Category: Books Page 88 of 164

A short list this week, but a pretty diverse one. Should be something for just about everyone here—maybe 2-3 somethings.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Why Noir and Science Fiction Are Still a Perfect Pairing
A New Book and a New Press—Sara Gran describes the launching of her new press and some of what got her to this point—for those who like behind-the-scenes publishing talk
Five Mystery Novels to Read If You Love Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building—No, I am not linking to this just for an excuse to talk about how much I’m enjoying the show (but seriously, if you have the means..watch it). This list of books is promising—one I’ve read, one I’m waiting for from the library…and the rest? Hmm……
The Don Winslow Book Club September 21 Edition—good lookin’ stuff.
The Music of The Band by Nicholas Eames—a look at how Eames used the music of different eras to create his dynamite fantasy world (and a couple of nice Spotify playlists to boot)
Here’s Why I’m Ditching Goodreads And Switching To Storygraph — And Why You Should Too—I’m less impressed with Storygraph, but I do see the appeal. What about you? (yes, you)
My Favourite Authors By Category—this is an inventive way to frame the discussion (one that would cripple me were I to try it, but I love seeing others pull this kind of thing off)
Why do I read so much?—well, yeah. I’d add (at least), because it’s there.
Blogging Struggles: How Do Bloggers Stay Motivated?
Do Hype, Book Buzz, and High Expectations Affect Your Reading Experience?—they have to, at least a little, right? Carol takes a deep dive into this question.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Daughter of the Morning Star by Craig Johnson—the novel that last year’s so clearly indicated was coming is now here. Walt looks into death threats against a High School Athlete. I should be picking up my copy this afternoon, and I may set aside my current read for a day or two for it.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Inspired who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
The Surprisingly Big Business of Library E-books—This feels like a problem…
30 cool indie bookstores across the country that you’ll want to check out—You know those people who tour the US to visit every MLB Ballpark or something? Lists like this make me want to try my version of that. If only I had the time, means, and willingness to leave my house that much…
Mystery in the Mountains: 10 Novels Set in the High Country of the American West—On the other hand, I have almost zero desire to visit any of the locations mentioned here outside the pages of a novel (which is a shame, because it’d be pretty easy for me).
I really wasn’t trying to turn these posts into Tori Eldridge-fests, but she’s clearly doing what she can to get her name–and the name of her new book out there–and doing so with interesting articles, so…
Stories Behind Our Names
Binge-Worthy Characters in Books and on the Screen
Robert Crais shared a pic of the first draft of his next book—fans will be happy to see this, people interested in writers’ process should check it out to see his revision notes, etc.
10 Memorable Roald Dahl Quotes to Live By—Dahl’s 103 birthday was this week, Bookstr noted the day with this fun collection
What makes a good book?—HiuGregg shares some musings
5 SFF Books Featuring Middle-Aged or Elderly Heroines Who Still Kick Ass
One Key Reason to Read the Book Before the Movie—Yes. (also, some good reasons to watch first…but they pale in comparison)

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire—The 15th (!) Toby Daye novel sees her get married, find a coup, and thinking about her future more than we’re used to. I will post something gushy about it soon. Loved it.
True Dead by Faith Hunter—Jane goes back to New Orleans for reasons personal and regal in her 14th (!) novel. I talked more about it not that long ago
The Ninja Betrayed by Tori Eldridge—Lily visits Hong Kong, where I expect things will get a little hairy.
Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach—Roach’s books always look interesting, but I haven’t gotten around to trying one. This one could change that.
The Fellowship of the Ring / The Two Towers / The Return of the Kingby J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator)—New audiobook editions of The Trilogy were released this week with Serkis narrating. I’ve been kicking myself for a couple of years for not carving out time to re-read these books. I’m going to spend some Libro.fm credits to fix that.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Tarahaddasa and Inspired who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

