Tag: Miscellany Page 146 of 179

Saturday Miscellany – 4/14/18

On April 14, 2018

Worked over 50 hours this week (including today), there were only a few hours of that where I wasn’t going full steam ahead. Which meant I came home and pretty much collapsed. Leaving drafts for posts on multiple books in mid-stream. Next week will likely be the same, but I’m trying to get things done. Did manage to read a bit — some very strong stuff, which helps tremendously.

Anyhow, here are the odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Crime pays: thrillers and detective novels now outsell all other fiction — I bet the numbers are similar on this side of the pond.
What Are the Rules for Lending Your Books to Friends?: We asked librarians, since they’re the experts — there’s some wisdom here
Alex Bledsoe on Finding a Genre That Fits — Bledsoe discusses the difficulty of labeling the genre for the Tufa novels.
My Favorite One-Star Reviews of My Books — Lee Goldberg shares some real, er, gems?
Why Do Fantasy Novels Have So Much Food? — I think we’ve all asked this question
Why You Should Be Watching Bosch, Amazon’s Under-the-Radar Noir — yes
Rant: It’s MY Review and There Aren’t Laws!
Can You Trust Book Reviews? — blah
E-Readers vs Print Books. — not really adding anything new to the debate, but The Tattooed Book Geek’s post is plenty of fun.
The 20 Best Insults in Fiction, RANKED — should memorize a couple of these for future use

The Fairies of Sadieville by Alex Bledsoe — Apparently, April is a month of good-byes. First, the Iron Druid. Now, the Tufa. This is one of the best series I’ve read the last few years — now, you can read them all. Do so.
Madam Tulip and the Bones of Chance by David Ahern — Madam Tulip makes a movie in Scotland and, shockingly enough, becomes embroiled in murder and mayhem. I thought it was plenty of fun, as you can read here.
Skyjack by K. J. Howe — Kidnap and Ransom specialist, Thea Paris, is back in this tale of secret armies, skyjacking, divided loyalties and impending doom. Here’s my post about it.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to savageddt for following the blog this week.

Saturday Miscellany – 4/7/18

By HCNewton

On April 7, 2018

In Books, News/Misc.

Another week of small lists. Small, but packed with goodness.

Here are the odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

A Library Mystery: Why People Kept Underlining Page 7 in Borrowed Books — gotta grin while reading this…no really, it’s required.
Author interview with Jo Perry: When the stuff I write feels true, that’s a win — A very nice interview with IRR fave Jo Perry.
Iron Druid Kevin Hearne Has Finished His Series With Scourged — Shawn Speakman talks to Hearne about the end of IDC and more.
The Met Museum Rolls Out Over 500 Free Art Books You Can Download & Print — Not really the kind of books we focus on here, but hey. Free. At least worth a look, right?
Random Musings: Book love and negative reviews — yup. Confuses me that so many people have to say this, but I appreciate every one who does.
Exclusive Cover Reveal: Amber Royer’s Debut Space Opera Free Chocolate — a spiffy cover, and some good thoughts on humor and SF.

Scourged by Kevin Hearne — This is the big one of the week, er, month for me. I’ve been an unabashed fan of this series since the release of Hounded, and devoured this finale. UF readers will want to look for this one (and many probably are). Will be posting about it soonish.
School for Psychics by K. C. Archer — this looks like a variation on a common theme — secret school for people with extraordinary abilities (Brakebills, Hogwarts, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, etc.) — but with an intriguing take.

Pairing Potent Potables with your Perusals of Prose

By HCNewton

On April 4, 2018

In News/Misc.

I was kicking myself last evening for forgetting to get some Tullamore Dew to go with my reading of the last of the Iron Druid Chronicles, Scourged. I’ve been meaning to try the stuff ever since the Widow MacDonagh kept going on about it in the first couple of books, and it seemed like a fitting companion as I bid farewell to the series.

It got me thinking: what other books/series have an obvious beverage paring?

Harry Dresden’s a big Coke guy, well, that and Mac’s ale — which is sadly, fictional, or it’d be my go-to. Zaphod Beeblebrox’s Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, and the Ol’ Janx Spirit used to make them are likewise fictional. Ditto for Nero Wolfe’s favorite beer, Remmers. Just about everything that Atticus drinks after book three is fictional — and borderline supernatural, no?

