Category: News/Misc. Page 173 of 238

As the title implies, I’m in the middle of this book, so this is not a review, just some thoughts mid-way through.

—–

Fleishman Is in Trouble

This is going to be a tough one to write about when I finish, unless the last half is significantly different than the first (a possibility I’m open to).

It’s not the writing. The prose is delightful, there are turns of phrase that I’ve stopped to re-read. Brodesser-Akner has a sharp wit and an equally sharp eye for observation/social commentary.

But man, I’m just not enjoying this book at all. I don’t like the protagonist (I admire the lessons he gives his residents at the hospital)—and he’s easily the most likable character in the book. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve almost DNF’d this.

Here’s why I’m sticking with it—I’m curious. Partially to see what the fuss is about (if I can). But more than that, I’m curious about the ending—I’ve heard it’s a killer. And there are two things I want to see where Brodesser-Akner is going with (we might get the answers to all 3 simultaneously). I may not enjoy the book but she’s doing everything right to get me to keep reading. Still, I’m afraid this is going to end up being in The Best of Adam Sharp or The Heart of Henry Quantum territory, however–well-written books that I only remember suffering through.

Has anyone out there read this thing? Any encouragement for me?

Answer Me This (A Quick Poll)

By HCNewton

On October 21, 2019

In News/Misc.

I’ve been wondering lately, assuming you follow this blog on a semi-regular basis, how do you find out about new posts? If you see this post, and don’t follow this blog, what would you find the most useful?

Hope you participate!

Well, pfui. I guess the poll didn’t get embeded like I thought it would….back to the drawing board.

The Mail I Get. . .An Unexpected Blast from the Past

By HCNewton

On October 21, 2019

In Books, News/Misc.

Imagine my surprise last week when I received this submission from my “You Want Me to Read Your Book?” form (slightly redacted to protect the sender):

I’m not sure this is the wisest thing I’ve ever done. In fact, it seems somewhat irrational, considering you found my last book a bit like chewing on glass [HCN: That’s an exaggeration. Possibly not much of one, but it’s an exaggeration. It was maybe like chewing on kale. Or stale Grape Nuts (which is more glass-like)] Maybe worse, because nothing is as bad as a bad book. But here I am again. Back for more.

Now, I’m not a sadist. I’m actually fairly thinned-skin. I realize, however, that of all my reviews, yours was the one that taught me the most. Getting five, four, or even three-star reviews feels great—but it does little in making me a better writer. Difficult as it was to swallow, your two-star review helped me immensely as a writer. You put your finger on why my book didn’t work and revealed many of the flaws in my writing. It eventually prompted me to go back and release a second edition of the book, one that is hopefully less overwrought and far more accessible than the version you read.

And so, I’m back for more. Because I’m hoping in having you review another book I might continue my growth towards being a better writer. Who knows, maybe, maybe not.

Anyway, I have a second book out… It is much more accessible… I would love to have you read it. Anyway, I hope you’re well. Happy reading,

Now, I have a habit of ignoring emails from authors I don’t give positive reviews to. It’s a habit I forced on myself after one horrible experience with someone I gave a positive review to, but he objected to one point; and an insult-filled rant from another author who didn’t appreciate me calling his pile of trash a pile of trash. If this author’s name had done more than ring a faint bell, I probably would’ve skipped it, too. But I’m very glad I didn’t. This is great to read — not because of what he said about me, but because he found a way to take something he didn’t like said about his work and turn it into a positive. Would that we all could do that.

Of course, I’m going to say yes to this. How can I do otherwise?

