“A man condemning the income tax because of the annoyance it gives him or the expense it puts him to is merely a dog baring its teeth, and he forfeits the privileges of civilized discourse. But it is permissible to criticize it on other and impersonal grounds. A government, like an individual, spends money for any or all of three reasons: because it needs to, because it wants to, or simply because it has it to spend. The last is much the shabbiest. It is arguable, if not manifest, that a substantial proportion of this great spring flood of billions pouring into the Treasury will in effect get spent for that last shabby reason.”
–Nero Wolfe
Category: News/Misc. Page 181 of 229
Worked over 50 hours this week (including today), there were only a few hours of that where I wasn’t going full steam ahead. Which meant I came home and pretty much collapsed. Leaving drafts for posts on multiple books in mid-stream. Next week will likely be the same, but I’m trying to get things done. Did manage to read a bit — some very strong stuff, which helps tremendously.
Anyhow, 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:
- Crime pays: thrillers and detective novels now outsell all other fiction — I bet the numbers are similar on this side of the pond.
- What Are the Rules for Lending Your Books to Friends?: We asked librarians, since they’re the experts — there’s some wisdom here
- Alex Bledsoe on Finding a Genre That Fits — Bledsoe discusses the difficulty of labeling the genre for the Tufa novels.
- My Favorite One-Star Reviews of My Books — Lee Goldberg shares some real, er, gems?
- Why Do Fantasy Novels Have So Much Food? — I think we’ve all asked this question
- Why You Should Be Watching Bosch, Amazon’s Under-the-Radar Noir — yes
- Rant: It’s MY Review and There Aren’t Laws!
- Can You Trust Book Reviews? — blah
- E-Readers vs Print Books. — not really adding anything new to the debate, but The Tattooed Book Geek’s post is plenty of fun.
- The 20 Best Insults in Fiction, RANKED — should memorize a couple of these for future use
- This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
- The Fairies of Sadieville by Alex Bledsoe — Apparently, April is a month of good-byes. First, the Iron Druid. Now, the Tufa. This is one of the best series I’ve read the last few years — now, you can read them all. Do so.
- Madam Tulip and the Bones of Chance by David Ahern — Madam Tulip makes a movie in Scotland and, shockingly enough, becomes embroiled in murder and mayhem. I thought it was plenty of fun, as you can read here.
- Skyjack by K. J. Howe — Kidnap and Ransom specialist, Thea Paris, is back in this tale of secret armies, skyjacking, divided loyalties and impending doom. Here’s my post about it.
Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to savageddt for following the blog this week. 
A few months ago, I blogged about Jonathan Fesmire’s Steampunk Zombie Western, Bodacious Creed, a very fun adventure in the middle of a genre mashup. Like so many books, Bodacious Creed came into the world via Kickstarter.
The sequel, Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate is looking to come into the world in the same way.
| James “Bodacious” Creed is a former U.S. Marshal in an alternate 1876, now a sort of intelligent zombie resurrected with steam and ether technology.
After his harrowing adventures in Santa Cruz, California, recounted in Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western, he goes after a crime boss who has fled to San Francisco, in Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate. Just like backers of the first Kickstarter, you can help shape Creed’s story. Check out the new Kickstarter now. Watch the two-minute video and check out the description and rewards. |
Check it out, kick that start.
Another week of small lists. Small, but packed with goodness.
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:
- A Library Mystery: Why People Kept Underlining Page 7 in Borrowed Books — gotta grin while reading this…no really, it’s required.
- Author interview with Jo Perry: When the stuff I write feels true, that’s a win — A very nice interview with IRR fave Jo Perry.
- Iron Druid Kevin Hearne Has Finished His Series With Scourged — Shawn Speakman talks to Hearne about the end of IDC and more.
- The Met Museum Rolls Out Over 500 Free Art Books You Can Download & Print — Not really the kind of books we focus on here, but hey. Free. At least worth a look, right?
- Random Musings: Book love and negative reviews — yup. Confuses me that so many people have to say this, but I appreciate every one who does.
- Exclusive Cover Reveal: Amber Royer’s Debut Space Opera Free Chocolate — a spiffy cover, and some good thoughts on humor and SF.
- This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
- Scourged by Kevin Hearne — This is the big one of the week, er, month for me. I’ve been an unabashed fan of this series since the release of Hounded, and devoured this finale. UF readers will want to look for this one (and many probably are). Will be posting about it soonish.
