
bullet Trouble With Truffles by S. E. Richey—an incredibly cute and informative story about truffle hunting. (I apparently somehow never posted about this, but it’s so good I have to share a link for it)
bullet Red Stripes VS Miles the Mutant Mouse by Amy Rice and Kyson Rice—5-year-old Kyson came up with the story about a super-powered cat defending his city from a giant (and very hungry) mutant mouse, with an assist from his mother on the illustrations. (my post about it)
bullet The Flying Frog and the Kidnappers by David Yair, Ilana Graf (Illustrator), Natalie Jackson (Illustrator)—4th in a series of 11 (so far, anyway). This series for beginning readers is about Quack, a flying frog, who helps some siblings fight crime. Obviously, in this case, they’re up against some kidnappers. (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2024 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published “General” Fiction

By HCNewton

On July 22, 2024

In Books, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Miscellany, News/Misc.

(updated 7/22/24)

Today we’re going to be looking at General Fiction (for lack of a better term)—there’s some Lad Lit, a dash of historical fiction, some humor, a couple of things I don’t know how to categorize beyond “Fiction”, and a bit more. Hopefully, you can find something that tickles your fancy.

bullet Dispatches from a Tourist Trap by James Bailey—Jason (see below) and his mother move from Seattle to a small town in the middle of Washington to stay with her parents as she establishes a life away from her husband. Hilarity and conflict ensue. (my post about it)
bullet The First World Problems of Jason Van Otterloo by James Bailey—an epistolary novel (through emails) from a 13-year-old whose life is turned upside down in 2003 Seattle. A lot of heart and a few laughs. (my post about it)
bullet The Glamshack by Paul W. Cohen—A lifestyle reporter’s obsessive love for a woman and the havoc it wreaks on his life. (my post about it)
bullet The Chronicles of Iona: Exile by Paula de Fougerolles—The first novel in a series about the founding of Iona. Some historical fiction with a hint of Fantasy. (my post about it)
bullet Love Stories by Robert Germaux—based on actual events, the story of a love that might have been, and one that is. (my post about it is forthcoming)
bullet Not Awkward by Matthew Hanover—a young man attends the funeral of his ex’s father and gets roped into staying during shiva in the days leading to his wedding. Nah, not awkward at all. (my post about it)
bullet Not Dressed by Matthew Hanover—Hanover’s (seemingly) effortless charm makes this “romantic comedy of how love goes wrong—and right—when you’re a twenty-something still figuring out how to adult” a real winner. (my post about it)
bullet Not Famous by Matthew Hanover—Hanover’s first novel is about a guy who falls for a socially awkward musician. It will steal your heart. (my post about it)
bullet Not Prepared by Matthew Hanover—a bachelor takes in his eleven-year-old-goddaughter when her mother skips town, and maybe finds love, too. Great stuff. (my post about it)
bullet The Flight of the Pickerings by John Grayson Heide—a heart-warming story about an older couple dealing with dementia and the end of their life together get their world turned upside down when their rebellious teenage grandson comes to live with them. (my post about it)
bullet Didn’t Get Frazzled by David Z. Hirsch, MD—a bildungsroman following a 20-something through his 4 years of medical school: from Gross Anatomy to the verge of residency. (my post about it)
bullet Love and Other Monsters in the Dark by K. B. Jensen—I could probably put this on most of my Self-Published Fiction lists, so I’ll limit it to this one. It’s sort of the same genre as The Twilight Zone—SF, Fantasy, Horror, Crime. Sudden Fiction and Short stories that’ll knock your socks off. (my post about it)
bullet XYZ by William Knight—A mature, old-school programmer has to start his career over at a 21st Century Startup as his family life falls apart in every way imaginable. Clearly a comedy. (my post about it)
bullet Dirt Road Home by Alexander Nader—A lot of charm fills this YA(ish) Coming of Age story about a teen forced to move from Detroit to a small town in Tennessee before graduation. (my post about it)
bullet Coffee and Condolences by Wesley Parker—A widower tries to begin recovering from the deaths of his wife and children by reconnecting with his step-sister and maybe finds love. (my post about it)
bullet Detours and Do-overs by Wesley Parker—A sequel to the next on the list. This follow-up had a lot of heart. (my post about it)
bullet Headphones and Heartaches by Wesley Parker—A teen finds home, safety, and love in a Foster Home, but is torn about leaving his mother behind. One sentence doesn’t do it justice, I simply loved this one. (my post about it)
