Category: News/Misc. Page 184 of 229

2018 Reading Challenge: Indie-Fever!

On December 30, 2017

In 2018 Indie-Fever Challenge, Books, News/Misc.

One more 2018 Reading Challenge: Indie-Fever!

(text stolen from the sign-up page)

‘Read & Review as many Indie Books as you can!’

Points to Know:
1. Read and Review as many Indie (Self Published) Books as possible during this year.
2. You do not have to be a blogger to participate. However, you have to post a review on some site in order to participate. It can be on Goodreads and/or Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble and/or Smashwords.
3. If you are a blogger link up your permalink to the review posts. If you aren’t a blogger, then link up the permalink to your reviews from whichever site you have chosen to post the review on.
4. The books can overlap with other reading challenges.
5. Books read may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
6. Post your links to your reviews each month to share with other participants.
7. The challenge runs from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Its never too late to Join In!

I’ll be tracking my reads here or you can see the posts about the books here.

2018 Reading Challenge: First-Reads!

By HCNewton

On December 30, 2017

In 2018 First Reads Challenge, Books, News/Misc.

Okay, I decided to up by Reading Challenge Game in 2018.

The next one I’m talking about is one I’m really looking forward to tackling.

(text stolen from the sign-up page)
Do you remember the feeling when you read the first book by your favourite author? Yes well, its for that feeling that I have come up with this challenge. Also, there was a time when I would only stick to the books written by authors I had previously read and enjoyed. But soon I realised that I was missing out on a lot other books. So, readers & bloggers, come together to this challenge that will make you pick up books by authors that you haven’t read before! You never know, you just might find another author to love and follow.

Points to Know:
1. Read & Review as many books as possible, by authors that YOU haven’t read before.
2. You do not have to be a blogger to participate. However, you have to post a review on some site in order to participate. It can be on Goodreads and/or Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble and/or Smashwords.
3. If you are a blogger link up your permalink to the review posts. If you aren’t a blogger, then link up the permalink to your reviews from whichever site you have chosen to post the review on.
4. The books can overlap with other reading challenges.
5. Books read may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
6. Post your links to your reviews each month to share with other participants.
7. The challenge runs from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Its never too late to Join In!

I’ll be tracking my reads here or you can see the posts about the books here.

Saturday Miscellany – 12/30/17

By HCNewton

On December 30, 2017

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 alphabet now ends at Y” — Sue Grafton’s daughter broke the news to her fans that Grafton died this week, a heckuva shock, a heckuva loss.
Naturally, tributes to Grafton have started appearing — and will continue to do so. Few will be as good as Brad Parks’ was.
The Wingfeather Saga Short Film — I’ve read the first half of these books (it’s only because I didn’t have money at the time that I didn’t finish it), and it’s delightful. This animated short is almost as good.
In Praise of Rereading — I’m doing better at this, but not as good as I used to be.
Just Trust Me: In Praise Of Strange Books
Raymond Chandler’s 10 Tips For Writing a Detective Novel — By and large, these still apply (and I wish more people wrote like this)
15 New Year’s Resolutions for Book Lovers — there’s some fun items here

The Liars Club Oddcast # 048 — The Liars Club interview Robert Crais about his background and career.

The Wanted by Robert Crais — the newest Elvis Cole novel is out! Which I clearly dug.
Operation: Endgame by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris — the final adventure in the rollicking Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. Gonna miss this one.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to netbij (but, dude, that website is impossible to read).

2018 Library Love Challenge

By HCNewton

On December 27, 2017

In 2017 Library Love Challenge, 2018 Library Love Challenge, Books, News/Misc.

I didn’t do any real challenges this year — other than simply “read as much and as widely as you can” (not sure everyone would agree with my definition of widely — including me) — with one exception: the 2017 Library Love Challenge. Which is basically taking my approach to reading but limiting it to one source: the public Library. I really don’t spend as much time at the Nampa Public Library as I used to — but I still depend on them as a source for books and inspiration. Still, 41 of the books I read this year came from there (more, really, but I didn’t track audiobook sources for some reason).

There’s a nice Goodreads group for this challenge. too. It’s a great source of encouragement — although it could be larger.

Anyway, I liked doing it enough that I’m signing up for 2018, too. You should give it a shot, too. Here’s the info that I blatantly copied from Angel’s Guilty Pleasures:

I hope you will join use in celebrating and support libraries.

