Category: News/Misc. Page 220 of 229

Saturday Miscellany — 1/11/14

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On January 11, 2014

In Books, News/Misc.

Sorry this is late today, stuff at work happened that I won’t get into because: 1. you don’t care, 2. you wouldn’t believe me. Anyway, here are the odds ‘n ends from this last week about books, authors and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Saturday Miscellany – 1/4/14

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On January 4, 2014

In Books, Calendar Items, News/Misc.

This is the biggest of my weekly collections of odds and ends (especially years’ ends) that caught my eye. 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:

There were a lotta good reads in 2013, here are a few readers’ takes on the best of the year. I was hoping to have my list ready, but it’ll take another day or two:

And a couple of glimpses into 2014:

    This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:

  • Twenty Palaces by Harry Connolly is now in hardcopy! Should probably pick up a copy to go with the rest of the series.
  • Gryphon Precinct by Keith R.A. DeCandido — I enjoyed the first of these, need to get my hands on the rest
  • That’s it for this week, but next week has a few that look good, 2014’s going to be off to a great start

2014 New Year’s Reading Resolutions

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On January 1, 2014

In Books, Calendar Items, News/Misc.

Since I was 7, books and reading have pretty much dominated my life, so it’s not too surprising that the only New Year’s Resolutions that I can come up with revolve around them. Here are a few to get things kicked off:

  • Come up with a response for all the people who say things like, “I notice you’re reading a lot of novels lately” — as if they’re a second-class (or worse) thing to read.
  • Think more about what I read (this blog helps, but I need to do more)
  • Enjoy what I’m reading more — the process, the moments, the words.
  • Re-read more. I think I re-read 6 books last year, not even 5% of my total. I’ve got shelves and shelves of things that I want(ed) to read again — I should do that.
  • Do a better job here — in the reviews/rants as well as in branching out — posts about books/authors, not just about a particular book.

On the more micro-side — books in particular — I still don’t have a “big” aim or goal like I have most of the last few years, but I have a few smaller ones.

… all in 190 books or so.

Enough blather, gotta hit the books.

Happy New Reading Year!

By

On December 31, 2013

In Calendar Items, News/Misc.

I’ve really abandoned things around here lately, haven’t I? Between the busy-ness of the holiday season, kids being home from school and demanding attention — and the silly, ego-driven need to read a few more books to meet my year end goal (with a few hours to spare), things were just too busy for me to update this. I did try to do a Saturday Miscellany post last week, but couldn’t find enough to make up a post (not going to be a problem this week!).

Anyway, 2013 was pretty productive for me: 190 books (down from 206 last year) and a few short stories, graphic novels, and whatnot — mostly good, some great, a few not; a whole new blog (this one here, in case you were wondering)’ a bunch of reviews (not as many as I’d hoped). Which basically boils down to a lot of time spent with books — just about my favorite way to spend time.

Thanks for those of you who’ve read this, are following this blog. Hope you’ve had a good 2013, and may we all have a better 2014.

2014

Random Ruminations: Richard Russo and Looking Ahead to 2014

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On December 20, 2013

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc.

I’m about at the halfway point in Richard Russo’s The Bridge of Sighs and have just about decided that if I were to find myself in a Master’s program in Literature, I could very easily be content studying the minutiae of his work. I’m sure I could find enough for a few theses at least. Of course, I have no incentive to do more than come up with vague notions and theories, so I’ll have to trust that somewhere out there is an academic with a stronger drive than I and hope I run across their writing.

Besides, if I actually had the chance to do that kind of reading, researching and writing, I’d end up going with Rex Stout, Robert B. Parker or Jim Butcher.

When I finish this book, I’ll be just three books short of most of my goals for the year (10 short of the total I’d hoped to hit — still might make that, but it’s looking grim). I’ll have read all of Russo’s novels at least once; I’m one short of Hemingway’s novels (and a couple of his posthumous works, which I typically don’t do); and 1 to go in both the Stephanie Plum and Kinsey Millhone series to get up to this year’s release (I did that with Jack Reacher this week, and a couple weeks ago totally caught up on the Andy Carpenter books). I’m not sure that actually made sense — hopefully my year-end 2013 post will be clearer.

I’m pretty clueless about what I hope to accomplish in 2014 — get caught up on the Temeraire novels (an unfulfilled 2013 goal), read the rest of the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith and Longmire books. But nothing of a more serious vein. Need to get to work on that — and, as always, I’m open to suggestions.

Which, by the way, is a long way of saying I’m not going to get a rant, rave, or review up today — Russo’s sapping all my attention and energy for the moment, so I could only jot down these few random thoughts.

Have a good Friday, and — always, always — thanks for reading.

Saturday Miscellany — 12/14

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On December 14, 2013

In Books, DVD/Movie, 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 of those ever-so-rare weeks that has nothing new I want to read. Or, my TBR pile stays the same dangerous size.

Saturday Miscellany – 12/7

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On December 7, 2013

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Mostly lighthearted odds ‘n ends this week about books and reading that caught my eye — apparently all from 2 sites. Really, I do read other sites.

    This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon — easy to guess if you’ve read this site much lately:

  • Lost Covenant by Ari Marmell — bah. I’d have saved dusting off the first two in this series until I could post them with the review for this if I’d paid attention.
  • The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly — The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, is back! Hearing many, many good things about this one.

Saturday Miscellany – 11/30

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On November 30, 2013

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:

    I didn’t see any new releases this week that grabbed my attention — hardly any that didn’t, either. Which is fine — am sure December will be full of them — and I have a lot to catch up on from earlier in the month/year anyway.

Opening lines – Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi

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On November 26, 2013

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Opening Lines, Quotations, Science Fiction

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

—–

Nothing pisses me off more than being shot at while I’m eating. It’s the midday rush here in my new favorite restaurant, a cozy Hungarian joint on East 82nd Street. I’m jammed into a small table by the kitchen, with a Redskins cap pulled low over my face. The charming old dining room is packed, and the paneled walls echo the Eastern European barks of the broad, buxom waitresses as they dominate the good-humored customers. The food here is spectacular, but right now I’m kind of distracted by that bullet hurtling straight at my left eye.

from Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi

Saturday Miscellany — 11/23

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On November 23, 2013

In Books, Janet Evanovich, News/Misc., Stephanie Plum

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:

    Just one New Releases this week on any of my lists:

  • Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich — I’m still 2 behind, plan on catching up on the paperbacks by the end of this year, will probably wait ’til this is out in paperback to read it, but it’s notable the series made it this far.

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