bullet The Worst Man by Jon Rance—Ollie’s desperately in love with the girlfriend/fiancée of the man who’s been his best friend since childhood. And now he has to be the best man at the wedding he wants to derail. (my post about it)
bullet The Summer Holidays Survival Guide by Jon Rance—an out-of-shape teacher tries to prepare for a half-marathon while surviving the summer with his three kids, a marriage on the rocks, and his father (with dementia) moving in. (my post about it)
bullet However Long the Day by Justin Reed—A Depression-era take on The Prince and the Pauper, an impressive debut (my post about it)
bullet The Crescent and the Cross by Kurt Scheffler— the story of The Battle of Tours (in 732) and events leading up to it, told through the lives of people close to Charles Martel and Charles on the one hand and a couple of the leaders of the Muslim forces involved in the Arab invasion of France. (my post about it)
bullet In Ten Years by Ian Shane—The reductionist description is “A 21st Century When Harry Met Sally“. We watch a couple of college friends over 18 years start to figure out that they’re in love. Hilarious and sweet. (my post about it)
bullet Postgraduate by Ian Shane—When your life falls apart, why not take your college radio show and turn it into an Internet radio show? And then, why not attend a reunion with the old college radio gang, including “The One That Got Away” (because you foolishly dumped her)? (my post about it)
bullet Radio Radio by Ian Shane—A maverick DJ is forced to get creative when a corporate radio management team takes over his station. A love letter to what radio used to be as much as anything else. (my post about it)
bullet The Jackals by Adam Shaw—A local band on the verge of making it big/big-ish falls apart after high school due to a love triangle that shouldn’t have happened. When one member of the band dies, the group has to get together for a funeral and to clean up his stuff. (that’s a bad summary, but best I can do in a sentence) (my post about it)
bullet KA-E-RO-U Time to Go Home by B. Jeanne Shibahara—I’m so glad the blurb contains a one-sentence description because I couldn’t write one: “Desert-dweller Meryl travels to Japan, returns a WWII flag, and brings home an understanding of life that opens her heart for the unexpected.” (my post about it)
bullet Lingering by Melissa Simonson—It’s sort-of SF, sort-of a Thriller, but not really either, so I put this here. This is a novel about grief, about dealing with death—while telling the story about an effort to design an AI to mimic a dead loved one in order to help a survivor cope. (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2024 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

Saturday Miscellany—7/20/24

By HCNewton

On July 20, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

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 How Much Time Do Americans Spend Reading Per Day?—Let’s start on a depressing note, shall we?
bullet “This Generation’s Homer”: How Penguin Has Changed Marvel Comics
bullet I couldn’t put a boring book down. Now I take pleasure in saying enough is enough—an argument for DNFing
bullet 100 of the Greatest Posters of Celebrities Urging You to Read—Is some of the snark too heavy (and forced)? Yes. Otherwise this is fun to read. Even better, just look at the posters and enjoy the nostalgia.
bullet What Happens After the World Gets Saved?—yes, it’d be good to have more books like this (and Templeton gives some good books to start with if you want to read this type)
bullet How NOT to market your self published book… from a book reviewer.—yes
bullet How Did You Get Into Reading?—who doesn’t like a good reader origin story?
bullet Let’s Talk About Book Genres | Are There 5 or 5,000 Different Genres?
bullet FBC’s Critically Underrated Reads—Fantasy Book Critic created a new section on their site “for standalone titles & series. We love these books & believe that they don’t get the exposure & fanfare they should.” So many good looking things here. Some of which I’ve read (and am glad to see here), some I’ve meant to (and appreciate the reminder), and some new temptations…
bullet 7 Unconventional Magic Systems—I have nothing but love for the conventional systems, but stepping outside the norm is fodder for fun, too.
bullet On Fantasy, Its Racist Roots, and Transformation
bullet Amazon Prime Day Has Become Too Commercialized by Maggie Phenicie—it’s a little late, but too good to pass up. “When I think about Amazon Prime Day, it saddens me to see how the holiday has become so cheapened. It’s all about getting the best deals, and no one stops to think about the true reason for the season: absolutely destroying independent bookstores.”

