Category: News/Misc. Page 32 of 230

WWW Wednesday—February 12, 2025

On February 12, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

It’s the 43rd day of the year, also known as February 12. And you know if I’m resorting to counting the days, I don’t have a lot to say by way of introduction. So let’s just get on with it.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuire	Passageways by Rebecca Carey Lyles, Editor	The Greatest Nobodies of History: Minor Characters from Major Moments by Adrian Bliss

I just started the ARC for the upcoming InCryptid novel from McGuire, and am eager to see what kind of mess was left after the last book.

1.5 years after I was given this short story collection by Becky Lyles, I’m done putting it off.

This book by Bliss is an interesting mix of humor and history (heavy on the former, but informed by the latter). Love the concept, if nothing else.

What did you recently finish reading?


Anxious People by Fredrik Backman	Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, read by Barton Welch

Backman’s Anxious People was hilarious, touching, sobering, heart-warming, and wise.

I appreciated going through Stevenson’s book again, I was able to better appreciate the structure, the way he set everything up, and so on without being distracted by all the twists, turns, and reveals.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson	Long Past Dues by James J. Butcher, read by James Patrick Cronin

Snow Crash is the selection for the SciFi Book Club this month–somehow, I’ve yet to make it past the first third of the book in the decades I’ve spent trying, as much as I’ve enjoyed that third. That streak ends soon.

I remember being thrown by the way Butcher’s second novel ended. It’ll be good to revisit this and to see how he laid the groundwork for it.

Do you have a date with a book for St. Valentine’s Day, or are you going for something more conventional?

Book Blogger Hop: How Do You Read Book Series?

By HCNewton

On February 12, 2025

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Idea-ist @ Get Lost in Literature:

Do you prefer to read series one book after another, or can you read other books in between?

Once upon a time, I used to binge-read series. One after another after another like Lays potato chips. But I don’t let myself do that anymore–there are two reasons for this,

I kept losing track of which novel was which, they just ran together into one huge book. Which doesn’t sound all that bad, but it took away from appreciating each novel as its own thing. (some TV critics have said the same thing about releasing/watching an entire season of a show at once instead of the week-by-week approach).
Burnout. Part of this is spill-over from the one-giant novel effect. But really, just too much of a series voice at once just cuts the effectiveness of it.

If we’re talking series with several volumes released, I typically like to do one book a month or so. Enough time to soak in the details, ruminate on each book (hopefully write a post on it), and then get into the next book.

Huh. I thought I had more to say on this than that.

What about you, are you a binger or do you stretch things out?

Opening Lines: The Greatest Nobodies of History by Adrian Bliss

By HCNewton

On February 11, 2025

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

Head & Shoulders used to tell us that, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s true for wearing dark shirts, and it’s especially true for books. Sometimes the characters will hook the reader, sometimes the premise, sometimes it’s just knowing the author—but nothing beats a great opening for getting a reader to commit.

I think it was Julius Caesar’s barber who once said, “Everyone remembers the heroes, but it is the nobodies who make history,” which was just so like him. He was right, of course. If Genghis Khan’s childhood nanny had been a touch more attentive, and if Alexander the Great’s friends hadn’t suggested a group trip to Persia, everything would’ve been different. Neither you nor I would be here and this book would never have been published. Thankfully, in this timeline, everyone did their bit, from Michelangelo’s marble dealer to Cleopatra’s hairstylist and as such, we are all here, and so is this book.

from The Greatest Nobodies of History: Minor Characters from Major Moments By Adrian Bliss

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MUSIC MONDAY: “Crunchy Granola Suite” by Neil Diamond

By HCNewton

On February 10, 2025

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

I love this bit from the Wikipedia page about the song:

David Wild in his book He Is– I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond, said, “he managed to write the coolest song ever written about granola or any other breakfast food made of rolled oats, nuts and honey”.

