Category: News/Misc. Page 147 of 229

Who’s got two thumbs and lost a couple of hours this morning by foolishly saying okay to a Windows Update before finishing this post?

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case (a lot of lists this week, I’m not sure why):
It’s a (slightly belated/resheculed) Independent Bookstore Day!—do what you can to support your local!
11 Ways Audiobooks Boost Literacy in Young Readers—I’ve had moderate success with some of these ideas personally. Enough to keep at it with one of the young readers I’m trying to raise.
Ink & Sigil—It’s been a bit since I’ve posted a cover art/design piece, longtime readers know I’m a sucker for them. Sarah J. Coleman’s description of her process for both the UK and US versions of Hearne’s new novel is a good one.
Learning to Write From My Mother—Peter Abrahams (best known on this site as Spencer Quinn) tells us what he learned from his mother about his craft.
Tracking Down Pre-Fandom Science Fiction Readers—What were SF books called before that term was applied? How did readers find them?
17 Books That Sell Way Too Fast at Used Bookstores—I think I would’ve guessed some of these titles (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, for example, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a new copy of it), but others kind of surprised me.
Five Pocket-Sized Paperbacks and the Art of Sneaky Reading—I don’t know anything about these books, and don’t see me picking them up anytime soon (but you never know), but I enjoyed the piece.
24 of the Best Feel-Good Books, According to Readers—who doesn’t need something like this right now?
Books About TV: For Book Lovers and TV Fiends Alike—the first one on this list is one of the books I never wrote about, and it really bugs me. The others look like something I’d enjoy, you may, too.
Must Love Dogs! Authors Share Their Canine Companions—National Dog Day was this week, what better way to commemorate it?
6 Things that None [sic] Readers Don’t Understand about Books and Reading…

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Two Crime Writers and a Microphone Episode One Hundred and Four – What Happened To Those Eyebrows? with S.A. Cosby—there’s very little about books or writing here, but man, this was a fun conversation.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne—Hearne kicks off a new UF series in the Iron Druid-verse, it’s fun, it’s action-packed, it’s…pretty different I said a few things about it recently (about 1/3 of what I wanted to say)
Game of Cages by Harry Connolly, Daniel Thomas May (Narrator)—Book 2 of the Twenty Palaces series came out on Audio this week. So glad to get these books in this format—you’ve gotta check them out.
Sound Of The Sinners by Nick Quantrill—the latest Joe Geraghty novel, and first in years, is out. Looks good.

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

It was a pretty quiet week around here—got a lot read (although work wasn’t conducive to audiobook listening, I’m a book and a half behind where I expected to be…). August is slipping by a little too quickly for me (especially when I stop and think about my daughter moving out of state in early September). How about you?

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
The Harmful Impact of Audible Exclusive Audiobooks—I’ve somehow forgotten to post this one in the weeks since it came out (despite leaving reminders for myself to do it). Yes, it’s a little self-serving for libro.fm to post this, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong. There’s a lot of good in this piece. (I’m saying that as someone who has listened to his share of Audible exclusives, and will probably continue to do so, it’s complicated)
10 Reasons Why Reading Books Will Save Your Life—maybe the title’s a slight exaggeration…
Fiction readers have made best leaders in Covid-19 crisis, says Val McDermid: Crime author argues ministers who read only political biographies are limited in vision—On the one hand…she might be overstating things. On the other…my gut says she’s probably on to something.
Feeling Burned Out Lately? Try Reading Your Favorite Books!—not only works in COVID-burnout, but life in general, or (this is where I lean on it the most) when sick.
Jack Reacher and The Grand Unified Theory of Thrillers—A nice piece by Malcolm Gladwell about Lee Child’s creation (no, really, he’s talking about Reacher!), but more than that, I love his Grand Unified Theory of detective/mystery/thriller fiction and started (easily!) slotting some of my favorites into his categories.
My First Thriller: David Morrell—about Morrell’s pathway to John Rambo. Man…this makes me want to re-read the book, it’s been decades, and I wonder what grown-up me would think about it (I remember scenes vividly from the first time I read it when 11 or 12 and couldn’t believe I’d hoodwinked my uptight grandmother into buying it for me).
Speaking of books I haven’t read in a while, What’s So Great About ‘Lolita’?—this piece is too short, it should be called “A Small Sample of What’s So Great…”
Sometimes no review IS the review—Some comments about an author about the role of reviews. (it does contain some grim news about a book I’ve been waiting for…after reading this post, you should all go buy his last two books so he’ll have the motivation to finish the trilogy)
10 Reasons We Love The Write Reads—as the crew of a certain Battlestar would put it, “So say we all.”
Why I Read Widely—a quick look at my annual/now-monthly genre breakdowns show that I don’t read nearly as widely as I like to think I do (but widely within genres, maybe), but this post really resonated with me.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel—McDaniel’s gorgeous prose is back in this dark coming-of-age tale. I had a little bit to say about it recently
Going Back by Neil Lancaster—Tom Novak goes home and gets neck deep in international intrigue. I had a few things to say about it, too.
Bang Bang, You’re Dead by Evan Baldock—a sixty-five year old woman becomes an unlikely vigilante. This one looks really good.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome toFaith’sPen and terreirorocadeobalue (I don’t think I just linked to something horrible, but I don’t read Portuguese, so…) who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?