Yes, I’m posting two separate Top X Lists today—just the way it worked out. I haven’t done either a Top 5 Tuesday or a Top Ten Tuesday in a long time, but today’s prompt from both sounded fun…so, why not?)
This week’s topic is, “What are some of the books you wanted to read this year, but just haven’t quite gotten to yet? And tell us if you think you’ll be able to cram them into your December TBR!!” There are many more than five that qualify for this list, but I think these are the five that are bugging me the most that I haven’t read yet. When 2022 starts, at least four will likely still be on this list (don’t ask me which four, though).
There is no good reason at all that I haven’t read this yet. None. Even if it’s not as good as Kings of the Wyld, it’s still probably better than a lot of what I have read this year—and sure to be a lot of fun regardless.
I really liked the first three books in The Blackwood Saga (and am pretty sure I pre-ordered this fourth book), but a full 2+ years later, haven’t managed to get around to this (nor, the fifth and final book). Shame on me.
Sure, it’s not going to live up to the film version, but there’s enough different material (just based on the length of the book), that it’s going to give me something to chew on. No reason for me to have not at least started it.
The age of this book is probably what’s keeping me from it, it’s been a long time since I read something new to me that’s from pre-20th Century. I’m feeling intimidated, as good as it looks. I just need to get over it.
The Power of the Dog and The Cartel both blew me away, and I anticipated diving into The Border as soon as I could. But the size and likely emotional weight of it has kept me from even opening it. I need to get over that.
We start off with some grim stuff this week, and then transition into what feels more hodgepodge-y and eclectic than usual. Which is pretty cool. I like it when this list feels as scattered as my mind at rest. If only because it feels like it raises the chances of you (yes, you) finding something you’d like to read…
That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon: Dead Mercy by Noelle Holten—the latest gripping read in the the DC Maggie Jamieson series is out now. It can be read alone, too. I enthused about it recently The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman—Fahrenheit Press steps away from their particular brand of noir to put out a new edition of the holiday classic. I love that cover.
Do you use Goodreads as the main website to keep track of what you have read? If not, please share what you use?
A main website? Sure, it’s the first website I used for tracking–and has stayed as my primary since then. I also use LibraryThing and StoryGraph, but I haven’t invested the time to really get into those. I should probably put a little more effort into them. Maybe if I got a follower or two there…
But my actual primary tracking is a Google Docs spreadsheet (because I’m too cheap to pay for Excel, and I like being able to access it anywhere, so I don’t use LibreOffice’s version). I used to use one of my own devising, but for the last two years, I’ve used the Ultimate Book Blogger / Reader Spreadsheet Template from Reader Voracious, which is much nicer than anything I’ve cooked up (and I don’t even use all the features).
There’s not as much turnover from last week’s WWW Wednesday to today’s for my taste. Every book this month (text or audio) has taken/is taking me longer to get through than I expected. Not a big deal, just one of those things…anyhow, here’s this week’s WWW:
Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to: Blood Brothers Podcast Episode 73 with Michael Connelly—a fun chat with Connelly
That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon: The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly—Ballard’s on the hunt for a murderer and a pair of rapists. You know, the typical light fare that’s Connelly’s trademark. I’m a little over a quarter of the way through and it’s great. Swashbucklers by Dan Hanks—is one of those books I can’t imagine summarizing in a few paragraphs, much less a sentence. Click that link there to learn about it. Looks fun.
Maybe it’s the whole end of DST thing, but my sleep has been out of whack for a couple of days, which is making it difficult to post anything. I’d intended to spend my lunch hour cleaning up a post for today, but I got my eyes dilated this morning, and they’re not focusing very well yet. So much for that idea. At least I’d already assembled this for WWW Wednesday, right?
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 incredibly fun Love & Bullets: Megabomb Edition by Nick Kolakowski and am listening to Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels (Narrator) on audiobook (which is likely to be as fun, I’m not that far into it yet, so I don’t know).
My next book should be another dose of septuagenarian fun with The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman and I have no idea what my next audiobook will be, I’m not feeling incredibly inspired by anything I”m seeing.