(and you know I’m hunting for that book as soon as I hit “Schedule” on this post)

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Saturday Miscellany—2/8/25

By HCNewton

On February 8, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet US Authors Guild to certify books from ‘human intellect’ rather than AI—Good idea. Sad that it’s necessary, but glad to see it. Click here to see the Guild’s site.
bullet Book publishers, authors, Donnelly Public Library sue Idaho officials over library materials law—’tis a stupid law, and I wish this suit success.
bullet Local bookstores, dealt another blow by L.A. fires, become ‘community touchstones’
bullet Children’s Editors on the Worst Places They Were Ever Pitched—at least one of these will make you snicker
bullet My First Thriller: Lee Goldberg—a good look at Goldberg’s roots
bullet A Literary Crossword for Book People—a little fun for the day
bullet Domestication Interview with Author Shannon Knight—looking forward to watching this
bullet I must be in a certain frame of mind this morning, here’s another quick grin-inducer from @writesofnovember (November J. Brown) on Threads
bullet Will 2025 Be the Return of the Classic?—one might be tempted to ask where they went, but I know I shouldn’t.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Nothing, really. It was a very slow month for me on the blog-front. I believe there was a lot of traveling, preparation for traveling, and recovering from traveling going on. However,
bullet I did post a Saturday Miscellany, and noted the release of Funny Girl by Nick Hornby; The Way Into Darkness by Harry Connolly; and Covenant’s End by Ari Marmelltitle.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Little Aiden: A Big Kid Book for Toddlers by Albert and Anna Choi, Bettina Braskó (Illustrator)—A cute book for toddlers that happens to be free until midnight PST. Grandpappy’s Corner featured it yesterday.
bullet Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations by Alton Brown—Brown “shares exactly what’s on his mind, mixing compelling anecdotes from his personal and professional life with in-depth observations on the culinary world, film, personal style, defining meals of his lifetime, and much more.” You pretty much have to get this in audio, right? You’re going to hear his voice in your head when you read it anyway, cut out the middle-man (i.e., your brain) to make it easier.
bullet Dead in the Frame by Stephen Spotswood—after the cliff-hanger Spotswood left us on, I have no need to read a blurb. I just need resolution!
bullet The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul by Alan Sepinwall—Sepinwall’s book on Breaking Bad was fantastic. Surely this will be the same.

Week 1 Check-in: I’m Reading Every Day in February for the American Cancer Society

By HCNewton

On February 8, 2025

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc.

No one is a fan of cancer. I daresay there’s no one ambivalent toward it.* We’ve all had our lives, the lives of family, friends, acquaintances, coworkers, and even pets devastated by it in one form or another. Fighting cancer, researching better ways to fight it, preventing it–all are laudatory ends. So, I participated in this fundraiser last year on a lark—I’m pretty much going to read every day anyway–let’s see if I can earn some money for a good cause, right?

But this year, it’s personal. Last year, four people in my family dealt with cancer in some significant ways. Three of us seem to have dealt with it successfully—we’re not unscathed, but aside from follow-up tests, we’re pretty much done with it. One member of the family is undergoing treatment now, and we all have high hopes, although the road is a bit bumpy. So it’s not a lark this time, and I’m going to talk more about it than I did last year. (I probably should’ve taken it more seriously last year, but it’s too late to do something about that now).

So please, friends and readers, Donate. Every little bit helps. So, please, chip in. And watch this space as I fill in this calendar (and hopefully, the thermometer). Week One has brought a couple of more donors, making good progress at the goal. I’ve also chatted with some others who are planning to donate–which warms the cockles of my heart. Thanks for the support!!

I’ve heard there are some glitches, and it seems like a particular social network is being invasive while trying to pay. If you want to help and don’t want to deal with that, send me a message and we’ll work something out!

Here’s a quick glance at my month’s reading to date.

* As soon as I typed that, I could imagine someone objecting to that characterization. But I’m going to pretend to have faith in humanity and keep the sentence.

