Tag: Miscellany Page 114 of 179

Been a good week here—read a lot, wrote almost enough to satisfy me, and got enough new books that I’ve ruined whatever TBR progress I’d made this month (1 ebook, 2 audiobooks, 2 hardcovers, and 2 paperbacks…I have a problem).

I’d intended on 2 more posts this week than I got—which is pretty good. I don’t know if it’s the weather, work, or just one of those things, but each night this week I felt like I was fighting sleep for the last couple of hours (and never had the good sense to do the responsible thing and go to bed). I fell asleep within minutes of posting my Fridays with the Foundling last night—so quickly that my first thought this morning was “were those last paragraphs even in English?” (thankfully, yes)

I think I had a point when I started that, but I don’t remember what it is. It’s one of those days, I guess. Let’s get on with things…

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Get a free audiobook!—When you spend at least $15 at your local bookstore on April 24th, you can get a free select audiobook from Libro.fm. Independent Bookstore Day is a couple of months off, but might as well start planning for it, right?
Is It Time to Kill the Book Blurb?—”The pre-publication endorsements—’dazzling!’ ‘a masterwork!’—that litter book covers have long been a staple of publishing. Are they of any value or mere relics that deserve to go?” I somehow didn’t even have to work around a paywall for this WSJ piece.
‘Books saved my mental health,’ says online reviewer—BBC.com profiles a book blogger
Announcing the Newest Release From Rick Riordan — Daughter of the Deep—After I tapped out during The Trials of Apollo I figured I was done with Riordan, unless he got back to his Texas noir stuff. But…this looks promising (and a good excuse to revisit Hugo)
Rooms of Their Own: Where Some of the Best Women Writers Created Art—worth the click if only to see the desk (a generous word) that Austen used.
Favorite Things About Book Formats
Friday at the Folly – Rivers of London—Fi’s Bibliofiles starts a re-read through the Rivers of London UF series. This is one of my favorite series and I’m looking forward to revisiting it through these blog posts.
And Men There Were None: Where Are The Male Readers?—On the one hand, I feel like I should drop some links in the comments to show him where we are. Snark aside—overall, he’s right.
What is a Good Ending?—a fitting way to wrap up this week’s list (actually, it was totally inadevertent…but I’m running with it).

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Cover Blown by Ian Robinson—The second book in this new procedural series is a heckuva read. This time, the homicide investigation overlaps with a small undercover job that DI Nash has on the side. I hope to get posts up about both books early next week—in the meantime, just go buy them!
Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire—the latest InCryptid book kicks off shortly after that cliffhanger from last year. I started this yesterday, and it’s strange, even by InCryptid standards.
Smoke by Joe Ide—The new IQ novel is a good one—even if I think it could’ve used more IQ, as I said recently.
Junkyard Bargain by Faith Hunter, Khristine Hvam (Narrator)—the second novella-length SF from Faith Hunter. I’m excited to dip back into this strange world of aliens, cyborgs and psychic (?) cats.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to mybookishbliss and Masha who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

So I didn’t post every day this week (and really didn’t like everything I posted), but, in terms of reading and writing, this is the first week in 2021 that I’ve felt “normal” when it comes to blogging. Coincidentally, this is the first week in a while that it’s taken me as long to put this post together as it did today. I guess here at Week 7, I’m ready for the New Year.

I had an interesting thing happen this week a book I’d somehow reserved from my library in both audio and hardcover became available in both formats within a day or two of each other. So, now…do I read? do I listen? do I try to do both (either simultaneously or by switching between? I think either of the latter would drive me crazy. It’s a low-stakes dilemma, for sure, but one I’ve spent too much time thinking about. Thoughts?

