Category: Calendar Items Page 14 of 25

December 2019 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By

On January 1, 2020

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

December was a low(er) month for numbers of 26 books but 7,828 pages (or the equivalent) is nothing to sneeze at, and an average rating of 4 stars is likely my best yet!

I’m trying to not complain about how little I write (something new, I know)—but man…I did a bad job this month. But I really liked a couple of my posts more than I usually do, so there’s that. Still, I’ve got to work on my planning so I can not fall so behind.

But that’s for another day. Here’s what happened here in December.

Zombie Spaceship Wasteland (Audiobook) Thereby Hangs a Tail (Audiobook) Blue Moon
3.5 Stars 4 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
Friends A Cultural History Skinwalker (Audiobook) What the Dog Knows Young Readers Editionbook6
3 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars
The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth Twenty-one Truths About Love Hacked
4 Stars 5 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
The Martian (Audiobook) Food: A Love Story When We Were Vikings
5 Stars 4 Stars 3.5 Stars
Grace & Glory 46% Better Than Dave Leo & The Lightning Dragons
5 Stars 3 Stars 4 Stars
The Last Unicorn The Art of War Circle of the Moon (Audiobook)
3 Stars 5 Stars 4 Stars
Find Your Weigh Look Alive Twenty-Five Leviathan Wakes (Audiobook)
3 Stars 3 Stars 4 Stars
No Sweatbook22 None Greater Dreyer’s English
3 Stars 4 Stars 5 Stars
The Cartel Furies of Calderon (Audiobook)
5 Stars 4 Stars


Nothing! Wrapped it all up without time to start anything new.

5 Stars 6 2 1/2 Stars 0
4 1/2 Stars 2 2 Stars 0
4 Stars 10 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 2 1 Star 0
3 Stars 6
Average = 4


Physical Books: 2 Added, 7 Read, 27 Remaining
E-Books: 4 Added, 2 Read, 28 Remaining
Audiobooks: 2 Added, 2 Read, 1 Remaining

2019 Library Love Challenge

2019 Library Love Challenge

  1. Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn, Jim Frangione (Audiobook)
  2. Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt (Audiobook) —(link forthcoming)
  3. Blue Moon by Lee Child
  4. What the Dog Knows Young Readers Edition by Cat Warren, Patricia J. Wynne
  5. Twenty-one Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks
  6. The Martian by Andy Weir, R.C. Bray (Audiobook)
  7. Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan (Audiobook)
  8. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, Jefferson Mays (Audiobook)
  9. No Sweat by Michelle Segar —(link forthcoming)
  10. Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher, Kate Reading (Audiobook)

While I Was Reading 2019 Challenge

✔ A classic you’ve been meaning to get to: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
✔ A book mentioned in another book: The Art of War by by Sun Tzu, James Trapp (Translator)
LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

#LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

  1. Hacked by Duncan MacMaster
  2. 46% Better Than Dave by Alastair Puddick
  3. Leo & The Lightning Dragons by Gill White, Gilli B
  4. Find Your Weigh by Shellie Bowdoin —(link forthcoming)
  5. The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth by Thomas Goodwin
2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

  1. Hacked by Duncan MacMaster
  2. Thereby Hangs a Tail
  3. Blue Moon by Lee Child
  4. Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich
  5. The Cartel by Don Winslow —(link forthcoming)
Humor Reading Challenge 2019

Humor Reading Challenge 2019

  1. 46% Better Than Dave by Alastair Puddick
  2. Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt —(link forthcoming)
  3. Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan (Audiobook)
2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

  1. The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth by Thomas Goodwin
  2. Grace and Glory by Geerhardus Vos

How was your month?

Festivus 2019: For the Rest of Us

By

On December 23, 2019

In Calendar Items, News/Misc.

Shunning the commercialization of Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Santaween/Chrismukkah, we’re celebrating Festivus for the rest of us here at The Irresponsible Reader.

Let’s begin our observance!

Festivus PoleHere I am with my Festivus pole. Yeah, it’s a little small, but I’d rather spend money on books than the full aluminum pole. Very high strength to weight ratio, nevertheless.

Note the lack of distracting tinsel. It’s very important.

And now, let the Airing of Grievances begin.

Airing of Grievances
bullet I have a grievance with the It’s 2019, why are we still placing stickers on books? If we have to do that, why hasn’t Science come up with a sticker that doesn’t leave a gummy residue behind? C’mon, Science, if you can’t give us a cure for cancer, a pill so people with Celiac disease can eat bread, or an Oreo that will help me lose weight — at least you can give us stickers that don’t leave gunk on our books!

bullet I have a grievance with Movie/TV covers on books. C’mon people, this is stupid. Sure, it maybe helps sell more copies of the books–but has any book been improved by one of these covers? No! Knock it off!

bullet It’s another year without the next installment from Rothfuss/Butcher/Martin. No, my grievance isn’t with them, it’s with the entitled “fan” of the work, whining at every conceivable moment about how long it’s taking them. Because there’s nothing else around to read? Let ’em get it right and use that energy to support someone whose books could use it.