If you are like use then you like to purchase every book you want to read. And, well that can put a hurt on your wallet. One way to help lessen the hurt is to check out books (prints, ebooks, or audios) from the library. If you do this then it will help save you LOTS of money $$.

Getting a library card in most places is FREE. So, if you love to read and/or listen to books then grab your library card and join the challenge.

Details:

Runs: January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018. You can join any time.

Put a sign up post on your blog or (dedicate a Goodreads shelf or LibraryThing) and link it below. Make sure it’s public.
The goal is to read at least twelve (12) books from the library, but you can read more. While twelve is the minimum, there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.
Any format will work for this challenge (prints, ebooks, or audios); as long as you checked it out from the library, it counts.
Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).
Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads. The goal is to support your local library and save money.
Write a review to enter the giveaway – 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences. Not sure what to write? How about something like, “The plot was a delight, but the characters didn’t capture me.” “I enjoyed the story and really liked the characters.”
As an added bonus: We are offering up a GIVEAWAY with this Challenge. Winner will be picked at the end of the year!! The entries are the direct links to your book reviews and you will have until Jan. 3rd, 2019 to enter your reviews in the linky and then the Rafflecopter. Go here to enter the giveaway: 2018 Library Love Challenge Review Link-ups.

Levels:

Dewey Decimal: Read 12 books
Thrifty Reader: Read 24 books
Overdrive Junkie: Read 36 books
Library Addict: Read 48 books
Library Card on Fire: Read 60+ books

Head on over to Angel’s Guilty Pleasures or Brooke Blogs to sign up!

I’ll be tracking my reads here or you can see the posts about the books here.

Saturday Miscellany -12/23/17

By HCNewton

On December 23, 2017

In Books, News/Misc.

It’s still technically Saturday (MST in the US) — I was really tired last night (fell asleep with my laptop on my lap and this post open and empty) and super busy today. But now, just under the wire: 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:

The Ultimate List of Fiction Books You Should Read At Least Once in Your Life — Literary Titan brings us the ginormous list that This is Writing assembled. I haven’t had a chance to dig deep on this list — but it’s thought-provoking at least.
Why Teens Find The End Of The World So Appealing — NPR has an interesting idea or two about why Teens dig Dystopian novels
Say My Name: A pronunciation guide to 15 tongue-tripping names in Fantasy and Sci-Fi — there’s a couple in here that helped me (would’ve helped me more years ago . . . )
Matt Shakman To Direct TriStar’s ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ Adaptation — No slight to Shakman, but man . . . this idea makes me nervous.
Do not f*** with Jane Austen Twitter — AV Club talks about some of the responses to the Washington Post’s unfortunate recent tweet about Austen
50 Hilariously Honest New Titles For Your Favourite Books — I think I posted an abbreviated version of this list a couple of weeks ago, but I’m too tired to see if that’s the case. Either way, you probably missed a chuckle or two the last time you went through these.

The Twisted Path by Harry Connolly — I liked this a whole lot, a new novella in the Twenty Palaces series, one of my favorites and I love seeing a bit of new life in it. Which you can read more about here, in yesterday’s post

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to Scarlett Brodie and Maria Bardyukova for following the blog this week (okay, Scarlett actually started last week, and I overlooked her — sorry!).

A Matter of Perspective

By HCNewton

On December 19, 2017

In Books, News/Misc., Quotations

A couple of weeks ago, I read Between Wittenberg and Geneva: Lutheran and Reformed Theology in Conversation by Robert Kolb and Carl R. Trueman. In his discussion of Reformed worship, Carl Trueman wrote:

Nevertheless, there is a sense in which beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The Reformed worship service with its simple aesthetics focused on the basic elements of prayer, preaching, singing, and sacraments has an austere beauty of its own, as anyone who has ever attended, for example, a traditional service of worship in a Presbyterian congregation on Scotland’s Outer Hebrides will affirm. The unadorned human voice and the air of tranquil and reverent piety possess their own peculiar and often powerful beauty. Simplicity has its own aesthetic and can indeed have its own unadorned beauty.

I couldn’t help thinking of that passage yesterday when I read the following passage from Peter May’s The Blackhouse:

No colourful stained glass in this austere Calvinistic culture. No imagery. No crosses. No joy.

. . . A cheerless place, with worn floorboards and dark, varnished wood. It smelled of dust and damp clothes and time. . . .