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
COVID marks new chapter for independent bookstores—one more take on COVID’s impact on Indie Bookstores
The world’s most misunderstood novel—On Gatsby, the changing perspectives on it, and some new takes on the classic.
The 10 Most Confusing Books of All Time—I hate to be that guy, but most of this list makes me think that people aren’t actually reading the book. But, yeah, I can get behind four of them (which means someone out there is thinking I didn’t actually read the book).
The Bourne Challenge: How to Create a New Hero in the Long Shadow of Jason Bourne: Writing and inventing inside the “Ludlum Universe”—I remember trying Ludlum when I was in Junior High, but couldn’t really get into Bourne, which probably means I missed something. So I’m not sure why I read this, but Hood’s process is really interesting. How would you create a “protagonist who’d give readers a Bourne-like experience, but not a Bourne rip-off” in that universe?
Digital Mini Reviews | What Would Life Be Without Books?—a handy list of comic collections for readers (and, yes, I have spent money based on this post)
A Class Above: D&D Classes in Books. Over at the Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub, a handful of bloggers and authors contributed to a series this week looking at examples of the various D&D Character Classes in (largely) non-D&D books. If this series doesn’t expand your TBR-Pile, something’s broken:
Fighters and Barbarians
Paladins, Clerics, and Druids
Rogues and Rangers
Bards and Magic Users
And then she wraps it up with Books for Fans of D&D
Speaking of W&S Bookclub, DISCIPLINE OF BLOGGING Jodie Crump “Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub” Writer Interview—Novelist Todd Sullivan recently interviewed the writer behind “Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub” about book blogging. Great stuff!
Bender’s “Feel Good” SFF books—yet another TBR expanding post.
If your budget is in trouble after the last few links, maybe these posts from The Book Critter will help: Tips for Buying Used Books: part one and Tips for Buying Used Books: part two
5 Really Easy Ways to Support Book Bloggers (they deserve it all)
4-Year Anniversary, Ask the Blogger—Books are 42 just passed the 4 year mark and answers some questions about those years.
Reflections On 9 Years Of Book Blogging—Booker Talk has been at this for an impressive Nine Years and shares some wisdom.
Deliah Dawson knows exactly what we need right now

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Oh, That Shotgun Sky by Sarah Chorn—a novella looking at the aftermath of Of Honey and Wildfires. It’s full of heartbreak and gorgeous prose, as you’d expect from Chorn.
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman—The title says it all, really. This pullquote from Gaiman adds a bit more: “A biography that reads like a thriller or a whodunit . . . scrupulously honest, deeply damning, and sometimes even heartbreaking.”

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to thisdadreads who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

We got a lot of snow dumped on us yesterday—this weekend could possibly bring more snow to the area than we’ve seen in four years (and I really don’t want to talk about what happened then). I slept through most of it, and then was distracted by work for the rest. But this morning, I can watch it fall through the window I’m sitting across from. It’s oddly relaxing. I’m not the kind of guy who sits and watches anything outside my window, but today it’s working for me.

Until, that is, I have to let a dog out. Then the snow will be the source of a wet, furry, mess. I’d better stock up on the relaxation while I can, right?

Anyway…
that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
19 Tips For Reading More This Year—This is far different (and yet not) from the typical posts like this I share, it’s built from reader feedback about how the Pandemic/Lockdows/etc have changed reading habits.
Indie Bookstores Embrace E-Commerce… and It Pays Off
Lecter’s Fangs: Why the Ending of ‘Hannibal’ is a Secret Masterpiece—Friend of the Blog, Nick Kolakowski, attempts to defend and laud (fairly successfully, I begrudgling admit) the ending of Hannibal. He very well may be right. He probably is. I still don’t like it.
‘I think I’ve written more Sherlock Holmes than even Conan Doyle’: the ongoing fight to reimagine Holmes—I’ll confess to not reading all of Doyle’s Holmes (have owned a complete set since junior high), have never read one by anyone else. I’m fascinated by all the variety. Am I missing out on some good ones?
How a Former LAPD Detective Became the ‘Godfather’ to L.A. Crime Writers—I love reading things like this
One Word Book Reviews: Because I’m Lazy Like That—Given the graphics involved, I’m not sure “lazy” is the right word. I love this idea. And clearly, could never pull it off.

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Author Stories Podcast Episode 1051: Mike Chen Returns With We Could Be Heroes—Garner and Chen talk about the new book, which is good. The highlight for me was the discussion of Chen’s pandemic book being released a few weeks before the world went upside down last year, and his thoughts about the COVID-inspired books coming in a few years.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Dreyer’s English (Adapted for Young Readers): Good Advice for Good Writing by Benjamin Dreyer—I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on this one since I heard about it. I loved the “adult” version and want to see how he translates that into advice for kids (also, I can see this being easier to pass on to non-language nerd friends/family who need the help)