(still–Martin, Rothfuss…c’mon…Butcher was able to get something ready to go.)

bullet Whether it’s from a mainstream publisher, indie press or a self-pubbed book, we have the technology and (theoretically??) the education that there’s no reason for there to be missing/extra punctuation or misspelled words in books.

bullet I have a grievance with the Book Blogging Community. There are way too many good book bloggers out there to keep up with. Some of you need to write less often! Also, you make the rest of us look bad.

bullet I’ve got a grievance with running out of places to put books and bookshelves that aren’t like a bag of holding or TARDIS and can’t take an increasing number of books. So…physics, I guess. Yeah, that’s right, Laws of the Physics, I’m calling you out. Get your act together!

bullet I’ve got a grievance with how hard it can be to pick the next book to read despite a having piles of books (see above grievance) waiting to be read/multiple files on an e=reader. I know it’s not just me who endures this, so there’s gotta be a conspiracy afoot here.

bullet And what’s more…I lost my train of thought.

Time for Feats of Strength

Feat of StrengthFor my Feat of Strenth, here I hold my entire TBR over my head.

(actual photo)

Let’s see how the rest of you do with your feats.

Happy Festivus

November 2019 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By

On December 2, 2019

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

I literally finished reading the last book I’d committed to read in October on November 29—of course, I haven’t had a chance to write anything about it, much less send the author the Q’s for him to A. Still, I’m on the verge of catching up. Sort of. That aside, November saw me completing 8,087 pages over 31 books with an average rating of 3.45. That’s pretty positive—I’ve had better months rating-wise, but I’ll take a month of plenty of good books with a couple of highlights any day. I’m still behind on my writing, but not as much as I expected to be. I’m calling this a decent month all things considered.

Anyway, here’s what happened here in November.

God, You & Sex The Night Fire Dragon Bones
3 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars
Hands Up Inkheart Undeath and Taxes
4 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars
Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain You Can Date Boys When You're Forty Fallen
3 Stars 3.5 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
Redemptive Reversals Dragon Blood Spell or High Water
3.5 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars
Going Rogue Thieves Storm Cursed
3.5 Stars 3 Stars 4 Stars
Rivers of London: Action At A Distance Entering God's Rest Hurricane Vacation
3 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars
An Accidental Death The Lights Go Out in Lychford Angel Eyes
4 Stars 4 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
Best State Ever Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 5:Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology Badlands
3 Stars 5 Stars 3 Stars
Dawn of Dreams Live Right and Find Happiness The ABCs of Metallica
3 Stars 3.5 Stars 3.5 Stars
Artemis Not-So-Common-People The Hero
4 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars
Wishful Drinking            
3.5 Stars            

Friends A Cultural History Thereby Hangs a Tail      

5 Stars 1 2 1/2 Stars 1
4 1/2 Stars 2 2 Stars 0
4 Stars 6 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 6 1 Star 0
3 Stars 16
Average = 3.45


Physical Books: 7 Added, 8 Read, 36 Remaining (one of those was purchased specifically to be read in 2020, so I actually made progress by 2. Sort of)
E-Books: 4 Added, 2 Read, 26 Remaining
Audiobooks: 3 Added, 3 Read, 1 Remaining

2019 Library Love Challenge

2019 Library Love Challenge

  1. Dragon Bones (Audiobook) by Patricia Briggs, Joe Manganiello (link forthcoming)
  2. Inkheart (Audiobook) by Cornelia Funke, Lynn Redgrave (link forthcoming)
  3. Undeath & Taxes (Audiobook) by Drew Hayes, Kirby Heyborne (link forthcoming)
  4. Please Don’t Tell my Parents I’m a Supervillain (Audiobook) by Richard Roberts, Emily Woo Zeller (link forthcoming)
  5. You Can Date Boys When You’re Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About (Audiobook) by Dave Barry (link forthcoming)
  6. Dragon Blood (Audiobook) by Patricia Briggs, Joe Manganiello (link forthcoming)
  7. Storm Cursed (Audiobook) by Patricia Briggs, Lorelei King
  8. Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland (Audiobook) by Dave Barry, Dick Hill (link forthcoming)
  9. The Badlands (Audiobook) by C.J. Box, January LaVoy (link forthcoming)
  10. Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster): Life Lessons and Other Ravings from Dave Barry (Audiobook) by Dave Barry (link forthcoming)
  11. Artemis (Audiobook) by Andy Weir, Rosario Dawson
  12. Wishful Drinking (Audiobook) by Carrie Fisher

