Tag: Currently Reading Page 8 of 13

I’m a whiny bookwyrm today. I got hit by a ton of bricks masquerading as a mild cold yesterday and it’s really knocked me for a loop. And everyone in earshot knows just how miserable I am. (typical guy, I know, I know…I don’t plan on changing that. Self-improvement is not my bag)

But you didn’t come here to read me go on and on about that (and I could). So, let’s turn to the WWW.

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?

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein	Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor; read by Ray Porter

I might have read a Heinlein book in Middle School—I honestly don’t remember if I finished it. But he’s one of those guys you often wonder if you missed something by skipping. So, I might as well, right? Also, it’s the book that the SF Book Club will be discussing next week.

Not Till We Are Lost continues Taylor’s effort to explore deeper and darker issues—while not losing all the yuks. I’m really enjoying this.

What did you recently finish reading?

Hermit of Paradise by Kim Sanders	Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, read by Keval Shah

The less said about Hermit of Paradise the better. So…Dreadful is about a dark wizard who wakes up in his lab, with no recollection of his name, his goals, why he has a princess locked up in a cell, or pretty much anything else. It’s worth the time. Also…last week, in our RPG session, I ended up playing a necromancer who had no memory of his abilities (or that he was a necromancer). It was a nice bit of coincidental timing, and I probably owe Rozakis something for borrowing so much.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Spook Street by Mick Herron	Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan, Dave Keyser

I had to put Spook Street on hold Monday so I could hit a couple of deadlines…can’t wait to get back to this. A fantastic setup from Herron, can’t wait for the other 2/3.

Pigeon-Blood Red looks like a promising crime thriller. Intrigued by it.

How do you distract yourself from colds/flu/etc.? TV, a comfort read, whatever’s next on the TBR, rewatching beloved movies? (I’m a combination–I used to turn to Rex Stout like chicken soup). What are you reading now (hopefully while healthy)?

I got new glasses today and the vertigo-ish feeling from wearing them is not my favorite thing in the world. I can’t wait for that to be over with.

Also, to paraphrase a certain Fez/Bowtie/Stetson-wearing Mad Man: I wear trifocals now. Trifocals are cool.

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?

Robert B. Parker’s Buzz Kill by Alison Gaylin	Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, read by Keval Shah

Weeks after I initially tried (aka the week it was released) I get to dive into Gaylin’s second at-bat with Sunny Randall in Buzz Kill.

Dreadful is a fun light fantasy with a lot of heart, and I really wish I got to spend more time listening to it today.

What did you recently finish reading?

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke	Constituent Service by John Scalzi, read by Amber Benson

I’m going to be writing a post for A New Lease on Death soon, but the tl;dr version is this: of the four Blacke novels I’ve read/enjoyed, this is the best.

Consistent Service is zany Scalzi SF humor with a dynamite job from Benson. (she’s gotta be in the running for my coveted 1st Annual Narrator of the Year designation)

What do you think you’ll read next?

Spook Street by Mick Herron	Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor; read by Ray Porter

Spook Street is likely up next. Not (just) so I can watch the new season of Slow Horses.

And unless I hear about an audio review copy or a library hold that comes up, I get to catch up with the new Bobiverse book. Which should be fun. Maybe a little dark. But fun.

What’s keeping you busy/entertaining you/distracting you from life in general?

So, it turns out I reserved, and checked out, the ebook for What You Are Looking for Is in the Library last week, whoops. Back for another 6 week wait on that one. It’s been a week of writer’s block and fatigue so far–maybe not block, but writer’s dissatisfaction. Which is results in the same thing. But hey…let’s do a quick WWW check in anyway, and I can pretend I’m a consistent blogger.

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?

My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby	On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune Godedited by Matthew Barrett	How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley, read by Clare Corbett

Cosby’s first novel isn’t as polished as his second one–but he hits you with his talent on every page. (at least so far) Yeah, Blacktop Wasteland was a leap ahead of this one. But I’d buy a handful of books of this caliber without a complaint.

I should finish with the Barret book by the end of the week–I should be done with it by now, actually. It’s not a book that should be read this quickly–and when I re-read it, I will take weeks longer to do so.

I’m not sure what to think of Pooley’s novel yet. There are parts that are a lot of fan–and there are parts that are just there. It’s Gayle’s All the Lonely People meets How the Penguins Saved Veronica with a dash of Richard Osman thrown in. I’m not quite at the halfway point as of this writing–I’ll have more to say soon.

What did you recently finish reading?

The More the Terrier by David Rosenfelt	Starter Villain by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton

Hopefully you’ll see my thoughts about The More the Terrier this week, but the short version is: reliably entertaining with a dash of holiday cheer.