- School for Psychics by K. C. Archer — this looks like a variation on a common theme — secret school for people with extraordinary abilities (Brakebills, Hogwarts, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, etc.) — but with an intriguing take.
I was kicking myself last evening for forgetting to get some Tullamore Dew to go with my reading of the last of the Iron Druid Chronicles, Scourged. I’ve been meaning to try the stuff ever since the Widow MacDonagh kept going on about it in the first couple of books, and it seemed like a fitting companion as I bid farewell to the series.
It got me thinking: what other books/series have an obvious beverage paring?
Harry Dresden’s a big Coke guy, well, that and Mac’s ale — which is sadly, fictional, or it’d be my go-to. Zaphod Beeblebrox’s Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, and the Ol’ Janx Spirit used to make them are likewise fictional. Ditto for Nero Wolfe’s favorite beer, Remmers. Just about everything that Atticus drinks after book three is fictional — and borderline supernatural, no?
On the whole, I have different tastes than Robert B. Parker’s characters (and can’t afford Hawk’s preferences). Spenser has guided me toward a beer or two that I liked, but there’s no drink you can point at and say — that’s Spenser (or Jesse Stone). Tres Navarre was a big Shiner Bock drinker, and at least one of his books contained a recipe for a (supposedly) fantastic margarita (which was tasty, but not really better than any other one). Just about everything that John Rebus drinks is local for him, which makes it impossible for me. Harry Bosch and Elvis Cole don’t have a signature drink that I can recall.
On the less intoxicating side, there’s Archie Goodwin’s milk, Jack Reacher’s coffee (although, who needs caffeine while you’re reading Lee Child at his best?), and Jane Yellowrock’s tea (I don’t think I could drink it the way she does).
When I started writing this, I figured I’d be able to come up with a decent list of drinks to go with various series, but I seem to be coming up pretty short. Sure, there’s James Bond with his “cold water with a dash of gin and dry vermouth. . . [he’s] is ordering a weak martini and being snooty about it.” But that’s too easy (and I haven’t read anything about him since high school). How about you all?
So, here’s what happened here in March. It wasn’t a great month — lots of stuff at work distracted me, some sickness, and whatnot threw me off. There were 7 books I didn’t get to that I’d either planned on or committed to read. Neither of which is something I enjoy doing. Hopefully April is all about catching up.
Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to:
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Still Reading:
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Reviews Posted:
- Illinois Native Americans: A 9,000 Year Civilization by in60Learning
- Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin
- Mr. Neutron by Joe Ponepinto
- The Armored Saint by Myke Cole
- Greek Mythology: Beyond Mount Olympus by in60learning
- Nils Cuts His Nails – The Scissors Game by Nurit Zvolon, Rotem Lots-Zaiden
- Madam Tulip and the Bones of Chance by David Ahern
- Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32 by B.C.R. Fegan, Lenny Wen
- My Little Eye by Stephanie Marland
- Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs
- Magic For Nothing by Seanan McGuire
- Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire
- Everything is Normal by Sergey Grechishkin
- Skyjack by K. J. Howe
- An Ill-Fated Sky by Darrell Drake
Book Challenge Progress:
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Wires and Nerves, Volume 2: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer, Douglas Holgate (link forthcoming) Good Guys by Steve Brust (link forthcoming) |
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Mr. Neutron by Joe Ponepinto Nils Cuts His Nails – The Scissors Game by Nurit Zvolon, Rotem Lots-Zaiden Vernon the Vegetarian Lion by John Hughson, Ali Smith (link forthcoming — I thought I’d written it up by now) Everything is Normal: The Life and Times of a Soviet Kid by Sergey Grechishkin Secular Jewish Culture by Yaakov Malkin, ed. |
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Mr. Neutron by Joe Ponepinto Greek Mythology by Nils Cuts His Nails – The Scissors Game by Nurit Zvolon, Rotem Lots-Zaiden Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32 by B.C.R. Fegan, Lenny Wen Vernon the Vegetarian Lion by John Hughson, Ali Smith (link forthcoming — I thought I’d written it up by now) Everything is Normal: The Life and Times of a Soviet Kid by Sergey Grechishkin Secular Jewish Culture by Yaakov Malkin, ed. |
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Nothing here . . . whoops. I’ve gotta get moving on this one. |
How was your month?