I feel a little weird posting this today, but maybe some of you will want a break from all the anniversary coverage. And if you don’t? Well, this will be here later.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
The Book Biz Tries to Avoid Supply Chain Disruptions—this is only going to get worse for a while…
Publishers, Amazon Move to Dismiss Booksellers’ Antitrust Suit
The third Lily Wong novel comes out next week, so Tori Eldridge is getting a little publicity going, for example:
Tori Eldridge: Going to Hong Kong—how a recent trip inspired the setting for the third novel.
Things Get Personal for Lily Wong—a good interview with Eldridge
Michael Connelly Can’t Stop Chasing Leads—a niece piece on the master
Richard Osman: ‘No one’s born a crime writer. I write crime because I read it’—an interview with the man behind The Thursday Murder Club (and several other things)
The American Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: Nick Rennison on the early days of American detective fiction and the sleuths who competed with Sherlock Holmes for mystery readers.—I’d maybe heard of one of these before, but I think I’m conflating him with someone else (and later). I’m willing to bet most of you would say something similar, which says something about how the rivalries went.
This One’s Too Large, This One’s Too Small: Is There a Perfect Shape for Books?—I really feel like I’m starting to mention too many Molly Templeton pieces lately. But I really don’t see myself stopping. This is one of those things I wish I’d written.
The Best 4 Apps to Keep Track of the Books You Own—huh. Have you heard of any of these? Used one?
What determines reading speed?—I don’t remember seeing this one on Paul’s Picks (and I thought I’d at least glanced at everything there), so I’m glad it was spotlighted this week by The Write Reads.
The D&D Connection: Authors and TTRPGs- What You May Have Missed—I talked about this series last week, here’s a nice wrap-up post with the links to them all.
The NetGalley Shelf app – Grrrrrrr—I suspected NetGalley’s app wouldn’t be that great, Fictionophile kindly confirmed that.

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Blood Brothers Episode 66 with Janice Hallet and Miranda Jewess—a fun discussion with the author of The Appeal (a book I’m really looking forward to being available over here) and her publisher.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Robert B. Parker’s Stone’s Throw by Mike Lupica—Jesse Stone returns in a sold entry for the series, I talked about it recently.
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes—One of the more pleasant surprises of 2020 to me was how much I enjoyed The Inheritance Games, I’m excited to see how this sequel carries on.
Miss Kopp Investigates by soandso—The Seventh Kopp Sisters novel finds them post-WWI and me two behind.

There was a point this morning I really wondered if I’d be able to post this today–I had so many problems–my password manager, browser, and then operating system all had strange glitches–consecutively, mind you. I felt like a Pakled, I just wanted someone to “Make it go.” It literally took me an hour to get to the point I could start assembling the post.

Remember when computers were going to make our lives easier?

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Writers notes: the record label remixing novels into music—This is such a weird idea, but I’m curious about it—has anyone out there listened to something like this?
The Brilliant History of Books, From Egyptian Scrolls to E-Readers—yeah, this is sort of a “history of books in 2 minutes” approach, but it’s a good summary
Picking up a book for fun positively affects verbal abilities—I almost just put “duh” here, but that seemed to counter the premise. Most readers of this post know this, but it’s always nice to get some confirmation, right? I know when I’d have a major paper in college/grad school, I’d crack open a Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin novel before writing—it always got my mind cranking in the right way.
The Only Way Out Is Through: On Reading Slumps—I think there’s actually a new-to-me recommendation in the last paragraph (and one I should implement)
What Makes a Book ‘Appropriate’ for School?
What to do when you run out of bookshelf space
Why William Gibson Is a Literary Genius—well, yeah.
A Reacher Relay Race: PW Talks with Lee and Andrew Child
Fran Lebowitz: ‘If people disagree with me, so what?’—a good interview with Lebowitz. I wish she’d find a way through the block, I could use something fresher than the Reader (not that I don’t occasionally re-read a piece or two from that to this day)
I Stopped Writing My Series Years Ago. But Something Kept Calling Me Back.—I’ve never heard of the series in question, and I don’t think I’ve heard of the author, but I love his story…and am tempted to dip a toe in the water of the series.
The Dragonlance Books Launched My Lifelong Love of Fantasy
The D&D Connection: Authors and TTRPGs—Witty & Sarcastic Book Club had a great series this week on D&D and the effect it had (or didn’t have) on various authors.
This Gentlemen Bastards Quote Thread! (Non-Spoiler) from @BookMeanderings almost made me abandon my books for the week to reread The Lies of Locke Lamora
How to create a reading routine that works?—Frankly, I preferred it when Nonfictionality produced articles rather than videos, but this is worth the time.
Embracing the DNF: 3 Reasons It’s Okay to Read Something Else
Announcement: Novels & Waffles is Moving to Bibliosmile.com—While I’m going to miss Novels & Waffles, I’m glad she found a way to stick with blogging in a way that works for her, and am looking forward to seeing what happens with it.