Saturday Miscellany—10/19/19

By HCNewton

On October 19, 2019

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

One for the books: the unlikely renaissance of libraries in the digital age—Obviously, things for us Yanks are a little different than the Sydney Morning Herald’s audience, but there’s some good overlap
Who Decides Which Books Are “Great?”: The concept of “Great Books,” the historian Tim Lacy explains, developed in the late nineteenth century as an attempt to foster a “democratic culture.”
Along those lines, here’s a nice little post from The Orangutan Librarian that I somehow overlooked last month: In defence of classics- again!
Michael Connelly reveals how ‘Bosch’ was born and other tales of his humble rise to fame
The 15 most iconic Harry Bosch haunts across L.A.—I’m not one for traveling, really, but I would gladly organize a vacation to L.A. around this.
Removing the Mystery From Mystery Writing: 13 Tricks Used by Acclaimed Novelists—geared more toward the writer, but there’s some interesting behind-the-scenes nuggets for readers.
The 40 Best Novels of the 2010s—Paste magazine compiled a list of their editors’ favorites.
The Ultimate Print On Demand Guide for Nonfiction Authors—another one pointed at the writers in the audience (or would-be writers). I find this kind of thing interesting even as a reader, tho.
The 21 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Series Ever—at least according to Thrillist. Hard to argue against these though (as much as one might want to argue for others)
A Book Bloggers Guide to Book Blogging – A Resource Guide—A very handy little “guide to help with some of the confusing things found in book blogging” from Before We Go Blog
4 Things About Blogging That Seem Scary, But Really Aren’t That Bad
DNFing Books – A Discussion—I’m Fully Booked weighs in on the practice
Top Ten Tuesday – Character Traits I Love—Caffinated Fae provides a nice little list.
STET! Dreyer’s English: A Game for Language Lovers, Grammar Geeks, and Bibliophiles—This has been out for awhile, but I just saw a link for it this week. I’d love playing this (although I’m afraid I’d be wrong too often for my ego)

Ghosts of You by Cathy Ulrich—this flash fiction collection is compelling, haunting, and thought-provoking (and includes some really good reading, too). My post about it describes the book better.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to kbbookreviewer, _forbookssake, thelostwoman, amanja and Steven Colborne /a> for following the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

WWW Wednesday, 16-October-2019

By HCNewton

On October 16, 2019

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! Lotta time hanging out in a hospital room resulted in a little more reading time than I expected (everyone’s okay, don’t worry). So…

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?

Currently, I’m listening to the audiobook of Back of Beyond by C. J. Box, Holter Graham (narrator) and I’m reading Erica Wright’s Famous in Cedarville.

What did you recently finish reading?

Today I finished Don’t Get Involved by Richard Roper, Simon Vance (Narrator) on audio and yesterday I finished both Flying Alone: A Memoir by Beth Ruggiero York and Anbatar: Legacy of the Blood Guard by Anne Dolleri.

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book will probably be Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch, it’s due back at the library soon, so I’ve got to juggle the TBR.

Hit me with your Three W’s in the comments! (no, really, do it!)

EXCERPT from The Dead of Winter by A. B. Gibson

By HCNewton

On October 15, 2019

In Book Tour, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Quotations

PROLOGUE

STILL FOLLOWING. SHE KNEW BECAUSE when she stopped to check a moment or two ago, she could still hear him chasing her. She was hardly making any noise as she raced through the cut paths of the maze, but her predator was barreling directly through the corn and his heavy boots made a loud crunching. The snapping and rattling sound following in his wake as he crashed through the dry, brittle corn stalks was terrifying. And, because it was becoming louder, she could tell he was getting closer.

The woman had rushed into the maze too quickly to even notice what direction she was going. She was paying more attention to the gash in her ribs than anything else, and she didn’t care about finding their so-called exit, anyway. She only wanted one thing—out. The first frost came early, and there had been a few more since, and the icy turns made it hard to go fast. The sun, which was just beginning to rise, barely illuminated the paths. But she couldn’t slow down, and she dared not fall.

A treetop loomed over the field straight ahead, and she used it as a reference point, when the only choice was to go left or right. Without breaking stride, she followed her instinct and turned left this time, thinking if she kept changing directions, maybe she could lose him. Her legs wobbled from speed and exhaustion, and she choked on the biting wind that stirred the corn stalks. By now she had lost a lot of blood from her deep wound and she was feeling faint, so she had to dig in mentally to keep running at full speed.

Read the rest in The Dead of Winter by A. B. Gibson.

My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the book) they provided.

Saturday Miscellany—10/12/19

By HCNewton

On October 12, 2019

In Books, News/Misc.

Yeah, I’ve been quiet this week, I’ve been running on fumes for most of it, I’m not sure why. Given the number of Book Tour Stops I’ve got scheduled for next week, I’ll be a little noisier (or, I’ll have a few tour organizers and authors not speaking to me).