On the whole, I have different tastes than Robert B. Parker’s characters (and can’t afford Hawk’s preferences). Spenser has guided me toward a beer or two that I liked, but there’s no drink you can point at and say — that’s Spenser (or Jesse Stone). Tres Navarre was a big Shiner Bock drinker, and at least one of his books contained a recipe for a (supposedly) fantastic margarita (which was tasty, but not really better than any other one). Just about everything that John Rebus drinks is local for him, which makes it impossible for me. Harry Bosch and Elvis Cole don’t have a signature drink that I can recall.

On the less intoxicating side, there’s Archie Goodwin’s milk, Jack Reacher’s coffee (although, who needs caffeine while you’re reading Lee Child at his best?), and Jane Yellowrock’s tea (I don’t think I could drink it the way she does).

When I started writing this, I figured I’d be able to come up with a decent list of drinks to go with various series, but I seem to be coming up pretty short. Sure, there’s James Bond with his “cold water with a dash of gin and dry vermouth. . . [he’s] is ordering a weak martini and being snooty about it.” But that’s too easy (and I haven’t read anything about him since high school). How about you all?

March 2018 Report

By HCNewton

On March 31, 2018

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

So, here’s what happened here in March. It wasn’t a great month — lots of stuff at work distracted me, some sickness, and whatnot threw me off. There were 7 books I didn’t get to that I’d either planned on or committed to read. Neither of which is something I enjoy doing. Hopefully April is all about catching up.

Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to:

Still Reading:

Reviews Posted:

Illinois Native Americans: A 9,000 Year Civilization by in60Learning
Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin
Mr. Neutron by Joe Ponepinto
The Armored Saint by Myke Cole
Greek Mythology: Beyond Mount Olympus by in60learning
Nils Cuts His Nails – The Scissors Game by Nurit Zvolon, Rotem Lots-Zaiden
Madam Tulip and the Bones of Chance by David Ahern
Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32 by B.C.R. Fegan, Lenny Wen
My Little Eye by Stephanie Marland
Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs
Magic For Nothing by Seanan McGuire
Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire
Everything is Normal by Sergey Grechishkin
Skyjack by K. J. Howe
An Ill-Fated Sky by Darrell Drake

Book Challenge Progress:

	Wires and Nerves, Volume 2: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer, Douglas Holgate (link forthcoming) Good Guys by Steve Brust (link forthcoming)
	Mr. Neutron by Joe Ponepinto Nils Cuts His Nails – The Scissors Game by Nurit Zvolon, Rotem Lots-Zaiden Vernon the Vegetarian Lion by John Hughson, Ali Smith (link forthcoming — I thought I’d written it up by now) Everything is Normal: The Life and Times of a Soviet Kid by Sergey Grechishkin Secular Jewish Culture by Yaakov Malkin, ed.
	Mr. Neutron by Joe Ponepinto Greek Mythology by Nils Cuts His Nails – The Scissors Game by Nurit Zvolon, Rotem Lots-Zaiden Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32 by B.C.R. Fegan, Lenny Wen Vernon the Vegetarian Lion by John Hughson, Ali Smith (link forthcoming — I thought I’d written it up by now) Everything is Normal: The Life and Times of a Soviet Kid by Sergey Grechishkin Secular Jewish Culture by Yaakov Malkin, ed.
	Nothing here . . . whoops. I’ve gotta get moving on this one.

How was your month?

Saturday Miscellany – 3/31/18

By HCNewton

On March 31, 2018

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

J.K. Rowling dropped the best news of the week
The Advice Columnists Who Prescribe Literature as Medicine — could be worse, might actually be helpful
Books Need “Previously On” Segments, Too — Yes. Absolutely.
Ernest Cline: By the Book — I usually enjoy these By the Book columns from NYT, this is no exception.
Every Literary Genre Summed Up in a Single Sentence — you should at least get 2 grins from this — possibly a chuckle
7 Science-Backed Ways Reading Makes You Healthy — a nifty Infographic

Noirville – Tales From The Dark Side Fahrenheit Press’ first collection of 15 short stories got published this week, looking forward to cracking this open.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to oddandbookish, Samantha Loves To Read, irevuo and factfictionfake for following the blog this week.

Saturday Miscellany – 3/24/18

By HCNewton

On March 24, 2018

In Books

Wow. I knew I was busy and distracted this week from how little I read and wrote, but seeing my list of things for this post really brought that home. There were very few odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Why Reading Books Should be Your Priority, According to Science — Frankly, I think none of these reasons are why you should be reading — but they’re pleasant fringe benefits.
Why I Can’t Listen to Audiobooks — I totally get this, and used to be like it. Might end up that way again, too.
My Formative SFF: Forgotten Classics of the ’70s and ’80s — Interesting look at some books I could’ve grown up on, but didn’t. Worth the click just for the covers alone — really miss most of these styles.
Kevin Hearne tweeted some wonderful news.

