Category: News/Misc. Page 189 of 229

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 Rise in Print Continues — “Despite no big hit in the first half of 2017, sales of print units are 3% higher than in the first half of last year.” Sounds good to me.
• A Novelist Forces Himself To Press On After Losing 100 Pages In A Tech Glitch — both a cautionary tale and a look into the mind of one writer.
• Spider-Man Taught Me How to Live, Comics Taught Me How to Write
• Q&A with David Rosenfelt, Author of Collared — a nice little Q&A from one of our favorite dog lovers
• Harry Potter’s Lord Voldemort: Why He’s the Baddest Villain Ever — my “On this Day” on Facebook showed that I linked to this piece a few years back — thought it was worth a re-read, you might, too. Damon Lindelof knows his villains.

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon. I’ve read 1 of these and 4 of them are calling to me from my shelf/Kindle. A good-looking crop.:
• Dead Is Good by Jo Perry — Charlie and Rose are back for . . . who cares what they’re back for? They’re back! A ghost and a ghost dog solve mysteries, does it matter what the specifics are? The only book 3 I’ve been looking forward to more is Rothfuss’ very overdue one.
• Gork, the Teenage Dragon by Gabe Hudson — Space-faring dragons in a teen adventure. This is what I had to say about it.
• Besieged by Kevin Hearne — 9 Iron Druid short stories (5 of which happen post-Staked)
• Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn — a murder investigation in a post-apocalyptic world.
• Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero — a spoof of/tribute to teen detectives
• Song of the Swan by Michael RN Jones — Victor Locke and Dr. Jonathan Doyle are back, this time Locke’s in prison and it’s up to Doyle to save the day.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to Person of Interest, Brusque and The Hunt and Peck Blog for following the blog this week.

There weren’t a lot of odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye, but these are worth your while:

• That’s the Way It Crumbles: The American Conquest of English by Matthew Engel – review — This looks like a fascinating book.
• G J Moffat – Q&A — Good interview on a book collecting electronic dust on my Kindle TBR shelf from the book blog From First Page to Last.
• Why Do We Quote — Book Blogger Literary Titan posts about another interesting looking book.

A Book-ish Related Podcast Episode you might want to give a listen:
• Fredrik Backman Interview — on The Author Stories Podcast. I forgot to post this last week — whoops. Fascinating author, good discussion. Hank Garner’s a reliable listen anyway, when you get an author like this, it makes for a very good podcast.

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• In the Still by Jacqueline Chadwick — a former forensic psychologist in a new country gets sucked into a murder investigation. I started this one this morning, really good so far . . .
• Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine — a thriller about a serial killer’s wife in the aftermath of her husband’s conviction.

and we even see some books without the word “Still” in the title…

• Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn — the sequel to last year’s Heroine Complex, now that her PA/friend is her crime-fighting partner, how does Aveda Jupiter deal with things?
• Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry — The story of Captain Hook, from his POV

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:

Undoubtedly, you’ve read a little about the 20^th Aniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone this last week. Here are a few of the better things I read about it:
• A Potted History of Harry Potter — because who doesn’t like an infographic
• Twenty years of Harry Potter – the 20 things we have learned — from The Guardian
• The Three Year Summer: Reading Harry Potter, One Book at a Time
• Harry Potter Turns 20 — Novelist Harry Connolly looks back

…and some non-Potter reads

• Yesterday’s Pearls Before Swine — I’m with Doctor Dan
• Your Literary Idols and Their Wardrobes — ummmm
• A good reminder from Alex Bledsoe and Seanan McGuire
• LeVar Burton’s New Podcast is Like READING RAINBOW for Adults
• How One Man Overcame Blindness and Started an Audiobook Show for New Scifi and Fantasy
• Don Winslow: By the Book
• Fantasy author Myke Cole on grounding a medieval world with demons in it — can’t wait for this
• 10th Anniversary Edition: Cover Reveal for The Name of the Wind, I like the original cover better — but this is striking.
• Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Books of 2017 … So Far — huh
• B&N’s Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog gives us The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2017 So Far

A Book-ish Related Podcast Episode you might want to give a listen:
• Reed Farrel Coleman — on the Hear Me This Book podcast. I really wasn’t impressed with teh host (he derailed Coleman’s answers so many times), but I really enjoyed what Coleman had to say.

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• The Right Side by Spencer Quinn — an injured soldier comes back from Afghanistan and as some trouble adjusting (to put it mildly). This is what I thought about it.
• The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch — A Peter Grant/Rivers of London novella, Ghosts and the London Underground — ’nuff said. If you care to glance at it, here’s what I had to say.
• SAUL by Bradley Horner — SF tale about a father trying to save his daughter. Horner writes some of the best reviews around, can’t wait to see what he produces on the other side of the fence.

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

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:

• Municipal Fantasy: Adventures in literary taxonomy On defining a new subgenre — A call for a redefinition of Urban Fantasy. Interesting to read.
• I’m A Teenager And I Don’t Like Young Adult Novels. Here’s Why. — there is much to commend in this thinking.
• 10 Famous Book Hoarders — huh
• Warren Zevon’s Massive Book Collection Is for Sale — found it interesting that both of these came up this week.
• 11 fictional dogs we wish we could bring to the office on Take your Dog to Work Day — doesn’t feature Atticus’ Oberon, Harry Dresden’s Mouse, or Bernie Little’s Chet — but a decent list nonetheless.

