Category: News/Misc. Page 180 of 229

The Mail I Get . . . 5/15/18

On May 15, 2018

(with apologies to Lee Goldberg for stealing his title for blog posts to describe the strange, the obnoxious, the puzzling emails that he gets.)

I don’t normally do this, but come on.

I received this review request today:

[Title Redacted] is for the 21st century woman who is ready for a new narrative about dating, romance, sex and life! [Title Redacted] helps women move from fear to freedom. It offers practical dating advice, teaching women to navigate through the often challenging and daunting dating world, while countering the sexist, stereotypical and, frankly, stupid “instructions” spewed at women by self-professed male “dating experts.”

[Title Redacted] puts the FUN back into dating while also providing no-nonsense guidance that empowers and encourages women who have grown weary, been disappointed, and are still holding on to outmoded and unrealistic expectations about their dating choices. [Title Redacted] reminds women of their worth, helping them understand that they do not need to fit some antiquated model of being “accepted” or “chosen” by men.

For women who are so ready to sever the cord – quickly, forcefully and permanently – that has kept them bound by dangerous dogma and silly, sexist “thought leaders,” [Title Redacted] offers fresh, funny advice for discovering themselves, deciding what they really want, and enjoying dating!

I’m not expecting some author/editor/representative to exhibit an exhaustive knowledge of this blog — but what on Earth suggests for a second that this is the kind of book I’d read (much less appreciate)??? Why spend the time filling out my form without taking a quick glance around to see if it’s in my wheelhouse (the form pretty much makes it clear that it’s not).

Saturday Miscellany – 5/12/18

By HCNewton

On May 12, 2018

In Books, News/Misc.

So, as Bookstooge commented yesterday — I seem to be in a bit of a slump — “meh”ish books and “meh”ish posts. Even the book I liked this week didn’t get my real best writing. Not sure what’s up with that. Better books to write about next week (mostly) — that should help. I’ve read two things this week that knocked me for a loop, looking forward to writing about them. Anyway . . .

Whoops! Going into this post, I thought I had a pretty good selection — turns out that it was mostly variations on a few themes. Most of which I ended up bailing on, so I can present to you only the most interesting of odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye — even if it is a short list. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Social Media and whatnot has been abuzz lately about Faleena Hopkins and her new Trademark. Now, I’m not a Romance reader (clearly), but you can see how some might try to learn from her example in other genres — and, it’s just a fascinating story regardless. Typically, there’s a lot of dross in the coverage. Here’s a couple of more trustworthy sources talking about it:
- This Romance Novelist Trademarked the Word ‘Cocky’: And now she’s threatening other writers with legal action if they don’t change their book titles — from Electric Lit
- Romantic novelist’s trademarking of word ‘cocky’ sparks outcry — from The Guardian
Otto Penzler, noted expert on Mystery/Crime Fiction, has started a series of posts on CrimeReads helping readers understand the sub-genres of Mystery. Informative, helpful and great TBR fodder to boot:
Friday Forgotten (or Overlooked) Book: PLOT IT YOURSELF (1959) by Rex Stout — I don’t think I like this particular Wolfe/Archie novel as much as this blogger does, but it is a good one — and (more importantly), anyone drawing attention to this series should get some attention itself.
Stupid reasons to read books even if you never did before — a good list from Cristian Mihai over on Irevuo.

For Those Who Know the Ending by Malcolm Mackay — an awesome looking Tartan Noir crime novel.
Uncharted by Kevin J. Anderson and Sarah A. Hoyt — Lewis and Clark in an alternate-history/fantasy novel. Looks pretty cool to me.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to jstlouise for following the blog this week.

Saturday Miscellany – 5/5/18

By HCNewton

On May 5, 2018

In 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:

The changing face of crime fiction: From the magnifying glass to the mobile — I don’t typically think of the Sydney Morning Herald as the place to turn to for insightful pieces about crime fiction, but based on this, maybe I should
Speaking of which, Crime Reads brings us: Social Media Noir:10 Mysteries That Explore the Treacherous World of Social Media
Ernest Hemingway Creates a Reading List for a Young Writer (1934) — a decent list and pretty cool story to boot.
Lee Child: The Emotional Contract of Jack Reacher — if it’s a Lee Child interview, it’s absolutely worth the read
Ten psychological conditions named after literary characters — a nice list
50 Fictional Writers, Ranked: The Best and Worst from Literature, Film, & TV — I wonder about the rankings (some of them anyway), but enjoyed reading this LitHub post.
The History Of The Book – A Complete and Factual Account. Part 1. — The Beardy Book Blogger brought us this great post

Robert B. Parker’s Old Black Magic by Ace Atkins — Spenser’s on a 20 year-old trail of a stolen masterpiece. Not suprisingly, I really liked it
Dark Queen by Faith Hunter — Jane Yellowrock’s back and things will never be the same. I had a few things to say about it.
Dragon Raod by Joseph Brassey — the follow-up to last year’s Space Opera/Space Fantasy/whatever you want to call it, Skyfarer, I can’t wait to see what’s in store.
The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan — the third installment in The Trials of Apollo.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Higginbotham Publications and Carla Alexandra Rodrigues (link removed for security reasons) for following the blog this week.