Speaking of Mysteries Episode 140: Lee Goldberg — I enjoyed listening to Goldberg and cannot wait to read this book.
K. J. Howe – The Freedom Broker — Stephen Usery talks about Howe’s new series (enjoyed book 1 last year, and liked the first chapter of the upcoming release — hope to post about it next week).

The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman — Rachman’s great — and so far, his books are so unlike each other (except in quality) that it’s hard to know what to expect from the next one. This book centers on a man growing up in the shadow of his father’s genius while trying to become his own person. Which sounds dull the way I phrased it, so you’d better go see how a marketer would put it.

Saturday Miscellany — 3/17/18

By HCNewton

On March 17, 2018

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

How a professional book aficionado packs reading for a trip. Yes, there’s strategy. — I’m not sure I buy this strategy, but I appreciate the thought. I’m not sure I’ve read anything this month that I agree with more than the last paragraph, though.
Deferred gratification is dead? Tell that to fans of serialised novels — I haven’t taken the jump into serialized novels as much as I’ve wanted to — but I’ve dug the couple I’ve tried. Any of you gone down this road?
Readers Make the Best Sleuths: Or, a Welcome Letter from the Editors of CrimeReads — I already had 2 pieces from this site on my list for this week before I read this welcome. Clearly, I like the sort of thing they publish — many of you will, too. Speaking of which, we might as well look at them now:
Ian Rankin: There’s Nothing Crime Fiction Can’t Do
Val McDermid on the Remarkable Rise of Tartan Noir
Dragons, and Firefighters, and Books, Oh My! Author Sean Grigsby Talks ‘Smoke Eaters’ — am I ever going to shut up about this book? Maybe. But not today.
A Literary Antidote to Game of Thrones
Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Three: Take Three — yes
Forget Frankenstein, what else are snowflake students getting wrong about classic literature? — pretty much nails it.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to millennialdrowning, Merv, Danielle The Bookworm and damppebbles for following the blog this week.

From the Mailbag: How Do I Read So Much?

By HCNewton

On March 12, 2018

In Books, News/Misc.

I got a very pleasant comment/question/quemment a couple of days ago from a relatively new reader, Vitor. I’ll cut out the stuff that flatters me (not that I didn’t appreciate it), and stick with the heart of his email:

I’m not here just to talk about how much your writing has been pushing me to read more, but I want to know how can it be possible to read as much as you do, even with our daily routine…

Thanks for the quemment, Vitor — I’m going to try to reply more via email, but for now, I’ll write a bit here because I need content for today.

First off — don’t worry about numbers. Seriously. Yeah, I track them for this and that, but unless I get wrapped up in the ego-game (which happens a lot more than I like), it’s not a focus. Worry about the what you’re reading — is it what you want to be reading and is it giving you what you want?

Secondly, I’ve been a fast reader since I was a kid. That helps my numbers considerably. I’m not a speed reader, I tried some of that years ago, and go so wrapped up in the techniques that I never retained anything I “read.” Also most of the people who really get into that don’t seem to have a lot of fun reading, and what’s the point? (I’m not saying speed readers who get a lot of joy out of it don’t exist, just that I’ve never met one).

Can I interrupt here to recommend Alan Jacobs’ excellent book: The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, which I blogged about here. I think if you get into Jacobs’ mindset (or a close equivalent), it’ll help a lot.

But to sort of actually answer your question, let me start with Nero Wolfe — one of the greatest characters created in the last century — reads a great deal, too. I tried to find the quotation describing his reading habits and couldn’t (which will bother me for a week or two), but essentially, he’s not a quick reader, but he reads steadily. That’s the key. As you read more, you’ll get better at it, and eventually, quicker.

Essentially, here’s how my typical weekday breaks down as far as reading: I get to work 30 minutes (or so) early, spend 20 minutes reading; I get two breaks plus lunch — that’s roughly another hour; and then I get another 30-60 minutes in after I get home (I try not to turn the laptop or social media on until I get some good reading done, and usually succeed.). Then if I have to take a kid somewhere, pick them up from something, etc. — there’s a few minutes to read. Basically, any time there’s a few minutes to kill, I grab my book — it’s better than Angry Birds or Facebook. This past weekend, for example, my daughter was in a school play — after we got in our seats, I had about 20 minutes of reading time, plus part of the intermission. So that’s 2-2.5 hours a day, during the week (plus some occasional bonus time). Sometimes on quiet Fridays I’ll get more done — or if I’m almost finished with a book, I’ll negotiate a few extra minutes with my wife before we start Jeopardy!.