While I Was Reading 2019 Challenge

✔ A book recommended by someone you trust: An Accidental Death (Audiobook) by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson

LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

#LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

  1. Going Rogue by Neil Lancaster
  2. Hands Up by Stephen Clark
  3. Thieves by Steven Max Russo
  4. Hurricane Vacation by Heather L. Beal, Jasmine Mills
  5. An Accidental Death (Audiobook) by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson
  6. Dawn of Dreams by Bronwyn Leroux
  7. Not So Common People by T Gamache (link forthcoming
2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

  1. Going Rogue by Neil Lancaster
  2. Hands Up by Stephen Clark
  3. Thieves by Steven Max Russo
  4. An Accidental Death (Audiobook) by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson
  5. The Badlands (Audiobook) by C.J. Box, January LaVoy (link forthcoming)
  6. The Night Fire by Michael Connelly
  7. Angel Eyes by Ace Atkins
Humor Reading Challenge 2019

Humor Reading Challenge 2019

  1. Wishful Drinking (Audiobook) by Carrie Fisher
  2. You Can Date Boys When You’re Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About (Audiobook) by Dave Barry (link forthcoming)
  3. Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland (Audiobook) by Dave Barry, Dick Hill (link forthcoming)
  4. Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster): Life Lessons and Other Ravings from Dave Barry (Audiobook) by Dave Barry (link forthcoming)
  5. Spell or High Water (Audiobook) by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels
2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

  1. Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 5: Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology by Geerhardus Vos, Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (Translator) (link forthcoming)

How was your month?

Thanksgiving 2019

By

On November 28, 2019

In Calendar Items, News/Misc.

Happy Thanksgiving/Turkey Day/Thursday

When I think about all the great things that have happened around the blog and behind the scenes this year leaves me at a loss for words, let me list a few things I’m thankful for—a very incomplete list, I assure you:

          bullet The readers of this blog, the authors who’ve corresponded with me/provided books for me to read/encouraged me—even promoted this here project.
          bullet The publicists, publishers, book tour hosts, etc. I’ve been working with this year who’ve especially made things great—I typically hesitate to mention any by name, so as to not inadvertently miss anyone and cause offense (and make me feel bad). But I want to mention a few by name this year—Lola’s Blog Tours, iREAD Book Tours, Bloodhound Books, Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers, Love Books Group, Let’s Talk Promotions, Lori Hettler of TNBBC Publicity and Emma at damppebbles blog tours. You have expanded (and pushed) my boundaries this year, exposed me to some great reads I’d have not tried, and put up with my quirks and memory lapses with grace.
          bullet Books
          bullet Authors!
          bullet Books
          bullet Coffee (and other beverages both caffeinated and adult)
          bullet Books
          bullet Time to read
          bullet Books
          bullet Easily finding an appropriate image for this post for the third year in a row—actually, two of them! (it was oddly difficult before)
          bullet Books
          bullet Audiobooks and talented narrators
          bullet The Nampa Public Library (and The LYNX! Consortium)—and their generous grace period, which is now late fine free!
          bullet Books
          bullet Rediscovered Bookshop, Rediscovered Bookshop – Caldwell and Libro.fm
          bullet Books
          bullet Goodreads, WordPress, NetGalley, BookLikes
          bullet Books
          bullet Evernote
          bullet Books
          bullet Organ Transplants and the good people at St. Luke’s Lifestyle Medicine (just to get serious for a moment)
          bullet Authors!
          bullet Authors!
          bullet My supportive, understanding and encouraging wife and kids who do a pretty decent job pretending to care when their old man drones on and on about what he’s reading or what’s going on with the blog.
          bullet Again, all of you who read, follow, like, tweet, comment, email, etc. this page—you have no idea how much every little bit is appreciated.

October 2019 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By

On November 1, 2019

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

30 books down! 9,183 pages! Wow! With an average of 3.7 Stars, too. Man…not much wrong with October, was there?

(At work I’ve been able to listen to a bunch of audiobooks this month, which was a lot of help)

I really don’t have a lot to say at the moment, so let’s just get on with what happened here in October.