But that’s for another day (at least Tuesday). For now, here are the odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Diary of a small town sensation: how the Wimpy Kid author built his dream bookshop—I’ve linked to stories about this before, but (no matter what you think of Kinney), this is a cool story to revisit.
Books are good for your brain. These techniques will help you read more.: Turn yourself into a bookworm.—I”m sure none of you need this, but maybe you know someone who does
Fascinated to Presume: In Defense of Fiction—a nice piece by Zadie Smith
10 of the Best-Selling Authors of All Time—from Mental Floss
Philip Pullman on Children’s Literature and the Critics Who Disdain It: Don’t Let Anyone Tell You What You Should or Should Not Be Reading—am not a fan of Pullman, but there’s good stuff here
Further Thoughts on Smell in Literature, or The Dog as Watson—focuses on one of our favorite Watsons: Chet.
Celebrating Elmore Leonard’s “Rules for Writing”: The master craftsman gave us more than just the 10 rules—and they’re all good ones.—In honor of what would’ve been his 94th birthday, Crime Reads gives us this — the “official” list and some other good ones.
5 Authors Who Loved Their Screen Adaptations (And 5 Who Loathed Them)
Extra special bumper cover reveal(!!) with Steph Broadribb & Orenda Books—the cover of the new Lori Anderson is revealed, plus new versions of the previous 3. Which are almost enough to convince me to buy new copies. Almost.
Defining Terms: “At Times…”—a new entry in Paul’s Picks’ series, and something I employ, too.
Books I Had To Read In Secondary School And College—I wonder if I could compile a similar list…
Modern Fantasy Trending Away From Fictitious Races by Ross Hughes
The Library Of Life and why I prefer physical books.
Battle of the Book Covers…Who Wore It Best?—great idea for a post
Bookworm Memes That Are Too Relatable—from the good people at Bookidote
My Top 5: Bookish Pet Peeves—yup
No book lover has all three—I don’t have any of them

Once & Future Podcast, Ep. 200: Felicia Day—Anton Strout celebrates his 200th episode with this great chat with Felicia Day (I’ve got to make time for this book)

The Princess Beard by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson—high seas adventure, hijinks, many jokes, many elf butts and personal growth are featured in this concluding Tale of Pell. My original post is here.
Look Both Ways:
A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jayson Reynolds—a novel told in ten stories about what happens after the school bell rings and people walk home. There’s also a bus falling from the sky that no one notices.
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason—a mix of Fairy-Tale and Space Opera
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia—a dying billionaire sends one woman and a cast of dreamers and rivals on a treasure hunt.

Lastly, yesterday I posted a couple of things with a new bullet style (in case you’re one of the 2% that noticed), today, I’m back to ol’ reliable. What do you think—are those others too much for a post like this? Would it just make things too noisy?

Universal Monster Book Tag

By HCNewton

On October 11, 2019

In A. Lee Martinez, Book Tag, Books, Constance Verity, Fantasy, Fiction, Ian Patrick, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin, News/Misc., Rex Stout, Robert B. Parker, Sam Batford, Science Fiction, Seanan McGuire, Spenser, Wayward Children

Witty and Sarcastic Book Club tagged me in her little creation—a tag based on Universal’s Classic Movie Monsters. There’s a lot of recency bias in my pics, but oh well—I liked the list. I really need to do more things like this, it was fun.

While trying to come up with the last couple of entries for this, I took a Facebook break and read a couple of posts on a Nero Wolfe fan group, and realized I could fill my blanks from that Corpus. Then it occurred to me that I could do one of these with entries only from the Nero Wolfe series. Or, the Spenser series. Huh. (I’d have trouble with some other series depending how you define “sequel” below). Watch me control the impulse.