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner—a novel that also fell down
bullet Shield and Crocus by Michael R. Underwood—need more fantasy like this in my life
bullet Shattered by Kevin Hearne—the seventh in the Iron Druid Chronicles wasn’t my favorite, but it had some great moments
bullet I noted the publication of Half a King by Joe Abercrombie, Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell, MindWar by Andrew Klavan, and The Outsorcerer’s Apprentice (and haven’t read any of these somehow)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos—more excitement in the Nevada high desert with Porter Beck. I talked about it recently, and am getting impatient for the third book (to be released next year, so I’m trying to fix that)
bullet The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman—trying to recapture the magic of Camelot after Arthur’s death. I really, really wish I’d planned my summer reading better so I could dive in now.
bullet The Bang-Bang Sisters by Rio Youers—a pulpy thriller about a touring rock band who happen to be vigilantes when they’re not on-stage. Right there, that’s enough to get me to read. But throw in a vengeful mobster pitting them against each other, and you’ve added an extra layer of fun.
bullet Bottled Secrets of Rosewood by Mary Kendall—contemporary Southern Gothis Thriller, what there doesn’t entice?

WWW Wednesday, July 17, 2024

By HCNewton

On July 17, 2024

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

Why do I keep doing this to myself? “I’ll need a break from this Non-Fiction book occasionally, so I’ll read this novel, too.” It almost never works well, and I end up making tiny progress in both–yet I don’t want to press pause on one to just finish the other. Am I alone in this silliness?

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 books sabotaged myself by reading simultaneously are The Camelot Shadow by Sean Gibson and Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past by Tore C. Olsson. I’m listening to The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman, read by Fiona Shaw on audiobook (and I’ll be about to hit “that” moment about the time this posts…alas).

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

James T. Lambert’s Steam Opera and the audiobook of Storm Front by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Rise of Akaisha Morningstar by Kataya Moon (I’ve been curious about this for months) and my next audiobook should be Swiped by L.M. Chilton, read by Georgia Maguire.

Blank Space

How many books are you juggling? Do you regret it, like me, or does your brain work better this way? (and yes, Allyson, I’m looking at you)

Saturday Miscellany—7/13/24

By HCNewton

On July 13, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I don’t know everything that’s going on during Self-Published Author Appreciation Week (July 21st-27th), but from what I’ve seen/heard from Witty & Sarcastic Book Club and Sue Bavey–and what I’ve got in store–you’re going to want to make some room on your TBRs, folks. Mine has already grown just in preparation.