January 2025 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By HCNewton

On February 7, 2025

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

This is a little late, but I did manage to get it I read 19 titles (the same as last month, 2 more than last January), with an equivalent of 5,308 pages or the equivalent (4,061 down from last month), and gave them an average of 3.8 stars (.1 down from last month).

I’m not crazy about all the things I meant to post and didn’t–but I’m pretty happy with what I managed to post. I’m not going to go deeper than that. Doing anything but doomscroll lately seems like a victory, really.

Anyway, here’s what happened here in January.
Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to

Still Reading

Cover of Wisdom for Life by Michael P. V. Barrett

Cover of Called to Freedom by Brad Littlejohn

Cover of The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

Ratings

		Average =	3.8
	2		0
	3		0
	6		0
	3		0
	5

TBR Stacks/Piles/Heaps

	Audio	E-book	Physical	Goodreads Want-to-Read	NetGalley Shelf/ARCs/Review Copies
End of 2024	3	68	78	167	10
1st of the Month	3	68	78	167	10
Added	3	1	7	1	3
Read/ Listened	2	1	5	0	4
Current Total	4	68	80	168	9

Breakdowns:
“Traditionally” Published: 17
Self-/Independent Published: 2 (wince!)

Genre	This Month	Year to Date
Children’s	1 (5%)	1 (5%)
Fantasy	2 (11%)	2 (11%)
General Fiction/ Literature	1 (5%)	1 (5%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	5 (26%)	5 (26%)
Non-Fiction	3 (16%)	3 (16%)
Science Fiction	2 (11%)	2 (11%)
Theology/ Christian Living	3 (16%)	3 (16%)
Urban Fantasy	2 (11%)	2 (11%)
“Other” (Horror/ Humor/ Steampunk/ Western)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)

Review-ish Things Posted

The Big Empty by Robert Crais: The Muffins Rode Shotgun
A Few Thoughts on The Bang-Bang Sisters (Audiobook) by Rio Youers, read by Kristen Sieh
Glorifying and Enjoying God by William Boekestein, Jonathan Landry Cruse, Andrew J. Miller: Heartfelt Application of the Classic Tool
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay: Vigilante Power Coupling
Institutes of Elenctic Theology Vol. 3: Eighteenth through Twentieth Topics by Francis Turretin: A Master Class on Theology and Methodology Concludes
Robert B. Parker’s Hot Property by Mike Lupica: Even Tough-As-Nails Attorneys are Mortal
The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller: A Football Book for Non-Sports Fans
Broken Bonds by Amy Mantravadi: 16th Century Figures Come to Life in This Novel
Pigeon-Blood Red (Audiobook) Ed Duncan, read by Dave Keyser: No Muss, No Fuss, Just a Solid Thriller
Grandpappy’s Corner: I Am a Big Brother by Caroline Jayne Church: A Sweet Instructional/Motivational Guide
REPOST: Lessons From Lucy by Dave Barry: America’s Funniest Human Tries to Learn a Few New Tricks from an Old Dog
Another take on Robert B. Parker’s Hot Property is here: GUEST POST: Upon Further Review . . . by Robert Germaux

Other Things I Wrote
Other than the Saturday Miscellanies (4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th), I also wrote:

Enough about me—how Was Your Month?

WWW Wednesday—February 5, 2025

By HCNewton

On February 5, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

This was supposed to be the second post of the day. Pretty sure the other one won’t be finished today after all. It’s more difficult than it should be to talk about a book you didn’t enjoy, didn’t think was well-executed, but has some good points. But anyway…let’s focus on the WWW Wednesday.

Also, let me remind you that you can Donate to my American Cancer Society fundraiser here.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


Promise by Christi Nogle	How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds by Alan Jacobs	Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire, read by Emily Bauer

Nogle doesn’t stray too far from her Horror-norm in a lot of these short stories (at least those at the beginning of the collection), but at the halfway point, there hasn’t been a dud in this batch of creepy SF shorts.