April 2018 Report

By HCNewton

On May 1, 2018

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

Numberwise, April was better than March, worse than February. Neither of which were that stellar — but on the whole, what I read was really strong, so that makes up for it. Still, I’m hoping now that things are slowing down at work, they can pick up here. I still have 2 books I was supposed to read for March, and 2 for April — thankfully, I’ve only committed to 2 for May. I just might catch up by the end of the month (then again, the new Ace Atkins drops tomorrow, so who cares about commitments).

So, here’s what happened here in April.

Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to:

DNF:

Still Reading:

Books Posted About:

Wires and Nerve, Volume 2 by Marissa Meyer, Stephen Gilpin
Vernon the Vegetarian Lion by John Hughson, Ali Smith
Good Guys by Steven Brust
Secular Jewish Culture by Yaakov Malkin, Shmuel Sermoneta-Gertel
The Italian Teacher by Rom Rachman
Sir Blunder: A Bedtime Story for Big People by Walter Kerr
Scourged by Kevin Hearne: The Iron Druid Chronicles
The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh by Carolyn Arnold
The Plea by Steve Cavanagh
Jimbo Yojimbo by David W. Barbee
The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste
My Man Jeeves (Audiobook) by P. G. Wodehouse, Simon Prebble
A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin

Book Challenge Progress:

	The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs, Lorelei King, George Newbern Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu, Will Damron
	Sir Blunder: A Bedtime Story for Big People by Walter Kerr
	Sir Blunder: A Bedtime Story for Big People by Walter Kerr The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh by Carolyn Arnold
	✔ Read an audio book with multiple narrators: Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs, Lorelei King, George Newbern

How was your month?

2018 Independent Bookstore Day

By HCNewton

On April 28, 2018

In Books, Calendar Items, Fantasy, News/Misc.

I didn’t celebrate Independent Bookstore Day in quite the same way I did in 2017. Last year, we went to Rediscovered Books, bought a couple of books and then went elsewhere and adopted a dog. This year, we went to Rediscovered Books — played a game (which got me a Blind Date with a Book) — bought a couple of books and chatted with an author.

Altogether less expensive, and I didn’t have to talk in a higher-pitched voice — not even once.

Yeah, I clearly need more practice at taking pics like that. Anyway, I grabbed The Vinyl Detective – Written in Dead Wax by Andrew Cartmell (mostly because Ben Aaronovitch talked a lot about the books on Twitter and whatnot). My Blind Date is with Fonda Lee’s Jade City, described as “Fantasy/Adult” and “The Godfather but with magic” (or words to that effect). And then I also purchased — and got signed — the new version of Devri Wall’s Venators.

Back in 2016, I read and blogged about Devri Wall’s The Wizard’s Heir and Venators: Through the Arch, and she was nice enough to answer A Few Quick Questions for me. We got to chat about why there’s a new version of the book, when to expect the next in the series, and what not. My wife, who actually thinks about things other than books, suggested getting a picture (ever the rookie, my fingers are covering the title).

As part of the game at RD, I had to take a couple of pics, I might as well throw them up here. One task was to take a picture of the bookstore — here’s the rare empty spot today (filled up seconds later). Another task was to take a photo of a Non-Fiction book with a great cover. I don’t know that I’ll read Best Before: The Evolution and Future of Processed Food, but that’s just a great cover.

Saturday Miscellany – 4/28/18

By HCNewton

On April 28, 2018

In Books, News/Misc.

I think the busy season at work is over — only worked 8 hours yesterday (we’ll not talk about the days before), so hopefully that gives me more time to focus on things here. But this is another small list of 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:

What’s in an Author Name? — an essay by Marie Myung-Ok Grace Lee that’ll make you rethink names.
Grit Lit: An American Phenomenon Goes Global — I haven’t read as much of this genre/subgenre as I’ve meant to, but it looks up my alley — nice interview about a British writer in the area.
Edgars All Around — The Rap Sheet covers the 2018 Edgars from earlier this week.
Building a Book: how to be a book blogger</a

Speaking of Mysteries This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode One Hundred and Seventy-Nine – Everyday People, starring Vincent Chu. — Chu’s collection is one of my favorite reads of the year (see here), so I liked this chance to get to know him a bit.
The Author Stories Podcast Episode 366 | Rich Leder Interview/a> — I’ve enjoyed two of Leder’s books — even did a Q&A with him — but I was (don’t ask me why) pleasantly surprised by how this interview went. Give it a shot.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Charlie De Luca for following the blog this week.