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 Where Is All the Sad Boy Literature?—”‘Sad girl lit’ is everywhere, but young men are glaringly absent from the contemporary canon of popular authors writing about sex and intimacy. Could that be about to change?”
bullet How to pick the perfect book to read on a plane—There’s some really solid advice here (I hate flying enough that I only focus on the first one, but well-adjusted readers might appreciate the rest)
bullet The Second Coming of the Sports Novel—never been a sportsball kind of guy, but a good sports novel has always clicked with me.
bullet History’s Footnotes—in case you were interested in the practice…(really a lot more interesting than you’d think at first blush)
bullet The Rise of Cozy Fantasy
bullet Die Laughing: Humor in Serial Killer Novels
bullet IF JACK REACHER COULD SING trailer—a trailer for the upcoming documentary for the Jack Reacher-inspired album from a couple of years ago. Really looking forward to this.
bullet American dream turns to nightmare in new, Springdale-set crime thrillertitle—a quick interview with Eli Cranor about his new book.
bullet Open Book: Justin Taylor—I don’t think I’d heard of Justin Taylor or his latest book before, but after stumbling across this interview, I’m anticipating getting to know the both of them
bullet Lev Grossman Takes His Time—I’d been eager to get my hands on Grossman’s take on Arthur already, but this profile has amped that eagerness up.
bullet M.W. Craven gives a brief account of his recent brush with AI-generated fiction
bullet If you haven’t seen it this week, there’s some new (renewed) discourse on indie publishing numbers. Some people—like Michael Roberti, Krystle Matar and C.M. Caplan—have been sharing their numbers to show. Check— out the replies and others doing that, too. Some fascinating reading.
bullet One more dip back into the morass of Twitter where, Marie Sinadjan kicked off a thread of books with original songs/soundtracks
bullet Are you reading right?
bullet Summer’s One Must Read Book 2024—Carol, from Reading Ladies, has come up with a great list of Summer Reading recommendations from 20 bloggers (19 of them are worth listening to, and the other accidentally had a good recommendation)
bullet Guest Book Review from a Teen Reader: Hamlet—I always enjoy reading this particular Teen Reader’s take on his reading. This time, he’s got a great post on a play you just might have heard of.
bullet Bookshop.org’s Social Media poster (who is the best (only?) reason to check Threads) had a great Movie Pitch for a You’ve Got Mail remake. I’d chip for the Kickstarter…

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
bullet The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross
bullet Skin Game by Jim Butcher—the opening paragraph contains the phrase, “You’ve got about a year ’til Peace Talks comes out.” Excuse me while I go laugh myself into unconsciousness for a minute…
bullet The Martian by Andy Weir—talking about The Martian and Skin Game in the same week? I was having fun…
bullet I also mentioned the releases of Tail of Vengeance by Spencer Quinn, The Competition by Marcia Clark, and Landline by Rainbow Rowell

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Itching Against Ignorance by E.N. Crane—Cyn and Winnie are back for more madcap mystery fun in their 8th novel. (I’m only 6 behind!)
bullet All This and More by Peng Shepherd—there’s sort of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure vibe to this novel about a Reality Show Contestant who gets to use Quantum Technology to rewrite her life’s mistakes. This is going to be a good one

WWW Wednesday, July 10, 2024

By HCNewton

On July 10, 2024

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

It’s days like this that make me so glad to be a bookworm/bookwyrm/ink drinker and not someone who enjoys spending time outside—as I post this, it’s 107° F. No thank you. I’d be like one of those guys at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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?

I’m reading Steam Opera by James T. Lambert, which is the least steampunk-ish steampunk novel I’ve ever read (at the 30% or so mark) and is also the best thing that Lambert has done to date, so what do I care? I’m listening to Storm Front by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters on audiobook, because it’s been too long since I spent time with Harry.

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Jordan Harper’s The Last King of California and Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell, read by Helen Laser on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be for The Camelot Shadow by Sean Gibson and my next audiobook should be Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke, read by MacLeod Andrews, Neil Shah, Dani Martineck, Sophie Amoss, Neil Hellegers, Cary Hite, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Joshua Kane, Amy Landon, Nicole Lewis, Brittany Pressley and Jonathan Todd Ross (which is a lot of people for 208 minutes).

Blank Space

Are you “beating the heat” (or at least avoiding it) with anything fun and/or good and/or compelling?

Highlights from May & June: Lines Worth Repeating

By HCNewton

On July 10, 2024

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations

Highlights from the Month
June slipped away without me taking care of May. So, it’s time for a little catchup.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman

If it’s possible to blush all the way down to your DNA, I did it.

