Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.
Tag: Miscellany Page 30 of 183
Before I get into things today, I’m curious–does anyone have a good recommendation for a bookmark app? I use Pocket to store the ideas for this post (and some other things, too). It was announced it’s going away recently, and I’m looking for a replacement.
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
It May Be Too Late for Rural Libraries to Weather the IMLS Storm
Can indie novels save our minds? A renaissance takes brave authors—There’s a snobbishness/elitism/pretentiousness to this piece that grates my teeth. But if you can put up with it, there’s something worth reading, too.
How to Make a Living as a Writer
Forget chatbots: research suggests reading can help combat loneliness and boost the brain
When memories from fiction become part of who you are
14 Million Books Later, Jim Butcher Thinks His Wizard Detective Needs a Hug—my read of the week
Magic Doesn’t Have to Make Sense: In praise of fantasy that embraces rebellious, lawless, and delightfully un-rulebound magic.
Gods of Disasters and Wish Givers—another week, another great guest post from Shannon Knight
In Challenging Times, I Turn to Cozy Reads
Book Recommendations From My Dog—who could possibly be a more trustworthy source of recommendations? (also, the World’s Worst Book post linked to in the first sentence is almost as good a read)
Benefits of Book Club
When Fantasy Meets Mystery: Fantasy-mysteries that Everyone Should Read
@shinjutnt.bsky.social/Adam Rowan posted about a great word we all need to add to our working vocabularies—particularly in bookstores
A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
SFF Addicts Ep. 155 Evan Leikam talks Anji Kills A King, Crappy Jobs, Video Games & More—While I’m not allowing myself to put Leikam’s novel on my TBR right now (I need to make progress on things before I allow myself to do that sort of thing), this was a fun episode (and I might have added a book to a certain list in light pencil).
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
“Concussion Cover-Up” & “NSA Priest” by Carac Allison—I periodically check to see if he’s done anything else, would really like to read more from Allison
Kickback by Ace Atkins
The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry
Woof by Spencer Quinn
And I mentioned the release of Kickback by Ace Atkins; Uprooted by Naomi Novik; Seveneves by Neal Stephenson; and Boo by Neil Smith
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Kaua’i Storm by Tori Eldridge—is a thriller with a lot of heart. “Returning to Kaua’i, park ranger Makalani finds her family divided and their way of life at risk in this rich and emotional adventure.” The culture of Kaua’i is brought to life here.
Nightshade by Michael Connelly—Oh, phew, Connelly has a new series. He really needed another. Didn’t stop me from buying this debut about a LASD Detective on Catalina Island.
Food Person by Adam Roberts—”a delectable comedy of manners about cooking, ambition, and friendship set in the food world as a young and socially awkward writer takes a job ghostwriting the cookbook for a famous (and famously chaotic) Hollywood starlet.”
An Ethical Guide to Murde by Jenny Morris—”Thea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from one person to another–something she finds out the hard way when her best friend, Ruth, suffers a fatal head injury on a night out. Desperate to save her, Thea accidentally kills the man responsible and lets his life flow directly into Ruth…How can she really know who deserves to live and die, and can she figure out her own rules before Ruth’s borrowed time runs out? “
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 Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley |
Rex Stout: Killer Conversations with Edgar Winner John McAleer by John McAleer |
Dead in the Frame by Stephen Spotswood |
I’ll have started The Light Brigade by the time this posts, but I’ve yet to put a toe in, so I have no idea what to say about it.
I could’ve easily read Killer Conversations in an hour, but I’m savoring it–just a little at a time. It’s so much fun for Stout fans.
Speaking of Stout, Dead in the Frame is the fifth installment in this “inspired by Stout” series. But the comparisons between the two are getting harder to make. It’s like comparing versions of The Office at this point.
What did you recently finish reading?
 |
 |
| Body Breaker by M.W. Craven |
Tilt by Emma Pattee, read by Ariel Blake |
Body Breaker is not the best-written Craven novel, but it was so compelling that I really didn’t care.
I’m still chewing on the last chapter of Tilt. But what Pattee did up to (and including it) is just stunning.
What do you think you’ll read next?
 |
 |
| A Graveyard For Heroes by Michael Michel |
First Frost by Craig Johnson, read by George Guidall |
I’ve been wanting to dive into A Graveyard for Heroes since about an hour after I finished The Price of Power, but I made myself wait until closer to release day. But the wait is almost over!
I’m really hoping the second time through First Frost helps me appreciate what Johnson was up to.
What are you reading lately? Do you have something special in store for this long weekend?
Book Blogger Hop
This prompt was submitted by Nicole @ The Christian Fiction Girl:
What are some of your favorite books to re-read?