System Failure A Bloody Arrogant Power Last Argument of Kings
4 Stars 3 Stars 5 Stars
The Rest of Us Just Live Here Don't Get Involved This is Where I Leave You
3 Stars 3.5 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
XYZ The Dead of Winter Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals
3 Stars 3 Stars 4 Stars
The Dead Dont Sleep Flying Alone Anbatar
3.5 Stars Still Deciding 3.5 Stars
How Not to Die Alone Famous in Cedarville Back of Beyond
4 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars
Because Internet The Abels The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant
3 Stars 3.5 Stars 3 Stars
Open Season Fleishman is in Trouble Side Jobs
4 Stars 2 1/2 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
The Highway Christianity and Liberalism Savage Run
3.5 Stars 5 Stars 3.5 Stars
Shattered Bonds Bearded Too When You Reach Me
4 1/2 Stars 4 Stars 3.5 Stars
The Right Stuff Maxine Unleashes Doomsday Look Both Ways
4 Stars Still Deciding 3.5 Stars

Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 5:Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology            

5 Stars 2 2 1/2 Stars 1
4 1/2 Stars 4 2 Stars 0
4 Stars 8 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 8 1 Star 0
3 Stars 7
Average = 3.7


Physical Books: 4 Added, 2 Read, 31 Remaining
E-Books: 0 Added, 0 Read, 24 Remaining
Audiobooks: 0 Added, 1 Read, 1 Remaining

2019 Library Love Challenge

2019 Library Love Challenge

  1. Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch (link forthcoming)
  2. The Abels by Jeremy Scott, Eric Michael Summerer (link forthcoming)
  3. The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes, Kirby Heyborne (link forthcoming)
  4. Open Season by C. J. Box, David Chandler (link forthcoming)
  5. Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (link forthcoming)
  6. Side Jobs by Jim Butcher, James Marsters
  7. The Highway by C. J. Box, Holter Graham (link forthcoming)
  8. Savage Run by C. J. Box, David Chandler (link forthcoming)
  9. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Cynthia Holloway (link forthcoming)
  10. Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds (link forthcoming)
  11. Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie, Steven Pacey
  12. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, James Fouhey (link forthcoming)
  13. Back of Beyond by C. J. Box, Holter Graham (link forthcoming)

While I Was Reading 2019 Challenge

Nothing this month.

LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

#LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

  1. A Bloody Arrogant Power by Malcolm J. Wardlaw
  2. Don’t Get Involved by F J Curlew
  3. The Dead of Winter by A. B. Gibson
  4. XYZ by William Knight
  5. The Dead Don’t Sleep by Steven Max Russo
  6. Flying Alone: A Memoir by (link forthcoming)
  7. Anbatar: Legacy of the Blood Guard by Anne Dolleri
  8. Bearded Too by Jeremy Billups
  9. Maxine Unleashes Doomsday by Nick Kolakowski (link forthcoming)
2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

  1. A Bloody Arrogant Power by Malcolm J. Wardlaw
  2. Don’t Get Involved by F J Curlew
  3. The Dead of Winter by A. B. Gibson
  4. The Dead Don’t Sleep by Steven Max Russo
  5. Open Season by C. J. Box, David Chandler (link forthcoming)
  6. The Highway by C. J. Box, Holter Graham (link forthcoming)
  7. Savage Run by (link forthcoming)
  8. Famous in Cedarville by Erica Wright
  9. Back of Beyond by C. J. Box, Holter Graham (link forthcoming)
Humor Reading Challenge 2019

Humor Reading Challenge 2019

  1. System Failure by Joe Zieja
  2. XYZ by William Knight
2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

    Nothing this month.

How was your month?

Happy Birthday, Archie!

By

On October 23, 2019

In Calendar Items, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin, News/Misc.

My annual tribute to one of my favorite fictional characters (if not my all-time favorite). I’ve got to do an overhaul to this soon, but it is slightly updated and tweaed from last year.

On Oct 23 in Chillicothe, Ohio, Archie Goodwin entered this world—no doubt with a smile for the pretty nurses—and American detective literature was never the same.

I’m toasting him in one of the ways I think he’d appreciate most—by raising a glass of milk in his honor.

Who was Archie? Archie summed up his life thusly:

Born in Ohio. Public high school, pretty good at geometry and football, graduated with honor but no honors. Went to college two weeks, decided it was childish, came to New York and got a job guarding a pier, shot and killed two men and was fired, was recommended to Nero Wolfe for a chore he wanted done, did it, was offered a full-time job by Mr. Wolfe, took it, still have it.” (Fourth of July Picnic)

Long may he keep it. Just what was he employed by Wolfe to do? In The Black Mountain he answers the statement, “I thought you was a private eye” with:

I don’t like the way you say it, but I am. Also I am an accountant, an amanuensis, and a cocklebur. Eight to five you never heard the word amanuensis and you never saw a cocklebur.

In The Red Box, he says

I know pretty well what my field is. Aside from my primary function as the thorn in the seat of Wolfe’s chair to keep him from going to sleep and waking up only for meals, I’m chiefly cut out for two things: to jump and grab something before the other guy can get his paws on it, and to collect pieces of the puzzle for Wolfe to work on.