Jacobs’ book is one of those that were I king for the day, I’d make everyone read. (which probably violates some of what the book is trying to convey).

And Aftermarket Afterlife is just as hard to take the second time, which is why I haven’t written about it yet. The wounds are still fresh. (that’s all a compliment, btw)

What did you recently finish reading?


Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis	The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong, read by Phyllis Ho

Lewis’ second novel is outrageously laughable if you think of it as SF, if you don’t, it’s a pretty good time.

I expected Leong’s book to be light entertainment—and it was. But it was more that that, too. One of my favorites in months.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Anxious People by Fredrik Backman	Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, read by Barton Welch

My fourth foray into “Read everything Backman writes ASAP” since 2016. Clearly, I’m not so good at the ASAP part. But, whatever.

I want to dip my toe back into Stevenson’s brilliantly creative take on murder mysteries before I try the second in this series.

How are you kicking off February?

MUSIC MONDAY: “Colors” by April Smith and the Great Picture Show

By HCNewton

On February 3, 2025

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

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Saturday Miscellany—2/1/25

By HCNewton

On February 1, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Yeah, this is on the late side. Sorry about that. It’s been one of those days full of fun busy-ness.

BTW, I don’t think I officially mentioned it (I did hint at it inGrandpappy’s Corner: I Am a Big Brother by Caroline Jayne Church: A Sweet Instructional/Motivational Guide ), but as of Tuesday, I have a new Grandcritter crittering around. It’s just as great the second time (for anyone who wondered).

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Read Ebooks. Support Local Bookstores.—Bookshop.org is selling ebooks! It’s not quite at the stage most of us want, but it’s a start!
bullet Urgent Messages from Eternity—an exhibit of Kafka’s postcards, letters, and manuscript pages. I won’t be able to drop by myself (thanks, Geography). But I wish I could.
bullet Why children’s books?—I’ve read many similar pieces over the years, this might be the best. Also, I love the Coleridge quotation it starts with.
bullet Reading Writing About Reading and Writing—Molly Templeton’s latest
bullet A Place for All My Books—”A cozy board game about collecting good books & the joy of organizing them.” A Kickstarter campaign you may be interested in
bullet Setting Realistic Reading Goals for 2025—”Realistic Goals”??? I didn’t know that was an option.
bullet Rediscovering the Joy of Reading
bullet How to Cultivate a Reading Habit and Read More Books
bullet Does anyone care about book blogging anymore?—Did many (outside of ourselves and a few friends) ever care?
bullet Raven’s January- Read Like Nobody’s Watching… —Raven’s off to a good start
bullet 5 Tips for Writing a Book Review That Readers Will Enjoy—Now’s as good a time for me to start as any
bullet Captivating Character of January—a new feature/link party from Carol at Reading Ladies.
bullet Audiobooks and Reading Are/Not the Same—Dulin tries to work some nuance into this discussion. Silly man…nuance on the Internet in 2025?
bullet Spotlighting Beatrix Potter! Why I LOVE Peter Rabbit and Co
bullet Books I’ve Read With Protagonists Aged 50+
bullet Book Shopping Alternatives to Amazon—a handy resource

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Agatha H. and the Voice of the Castle by Phil & Kaja Foglio
bullet The Shoulders of Giants by Jim Cliff
bullet Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh
bullet Gemini Cell by Myke Cole; Fairest by Marissa Meyer; and Jacaranda by Cherie Priest

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Dead Money by Jakob Kerr—A lawyer/problem solver (not a fixer gets pulled into a murder investigation in Silicon Valley.
bullet Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan—Everyone’s favorite cryptozoologist/bookstore owner is on the hunt for a hodag (a thing that I’ve absolutely heard of before)
bullet We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin—So I know what Gaylin can do with Parker’s characters, am curious about what she does with her own.