It took me a little longer to finish Starter Villain than I expected–it was just one of those weeks. That just prolonged the time I got to spend in that world. I’m ready to listen again (well, not really…it’s still too fresh. But give me a couple of months…)

What do you think you’ll read next?

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke	Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller, read by January LaVoy

I wondered if Olivia Black was done with the Record Shop Mysteries by the end of the last one, and it certainly appears she is with the launch of this new series. So, what is it? It’s got an Odd Couple-ish pair of roommates solving supernatural mysteries in Boston. The grumpy roommate is a new ghost, and the younger, happier woman is alive. Hard to get more mismatched than that.

The Library brought me Lula Dean’s Little Library again, so I can finish it–and decide if it was worth coming back to.

Tell me what kinds of things you’re reading that I should add to my pile.

This turned into a read or blog kind of day, given a bunch of looming Library due dates, I’m opting for the former. But I’ll still try to get this done on time. Allyson—yes, I do still read all the comments, and “respond to comments” is always the next thing on my list. I just need to get better at checking the box ahead of 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?

Blind to Midnight by Reed Farrel Coleman	Starter Villain by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton

Blind to Midnight starts off strong (even after this afternoon’s post), and…well, that’s all I know. But I’m looking forward to seeing more.

I’m enjoying Starter Villain just as much the second time as I did the first, I can just sit back and enjoy the lunacy without wondering what’s coming next. Wheaton’s doing a bang-up job. (I should’ve finished this today, but I didn’t get a chance to open the app–just one of those days. Been a long time since I couldn’t listen at work)

What did you recently finish reading?

Black Maria by Christine Boyer	Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune by Keith Thomson, ready by Feodor Chin

Black Maria ended up satisfying most of the expectations I expressed yesterday and surpassed them. The things I wrongly predicted, I’m very glad I did. Boyer’s version (as you’d expect) was better than mine was. Solid story, well told.

Brief thoughts on Born to Be Hanged: amusingly written, interesting story, and I could barely pay attention. I’m not sure if that’s me, the narrator, or the text. I’d believe any of those, or a combination.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The More the Terrier by David Rosenfelt	What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, read by Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, Winson Ting, and Shiro Kawai

I’m going to need the lightness of the next David Rosenfelt holiday novel, based on the opening paragraphs (alone) of Blind to Midnight.

A friend recommended What You Are Looking for Is in the Library, saying it’s similar to No Two Persons. That’s good enough for me.

Do you try to go for something seasonal—either harvest season/fall-like or spooky this time of year? Or do you just read whatever’s next?

No intro today…I really don’t have much to say. 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?

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson	On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God edited by Matthew Barrett	An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka, read by Will Watt

I’ve barely scratched the surface of The Space Between Worlds but I can tell that this is one that’s going to mess with my head, but the writing is so nice that I don’t care. I’m reading this for a SF Book Club that meets next week. I’ve never tried a book club before, I’m looking forward to doing that (he says days in advance, we’ll see if my introversion will let me leave the house).

I’m still plugging away at On Classical Trinitarianism, it’s rewarding…but I spend a lot of time feeling that I’m not quite smart enough to read it. But I’m getting enough out of it to put up with feeling like I’m wearing a dunce cap.

I’m not far in An Inheritance of Magic, but I’m digging Watt’s narration and am enjoying revisiting this world before An Instruction in Shadow releases next month.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo	Sleepless City by Reed Farrel Coleman, read by Peter Giles

Russo’s latest novel is one of those where you end up reading a lot further in each session than 1. you intended to and 2. you realize until you stop. I don’t know if it’s the story, the character, or his prose—but something just moved so smoothly about this. I’ll try to say more soon—and I should have a Q&A with Russo about it, too.

I’d like to say I adjusted to Giles’ narration, but his raspy narration and a couple of interesting (to try to be charitable) pronunciation choices never really settled with me. I did like some of the supporting character voices and accents he used, I have to say. Coleman’s story was just as gripping as I remembered.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Black Maria by Christine Boyer	Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune by Keith Thomson, ready by Feodor Chin

I have no idea what Black Maria is about—a few weeks ago, Vern Smith from Run Amok Crime sent me a copy of the ARC. He’s yet to lead me astray, so I’m going for it.

I remember reading the back cover/jacket flap for Born to Be Hanged a year or so ago, and thinking it looked pretty fun (and maybe educational). Who doesn’t like a good pirate story, right? When I saw it browsing the library’s audiobooks, I had to jump.

What’s the end of September hold for you?

Yup. I’m late with this. It’s not even Wednesday for many of you…it’d been a day and I needed some good no-screen time today, and thankfully my wife drug me away from them. But I’m home now, and have time to finish this off.