In Black Orchids, he reacts to an insult:

…her cheap crack about me being a ten-cent Clark Gable, which was ridiculous. He simpers, to begin with, and to end with no one can say I resemble a movie actor, and if they did it would be more apt to be Gary Cooper than Clark Gable.

I’m not the only Archie fan out there:

  • A few months back, someone pointed me at this post, The Wit and Wisdom of Archie Goodwin. There’s some really good stuff here that I was tempted to steal, instead, I’ll just point you at it.
  • Robert Crais himself when writing an introduction to a Before Midnight reprint, devoted it to paying tribute to Archie—one of the few pieces of anything written that I can say I agree with jot and tittle.

In case you’re wondering if this post was simply an excuse to go through some collections of Archie Goodwin quotations, you wouldn’t be totally wrong…he’s one of the fictional characters I like spending time with most in this world–he’s the literary equivalent of comfort food. So just a couple more great lines I’ve quoted here before:

I would appreciate it if they would call a halt on all their devoted efforts to find a way to abolish war or eliminate disease or run trains with atoms or extend the span of human life to a couple of centuries, and everybody concentrate for a while on how to wake me up in the morning without my resenting it. It may be that a bevy of beautiful maidens in pure silk yellow very sheer gowns, barefooted, singing “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” and scattering rose petals over me would do the trick, but I’d have to try it.

I looked at the wall clock. It said two minutes to four. I looked at my wrist watch. It said one minute to four. In spite of the discrepancy it seemed safe to conclude that it would soon be four o’clock.

Description:I shook my head. “You’re flattering me, Inspector. I don’t arouse passions like that. It’s my intellect women like. I inspire them to read good books, but I doubt if I could inspire even Lizzie Borden to murder.”

She turned back to me, graceful as a big cat, and stood there straight and proud, not quite smiling, her warm dark eyes as curious as if she had never seen a man before. I knew damn well I ought to say something, but what? The only thing to say was ‘Will you marry me?’ but that wouldn’t do because the idea of her washing dishes or darning socks was preposterous.

“Indeed,” I said. That was Nero Wolfe’s word, and I never used it except in moments of stress, and it severely annoyed me when I caught myself using it, because when I look in a mirror I prefer to see me as is, with no skin grafted from anybody else’s hide, even Nero Wolfe’s.

If you like Anglo-Saxon, I belched. If you fancy Latin, I eructed. No matter which, I had known that Wolfe and Inspector Cramer would have to put up with it that evening, because that is always a part of my reaction to sauerkraut. I don’t glory in it or go for a record, but neither do I fight it back. I want to be liked just for myself.

When a hippopotamus is peevish it’s a lot of peeve.

It was nothing new for Wolfe to take steps, either on his own, or with one or more of the operatives we used, without burdening my mind with it. His stated reason was that I worked better if I thought it all depended on me. His actual reason was that he loved to have a curtain go up revealing him balancing a live seal on his nose.

It helps a lot, with two people as much together as he and I were, if they understand each other. He understood that I was too strong-minded to add another word unless he told me to, and I understood that he was too pigheaded to tell me to.

I always belong wherever I am.

September 2019 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By

On October 1, 2019

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

7,577 pages over 25 books, most of those good books, too—not counting the ones I haven’t decided on, I’m looking at a 3.63 average, can’t complain about that. Sure, there was a 2-star, but it only took me a day to get through, so it wasn’t that bad. Also, this was a month of small additions (and smaller subtractions) to Mount TBR. Yay for restraint? It was a pretty good month, basically. I felt like I was behind most of the month, but I don’t think that was really the case. I’ve got big plans for October, hopefully in a month, I’m feeling as bullish about it as I feel about this month.

So, here’s what happened here in September.

https://wordpress.com/stats/irresponsiblereader.com

Faith vs Faithfulness: A Primer On Rest The Editor Dachshund Through the Snow
3 Stars 4 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
Bloodline The Blade Itself Gluten Is My Bitch
3 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars
Irony in the Soul Fletch Reflected The Unkindest Tide
3 Stars 3 Stars 4 Stars
Have You Eaten Grandma? Sea This and Sea That Appetite for Risk
4 Stars 3.5 Stars 3 Stars
The Chain Before They are Hanged Relief by Execution
4 1/2 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars
The Princess Beard I'm Sorry...Love, Your Husband Hire Idiots
3.5 Stars 2 Stars 3.5 Stars
Land of Wolves Cradle to Grave My Plain Jane
4 1/2 Stars Still Deciding 3 Stars
Grace Worth Fighting For Beyond Authority and Submission: Women and Men in Marriage, Church, and Society Justice Gone
5 Stars 4 Stars Still Deciding
Ghosts of You
Still Deciding

Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 5:Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology Last Argument of Kings

5 Stars 1 2 1/2 Stars 0
4 1/2 Stars 3 2 Stars 1
4 Stars 7 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 3 1 Star 0
3 Stars 7
Average = 3.63


Physical Books: 4 Added, 2 Read, 29 Remaining
E-Books: 0 Added, 0 Read, 24 Remaining
Audiobooks: 0 Added, 1 Read, 2 Remaining

2019 Library Love Challenge

2019 Library Love Challenge

  1. The Chain by Adrian McKinty
  2. Land of Wolves by Craig Johnson
  3. I’m Sorry…Love, Your Husband (Audiobook) by Clint Edwards, Joe Hempel
  4. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, Steven Pacey
  5. Gluten Is My Bitch: Rants, Recipes, and Ridiculousness for the Gluten-Free (Audiobook) by April Peveteaux
  6. Have You Eaten Grandma?: Or, the Life-Saving Importance of Correct Punctuation, Grammar, and Good English by Gyles Brandreth (link forthcoming
  7. Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie, Steven Pacey
  8. My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows, Fiona Hardingham (link forthcoming

While I Was Reading 2019 Challenge

Nothing this month.
LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

#LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

  1. Hire Idiots by Professor I.M. Nemo
  2. The Editor by Simon Hall
  3. Bloodline by Pamela Murray
  4. Irony in the Soul: Nobody Listens Like the Dying by Pete Adams
  5. Appetite for Risk by Jack Leavers
  6. Cradle to Grave by Rachel Amphlett (link forthcoming
  7. Ghosts of You by Cathy Ulrich (link forthcoming
  8. Justice Gone by N. Lombardi, Jr. (link forthcoming
  9. Faith vs Faithfulness: A Primer On Rest
  10. Relief by Execution by Gint Aras
  11. Sea This and Sea That by Jeremy Billups
2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

  1. Hire Idiots by Professor I.M. Nemo
  2. The Editor by Simon Hall
  3. Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt
  4. Bloodline by Pamela Murray
  5. Irony in the Soul: Nobody Listens Like the Dying by Pete Adams
  6. Fletch Reflected by Gregory McDonald, Dan John Miller(link forthcoming
  7. Appetite for Risk by Jack Leavers
  8. The Chain by Adrian McKinty
  9. Land of Wolves by Craig Johnson
  10. Cradle to Grave by Rachel Amphlett (link forthcoming
  11. Ghosts of You by Cathy Ulrich (link forthcoming
  12. Justice Gone by N. Lombardi, Jr. (link forthcoming
Humor Reading Challenge 2019

Humor Reading Challenge 2019

  1. The Princess Beard by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson
  2. I’m Sorry…Love, Your Husband (Audiobook) by Clint Edwards, Joe Hempel
  3. Hire Idiots by Professor I.M. Nemo
2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

    Nothing this month.

How was your month?

August 2019 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By

On September 2, 2019

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

August in a Thumbnail: 7294 pages (500 more than July), 24 books (same as July, and given the amount of time Dark Age took I’m happy about that), Average Rating of 3.9—which is not shabby. But 6 5-Star books??!?!? I’m either getting really soft, or I had an incredible month (my reflex is to guess I’m getting soft, but I’d defend every one of those).

Here’s what happened here in August.
Books Read/Listened to

Teen Titans: Raven The Bitterest Pill Not Home Yet
3 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars
The Lord's Supper: Answers to Common Questions Chances Are . . . A Dangerous Man
3.5 Stars 4 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
Heaven on Earth Shady Characters Dark Age
3 Stars 3 Stars 5 Stars
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Life of Christ Black Summer
5 Stars 3 Stars 5 Stars
Kings of the Wyld (Audiobook) Fletch, Too The Swallows
5 Stars 3 Stars r5 Stars
Gilmore Girls: A Cultural History Finding God in the Ordinary Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Soteriology
3.5 Stars 3 Stars 5 Stars
Cause and Effect: Vice Plagues the City Chimes at Midnight A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity
3 Stars 4 1/2 Stars 3.5 Stars
Son of Fletch Brotherhood of the Worm
3.5 Stars 4 Stars

Still Reading

The Blade Itself The Editor

Ratings

5 Stars 6 2 1/2 Stars 0
4 1/2 Stars 2 2 Stars 0
4 Stars 3 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 4 1 Star 0
3 Stars 8
Average = 3.89

Reviewish things Posted

TBR
Physical Books: 7 Added, 4 Read, 27 Remaining
E-Books: 1 Added, 0 Read, 21 Remaining
Audiobooks: 1 Added, 3 Read, 3 Remaining

