Category: Books Page 89 of 167

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
The most brilliant bookshops in the world—Also known as “a bunch of places I’ll never step foot in (and Powell’s).” But the pics make me want to be a world-traveler.
5 Things You Didn’t Know About People Who Are Passionate About Books—The statistic in the first paragraph is hard to swallow, so I’m not sure about the facts, but it’s interesting anyway.
Is Amazon Changing the Novel?
1-Star Reviews of My Favorite Novels—Matthew Norman looks at some reviews his favorites have received—which helps him put negative revews he’s received in perspective.
Shop Talk: Michael Koryta Writes 1500 Words and Gets to Ring the Bell—I really love this series by Cranor, and this look at Koryta’s process is just great.
I haven’t watched Ted Lasso (though I want to), but still dug this thread by Scott Lynch about a character’s reading choices (not just for the fantastic description of The Da Vinci Code.
A Bookworm’s WORST NIGHTMARES!!—don’t read this post late at night if you want to sleep.
The Things I’ve Heard: Confessions of an Audiobook Narrator

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Author Stories Podcast Episode 1179: Lee Child And Andrew Child Talk Jack Reacher—the Jack Reacher authors talk about the process behind the first two collaborations and more

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg—the third Eve Ronin novel continues to impress. I had a little to say about it earlier this week.
Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child—Reacher in the Southwest—that’s all I know, more than I need to know to pick it up.
Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest—Priest’s new series featues travel agent who’s an “inconsistent psychic” and a Police Detective working on a cold case.
Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan—Riordan leaves his mythology-based work for a contemporary 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Color me curious.

Wow, I’m about 2 hours behind schedule for the day…so I’m not going to try to come up with anything to lead off this week’s post.

Well, maybe a little…I tend to share a meme or something like that with these posts, just stuff I stumble upon. This week, author R.T. Slaywood created one that made my day–had to be used (as self-aggrandizing as it may be).

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Will supply chain issues affect the books you want? Depends on what you’re reading.—that last line is a bit ominous, do we have to go through this again? Might be time to buy stock in a bidet company.
Another Pandemic Surprise: A Mini Indie Bookstore Boom—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
PW’s best books of 2021—Is it really time to start these already???
Serial Thinking—I would not have put First Things on my list of places to look for solid takes on the Chet & Bernie books, but John Wilson delivers that, a thoughtful take on “genre” vs. “literary” fiction, and thoughts on the making of serialized fiction—in one short piece.
Goodbye To Goodreads—I absolutely get why authors would abandon the site–outside of opportunities to market themselves anyway. But how many times does it have to be said? Reviews–especially amateur ones–are for readers, not writers. (there are plenty of other reasons to avoid Goodreads, and I’m not trying to defend the site, this just seems silly)
Audiobook History, or: Why Audiobooks Matter!
8 Things to Do While Listening to Audiobooks—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
A Thank You to The Write Reads Gang—one of those posts that can’t be said often enough.
Do you use bookmarks? I do, just not actual ones. Here are some weird/random things I (and my daughter) use!—there are some very odd things in this list (can’t imagine some are that good for the binding, either)
Books to Video Games—I’m not a gamer, but a couple of my kids are, but I thought this was interesting. While I’ve seen (and purchased as gifts) several books adapted from games, I can only think of a couple of books that have been adapted to games–The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Below the Root (oh, and the obligatory Sherlock Holmes/Nancy Drew—every medium has to have them). The age of both of those games suggests how much of a gamer I am.
Why I’m Keeping My Book Blog
Common Problems Book Bloggers Have and How To Solve Them—good advice
5 Things I Look for Before Following a Book Blog
Don’t be a Stranger: How to Make Connections in the Book Blogging Community
To All The Books I Didn’t Buy,—loved this.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
It’s a Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn—The first (novel-length) holiday Chet and Bernie book is a great bit of fun. I enthused about it recently.
Best in Snow by David Rosenfelt—Andy’s dog, Tara, literally digs up a new case for him in this holiday themed novel. I talked about it a little a couple of weeks ago
title by soandso—The eBook release of the Audible Original. Shining Smith #2 features a road trip, a handful of battle scenes and some surprising character developments. I had a little to say about it earlier this week.
The Last Time She Died by Zoë Sharp—first in a new series has a heckuva hook. Not one I can do justice to in a sentence or so, better just click the link.
Dust & Grim by Chuck Wendig—half of the reason I’m interested in this book is to see how Wendig can write for MG audience. The other half is that it takes place in a monster mortuary—which just sounds fun.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Carol 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:
Obituary: Gary Paulsen—I didn’t read as much of Paulsen growing up as I could’ve (looking over his bibliography, even then it would’ve been a monumental task), and haven’t read him since. Still, sad to see a giant go.
The 20-page rule: how much time should you give a devastatingly boring book?—One notorious response to this got Twitter all excited this week. I wish I’d heard Billingham’s original remarks–I’ve heard him on several podcasts in the last couple of years and it’d have been really entertaining. I’m not in 100% agreement with him, but sure can’t say he’s wrong.
Advanced Book Search—a fun little poem paying tribute to local bookstores (Hat tip: Raven Crime Reads).
Filling Your Bookshelf With Joy—one reader’s tips on selecting the books to display
Embracing the DNF: 3 Reasons It’s Okay to Read Something Else—FanFiAddict’s David S. might have the most succinct post on this topic.
Is a Balanced Reading Life Important?—I’ve never considered this question

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Under the Radar SFF Podcast—Blaise Ancona launched this podcast this week, focusing on works that are ” lost, forgotten, or need a bigger audience.” I’ve listened to 2 of the episodes so far. I think this is one to keep an eye on.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon (apparently this is actors turned writers week):
Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner—”A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events”. It’s a fun, self-deprecating, comic crime novel. I talked more about it last week.
Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You by Misha Collins—Honestly, I probably wouldn’t bother with this given my general apathy toward poetry, but my daughter is his number 1 fan (well, she’s tied with roughly 1 million people for that title), so I kinda have to.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to doggydogguy and Shannon K Sexton who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!

I clearly stepped away from blogs/social media/etc. this week, if this is all I have for a list…

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
How Changing Your Reading Habits Can Transform Your Health—This is an older piece, and I don’t remember how I came across it this week. But I did, and it’s worth a read.
Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Book Series To Get TV Adaptation By A+E Studios—Sure, I’m curious about how this works as an adaptation. But knowing what Grafton thought of the idea…
The 25 Most Iconic Book Covers in History—there are some great ones here.
How To Avoid Fandom Toxicity—I’d file most of this under “common sense.” But then you have to remember that old chestnut about how rare common sense is…
The Return of #Norsevember—Last year’s Norsevember produced some interesting posts, I trust this year will, too.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Everything Happens by Jo Perry—Perry’s novella about a Vegas marriage that really didn’t work out is now published on its own.

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