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The Friday 56 for 10/28/22: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

The Friday 56This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
The Friday 56 Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
The Friday 56 Find a snippet, short and sweet.
The Friday 56 Post it.

from Page 56 of:
The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

My mother nodded away as she took all this in.

“You see, I was right.”

“How’s that, Ma?”

“He was too clever. If you’re that clever you can argue yourself into anything. You just leave common sense behind. It’s his brain unhinged him, that’s why he did it.”

“Yes, Ma.”

“Is that all you’ve got to say? You mean you agree?”

Not replying was the only way to keep my temper.

WWW Wednesday, October 26, 2022

For the second week in a row, I find myself spinning my wheels and staring at blank screens when it comes time to work on posts here. It’s starting to get to me. Hopefully by the time this posts, that sentence will be out-of-date, but I’m not counting on it. I’ve been reading and listening to plenty of things to give me material to write about, as you can see in this 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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the genre-bending debut, The Veiled Edge of Contact by James Brayken, and am listening to the new Cassie Dewell novel, Treasure State by C.J. Box, Christina Delaine (Narrator), on audiobook.

The Veiled Edge of ContactBlank SpaceTreasure State

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending—and will be chewing on it for some time—and The Vexed Generation by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels (Narrator) on audio.

The Sense of an EndingBlank SpaceThe Vexed Generation

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be the second Frost Files installment, Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford, (a few years too late for my taste) and my next audiobook should be the second Greywalker novel, Poltergeist by Kat Richardson, Mia Barron (Narrator).

Random Sh*t Flying Through the AirBlank SpacePoltergeist

How are you coasting into November?

Highlights from September: Lines Worth Repeating

Highlights from the Month
It’s the lass full week of October, it’s probably past time for me to get this out of the “Drafts” folder.

Be the Serpent

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire

But that’s Faerie for you. Making sense is something that happens to other people.

It felt like I was standing outside this scene and watching it unfold, like none of this had anything to do with me. Like I should have been able to smile politely, say, “No, thank you,” and walk away, leaving everything exactly as it was before I got out of bed this morning.


Travel by Bullet

Travel by Bullet by John Scalzi

“In this case something called ‘Magic Beanz.’ And that’s spelled like whoever named it failed the third grade.

I nodded at this. “It’s not a legitimate cryptocurrency if it’s not badly spelled. ”

“Drive me nuts,” Mason said. “It’s like people naming their kid Ashley or Braden, but then spelling the name with six “Y”s. It doesn’t make the kid special, it just means they won’t be able to spell their own name until they’re in high school.”


The Days of Tao

The Days of Tao by Wesley Chu

Once you spend three thousand years in the same place, you are pretty much done with it forever.


An Easy Death

An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris

It’s always something to recognize, how still the dead are. Ten minutes ago he’d moved and breathed and thought and wanted, and he’d done his best to kill us. Now all that didn’t matter to him.


Snowstorm in August

Snowstorm in August by Marshall Karp

“It’s called a multipurpose subsea vehicle,” our pilot, Captain Jim Charles, told us, “but I like to think of it as the kind of watercraft Dr. Frankenstein would have built if he hadn’t been so preoccupied with dead bodies.”

The line was probably a standard part of his orientation speech, but he delivered it so deadpan that both Redwood and I responded with the genuine laughs he was expecting.


Dead Man's Hand

Dead Man’s Hand by James J. Butcher

It felt unreal that she could be dead. She had always been so powerful, so sure, so wise. Not to mention so paranoid that she did her own dental work.

He took a breath to brace himself for what came next. He could show no fear, no hesitation , and most of all, no pride. You can’t have pride and appropriately handle kids at the same time. It was some kind of universal, or perhaps cosmic, rule.

…coaxing the jeep to life. It sounded like it should be in a hospital bed surrounded by its loved ones, but it started moving somehow…It didn’t help that all he could smell was whiskey and cigarettes, and whatever the opposite of that new-car smell was.


Hell and Back

Hell and Back by Craig Johnson

Most live in fear of dying alone, but it was something he understood—that there are things that you can only do by yourself, besides, we are never truly alone. There’s always something out there waiting, it is the nature of life and the nature of death.


For We Are Many

For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor

“The cat’s A.I. was realistic, right down to the total lack of loyalty.”

“Just when you start to get ahead in the rat race, the universe delivers bigger rats.”

(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)

The Friday 56 for 10/21/22: The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

The Friday 56This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
The Friday 56 Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
The Friday 56 Find a snippet, short and sweet.
The Friday 56 Post it.

from Page 56 of:
The Bullet That Missed

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

“So kill me or let me go. Those are your two options. Which do you choose?”