Fin traced his childhood footsteps through the left-hand door and into the church itself, rows of unforgiving wooden pews flanking two aisles leading to the raised and railed area at the far end, from which sombre elders would lead the psalm-singing. . . .

In his head, Fin could almost hear the singing of the Gaelic psalms. A strange, unaccompanied tribal chanting that could seem chaotic to the untrained ear. But there was something wonderfully affecting about it. Something of the land and the landscape, of the struggle for existence against overwhelming odds. Something of the people amongst whom he had grown up. Good people, most of them, finding something unique in themselves, in the way they sang their praise to the Lord, an expression of gratitude for hard lives in which they had found meaning.

Different perspectives on Scottish Presbyterianism, to be sure — written with different aims, in very different kinds of books, but if you look hard enough, you can see them describing the same thing. It was a little striking running into those so close together.

Saturday Miscellany – 12/16/17

By HCNewton

On December 16, 2017

In Books, News/Misc.

When I posted Thursday about my lack of posting this week, I wasn’t sure what else to say, but for those who are curious about distractions of this past week —read this from my other blog.

Meanwhile, 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:

‘Women are better writers than men’: novelist John Boyne sets the record straight — I think there are many problems with this, but it’s still nice to see as an alternative to things written saying the opposite (equally problematic).
Why Write Fiction in 2017? — Interesting (but as problematic as the above).
The Craft of Fiction: Lee Child and Andy Martin in Conversation — A fun, if long, chat between the two.
Where do you write? — this video clocks in at less than 3 minutes. Nice to put a face to some names if nothing else.
This Delightful Letter Shows Conan Doyle’s True Feelings Toward Sherlock Holmes headline says it all.
How Indie Presses Are Elevating the Publishing World
Elon Musk’s Mars-Bound Tesla Roadster to Carry Towel and “Don’t Panic” Sign — Hitchhiker’s Guide in space. How fitting is that?
Ready Player One Author Ernie Cline Confirms He’s Writing A Sequel — I’d prefer he play in another sandbox, but I’ll read this with pleasure.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to bloggerfingers and MladenR for following the blog this week.

Something had to give…

By HCNewton

On December 14, 2017

In Books, News/Misc., Writing, YA/MG/Children's Books

Yeah, nothing for a couple of days here — just how I want to follow-up one of the best weeks I’ve had traffic/share/etc.-wise. I’ve got a couple of posts ready to go for Friday, and I’ve finished 5 books already this week, so it’s not like I’m hurting for material. Just hurting on time and energy.

There’s a good reason for this — and I’ll talk about it sometime. In the meantime, come back Friday.

Saturday Miscellany – 12/9/17

By HCNewton

On December 9, 2017

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:

Why You Should Surround Yourself With More Books Than You’ll Ever Have Time to Read — not that I needed the excuse . . .
Dear Broke Reader: Your Sense of Entitlement is Killing Me — Yeah, it’s a year and a half old, but still good. I’m not sure why I’m reading all these anti-piracy pieces lately — but there’s probably a need.
Netflix Grabs Hold Of John Scalzi’s Sci-Fi Novel ‘Old Man’s War’ For Jon Shestack, Madhouse — It’s not my favorite Scalzi book, but by far the most adaptable (I think). Oh, yeah, it also left to one of the more amusing tweets I read this week.
PC Grant Series by Ben Aaronovitch — Books are My Cwtches gives a nice overview of that fun series.
These Parody Book Covers Of Famous Classics Will Make Any True Literary Nerd Laugh Out Loud — There are some good ones here.

A Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter — the third installment of the Nell Ingram series is just great. I had a lot to say about it recently.
The Defense by Steve Cavanagh — Cavanagh’s debut novel about a con man turned lawyer is out in paperback here in the States — a great series to jump on at a decent price.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to Anushka for following the blog this week.

Opening Lines – Dead Beat

By HCNewton

On December 7, 2017

In Authors, Blog Series, Currently Reading, Fiction, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art). 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.

On the whole, we’re a murderous race.

According to Genesis, it took as few as four people to make the planet too crowded to stand, and the first murder was a fratricide. Genesis says that in a fit of jealous rage, the very first child born to mortal parents, Cain, snapped and popped the first metaphorical cap in another human being. The attack was a bloody, brutal, violent, reprehensible killing. Cain’s brother Abel probably never saw it coming.

As I opened the door to my apartment, I was filled with a sense of empathic sympathy and intuitive understanding.

For freaking Cain.

from Dead Beat by Jim Butcher