I’ve seen this on various blogs, but can’t seem to find the creator, so I can’t credit them. I’d like to if anyone knows who did it. I saw this first at Read to Ramble, put it on my “do this tag list,” and promptly forgot about it. Then I was reminded of it on Witty and Sarcastic Book Blog—and it took me over a year to get around to it. I liked the category she added so I used it, and seconds before hitting “Publish” decided to add one of my own.
Also, just for fun, I added the music videos. Might as well sample a bit of the tunes we’re talking about, right?
What’s My Age Again – Blink 182
At what age did you discover your love of reading?
I’ve talked here before about the family vacation where I was such a pain in the keister that my parents had to stop and find a place to get me a couple of books so I’d be tolerable to be in the car with (Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective and Sugar Creek Gang: Screams in the Night—unleashing my Mystery/Detective obsession), which is when I was 7. But I’d been reading like crazy before then, I just didn’t think about it as a thing.
All Star – Smash Mouth
What is your favorite genre?
Is anyone expecting me to say anything but Mystery/Detective/Crime? It’s no contest, really, as it’s never less than a third of what I read in any given month.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something
What’s your go-to reading snack/drink?
I don’t think I typically snack while reading—probably occasionally, but not enough to have a go-to snack (if this were a TV Tag, on the other hand…). A go-to drink? Probably water, I guess, really just whatever is witin reach. Coffee, hot tea, even a beer or a single-malt.
I don’t know that there’s one book that I’d always recommend—not in a “one book to rule them all” sense, anyway. It varies based on who I’m talking to, their interests, and the genre we’re talking about.
But…I guess Jane Eyre, The Golden Spiders, Early Autumn, The Name of the Wind*, Ender’s Game, Red Rising, Dead Beat, The Rook, Dawn Patrol, Kings of the Wyld would likely top the list of fiction. On the non-fiction front, it’d likely be How the Irish Saved Civilization, Christianity & Liberalism, The Bruised Reed, How to Think, or The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction.
* Unless I think they’re going to be someone who whines about book 3.
I’ve never understood the appeal of RHCP—so I used “Bedrock Anthem” instead.
…Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
A book or series you have read more than once?
If I actually responded to this prompt, it’d turn this tag into the longest post I’ve ever done. Every title I listed after the last prompt would work here.
Tearin’ Up My Heart – N’Sync:
A book that broke your heart to finish?
Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan. Nothing else needs to be said.
Crush – Jennifer Paige
Who was your first bookish crush?
I don’t know, really. This is a topic I always stumble on in these tags. Maybe Sally Kimball? Turtle Wexler or Eilonwy, daughter of Angharad (and so on) would be likely candidates, too. Yeah…Eilonwy is probably it.
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
A book that you read as a teen that you still love today?
Well, there are just so many. I’m not sure if that says that my tastes are adolescent. It just might. Jane Eyre again, the Gideon Oliver series, The Oathbound Wizard, Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold!, I think I was a teen when I read the bulk of the Fletch and Flynn novels. I’m sure I could go on, but who’s paying attention at this point?
Hurt – Nine Inch Nails
What book do you love that deals with heavier subjects?
This is another question that could end up with too many answers. I’m going to limit it to Dennis Lehane’s Gone, Baby, Gone. This was my introduction to Lehane and the series and it hit me like a ton of bricks—I distinctly remember a couple of years after it was released my wife and I renting the audiobook for a road trip from a truck stop (a practice I’d all but forgotten about until I started this sentence), and both of us were on the verge of tears and laughing at each other for being self-conscious about it. There’s child abandonment, addiction, child abduction, police corruption, and while dealing with those topics (and others) honestly—it’s exciting, gripping, and frequently fun.
Superman’s Song – Crash Test Dummies
What’s your favorite superhero book?
It’s Superman! by Tom De Haven. This version of Superman’s origins, set in the 1930s, felt like the perfect modern take on the classic version of the hero. It felt 100% Golden Age Superman and completely fresh at the same time.
As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.
October in a nutshell: 31 books, 8,079 pages (or the equivalent), 3.5 average—even with more 3 Stars than I’ve had in a dog’s age. All the 3s make me feel better about things, I’ve wondered if I was being too free with 4’s lately. All said, I’m pretty satisfied with this month—I’m terrified by the number of things I haven’t written about, though. I should read some bigger books to help me catch up.
that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to 
(and a few things others wrote)