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• The Force by Don Winslow — Winslow writes about a corrupt group in the NYPD — the hype around this one is strong, and it looks good. Probably going to crack this one open Monday — can’t wait.
• The Deepest Grave by Harry Bingham — Last year, I’d fully intended on reading all the Fiona Griffiths novels after really getting sucked into the first. Whoops — 17 months later and not only haven’t I read another, there’s a new one.
• Indigo by Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Kelley Armstrong, Jonathan Maberry, Kat Richardson, Seanan McGuire, Tim Lebbon, Cherie Priest, James A. Moore, and Mark Morris — no, really — all those authors, one novel. I don’t get it, but I’m intrigued. The story about an investigative reporter/superpowered vigilante seems almost as interesting as see how all this works.
• Run Program by Scott Meyer — a rogue AI with the intelligence of a 6-year old gets loose and wreaks havoc. Which is an interesting starting point — add in the fact that this is Scott Meyer, so it’ll be well-told and funny. Likely a winner.

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

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 Grimm Brothers’ Other Great Project Was Writing a Giant German Dictionary
• Cover Story: ‘How to Fall in Love with Anyone’ — not a book I’m really interested in, but I almost always find these process stories fascinating. How do you design a cover for this book?
• Men in Small Rooms: In Search of Dad Lit — really enjoyed this essay.
• C.S. Lewis’s Greatest Fiction Was Convincing American Kids That They Would Like Turkish Delight — nice Lewis-esque title to accompany this great piece. Some great lines in this: ” It was like looking into Harry Potter’s Mirror of Erised, but for desserts: When you think of a treat worth betraying your family for, what do you see? Turkish Delight is our collective candy id.”
• Two Decades of Reading Beside the Woman I Love: They Met at a Bookstore and Have Been Reading Together Ever Since — even before the blurb at the end said he got his MFA at my alma mater, I enjoyed this essay by Matthew Sullivan
• On Tibbehah — Ace Atkins describes how he created Tibbehah County for his Quinn Colson series
• Luke Daniels reads from Beseiged — probably my favorite Audiobook narrator, Luke Daniels, gives a taste of the upcoming Kevin Hearne book.
• 5 Lessons Picture Books Teach Us That are (Sadly) Inaccurate — (the first comment is good, too)

A Book-ish Related Podcast Episode you might want to give a listen:
• A Stab In The Dark kicks off its second season with my chatting with Ian Rankin. I’m adding this one to the regular rotation (and listening to some back episodes)

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire — McGuire’s follow-up to the wonderful Every Heart a Doorway is almost as good — this one tells the story of Jack and Jill (the sisters, not the hill-climbers) before they found their door and of the adventures they found on the other side, all leading up to having to go toe Eleanor West’s Home. I tried to post about this yesterday, but sleep won out.
• The Data Disruption by Michael R. Underwood — Speaking of prequels, here’s the “lost pilot” to the Genrenauats series. The price is right — free. Check out the link for details.
• Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan — yes, the gentleman I referred to above. Glad I saw that essay, because it lead me to this: “When a bookshop patron commits suicide, his favorite store clerk must unravel the puzzle he left behind.” That’s got the makings of a good one.

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

I’ve been quiet over the last week, I know — I’ve discarded a couple of posts to try to get them in better shape. I have no illusions that I’m cranking out masterpieces every day or anything. Still, I want to do a decent job, especially with books/authors that I hope people will pay attention to. Hopefully I can either live up to my standards this week (or lower them).

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:

• How College Summer Reading Programs Are Failing Our Students – and Our Culture — I’m not endorsing the political stuff here, but the state of reading lists and how it changes the way readers are formed (in good and bad ways) will impact the way books are written (in good and bad ways)
• ‘There’s a reason women are buying more crime fiction’ — an interview with Paula Hawkins, who probably knows a thing or two about this
• The Best Ways to Support Independent Publishers — some good ideas that I need to follow
• The Data Disruption cover reveal — more Genrenauts!
• 12 Fictional Bookstores We Wish Were Real
• 21 signs You’re Addicted to READING!

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper — an ex-con kidnaps his daughter from school to save her life. Listen to him do a better job describing it on the last Two Crime Writers and a Microphone episode.
• Supreme Villainy A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Most (In)Famous Supervillain Memoir Never Published by King Oblivion, Matt D. Wilson — from the publisher’s site: “For eons, King Oblivion, Ph.D., was one of the most ruthless supervillains the world has ever known. As the CEO of the ISS (International Society of Supervillains) for half a century, he was personally responsible for numerous nefarious acts, including Nixon’s presidential election, stealing the country of Japan, Star Wars: Episode I–III, and Milli Vanilli, just to name a few.” This is his memoir. ‘Nuff said.
• And I mentioned this last week, because I know that’s what I read somewhere, but as I realized when I went to buy it after hitting “Publish,” it came out yesterday (and I’m sure about this date — it’s on my Kindle: Pulped by Timothy Hallinan — Tip of the Hat to Jo Perry for letting me know about this — what happens to a fictional detective when is series goes out of print and he becomes self-aware?

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to GEORGE SORIN VENETE and The Sound of One Man Laughing for following the blog this week.