I really don’t have–rather, don’t make–much time to re-read anymore. This is one of the biggest complaints I have about my reading, honestly. It’s also the thing I keep telling myself I’ll do better at, and then I’ll go months without re-reading a single thing. As great as it is to find a “new friend” or be blown away by a story you hadn’t imagined before, going back to an old favorite has a kind of comfort and familiarity that can’t be beat (and you get to know them so much better). Before I got into blogging–I’d re-read all the time. Especially when I was a kid, I’d usually come home from the library with a book I’d read before along with the new-to-me reads. Now, I might force myself to do some, but not that often. So these lists are not incredibly current, but they kind of are. And you’re not going to find something more current from me.
Non-Fiction
(there should be more here, but I’m drawing a blank)
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
Standalones
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Commitments by Roddy Doyle
The Snapper by Roddy Doyle (this is technically the second in a series, but it works better as a standalone)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (I’ve told myself to read this “next month” at least 35 times since I finished Tom Jones in 2021)
Series
(sometimes I’d read them in order as a set, sometimes I’ll just pick up an individual installment)
Everyone’s favorite 5-part Trilogy, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (Towel Day is this weekend, readers beware)
Most Robert Crais books (nothing against the others, I just haven’t found the time for them yet)
The Fletch and Flynn series by Gregory Mcdonald–at least those written in the 1970s & 80s
The Spenser novels by Robert B. Parker–especially the first 20, but I’ve re-read them all.
Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin books by Rex Stout (I’ve probably re-read portions of this series more than anything else on this list, actually, the whole response to this prompt should be about me talking about this series)
How about you, reader? Do you have favorites to revisit?
Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Pay Attention! The invention of close reading.
Extraterrestrial tongues: Imagining how aliens might communicate prepares us for first contact and illuminates the nature of our own languages
Crime Novelist Don Winslow Unretires For ‘The Final Score’—color me giddy
Murder, Mischief, and Mayhem: The Best Campy and Humorous Thriller Series—Good list (although, I might quibble with one and I have no experience with one other), but better yet, Gagnon putting together a list like this means she has something to plug! See below.
Chapters for Change posted this great video about the Poe and Tilly series (one more of you need to be reading)
Changing the World by Shannon Knight—a good post from Knight (as one expects)
AI Audio vs Human Narration—A great video from someone who knows the subject well.
Are Kids “Bored” by Books Below Their Reading Level?
Do Your Book Reviews Change Over Time?—ooh, this is a good topic, and an interesting take on it.
WELP IT’S BEEN A DECADE SINCE I STARTED BLOGGING – Ten Things I Wish I Could Tell My Younger Self—Only 10 years of The Orangutan Librarian? Good lessons that someone should’ve taught me, too.
Top Five Dragons of All Time—a flawed list, but very fun to read
Announcement: Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week 2025—the annual celebration of Self-Published Authors is back (and I should probably get to work planning what I’m going to do). If any self-published author is reading this and wants to participate on this site, let me know!
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Younger Gods by Michael R. Underwood
Another Man’s Moccasins by Craig Johnson
Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder
Rolling Thunder; Fun House; and Free Fall by Chris Grabenstein
And I mentioned the releases of: How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz; Dry Bones by Craig Johnson; Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll; Goddess of Buttercups & Daisies by Martin Millar; and Rumrunners by Eric Beetner
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
This came out two weeks ago, and I’m ashamed to admit that I forgot it: The Amazing Twin Chicken Freedom Fighters by Zephaniah Sole—Reasons to consider this book: That’s a great title; the cover is eye-catching as all get-out; and the blurb: “The war between the agents of the Worldview Freedom Fighters and the minions of the mysterious Hip Gnosis spills into our reality when Jake and Joy, two lost and broken souls, wake up one day in chicken suits they can’t remove and learn they are the key to a prophesied revolution – a revolution that will not be pasteurized.”
Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up—As I said yesterday, this memoir is a great combination of (compressed) personal history and fun anecdotes
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie—Abercrombie’s take on The Suicide Squad in an alternate medieval Europe populated by Fantasy species? Sign me up!!
Slaying You by Michelle Gagnon—back to the world of Killing You? This is going to be a wild and twisty ride.
Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James—”Whack Job is the story of the axe, first as a convenient danger and then an anachronism, as told through the murders it has been employed in throughout history: from the first axe murder nearly half a million years ago, to the brutal harnessing of the axe in warfare, to its use in King Henry VIII’s favorite method of execution, to Lizzie Borden and the birth of modern pop culture. Whack Job sheds brilliant light on this familiar implement, this most human of weapons. This is a critical examination of violence, an exploration of how technology shapes human conflict, the cruel and sacred rituals of execution and battle, and the ways humanity fits even the most savage impulses into narratives of the past and present.”