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:
- J.K. Rowling dropped the best news of the week
- The Advice Columnists Who Prescribe Literature as Medicine — could be worse, might actually be helpful
- Books Need “Previously On” Segments, Too — Yes. Absolutely.
- Ernest Cline: By the Book — I usually enjoy these By the Book columns from NYT, this is no exception.
- Every Literary Genre Summed Up in a Single Sentence — you should at least get 2 grins from this — possibly a chuckle
- 7 Science-Backed Ways Reading Makes You Healthy — a nifty Infographic
- This Week’s New Release that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
- Noirville – Tales From The Dark Side Fahrenheit Press’ first collection of 15 short stories got published this week, looking forward to cracking this open.
Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to oddandbookish, Samantha Loves To Read, irevuo and factfictionfake for following the blog this week. 
Wow. I knew I was busy and distracted this week from how little I read and wrote, but seeing my list of things for this post really brought that home. There were very few 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:
- Why Reading Books Should be Your Priority, According to Science — Frankly, I think none of these reasons are why you should be reading — but they’re pleasant fringe benefits.
- Why I Can’t Listen to Audiobooks — I totally get this, and used to be like it. Might end up that way again, too.
- My Formative SFF: Forgotten Classics of the ’70s and ’80s — Interesting look at some books I could’ve grown up on, but didn’t. Worth the click just for the covers alone — really miss most of these styles.
- Kevin Hearne tweeted some wonderful news.
- A Book-ish Related Podcast Episode you might want to give a listen:
- Speaking of Mysteries Episode 140: Lee Goldberg — I enjoyed listening to Goldberg and cannot wait to read this book.
- K. J. Howe – The Freedom Broker — Stephen Usery talks about Howe’s new series (enjoyed book 1 last year, and liked the first chapter of the upcoming release — hope to post about it next week).
- This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
- The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman — Rachman’s great — and so far, his books are so unlike each other (except in quality) that it’s hard to know what to expect from the next one. This book centers on a man growing up in the shadow of his father’s genius while trying to become his own person. Which sounds dull the way I phrased it, so you’d better go see how a marketer would put it.
We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art) (also, this has a great cover). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I’ll throw it up here. Dare you not to read the rest of the book.
from Everything is Normal: The Life and Times of a Soviet Kid by Sergey Grechishkin:
Anekdotn.: the most popular form of Soviet humor, a short story or dialogue with a punch line, often politically subversive. “Being simultaneously independent from and parasitically attached to mass cultural production and authoritative discourse, the anekdot served as a template for an alternative, satirical, reflexive, collective voice-over narration of the Soviet century.” Many of the anekdots under this book’s chapter headings were once punishable in the USSR by up to ten years of forced labor under article 58 of the criminal code (“ Anti-Soviet Propaganda”). This article was used freely to put critics of the Soviet government behind bars. Today, of course, things are very different in Russia. Now it’s article 282. |
Maybe it’s just given the subject matter, I was expecting something dreary or earnest or incredibly serious — or all three, but man, I cracked up at that last sentence. I tell you, my friends, this book is going to have to work for less than 4 stars from me at this point.
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:
- How a professional book aficionado packs reading for a trip. Yes, there’s strategy. — I’m not sure I buy this strategy, but I appreciate the thought. I’m not sure I’ve read anything this month that I agree with more than the last paragraph, though.
- Deferred gratification is dead? Tell that to fans of serialised novels — I haven’t taken the jump into serialized novels as much as I’ve wanted to — but I’ve dug the couple I’ve tried. Any of you gone down this road?
- Readers Make the Best Sleuths: Or, a Welcome Letter from the Editors of CrimeReads — I already had 2 pieces from this site on my list for this week before I read this welcome. Clearly, I like the sort of thing they publish — many of you will, too. Speaking of which, we might as well look at them now:
- Ian Rankin: There’s Nothing Crime Fiction Can’t Do
- Val McDermid on the Remarkable Rise of Tartan Noir
- Dragons, and Firefighters, and Books, Oh My! Author Sean Grigsby Talks ‘Smoke Eaters’ — am I ever going to shut up about this book? Maybe. But not today.
- A Literary Antidote to Game of Thrones
- Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Three: Take Three — yes
- Forget Frankenstein, what else are snowflake students getting wrong about classic literature? — pretty much nails it.
Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to millennialdrowning, Merv, Danielle The Bookworm and damppebbles for following the blog this week.