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 urore-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?

I’m reading (and meant to finish yesterday) the ARC for Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne—it might be my favorite thing in this series, I am making progress in On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God edited by Matthew Barrett, and I’m listening to Sleepless City by Reed Farrel Coleman, read by Peter Giles on audiobook. (Giles’ raspy, tough, Bales-as-Batman narration has had to have shredded his vocal cords, I hope he was taken care of)

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What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary and #CrimeTime by Jeneva Rose and Drew Pyne, read by: Abelardo Campuzano, Jennifer Damiano, Phil Thron, Gary Tiedemann, Peter Berkrot, P.J. Ochlan, Nancy Linari, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Piper Goodeve, Kevin R. Free and Samantha Desz on audio.

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo—a book I told Russo I’d read before March 20 of this year. Ugh. My next audiobook should be An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka, read by Will Watt. I don’t know if I can handle Jacka with a different narrator (as age-appropriate as he might be compared to Gildart Jackson)

What are you working through?

Library Due Dates, a faulty memory, and one of “those” weeks have conspired to make me change my reading schedule for 5 times since I posted my last WWW. So, expect to see the entries from my “Up Next” section from last week in the next couple of months (I’m so glad the question is “What do you think you’ll read next?”). I’m the only one who cares, but it irks me.

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?

I’m reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (a book I received in the mail on release day in 2021 and somehow haven’t read yet), On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God edited by Matthew Barrett (a book I really should’ve considered the page count of before requesting from NetGalley), and am listening to Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller, read by January LaVoy on audiobook (a perfectly fine book incapable of nuance or subtlety).

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Nadine Matheson’s The Kill List and Marvel: What If . . . Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? by Seanan McGuire, read by Allyson Voller on audio.

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne set in a world I’m not ready to say goodbye to, but apparently I will be. My next audiobook should be Chasing Embers by James Bennett, read by Colin Mace.

Are you reading anything good?

One half of the Mystery/Crime novels I read last month came in the last two days—the other was an audiobook re-read. July wasn’t much better—if you take audiobooks out of the equation, it was 53 days between that kind of book for me—which is pretty much unheard of. You can believe that I have built up a healthy stack to work through. I don’t mind the break…it’s just weird.

Other than that, September’s off to a bang—I’ve been surrounded by several reminders of why I’m a reader (and blogger). If I only could find more time for that…

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?

I’m reading The Kill List by Nadine Matheson, which is as disturbing as I’ve come to expect from Matheson. I’m listening to Marvel: What If . . . Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? by Seanan McGuire, read by Allyson Voller on audiobook, which is so much better than I’d hoped.

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Peter David’s Buddy the Knight and The Queen of Sorrow and Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer, read by Stephen R. Thorne on audio. Both of them did so, so many things right—and so little wrong.

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Chronos Warlock by Shami Stovall and I’m so eager to dive in. My next audiobook should be I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue, read by Nasim Pedrad.

What’s got you excited (or maudlin, or disaffected, or…)?

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?

I’m reading the zany Big Trouble in Little Italy by Nicole Sharp, and am listening to Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith on audiobook (if only so I can remember how good the rest are in comparison).

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Alex Robins’ Panacea and The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song, read by Natalie Naudus on audio. Two books that were heavier than I anticipated (which says more about my expectations than anything)

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Ways and Truths and Lives by Matt Edwards and my next audiobook should be Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer, read by Stephen R. Thorne. Yes, that audiobook was in this spot last week, too. But I hit play on the wrong app before I remembered that fact.

How’re you wrapping up August?

It’s a race to the finish line for this year’s 20 Books of Summer (one of those self-imposed goals that becomes all the more important as the deadline gets closer but is totally meaningless in reality). It’s mathematically possible (maybe even probable) that I’ll finish in time. But it’ll be by the proverbial skin of my teeth, the sands of the hourglass will be almost depleted, etc., etc. I failed when I set up my reading order and ended up with three straight fantasy novels, which might be too much of that genre in a row for me. Hopefully, the varied voices/tones in the books will be enough.

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?

Today, I’m starting Bard Tidings by Paul Regnier, and am listening to The Night Ends with FireE by K. X. Song, read by Natalie Naudus on audiobook.

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished H.C. Newell’s Curse of the Fallen—I’m reeling from the ending (but really shouldn’t be)—and Malibu Burning by Lee Golberg, read by Eric Conger on audio.

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Panacea by Alex Robins (I still love that cover) and my next audiobook should be Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer, read by Stephen R. Thorne (that cover makes me think of a Rom-Com for some reason)

What kinds of things are you reading lately?