(which reminds me, I need to get going to “the candy shop”)
I haven’t quite read as much as I wanted to this week–and leaving my headphones at home Monday really hurt my audiobook progress–but at least I’ve gotten more sleep than I usually do (see also: the silence for the last couple of days). But, at least I’ve had a good time reading what I have managed to get to. Let’s see if that converts into posts about books anytime soon. But first, let’s get to this:
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 Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis |
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley, read Hillary Huber |
This is possibly my favorite Lewis book–so glad to get back into it (although I wouldn’t mind one of the new-to-me books by him to change the ranking).
I’m not sure how much I’m going to end up liking this audiobook about a doomed Date Night going horribly, horribly wrong–but it’s kept my interest, and I’m enjoying the journey.
What did you recently finish reading?
 |
 |
| Kaua’i Storm by Tori Eldridge |
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith |
Eldridge’s thriller/family drama (or is it a family drama/thriller?) is not what I expected from her–but a great ride.
Yet again, Foxglove Summer didn’t fail to entertain me. I’m glad I’m picking up the pace on this series.
What do you think you’ll read next?
|
|
| Body Breaker by M.W. Craven |
Tilt by Emma Pattee, read by Ariel Blake |
There’s been an un-read Craven on my shelf for too long, past time to fix it.
I had to grab Tilt after hearing the owner of Shared Stories talk about it–technically, overhearing her tell another customer about it. But the premise intrigued me, and she had nothing but good things to say about it. (click on the link/cover and see what you think)
Are you reading anything good?
Another day of people-ing, so another late Saturday post. Hate to leave you all hanging in suspense.
Actually, if anyone was in suspense, you really need to think about your priorities. But you know what I mean.
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Libro.fm had this to say about the recent Independent Book Store Day
12 Things You Say Without Realizing You’re Quoting Poetry—a “May be” or “Might be” should probably be stuck in that headline
INTERVIEW: Joe Abercrombie—Beth Tabler talks with Abercrombie about his new book ofer at Grimdark Magazine
Interview: Joe Abercrombie talks The Devils, grimdark fantasy humor, Best Served Cold and more—and so does someone over at Winter is Coming
The Joys and Travails of Writing with a Canine Companion
It’s Okay to Know Where the Story Is Going: It’s a cliche and a truth to say that the journey matters more than the destination…
If Only All Books in Series Had Recaps
Early Epic Fantasy and Non-White Ethnicities: A Draft
Flowers or Books? 10 Book Recs for #MothersDay—for all of your last-second shopping
A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Not having time to read (with Christina Lupton)—after last week’s piece about Literary Scholars losing the plot, I went digging around on the podcase mentioned in the pice, I thought this was an interestnig chat. In short—it’s not a new problem. SFF Addicts Ep. 153: Joe Abercrombie talks The Devils, Grimdark, Ensemble Casts & More—Last mention of Abercrombie today. No, really.
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Thicker Than Water by G.M. Ford
The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man by W. Bruce Cameron
Goodbye Ginny Madison by Dave Gehrke
The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan
And I mentioned the releases of: Unseemly Science by Rod Duncan; The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry; Revision by Andrea Phillips ; Corsair by James L. Cambias; Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond; and Burning Down George Orwell’s House by Andrew Ervin
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
My Friends by Fredrik Backman—For those of you who need a bit more than the author’s name, this is “an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later.”
Hive by D.L. Orton—time travel, parallel universes, love, family, odd connections combine for a pacey-read
Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of my kidney removal–and what a year it’s been. This is not much of an introduction to a WWW Wednesday, but it’s all that I’ve got in me. Well, I mean–I’ve got one kidney in me, as well as a full roster of other organs, that was more of a figurative “all in me,” but then I realized how it sounded and, well…I now realize I should’ve skipped the intro.
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?
 |
 |
| Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky |
Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn, read by Jane Oppenheimer & Christina Delaine |
I’ve been wanting to read Tchaikovsky for years, so I was excited to get the chance. This is a fun combination of creepy, fun, and solid adventure. I can see this not being my last time with Tchaikovsky–I just hope the next books by him that I read aren’t quite so arachnid-heavy. (Shudder)
I was hoping that the sequel to Killers of a Certain Age would be better than it was–sadly, Raybourn is nice an consistent. It’s good enough to keep listening, but that’s about it. I liked the idea and some of the characters, I just don’t think it’s enough to come back for volume three (assuming it comes)
What did you recently finish reading?
 |
 |
| Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up by Dave Barry |
Back After This by Linda Holmes |
Here’s a shocker–Dave Barry’s memoir is a hoot. It’s more than just funny, but that’s a good start.
Holmes’ book was delightful. I think I’m going to have to look into her other novels.
What do you think you’ll read next?
 |
|
| Hive by D.L. Orton |
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith |
This is a revised version (I’m not sure how much) of a book I listened to four years ago. It should be fun to see this version.
Foxglove Summer is one of my favorites in the Rivers of London series, I’ve been looking forward to it
What are you working through?
Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.