It felt very much like home all of a sudden, like a familiar book released in a new edition.

Chasing Empty Caskets by E.N. Crane

“Winnie, seek,” I said, letting her lead me. She was following the boy’s scent back the way he came and I followed her, grudgingly taking the sticky hand. It was small and somehow both wet and freezing. Children were a terrifying medical anomaly, and I suddenly understood why the ladies in mommy groups were nuts.

The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher

Bayard is a born hero, which is the larval form of a dead hero.

Ransom shook her head. “Some people think that if they’re simply insane and ruthless enough, they can accomplish anything.”

“Terrifying,” Espira said.

“Oh, that’s not the terrifying part,” Calliope said.

“No?”

“The terrifying part,” she murmured, “is that sometimes they’re right.”

Bridget rather forgot how to be conscious for some indistinct length of time.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

I liked the imaginary people on the entertainment feed way more than I liked real ones, but you can’t have one without the other.

You may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I’m a pessimist.

Grave Cold by Shannon Knight

They’d reached her truck. “Nyle, meet the Gremlin, a machine you will love to hate.” The yellow truck looked very much up to the task.

One’s own mortality was a mighty incentive.

Backpacking Through Bedlam by Seanan McGuire

Family is complicated. Peach cobbler, on the other hand, is refreshingly simple.

“The laws of physics aren’t negotiable.”

Darius laughed, and the sound was loud and joyous as he set his hands back on the wheel. “Sure they are. There’s no law that’s not negotiable, if you know how to get your shoulder against it and push.”

Always be polite to she shapeshifting super predator. It’s a simple rule of life, but a good one all the same.

Dark Days by Derek Landy

“Sometimes you’ve got to admit it when you’re wrong.”

“You never admit it when you’re wrong.”

“But I’m rarely wrong, you see. You, on the other hand, are wrong a bizzarly large amount of the time. Statistically, it’s quite amazing.”

The Ink Black Heart by Author

He was starting to feel like a truffle pig doing its job in a room full of incense, dead fish, and strong cheese.

First Frost by Author

I’d taken the frontage road, but I think I might’ve accidentally taken a few other turns, and now here we were in what might be the middle of nowhere—and when a guy from Wyoming refers to a place as the middle of nowhere that truly means the epicenter of nowhere.

I said nothing, which, when there was a stenographer in the room, was always a safe bet.

Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne

Grief is never easy. But it gets softer around the edges, smoothed over like a river rock given time enough and water. It’s still a rock and it’s heavy and dangerous and capable of hurting you. Just not immediately to the touch, if that makes sense.

When the sky slid from indigo to grey, heralding the dawn, the birds began to wake up and call about their urgent need for Wednesday coffee— or so I imagined. I certainly needed some, as a belligerent caffeine-withdrawal headache had taken up residence in my brain and likely had legal arguments against eviction.

From pulp—utterly lifeless pulp—new life can be born. Add water and pressure and you no longer have mere pulp but a medium for the miraculous. It can carry the words of one lover to another. Express gratitude for gifts and thoughts. Invoice a client. Threaten death. Bear the light touch of poetry or the weighty prose of novels. It can be folded into an airplane, to annoy your teacher, or folded into origami, an artistic appreciation of nature made from wholesome natural ingredients. And on and on. So much can be built from the ruin of plant life.

Which is not to say that humans are noble. We ruin so much else that never gets a new life, and their dissolution—their extinction—is final.

But paper is one thing we got right.

The best we can do sometimes, in absence of actual wisdom, is to simply cease being foolish.

Howl by e rathke

To look back on that day is to sink into a delicate memory. Like a love letter sent to myself, yet left to pulp in the rain.

The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos

I believe in hunches. I think they’re just the dots in your brain that aren’t fully connected yet.

Erasure by Percival Everett

There are as many hammers as there are saws, the misplaced thumb knows no difference.

A reiteration of the obvious is never wasted on the oblivious.