bullet Dracula: a book with a charismatic villain

My Pick: Gotta go with Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, every other charismatic villain I can think of pales in comparison.
Bonus Nero Wolfe Pick: (yeah, so much for restraint—this was a fun additional challenge) Paul Chapin in The League of Frightened Men (my post about the book)
Bonus Spenser Pick: The Gray Man in Small Vices

bullet The Invisible Man: A book that has more going on than meets the eye

My Pick: The Last Adventure of Constance Verity by A. Lee Martinez (my post about the book)
Bonus Nero Wolfe Pick: Even in the Best Families
Bonus Spenser Pick: Early Autumn

bullet Wolf-Man: A complicated character

My Pick: Doc Slidesmith in Needle Song (my post about the book)
Bonus Nero Wolfe Pick: Can I just use Nero Wolfe? Eh, Orrie Cather in A Family Affair
Bonus Spenser Pick: Patricia Utley in Mortal Stakes

bullet Frankenstein: A book with a misunderstood character

My Pick: The Luidaeg in The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire (my post about the book)
Bonus Nero Wolfe Pick: Over My Dead Body (my post about the book)
Bonus Spenser Pick: Hawk, A Promised Land

bullet The Bride of Frankenstein: A sequel you enjoyed more than the first book

My Pick: Stoned Love by Ian Patrick (my post about the book)
Bonus Nero Wolfe Pick: The League of Frightened Men (yeah, that’s the second time this shows up, but it’s the sequel…) (my post about the book)
Bonus Spenser Pick: God Bless the Child

bullet Creature from the Black Lagoon: An incredibly unique book

(there’s a better cover now, but this is the first)

My Pick: A Star-Reckoner’s Lot by Darrell Drake (my post about the book)
Bonus Nero Wolfe Pick: Some Buried Ceasar (my post about the book)
Bonus Spenser Pick: A Savage Place

bullet The Mummy: A book that wraps up nicely (see what I did there?)

My Pick: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (my post about the book)
Bonus Nero Wolfe Pick: This applies to almost every one of them, I’m going to go with The Doorbell Rang
Bonus Spenser Pick: The Judas Goat

I’m not going to tag anyone, but I’d encourage any reader to give it a shot. I’d like to see your lists.

Also, I’ve been thinking for awhile I needed to do a re-read of the Spenser series. This post has convinced me I really need to get on that.

WWW Wednesday, 10-October-2019

By HCNewton

On October 9, 2019

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! I haven’t been able to get as much finished as I’ve wanted to since Thursday, so why not try something simple?

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?

The current thing I’ve got going is listening to the audiobook of This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper, Ramon De Ocampo (narrator).

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Don’t Get Involved by F. J. Curlew and will be posting both my take on the book and a Q&A with the author next week.

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book will probably be The Dead of Winter by A.B. Gibson, an Appalachian Trail Murder Mystery.

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

Opening Lines—System Failure by Joe Zieja

By HCNewton

On October 7, 2019

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, Epic Failure, Fiction, Joe Zieja, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations, Science Fiction

Head & Shoulders used to tell us that, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s true for wearing dark shirts, and it’s especially true for books. Sometimes the characters will hook the reader, sometimes the premise, sometimes it’s just knowing the author—but nothing beats a great opening for getting a reader to commit. This is one of the better openings I’ve read recently. I’m sure we can all relate to it.

Lucinda Hiri was pretty sure taking over the galaxy hadn’t been in the job description when she was offered this intern position six months ago. Then again, it wasn’t impossible. The Snaggardir corporation’s paperwork was notoriously long and detailed, vetted by droves of lawyers at every level of approval to make sure that the language had all the right loopholes in all the right places. Lucinda supposed that somewhere on page 356 there could have been a small asterisk that said “in the event a nascent people rise up after two hundred years of secret collusion, you will be required to take detailed notes at their strategy meetings.”

It had seemed like a dream come true at the time. Sal Snaggardir and his family’s company were arguably the most powerful economic force in the galaxy. The possibilities for her career as a businesswoman were endless. Not liking interning at some space technology company on Urp, where she would likely move laterally for the entirety of her disappointing, coffee-supported life. Snaggardir’s was the place to make it big.

In retrospect, though Lucinda should have noticed that Mr. Snaggardir was trying to conceal just how big his company had gotten. Subsidiary corporations literally thousands of banks all across the galaxy holding funds under different names, and that nondisclosure agreement she signed threatening to eradicate her family line if she ever told anyone anything about the company. The legal department said that was boilerplate, and, really, what did she know? She was just a thirty-year-old unpaid intern with three advanced degrees in business arts.

from System Failure by Joe Zieja