Category: Currently Reading Page 4 of 57

WWW Wednesday, December 6, 2023

I can’t think of anything to blather on about today, so we might was well get right to the point:

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading The Last Dance by Mark Billingham, my first, but not last book by Billingham. I’m listening to the short story collection, Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic by Alex Bledsoe, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, with Alex Bledsoe and Gabrielle de Cuir on audiobook.

The Last DanceBlank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Lee Child and Andrew Child’s The Secret, the last Reacher novel I’ll read for a while. The last audiobook I listened to was The Ghosts of Sherwood by Carrie Vaughn, Angele Masters (Narrator) on audio, a quick blast of fun.

The SecretBlank SpaceThe Ghosts of Sherwood

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up) by Alexandra Petri , because I need a dose of humor after some of the dark stuff I’ve been reading lately (also, I was next on my library’s list), and my next audiobook should be Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire, Emily Bauer (Narrator).

Alexandra Petri's US HistoryBlank SpaceImaginary Numbers

Are you reading/listening to something good?

November 2023 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

I read 24 titles (1 down from last month, 2 up from last November), with an equivalent of 6,306+ pages* or the equivalent (351 down from last month, about the length of that one book I was short), and gave them an average of 3.8 stars (.3 up from last month). Five 4.5 star books is pretty remarkable–and one of those 5 stars books really should’ve been a 7 or 8.

Going to that Book Faire at the beginning of the month did not help my Mt. TBR at all. I’m not complaining, because I’m really looking forward to diving into those books. But I’m sitting on 30 more unread books that I own compared to last year in my second year of making a concerted effort to trim that number. I realize that math isn’t my strong suit, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t good.

Also, not good was the number of posts I produced. There were several outside-the-blog projects I was working on, but it wasn’t until last night when I started putting this together that I realized just how distracted I was by the outside stuff.

Still, I’m calling this a pretty good/decent month. Here’s the detailed look at November.

Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to

Black Summer The Innocent Sleep The Door-to-Door Bookstore
5 Stars 4 1/2 Stars 3 Stars
Unfolding Redemption Grand Theft Astro Chaos Terminal
3 Stars 3 Stars 4 Stars
Noodle Conquers Comfy Mountain Starter Villain Warriorborn
4 Stars 4 1/2 Stars 3.5 Stars
The Holy Spirit: An Introduction Bookshops & Bonedust Long Past Dues
4 1/2 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars
Movieland Up on the Woof Top How to Be Eaten
4 1/2 Stars 4 Stars 0 Stars
Things My Son Needs to Know about the World Calico Nerd
3.5 Stars 3.5 Stars? 3.5 Stars
Evil Valley Bea Wolf The Bittlemores
3 Stars 4 1/2 Stars 4 Stars
According to Mark Brokedown Prophets The Ghosts of Sherwood
5 Stars 4 Stars3 4 Stars

Still Reading

The Existence and Attributes of God A Mystery Revealed: 31 Meditations on the Trinity Regeneration and Redemptive History
Broken Trust

Ratings

5 Stars 2 2 1/2 Stars 0
4 1/2 Stars 5 2 Stars 0
4 Stars 8 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 4 1 Star 0
3 Stars 4 0 Stars 1
Average = 3.77

TBR Stacks/Piles/Heaps

Audio E-book Physical Goodreads
Want-to-Read
End of
2022
5 45 42 143
1st of the
Month
6 47 62 153
Added 6 2 14 1
Read/
Listened
5 2 7 1
Current Total 7 47 69 153

Breakdowns:
“Traditionally” Published: 18
Self-/Independent Published: 6 (eep!)

Genre This Month Year to Date
Children’s 1 (4%) 25 (9%)
Fantasy 3 (13%) 30 (11%)
General Fiction/ Literature 5 (21%) 25 (9%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller 5 (21%) 81 (29%)
Non-Fiction 2 (8%) 20 (7%)
Science Fiction 4 (17%) 31 (11%)
Theology/ Christian Living 2 (8%) 25 (9%)
Urban Fantasy 2 (8%) 31 (11%)
“Other” (Horror/ Humor/ Steampunk/ Western) 0 (0%) 8 (3%)

Review-ish Things Posted

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

Enough about me—how was your November??


November Calendar

WWW Wednesday, November 29, 2023

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading According to Mark by H.B. O’Neill, and boy howdy, am I going to spend a lot of energy talking about it next year when it’s published. I’m listening to The Bittlemores by Jann Arden on audiobook—which is so much better than I’d expected.

According to MarkBlank SpaceThe Bittlemores

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished the incredible Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith and Boulet (Illustrator) and the almost-as-good Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse by Maya Phillips (Narrator) on audio.

