Tag: Miscellany Page 107 of 179

Man…I accomplished so little here this week. Those SPAAW posts were supposed to be what I ran alongside new posts about individual books, not the sum total of what I produced this week. I don’t mind, really, except my “to write about” list is now at the despair-inducing length. I did have a good time going down memory lane with some of those books, though.

Part of my lack of production has to do with re-establishing a routine that includes being in the office. I’m not doing well with that, and don’t understand how I worked there for so long and was a productive reader/blogger. I’ll figure it out, I trust. I’m glad to take any tips you have, though.

But you’re not here for that, you’re here for these (I assume):
that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
A Guide to Developing a Deep Reading Habit: 7 principles to help you read more and read better—I don’t know why I keep posting pieces along these lines, it’s hard to imagine anyone reading my posts who need them. But you never know… Also, I enjoy reading them.
There’s No Wrong Way to Read a Book—this gets posted despite the idea of bacon as a bookmark, because it’s so quotable.
Our Woke Book Burners: Books are not violence—I would not use many of the words in this piece (or headline), as I don’t think they actually help communicate to those who disagree. But the ideas are important to wrangle with in our cultural moment.
When Writers Cave to Social Media Scolds—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar does a better job talking about related ideas.
Kempt, Couth, Ruth: On the Disappearing Antonyms of “Grumpy” Words: Arika Okrent Wonders Why Negative Descriptors Tend to Outlast Their Positive Counterparts—I love this kind of thing. I was just talking to someone that I took a class along these lines in college—I loved the results of the research but had no affinity for/interest in the work.
We Need More Victim-Focused Narratives—absolutely. Every time I read something that could be described along these lines, it feels like such a breath of fresh air and needed.
Bibliophiles Are Sharing The Most Annoying Book Tropes And I’m 100% On The Same Page As Them—I’m with all of these. However, with the exception of #18, I’ll buy into any of them if the author does something interesting with it.
Self-published Authors Appreciation Week—Witty and Sarcastic Book Club threw a little celebration of Self-Pubbed authors this week, here’s a list of (nearly?) every post that was part of it—I’m still working through the list myself—some really good stuff here, check it out.
For example: Ways You Can Support Self-Published Authors
On a related note, Gabino Iglesias tweeted about the benefits of the various modes of publishing (although his last point needs a little nuance—not that tweets have room for nuance)
Books That Ought to Come with a Box of Tissues—Fun idea for a post.

Like I said Wednesday, I’m back in the office after 15 months and I spent most of the week trying to adjust my reading/surfing/blog-hopping habits. So I really don’t have a lot for this post. On the other hand, as of yesterday, my NetGalley Feedback Ratio is at 99%, so, you know…what do I care about anything else right now?

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Print Book Sales Soar in Year’s First Half—that’s some nice news
3 Ways to Become a Better Reader with Audiobooks—libro.fm has some good tips
Why do so few men read books by women?—good food for thought
Goodreads Tips & Tricks, Vol. 2—for those who want to use the ubiquitous/oft-maligned Social Network more effectively
Favourite Book Quotes of 2021 so far!—this is a good idea for a post, and filled with pretty good content.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Heathens by Ace Atkins—Quinn Colson and Lille Virgil are on opposite sides of a murder investigation—and probably a new stage in the local politics/organized crime saga, too. But that’s not in any of the official descriptions. I’m hoping next week is when I get to dive into this.
Dead Man’s Grave by Neil Lancaster—DS Max Craigie investigates the murder of Scotland’s most powerful crime family in the first novel of a promising-looking series. I’m starting this one today.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Sheri Dye, who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!

I’ve been out of town for most of the week and had limited internet time–so I didn’t have much of an opportunity for surfing. I was able to find a few things for this week’s post, but it’s a little small.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Andy Serkis to Narrate All 3 The Lord of the Rings Audiobooks—I’ve had The Hobbit narrated by Serkis in my libro.fm shopping cart for months, but couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger on it. But if he’s doing these, too? Think it’s time.
The Making of ‘Soul Taken’ A Mercy Thompson cover—this is fascinating (even if you have no interest in Mercy Thompson)
13 books perfectly summed up with one-liners from Gilmore Girls.
10 Reasons Why I Love Reading—Reading Ladies Book Club had a good entry for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt.
How Book Lovers Spend Their Time . . . And . . . We Don’t Have a Problem!

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Tender is the Bite by Spencer Quinn—Chet and Bernie hunt for a client who didn’t get around to hiring them I tried to convey my enthusiasm a few days ago.
Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt—Andy Carpenter heads to Maine to defend his latest client I opined about it recently