Independent Bookstore Day 2018 – April 28!

By HCNewton

On April 24, 2018

In Books, Calendar Items, News/Misc.

You like books, right? Otherwise, why are you here? You like bookstores, too, right? Nothing against Barnes & Noble or any of the dozens of great online booksellers — but there’s nothing like a good Independent Bookstore. Staff who know their wares; possibly get to know your tastes; care about books, writing, etc.

(and better for the local economy than chains, too, but that’s out of my wheelhouse to discuss)

Basically, they’re great resources, community centers, and places to spend your money. To celebrate/promote them, 400 Indie Bookstores around the country are celebrating Independent Bookstore Day this Saturday. Go, check a local store out — see the exclusive items just for the day. If you’re in Southwest Idaho, Rediscovered Books in Boise is the place to go (there are a couple of other decent shops in the area, but not as good, IMHO).

Happy (Belated) Shakespeare Day!

By HCNewton

On April 24, 2018

In Calendar Items, News/Misc., Quotations

There was some sort of mis-communication between me and the good people at Invaluable so this is going up a day late (totally my fault). I didn’t even know that Shakespeare Day was a thing (but of course it is). Still . . . no matter what day it is, this is fun:

Happy Shakespeare Day! What better way is there to celebrate the life and legacy of William Shakespeare than looking back at some of his most famous insults? You are in luck, because Invaluable created a Shakespearean insult generator just in time for Shakespeare Day. The generator includes 70+ of Shakespeare’s snarkiest insults from his most famous works. Whether you wish to insult a friend, enemy, or your significant other, one of these insults is guaranteed to be perfect!

Here’s a couple of samples:

Saturday Miscellany – 4/21/18

By HCNewton

On April 21, 2018

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:

The perfect crimes: why thrillers are leaving other books for dead — yup
How My Bookish Habits Nearly Killed Me. Literally. — I can see me doing this (different books, same idea. Good last ‘graph.
PBS Unveils The Great American Read’s 100 Most Loved Books — I mentioned this series when it was first announced, but it’s really starting to sound good.
title — blah
10 Book Designers Discuss the Book Covers They Rejected, And Why — I love reading stories like this…
Bidding Farewell to the Fairies of Appalachia: Alex Bledsoe Discusses Reaching the End of the Story of the Tufa — I skimmed a bit of this, just to be super-safe, but this is a nice interview about wrapping things up.
To to Write (and Read) a Good Fight Scene — blog favorite, Michael R. Underwood, talks about fight scenes and what they tell us about character (or at least, what they should)
8 Brutally Honest Children’s Book Titles — snicker
10 Satirical Covers for the Terrible Books You Can’t Get Away From — same idea, but more thorough (and not about kids books)

Born to the Blade by Marie Brennan, Cassandra Khaw, Malka Older and Michael R. Underwood — a serialized fantasy novel from a heckuva group of writers, I’m almost done with episode 1 and it’s a strong start. Look into this one.
The Real-Town Murders by Adam Roberts — I’m not even going to try to sum this up, click the link to get more info, and then probably go buy it somewhere.

Misc. Notes 4/19/18 (a.k.a. Real Life(™) is Interfering with Blogging)

By HCNewton

On April 19, 2018

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc.

There are 3 books that I really wanted to talk about this week — and so far, I haven’t. I’ve got 1/3 (maybe less) of a post about Steve Cavanagh’s The Plea written, but I just don’t have time to finish it in time to post; I think sleep deprivation might be the best way to write about the insane (and insanely froody) Jimbo Yojimbo by David W. Barbee — but that’ll have to wait (alas); and lastly Life Begins When The Kids Leave Home And The Dog Dies by Barb Taub is going to be fun to talk about.

I got Noirville, the short story collection in the mail today from Fahrenheit Press — it looks great. I’m sure the stories are as nifty as the book they’re printed in.

I was reminded yesterday that I hadn’t started, much less posted about, a particular book this month. I’d totally forgotten I’d agreed to it. Which makes 3 more books I have to read this month (plus three from March I ran out of time for). If only I wasn’t in the middle of the busiest month of the year at work. I have to learn how to say no . . . but there’s so many good-looking books out there, it’s so hard to say anything but “yes.”

Lastly, Luca Veste’s The Bone Keeper is chillingly cool. I’m hoping to get to post about it next week (and hoping to finish reading it …well, probably about the time this posts).