Bea WolfBlank SpaceNerd

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust by Mike Lupica, I hope the transition from Atkins to Lupica on the flagship Parker series is smooth. My next audiobook should be Brokedown Prophets by S. A. Cosby, narrated by a full cast—I have no idea what it’s about, really. I stopped reading at “S.A. Cosby.”

Broken TrustBlank SpaceBrokedown Prophets

What are reading as the year heads into its home stretch?

WWW Wednesday, November 22, 2023

It’s a weird week here in the States–a day off on Thursday (for most of us) followed by that “why did I bother to show up?” day on Friday. Thankfully, I have plenty of things to hide in/distract myself with. I hope you all have the same. Or that you live somewhere that the rest of the week is just Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. That seems like a good alternative.

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading–and should be finishing soon—Calico by Lee Goldberg, a heckuva stretch for Goldberg—I’m impressed with it (still not sure how much I’m enjoying it) and am listening to the funny, geeky, and insightful Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse by Maya Phillips (Narrator) on audiobook.

CalicoBlank SpaceNerd

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Spencer Quinn’s Up on the Woof Top, and Things My Son Needs to Know about the World by Fredrik Backman, Santino Fontana (Narrator) on audio—a quick hit of humor and heart that I really needed after DNFing a mess last week.

Up on the Woof TopBlank SpaceThings My Son Needs to Know about the World

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Evil Valley by Simon Hall, in a (surely vain) attempt to catch up on the series. My next audiobook should be The Bittlemores by Jann Arden, because it looked strange enough to deserve a look.

Evil ValleyBlank SpaceThe Bittlemores

What are you reading while preparing for/staving off the effects of tryptophan?

WWW Wednesday, November 15, 2023

I’d expected to come home last night excited and full of energy so that I could write up a post or two, catch up on comments and whatnot. Instead, I came home and went to sleep early. So, only step 1 of my plan was achieved (probably the most important one). Tomorrow will be different!

Probably.

But for now…let’s just get this WWW taken care of and I can start thinking about other things…

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the expectedly charming Up on the Woof Top by Spencer Quinn, and am listening to Movieland by Lee Goldberg, Nicol Zanzarella (Narrator) on audiobook.

Up on the Woof TopBlank SpaceMovieland

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished James J. Butcher’s Long Past Dues (and that guy knows how to write an ending) and the very sweet Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree (Narrator) on audio.

Long Past DuesBlank SpaceBookshops & Bonedust

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Calico by Lee Goldberg and my next audiobook should be How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann, Lauren Ezzo (Narrator). Both look intriguing, but I’m not really sure what to expect (although, really, it’s Goldberg, I’m probably going to have a blast)

CalicoBlank SpaceHow to Be Eaten

What are you reading this week?

WWW Wednesday, November 8, 2023

So apparently, November is my month of over-committing—and boy howdy, is it catching up to me the last week or so. There’ve been 2 days since my last WWW where I’ve read for less than 20 minutes, which is not doing my psyche a lot of favors, either. But, this isn’t time for my therapy, it’s time for a WWW, so let’s move along to 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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading (and hopefully finishing tomorrow) Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty, which isn’t the sequel I was expecting—and is maybe better for it. I finished an audiobook this afternoon, and not starting another until tomorrow, so I’ve got nothing in this spot.

Chaos Terminal

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Seanan McGuire’s The Innocent Sleep and Grand Theft Astro by Scott Meyer, Elizabeth Evans (Narrator) on audio. I didn’t know it was legal for a Scott Meyer novel to be recorded by anyone other than Luke Daniels, but it worked.

The Innocent SleepBlank SpaceGrand Theft Astro

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Starter Villain by John Scalzi and my next audiobook should be Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree (Narrator).

Starter VillainBlank SpaceBookshops & Bonedust

Are you reading anything good?

October 2023 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

In October, I finished 25 titles (3 down from last month, the same number as last October), with 6,657+ pages or the equivalent (1,000-ish down from last month), and gave them an average of 3.5 stars (.3 down from last month). Nothing to write home about—but still pretty good. I enjoyed almost everything I read, which is good enough for me.

I really didn’t write enough posts about particular titles—my To Write pile is getting even more daunting all the time. But I did get a lot of other things posted, which makes me very happy.

All in all, it was a good month, a busy month, and one that had a lot of fun things here to look at and read. I’m calling it a win. Here’s a more detailed look at what happened here in October.

Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to

The Atonement: An Introduction Spider-Man’s Bad Connection Summer Hours at the Robbers Library
4 1/2 Stars 3 Stars 2 1/2 Stars
Endangered Saint Valentine the Kindhearted The Third Eye
3 Stars 3.5 Stars 4 Stars
Evidence Pool Evil Embers The Ostler
3 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars
Partial Function Love Stories That Old Cloak and Dagger Routine
5 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars
Death on the Beach Winter's Gift Blood Runs Cold
3 Stars 3.5 Stars 3.5 Stars
But Have You Read the Book? The Aeronaut's Windlass Healed
2 1/2 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars
How I Won a Nobel Prize A Good Rush of Blood That Ain't Witchcraft
3 Stars 4 Stars 5 Stars
Cunk on Everything Sleep No More Sundry Notes of Music
4 Stars 4 Stars Still deciding
The Mysteries
4 1/2 Stars

Still Reading

The Existence and Attributes of God A Mystery Revealed: 31 Meditations on the Trinity The Holy Spirit: An Introduction
Black Summer The Innocent Sleep

Ratings

5 Stars 2 2 1/2 Stars 2
4 1/2 Stars 2 2 Stars 0
4 Stars 6 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 3 1 Star 0
3 Stars 10
Average = 3.54

TBR Stacks/Piles/Heaps

Audio E-book Physical Goodreads
Want-to-Read
End of
2022
5 45 42 143
1st of the
Month
5 51 58 151
Added 3 2 7 2
Read/
Listened
2 6 3 0
Current Total 6 47 62 153

Breakdowns:
“Traditionally” Published: 15
Self-/Independent Published: 10

Genre This Month Year to Date
Children’s 1 (4%) 24 (9%)
Fantasy 5 (20%) 27 (11%)
General Fiction/ Literature 3 (12%) 20 (8%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller 7 (28%) 76 (30%)
Non-Fiction 1 (5%) 18 (7%)
Science Fiction 1 (4%) 11 (27%)
Theology/ Christian Living 1 (4%) 23 (9%)
Urban Fantasy 4 (16%) 29 (11%)
“Other” (Horror/ Humor/ Steampunk/ Western) 1 (4%) 8 (3%)

Review-ish Things Posted

Other Things I Wrote
Other than the Saturday Miscellanies (7th, 14th (DIY Edition), 21st, and 28th), I also wrote:

Enough about me—how Was Your Month?


October Calendar

WWW Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Other than a lingering cough, I’ve somehow survived the Man Cold, much to the surprise of…well, me. If you’re reading this, it means I fought through the interruptions of candy-hungry scavengers to complete a thou

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the second Toby Daye book of 2023, The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire, and I’m listening to Black Summer by M.W. Craven, John Banks (Narrator) on audiobook (and am enjoying it just as much the second time through!).

The Innocent SleepBlank SpaceBlack Summer

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Ian Shanes’s Sundry Notes of Music–you’ll see some very complimentary words about it here soon–and That Ain’t Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire, Emily Bauer (Narrator) on audio.

Sundry Notes of MusicBlank SpaceThat Ain't Witchcraft

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty and my next audiobook should be The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, Raphael Corkhill (Narrator). I’m looking forward to seeing how Lafferty follows up Station Eternity and I have no idea what to expect out Henn’s book, but I apparently have to check out every bookstore/library-related audiobook that the library presents me with.

Chaos TerminalBlank SpaceThe Door-to-Door Bookstore

How are you starting November?

Opening Lines: Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David

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.

Going back a couple of decades for this one, but I came across it recently and it just about pulled me in for a day or three.

As I stood there with the sword in my hand, the blade dripping blood on the floor, I couldn’t help but wonder if the blood belonged to my father.

The entire thing had happened so quickly that I wasn’t quite sure how to react. Part of me wanted to laugh, but most of me fairly cringed at what had just occurred. I didn’t do particularly well with blood. This tended to be something of a hardship for one endeavoring to become a knight, dedicated to serving good King Runcible of Isteria, a ruler who more often than not had his heart in the right place.

The recently slain knight also had his heart in the right place. This had turned out to be something of an inconvenience for him. After all, if his heart had been in the wrong place, then the sword wouldn’t have pierced it through, he wouldn’t be dead, and I wouldn’t have been in such a fix.

from Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David
Sir Apropos of Nothing Cover

Opening Lines Logo

WWW Wednesday, October 25, 2023

I’m suffering from the worst sickness known to humanity, while not fatal, it might as well be thanks to the degree of suffering we who have succumbed to it have to endure–yes, my friends, I have a Man Cold. Pity my poor wife.

I have still managed to read a bit, however. Let’s take a look at how things are going this week.

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the goofy Cunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena by Philomena Cunk, the grim and compelling A Good Rush of Blood by Matt Phillips, and am listening to That Ain’t Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire, Emily Bauer (Narrator) on audiobook.

Cunk on EverythingBlank SpaceA Good Rush of BloodBlank SpaceThat Ain't Witchcraft

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Carrie Alani’s Healed and How I Won a Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto, Lauren Fortgang (Narrator) on audio.

HealedBlank SpaceHow I Won a Nobel Prize

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire. I’m not sure what my next audiobook will be, it’ll depend on what (if any) holds at the library become available.

Sleep No MoreBlank Space???

What’s got your attention lately?

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