“I think I choose option three,” says the Viking. “The option where I send Viktor Illyich the full photos.”

“The full photos?”

“Yes, for sure. The photos with your friend Joyce Meadowcroft by your side. Both pictures, both names.”

“Bit below the belt,” says Stephen. Elizabeth still feels safe. Viktor won’t go after Joyce either. Not if they’re in the photo together. A friend of Elizabeth is a friend of Viktor.

“Viktor might not have the heart to kill Joyce, of course,” says the Viking. “She is more of a civilian, I think? So here’s my deal. Just as insurance, if Viktor Illyich isn’t dead within two weeks, I will kill your friend Joyce.”

WWW Wednesday, October 19, 2022

I’ve been trying to get something posted every day this week about the upcoming Robert Crais novel, Racing the Light, and keep failing. Despite being excited about the book, when it comes time to write, I just stare at the screen for a bit. So, that’s how my week’s going. What about you?

I’m going to take a quick break from wringing my gray matter for whatever droplets I can to share this WWW Wednesday because it’s Wednesday, and that’s what we do around here.

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman, which is at least as entertaining as the previous books in the series, and am listening to Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian by Ellen Jovin (Narrator) on audiobook, which is almost as entertaining as it thinks it is.

The Bullet that MissedBlank SpaceRebel with a Clause

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Lyndsay Faye’s Jane Steele (yes, I finally read it!) and Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music by Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch on audio, which I should probably get on paper so I can refer to it.

Jane SteeleBlank SpaceDeclassified

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be the second Booking Agents novel, Flight Risk by Cherie Priest (which is what I said last week, but I think I mean it this time) and my next audiobook should be the latest Magic 2.0 book, The Vexed Generation by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels (Narrator).

Flight RiskBlank SpaceThe Vexed Generation

Hit me with your Three W’s in the comments!

The Friday 56 for 10/14/22: Dead Man’s Hand by James J. Butcher

The Friday 56This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
The Friday 56 Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
The Friday 56 Find a snippet, short and sweet.
The Friday 56 Post it.

from Page 56 of:
Dead Man's Hand

Dead Man’s Hand by James J. Butcher

He longed for the days when things were simply monsters and slaying. Black-and-white. But that was a long time ago. Now everything was more muddled gray. He was starting to think maybe it always had been; he just couldn’t see it.

Not until after Mary died.

He growled and shook his head. He had hoped to shake out the memories, but they just settled to the bottom of his mind instead, like shards of glass floating in a whiskey bottle.

WWW Wednesday, October 12, 2022

No time for my rambling today, let’s just get to the 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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m racing through Racing the Light by Robert Crais –this man’s writing is so smooth, you can’t help it–and I’m listening to the amusing The World’s Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian on audiobook.

Racing the LightBlank SpaceThe World's Worst Assistant

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Noelle Holten’s 6 Ripley Avenue and Slaying Monsters for the Feeble by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator) on audio. One of those was good, the other was good enough.

6 Ripley AvenueBlank SpaceSlaying Monsters for the Feeble

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be the second Booking Agents novel, Flight Risk by Cherie Priest, and my next audiobook should be South Korean thriller, The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo, Chi-Young Kim (Translator), Nancy Wu (Narrator).

Flight RiskBlank SpaceThe Old Woman with the Knife

Read anything good lately? Right now?

The Friday 56 for 10/7/22: 6 Ripley Avenue by Noelle Holten

The Friday 56This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
The Friday 56 Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
The Friday 56 Find a snippet, short and sweet.
The Friday 56 Post it.

from Page 56 of:
6 Ripley Avenue

6 Ripley Avenue by Noelle Holten

Sloane was startled out of her thoughts by a hand around her ankle and she had to work to regain her balance.

‘What the hell?’

Looking down, she saw a middle-aged woman with unkempt greying hair, her thin frame layered in old sweaters that had seen better times and wrapped in sleeping bags that had a strange odour emanating from them. She couldn’t hear what the woman was saying as she was speaking in a low voice, so she bent down, subtly holding a hand over her nose.

‘Are you OK? Hungry? I’ve got a sandwich if you want it.’

Sloane started to open her bag when the woman grabbed her wrist – much tighter than Sloane would have expected.