I was lonely, angrier than I had been in a long time, angrier than when I was an angry youth, but now I was rich and angry. I realized how much easier it was to be angry when one is rich.

What some people would have you believe is that Duchamp demonstrated that art could be made out of anything, that there is nothing special about an object d’art that makes it what it is, that all that matters is that we are willing to allow it to be art. To say, “this is a work of art” is a strange kind of performative utterance as when the king knights a fellow or the judge pronounces a couple man and wife. But if it turns out that the marriage license was incorrectly filled out, then the declaration is undone and we will say, “I guess you’re not husband and wife after all.” But even as it’s thrown out of the museum, what has been called art it is still art. Discarded art. Shunned art. Bad art. Misunderstood art. Oppressed art. Shocked art. Lost art. Dead art. Art before its time. Artless art. But art nonetheless.

Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

“I like land,” I said. “I don’t drown there.”

“Any dietary restrictions?”

“I tried being a vegan for a while, but I couldn’t live without cheese.”

“They have vegan cheese.”

“No, they don’t. They have shredded orange and white sadness that mocks cheese and everything it stands for.”

“That thing looks like H. P. Lovecraft’s panic attack.”

It was stupidly perfect how all my problems were suddenly solved with the strategic application of money.

Detours and Do-overs by Wesley Parker

Since she doesn’t wanna talk, I do what I assume most men do when confronted with crippling silence from their significant other.

I start to rationalize shit.

“How you holding up?” she says.

“Like a Jenga tower in the middle of a bunch of drunks,”

Grammar Sex and Other Stuff by Robert Germaux

Don’t you just love it when a professional athlete ends a long holdout and finally signs that new deal worth multiple millions of dollars, but assures everyone that “it wasn’t about the money”? Bless his little heart. As if any reference to cold hard cash would have somehow sullied the whole salary negotiation process.

(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)

Saturday Miscellany—7/6/24

By HCNewton

On July 6, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

As is typical of a holiday week, this is a short post. Less to distract you from your Saturday reading, right?

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 This is Why Book Marketing Doesn’t Work
bullet ‘Really I just want to stay home and make art about my dog’: An interview with Sara Varon—I’m pretty sure I’ve never run across Varon before, but this interview makes me interested in checking out her stuff.
bullet 7 Thrillers With Shocking Twists
bullet 10 Must-Read Authors for Fans of First-Person Adult Urban Fantasy—This is a very narrow category…but can’t argue with most of this picks.
bullet Tough Questions with Left on the Shelf—the latest in the Tough Questions series

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week? (not much, really)
bullet Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto by Matt Kibbe
bullet I noted the release of Premonitions by Jamie Schultz and Artful by Peter David

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Broiler by Eli Cranor—I dunno…it’s by Cranor, isn’t that enough? It’s about revenge, power, economic disparity in the most American of places—a chicken processing plant.
bullet Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt—Marcus asks Andy for a favor and gets him to represent a suspected mass-shooter. I really enjoyed this one, as I said recently.
bullet Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel by Lisa Jewell—Jessica Jones travels to England to investigate some teens who are too-perfect. It’s hard to explain in a phrase or two…but these are creepy kids and something has to be making them that way.
bullet Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski—the new edition of this explosive thriller
bullet The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song—a new retelling of the story of Mulan.
bullet Junkyard Roadhouse by Faith Hunter—Shining Smith is neck-deep in trouble—that’s nothing new, sure, but it’s a different kind of trouble.

For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them. - John Milton

June 2024 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By HCNewton

On July 4, 2024

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

I finished 24 titles (4 up from last month, 6 down from last June), with an equivalent of 7,342 pages or the equivalent (1,128 up from last month), and gave them an average of 3.52 stars (.05 up from last month, so basically it’s a draw).

On the writing front, my new work schedule is really taking its toll, but I think I’m starting to be able to plan around it and prepare for those days that I know are going to be hurting me. We’ll see if I say something in August or not. As is my custom, I really do think I could’ve written more–especially on the review-ish front, but I’m happy enough.