2019 Book Challenges

2019 Library Love Challenge

2019 Library Love Challenge

  1. Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo (Illustrator): An Updated Look into the Empath’s Past
  2. Chances Are . . . by Richard Russo: Russo almost writes a Crime Novel, but manages to avoid it.
  3. Shady Characters by Keith Houston: This geeky look at symbols and punctuation is as informative as it is fun.
  4. Dark Age by Pierce Brown: The blood-dimmed tide is loosed… / The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.
  5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling, Jim Dale
While I was Reading Challenge

While I Was Reading 2019 Challenge

Nothing this month. I’ve got the rest of the list picked out, just need to find/make the time.
LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

#LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

    Finding God in the Ordinary

  1. Cause and Effect: Vice Plagues the City by Pete Adams: It’s some effort, but readers will be amused by this
  2. Brotherhood of the Worm by M. T. Miller (link forthcoming)
2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

  1. Cause and Effect: Vice Plagues the City by Pete Adams: It’s some effort, but readers will be amused by this
  2. A Dangerous Man by Robert Crais: A Routine Errand leads to a Rescue Mission for Joe Pike
  3. Black Summer by M. W. Craven: A Good Detective Faces Off with a Brilliant Criminal for the Second Time
  4. Fletch, Too by Gregory McDonald, Dan John Miller (link forthcoming)
    Bitterest Pill
  5. Son of Fletch by Gregory McDonald, Dan John Miller (link forthcoming)
Humor Reading Challenge 2019

Humor Reading Challenge 2019

    Nada.
2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

  1. Heaven on Earth by Thomas Brooks (link forthcoming)
  2. Life of Christ by J. Gresham Machen
  3. Reformed Dogmatics: Soteriology by Geerhardus Vos, Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (Translator) (link forthcoming)

How was your month?

August 2019

July 2019 Report

By

On August 1, 2019

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

July in a nutshell: 24 books, 6757 pages (roughly 1400 more than June). There were a couple of stinkers here, but mostly really good books, 3.6 average — 3 of them were 5-star!

I’m a bit frustrated with how behind I’m getting, 3-4 book posts a week just isn’t enough. I may have to grab a couple of 800 page books to slow down the pace so I can catch up 🙂

Still, all things considered, it was a good month around here between reading some great stuff, having a lot of fun with #IndieCrimeCrawl, and some great interaction with readers both here and elsewhere on teh IntraWebz.

Anway, here’s what happened here in July.

Finest Sh*t! The Bookish Life of Nina Hill Bark of Night
3.5 Stars 5 Stars 4 Stars
The Butcher Ink to Ashes The Frame-Up (Audiobook)
3.5 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars
Heart of Barkness Gravity The Queen Con
4 Stars Still Deciding 3.5 Stars
In the Eye Worst Case Scenario The Blue Zones Solution (Audiobook)
3 Stars 4 Stars 2 Stars
Riding the Elephant The Rosie Result Base Cowboys
3 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars
Time Travel + Brain Stealing = Murderous Appliances and Good Times The Depth of Winter (Audiobook) The Shameless
Still Deciding 3 Stars 5 Stars
Nightfall The Whole Armor of God Thirteen
4 1/2 Stars 3.5 Stars 5 Stars
Laser House on the Prairie Screamcatcher Ashes of Honor (Audiobook)
3.5 Stars 3.5 Stars 4 1/2 Stars

Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Soteriology Heaven on Earth The Bitterest Pill

5 Stars 3 2 1/2 Stars 0
4 1/2 Stars 2 2 Stars 2
4 Stars 6 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 7 1 Star 0
3 Stars 4
Average = 3.6


Physical Books: 1 Added, 2 Read, 24 Remaining
E-Books: 2 Added, 5 Read, 20 Remaining
Audiobooks: 3 Added, 2 Read, 6 Remaining

2019 Library Love Challenge

2019 Library Love Challenge

  1. The Blue Zones Solution(Audiobook) by Dan Buettner, Joe Barrett
  2. Riding the Elephant by Craig Ferguson
  3. The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion (link forthcoming)
  4. The Depth of Winter (Audiobook) by Craig Johnson, George Guidall
  5. The Shameless by Ace Atkins (link forthcoming)

While I Was Reading 2019 Challenge

✔ A memoir or biography of a favorite celebrity: Riding the Elephant by Craig Ferguson
✔ A book written by a comedian: Riding the Elephant by Craig Ferguson
✔ A book with your favorite animal on the cover or in the title: Heart of Barkness by Spencer Quinn

LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

#LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

  1. Finest Sh*t!: Deviant Stories by Nick Kolakowski
  2. The Butcher by Nathan Burrows
  3. Ink to Ashes by Russell Day
  4. Gravity by Maggie Lynch (link forthcoming)
  5. In the Eye by Robert Germaux
  6. Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald
  7. Base Cowboys by Mark Farrer
  8. Laser House on the Prairie by David W. Barbee (link forthcoming)
  9. Time Travel + Brain Stealing = Murderous Appliances and Good Times by Richard Steele (link forthcoming)
  10. Nightfall by Matt Cowper (link forthcoming)
  11. Screamcatcher by Christy J. Breedlove (link forthcoming)
2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

  1. Finest Sh*t!: Deviant Stories by Nick Kolakowski

    2. Worst Case Scenario

  2. The Butcher by Nathan Burrows
  3. Ink to Ashes by Russell Day
  4. In the Eye by Robert Germaux
  5. Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald
  6. Base Cowboys by Mark Farrer
  7. The Depth of Winter (Audiobook) by Craig Johnson, George Guidall
  8. The Shameless by Ace Atkins (link forthcoming)
  9. Bark of Night by David Rosenfelt
  10. The Frame-Up (Audiobook) by Meghan Scott Molin, Andrea Emmes
  11. Heart of Barkness by Spencer Quinn
  12. The Queen Con by Meghan Scott Molin (link forthcoming)
  13. Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh
Humor Reading Challenge 2019

Humor Reading Challenge 2019

  1. Riding the Elephant by Craig Ferguson
  2. The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion (link forthcoming)
2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

    Nothing this month.

How was your month?

June 2019 Report

By

On July 1, 2019

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

Wow, I knew I was distracted this month — but only 18 books? And one was a picture book! Still, 5345 pages finished is nothing to sneeze at. And a 3.8 average is great. So I’m not complaining at all — just noticing. Pretty good month in the end.

So, here’s what happened here in June.

Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to:

Dead Inside The World's Greatest Mousetrap State of the Union
5 Stars 3 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
The Big Kahuna Deception Cove Even Dogs in the Wild
1 Star 4 Stars 4 Stars
How Not to Die Rediscovering the Holy Spirit Paper Son
4 1/2 Stars 3 Stars 4 1/2 Stars
Null Set One Salt Sea (Audiobook) The October Man
3.5 Stars 4 1/2 Stars 3 Stars
The October Man Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 3: Christology Magic for Liars
4 Stars 4 Stars 3.5 Stars
Fletch Won (Audiobook) Flynn (Audiobook) Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb
4 Stars 5 Stars 4 Stars

Still Reading:

Finest Sh*t! Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Soteriology      

Ratings

5 Stars 2 2 1/2 Stars —
4 1/2 Stars 4 2 Stars —
4 Stars 6 1 1/2 Stars —
3.5 Stars 2 1 Star 1
3 Stars 3
                                   Average = 3.8

Reviews Posted:

TBR Pile/Mound/Heap:

Physical Books: 3 Added, 2 Read, 25 Remaining
E-Books: 4 Added, 1 Read, 23 Remaining
Audiobooks: 4 Added, 3 Read, 5 Remaining

Book Challenge Progress:

2019 Library Love Challenge

2019 Library Love Challenge

  1. State of the Union by Nick Hornby
  2. The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich, Peter Evanovich
  3. Deception Cove by Owen Laukkanen
  4. How Not to Die by Michael Greger M.D. FACLM, Gene Stone
  5. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (link forthcoming)
  6. Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin (link forthcoming)

While I Was Reading 2019 Challenge

Nothing this month
LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

#LetsReadIndie Reading Challenge

  1. Dead Inside by Noelle Holten
  2. The World’s Greatest Mousetrap by B.C.R. Fegan, Fanny Liem (link forthcoming)
  3. Kill for Me by Rebecca Bradley
2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

2019 Cloak & Dagger Challenge

  1. Dead Inside by Noelle Holten
  2. Kill for Me by Rebecca Bradley
  3. The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich, Peter Evanovich
  4. Deception Cove by Owen Laukkanen
  5. Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin (link forthcoming)
  6. Paper Son by S.J. Rozan: Lydia and Bill in their most foreign setting yet — Mississippi
  7. Null Set by SL Huang: Cas Russell — the world’s most violent mathematician — gets proactive fighting crime.
  8. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (link forthcoming)
  9. Fletch Won by Gregory McDonald, Dan John Miller (link forthcoming)
  10. Flynn by Gregory McDonald, Donald Corren (link forthcoming)
  11. Marah Chase and the Conqueror’s Tomb by Jay Stringer (link forthcoming)
Humor Reading Challenge 2019

Humor Reading Challenge 2019

  1. The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich, Peter Evanovich
2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

2019 Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge

  1. Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 3: Christology by Geerhardus Vos (link forthcoming)

How was your month?

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