‘Be careful. A pretty girl like you could get hurt out here.’ The woman spat the next words: ‘They’re not finished yet…’

WWW Wednesday, October 5, 2022

So, like I said Saturday, I spent most of the day with my daughter in the hospital, with very little to do. So I read 2.3 books while she was getting tested, in surgery, etc. (I could’ve gotten closer to finishing the third book, but I took a break for a bit). I only brought one book since I didn’t think I’d be there long, but I did have the Kindle app on my phone–that resulted in me blowing up my schedule–but I did end up reading a book that I was afraid I couldn’t start until November! Obviously, the important thing is that she got the help she needed and is fine now–but I can’t complain about a little personal bonus reading time.

Anyway, it’s time for WWW Wednesday, so why don’t I shut up and get on with it?

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the fun sequel Amari and the Great Game by B. B. Alston. I’m listening to Anonymous by Elizabeth Breck, Rebecca Gibel (Narrator) on audiobook, because Libro.fm had it for a ridiculous price last month and I couldn’t help myself.

Amari and the Great GameBlank SpaceAnonymous

What did you recently finish reading?

By hour 17 Saturday, I needed, something light, so I pulled Jo Platt’s Working It Out off of Mt. TBR. And I just wrapped up Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree on audio.

Working It OutBlank SpaceLegends & Lattes

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Good Talk by Mira Jacob (which I picked up off a comment left on a WWW post here semi-recently) and my next audiobook should be Slaying Monsters for the Feeble by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator).

Good TalkBlank SpaceSlaying Monsters for the Feeble

And you?

September 2022 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

Wow, September sped by for me–I felt like I was behind all month, 3 titles felt like they took twice as long as they should have to finish (but never dragged) and I just didn’t produce nearly as much as I thought I would. (although, when do I ever?) Still, all in all, it was a good month–29 titles finished for 7,536+ pages (or the equivalent). My average rating for the month was 3.4 stars–although I’m still thinking about a couple of them, so it might technically be higher (I think I need to write something before I know for sure). 3.4 is a little lower than I’ve been hitting lately, but I’m not complaining–even with a couple of “meh” books, I enjoyed them all.

The Big Project I’d hoped to start two weeks ago, is under way, so expect something new and exciting (at least for me, but I hope for you) soon.

Enough blather, here’s what happened here in September.
Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to

Blood Sugar Travel by Bullet Sympathy for the Devil
4 Stars 3.5 Stars 2 Stars
Be the Serpent Fatal Forgery Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma
Unsure 3.5 Stars 4 Stars
Tracy Flick Can't Win Fallout Adequate Yearly Progress
2 Stars 3.5 Stars 3 Stars
An Easy Death The Days of Tao Snowstorm in August
3 Stars 3.5 Stars Still
Deciding
The Man Who Died Twice Wealth Management The Soul's Conflict and Victory Over Itself by Faith
4 Stars 3.5 Stars 3.5 Stars
Big Red Tequila Dead Man's Hand The Truth
3 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars
Hell and Back Movies (And Other Things) The Stories Behind the Stories
3 Stars 3.5 Stars 4 Stars
The Great Lie Directed by James Burrows All at Sea
3.5 Stars 3.5 Stars 4 Stars
Station Eternity For We Are Many Heads in Beds
4 Stars 3.5 Stars 2 1/2 Stars
Santa’s Little Yelpers Oliver’s Walk
4 Stars 3 Stars

Still Reading

Faith & Life In the Fullness of Time Legends & Lattes

Ratings

5 Stars 0 2 1/2 Stars 1
4 1/2 Stars 0 2 Stars 2
4 Stars 9 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 10 1 Star 0
3 Stars 5
Average = 3.4

TBR Stacks/Piles/Heaps

Audio E-book Physical Goodreads
Want-to-Read
End of
2021
9 45 42 144
1st of the
Month
8 49 145 145
Added 7 2 4 0
Read/
Listened
6 1 6 1
Current Total 9 50 40 144

Breakdowns:
“Traditionally” Published: 20
Self-/Independent Published: 9

Genre This Month Year to Date
Children’s 0 (0%) 4 (2%)
Fantasy 1 (3%) 21 (9%)
General Fiction/ Literature 2 (7%) 15 (7%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller 12 (41%) 89 (39%)
Non-Fiction 4 (14%) 20 (9%)
Science Fiction 5 (17%) 21 (9%)
Theology/ Christian Living 2 (7%) 36 (16%)
Urban Fantasy 3 (10%) 26 (11%)
“Other” (Horror/ Humor/ Steampunk/ Western) 0 (0%) 1 (0%)

Review-ish Things Posted

Other Things I Wrote
Other than the Saturday Miscellanies (3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th), I also wrote:

Enough about me—how Was Your Month?

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