Frequently (especially in December/January), in my Saturday Miscellany posts, I’ll post something along the lines of how to read more, here’s a couple of them that you might find helpful.

How to read more books in 2018

Ask a Literary Lady: I Need a Better New Year’s Resolution Than “Read More”

Anyway, the main reason I posted this response here rather than via email is so that commenters can chime in with handy tips, etc. So, please — help him. (Paul, I’m especially looking at you here).

Saturday Miscellany – 3/10/18

By HCNewton

On March 10, 2018

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

George R.R. Martin Might Finally Finish the Next Game of Thrones Book — “He is stepping away from blogging because he is ‘buried in work.’” But . . . but . . . but . . . what will we do without all the jokes?
No One Wants To Read Your Book — a thoughtful and provocative post about the purpose and place of small presses. (h/t: Jo Perry, who knows a thing or to about small presses)
It’s OK to just share the book love. #BookBloggers #bookBlogger #books #blogger — The Tattooed Book Geek writes in defense of liking things?
The girl with ‘Girl’ in her title — I thought the title of this post was interesting, so I read it despite not getting why people are that worked up about the word (okay, I understand it, but I don’t get it — well, just read this post). But I stuck around because I loved the way it was written, I generally agree with the post and I really liked this statement: “I have never rejected a book purely because of a single word that appears in its title and I’m genuinely confused by people who do.”
A novel to-go: Staunton writer says Hardee’s is his ‘sanctuary’ — A nice story about Brad Parks and his writing haunt
Connelly honoured with CWA Diamond Dagger — a nice honor for someone who deserves it.
William Faulkner’s Hollywood Odyssey: The biggest name in Southern lit didn’t spend his whole life in Mississippi
Literary Pet Names Using Puns Unworthy of Their Namesakes — another winner from McSweeney’s

The Author Stories Podcast Episode 336 | Brad Parks Interview — Hank Garner talks to Parks about Closer than You Know and many other things. I, for one, cheered when he said he hoped there’d be more Carter Ross books in the future (the people in Cost-co near me when I heard that probably thought I was way too excited about the bakery selection).

Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks — a thriller to make you lose sleep, make you lose hope, make you distrust almost everyone around you — that you’ll not want to put down. Seriously, thinking about it now gets my blood pressure spiking, and I read it last year. See everything I had to say about it here.
Smoke Eaters by Sean Grigsby — a very original futuristic UF about firefighters and dragons. Not that I should have to say more than that, but here’s my initial post
Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs — Charles and Anna’s 5th book brings them back to Montana to hunt a threat to their pack. I’ll hopefully get a post up about this mid-week, but fans’ll dig it.
Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire — The latest Incryptid novel. After Magic for Nothing you had to expect a title like this. I can’t wait to read what happens next to Annie.
Good Guys by Steven Brust — a snarky procedural about magic and bureaucracy
Mr. Neutron by Mr. Neutron — a nifty political satire with a title I misspelled every time I typed it this week, here’s my post about it.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Jess T. and steamstefny for following the blog this week.

Saturday Miscellany – 3/3/18

By HCNewton

On March 3, 2018

In Books, News/Misc.

Bonus shift at work today, so I’m a little late bringing you the odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Stuck in a Reading Rut? How to Create New Book Habits — I’ve posted variations on this before, and probably will again. Some decent tips here.
Dabel Brothers to Launch ‘IRON DRUID CHRONICLES’ Comic — While we prepare to say goodbye to Atticus & Co. at least we get to see them in a new way soon.
‘Laughably bad’: Terry Goodkind apologises after insulting cover of his own book — Goodkind pays a penalty for speaking his mind . . .
Interview: Sean Grigsby, author of SMOKE EATERS — Blog favorite, Alex Bledsoe interviews (very likely) soon-to-be blog favorite, Sean Grigsby.
Let’s talk about chapters, baby. — This is the kind of stuff I wish I had time (found time/made time…whatever) to write.

Like a Champion by Victor Chu — A great collection of short stories — I read it a month ago and could still give a 5 minute monologue on half the stories without needing to grab the book (okay, maybe 3 minute rant…), and the rest I’d probably be good to go with if I could glance at the title and first paragraph. Here’s my original post about it

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Tim Miller, KL (even if your blog name is a reference to an act of barbarism), [there was going to be another name here, but I’m pretty sure it’s merely an attempt to get us all to buy iffy tourist packages to the UK] and ankandas for following the blog this week.