Overall, I’m calling June a win (especially if you look at the Mt. TBR size!). Here’s the breakdown.
Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to

Still Reading

Ratings

		Average =	3.52
	2		2
	1		0
	5		0
	6		0
	8

TBR Stacks/Piles/Heaps

	Audio	E-book	Physical	Goodreads Want-to-Read	NetGalley Shelf/ARCs/Review Copies
End of 2023	6	47	68	153	5
1st of the Month	3	52	83	163	8
Added	2	5	6	0	1
Read/ Listened	2	3	10	1	2
Current Total	3	54	79	162	7

Breakdowns:
“Traditionally” Published: 16
Self-/Independent Published: 8

Genre	This Month	Year to Date
Children’s	1 (4%)	5 (4%)
Fantasy	3 (13%)	16 (12%)
General Fiction/ Literature	2 (8%)	11 (8%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	7 (29%)	43 (33%)
Non-Fiction	2 (8%)	13 (10%)
Science Fiction	1 (4%)	9 (7%)
Theology/ Christian Living	3 (13%)	17 (13%)
Urban Fantasy	3 (13%)	15 (11%)
“Other” (Horror/ Humor/ Steampunk/ Western)	1 (4%)	2 (2%)

Review-ish Things Posted

The Hope in Our Scars by Aimee Byrd: A Plea for Help
Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado, Nick Caistor (Translator): A Disappointing Thriller
The Secret & Hunting Virgins: Two Short Stories by Wayne Hawk: I Read It So You Don’t Have To
Catch-Up Quick Takes: Some Recent Non-Fiction Listens
Moonbound by Robin Sloan: The White Stripes Save the World (but not really)
Strange Religion by Nijay K. Gupta: People Say I’m Strange, Does It Make Me A Stranger…
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians (Audiobook) by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann: BTS of the Book Connecting Scene
Poetry Comics by Grant Snider: Simply Bursting with Adequatulence
Rites of Passage by M.D. Presley: You Won’t Need A Dowsing Rod To Find The Appeal This UF
Bad Actors by Mark Pepper: Everyman No More
Grandpappy’s Corner: Dinosaurs in Trucks Because Hey, Why Not? by Sandra Boynton: Boynton Whiffs One
First Frost by Craig Johnson: Walt and Henry Get Their Kicks…
Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt: Understanding Marcus
IN MEDIAS RES—The Book of Perilous Dishes by Doina Rusti, James Christian Brown (Translator): The Arts of Occult Cuisine
This Weekend Sees Re-release of Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolokowski: A Gritty, Violent Visit to Idaho
The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 53: Connection by R. T. Slaywood: Things That Make You Go “Hmm…”
The Hijacked Conscience by Debra Peck: An Obsession for Assurance and Certainty

Other Things I Wrote
Other than the Saturday Miscellanies (1st, 8th, 15th, 22ndh, and 29th), I also wrote:

Enough about me—how Was Your June?

WWW Wednesday, July 3, 2024

By HCNewton

On July 3, 2024

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., 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?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs, and am listening to A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen, read by Jesse Vilinsky on audiobook–it’s a very strange semi-zombie Fantasy novel. Thankfully, there’s only one zombie-ish thing wandering around. (still, I shook a virtual fist at the friend who recommended it to me).

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Bruce Borgos’s Shades of Mercy–and Borgos was not messing around with this sequel. The last audiobook I finished was Labyrinth by Kat Richardson, read by Mia Barron.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be for The Last King of California by Jordan Harper and my next audiobook should be Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell, read by Helen Laser. I’ve been wanting to read this Harper book for ages, meanwhile, I didn’t know anything about the audiobook until yesterday. But I’m curious about what Marvel’s trying on the novel front, might as well start here, right?

Blank Space

You got anything explosive on your hands for tomorrow?*

* Yeah, I should do better. Sorry.