Tag: Miscellany Page 4 of 180

WWW Wednesday—June 17, 2026

On June 17, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

It’s time again for the Wednesday check-in. We’ve got some real winners here, folks:

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?


We Be Dragons by Michael Weitz	What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack	Ghalen by Walter Mosely, read by Dion Graham

We Be Dragons is a fun bit of historical fiction (I can’t stand to think of historical fiction set when I was a teen) with some fun fantasy elements.

What’s Next is almost as comforting as my umpteenth rewatch of the series. I’m taking my time and savoring it.

I’m going to try to listen to Mosely’s new one starting today, mostly because I have no idea when I’d get to it in print, and I’m vary curious. I’m not sure audio is the right format for me and this book, however. So, this could be a quick DNF without prejudice.

What did you recently finish reading?


Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley	The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst, ready by Caitlin Davies

Oh wow. Everything I heard about McSorley’s book was bang-on right. This was so fun, so violent, so…I don’t know. I really didn’t know what to expect from chapter to chapter (page to page sometimes). Loved the ride.

The Enchanted Greenhouse wasn’t quite as good as The Spellshop, but it got the job done and was a very pleasant listen. Which means I’ll probably be back for more soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?


All Systems Red by Martha Wells	Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, read by E. B. Stevens

I’ve got summer reruns in my future. First off is the first Murderbot book so it’s fresh in my mind for the book club meeting next week.

Brandon Mull came up in conversation the other day, and it gave me a hankering to revisit the series (also, I’m curious about the sequel series, but it’s been so long since I read these with my kids that I have to refresh my memory)

What books are capturing your attention this week?

MUSIC MONDAY: “Whoever You Are” by Geggy Tah

By HCNewton

On June 15, 2026

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

Don't Panic

Opening Lines: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

By HCNewton

On June 15, 2026

In Fiction, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art and we all do judge them that way). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I like to throw it up here (especially if I’m out of time to come up with a post that involves writing on my part).

from All Systems Red by Martha Wells:

I could have become a mass murderer after i hacked my governor module, but then realized access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on company satellites. it had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, probably, don’t know, little under movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. as heartless killing machine, was terrible failure. .

Opening Lines Logo

Saturday Miscellany—6/13/26

By HCNewton

On June 13, 2026

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

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:
bullet The End of Books: What happened when a dumpster arrived behind my university’s library
bullet Authors Guild Looks at Why Author Incomes Are in Decline
bullet AI Has Come for Serif Fonts: AI companies are using serifs to project humanity. Critics are calling it “tasteslop.”—huh.
bullet “The Myth of Neutral Books”
bullet Calvin and Hobbes and the Price of Integrity: How Bill Watterson Stuck to His Guns — and Vanished—much of this is a re-hash of well-established facts, with a little commentary thrown in. I’m not sure how much I agree with the commentary, but I liked reading it anyway. Also, I’m a sucker for anything about Watterson, so bring on the rehashes (as long as there’s something new to it, too, like this one)
bullet Speculating, Ambiguously—I’m not going to comment on this, go read the first paragraph, and you’ll know if you want to read more (hint: you do). Hat Tip: Runalong the Shelves
bullet Reviewers on Reviewing: Positivity, Negativity or the Secret Third Thing (Criticism)
bullet Was There a Recent Past Where “Everyone” Read and Loved the Classics?—Of course there was…like a generation before me. Or a generation before you–whoever you happen to be. Briana sheds some common sense on this notion.

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“It wasn’t so much of a surprise that Pepper McKay was dead as much as it was an amazement to everyone in the county that it had taken so long for him to die, or for somebody to kill him.”—The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet Guilty Minds by Joseph Finder
bullet The Ghost Rebellion by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
bullet The Highwayman by Craig Johnson
bullet Cheap Shot (Audiobook) by Ace Atkins, Joe Mantegna
bullet And I mentioned the releases of: Infomocracy by Malka Older and The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar

Last Week’s New Release that I Can’t Believe I Forgot About (and nothing grabbed my attention this week, tell me where I went wrong):
bullet Asteroid Savage by Thomas Trang—I’ve been eager to get my hands on this for months, so of course I forgot to mention this last week. Trang’s LA-noir last year blew me away–and now he takes that sensibility to an (police/police-ish) investigator on Mars dealing with a corrupt system while she tracks down terrorists responsible for a bomb attack.

Saturday Miscellany—6/13/26

Image Source: Tweet from @CaffeinatedLiha

Book Blogger Hop: Most Unusual Places to Read

By HCNewton

On June 12, 2026

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:

What’s the quirkiest or most unexpected place you’ve ever read a book, and why?

I’m going to appropriate things I wrote in Book Blogger Hop: Favorite Reading Nook back in 2022 for this one (which, in turn, appropriated something I’d written even earlier). But there is some non-recycled material here, too.

I can—and do—read anywhere: in a house, with a mouse, in a (or on a) box, with a fox, in a car, in a (or under a) tree, on a train (theoretically, never been), in the dark, in the rain (assuming I have some sort of cover—can’t let the pages get wet), with a goat, but definitely not in a boat (I get seasick quicker than Toby Daye gets new clothes blood-stained.

I’ve read in hotel rooms, Airbnbs, a beach, tire shop waiting rooms, hospital waiting rooms, hospital rooms, DMV waiting rooms, restaurants, waiting for a Metal concert to start, during a High School (or lower) orchestra/band concert, during intermission or before a High School play, between bouts at FIRST Robotics competitions, at family gatherings…really anywhere where I have a couple of minutes without much to pay attention to. Thanks to eBook apps on my phone I can do it anywhere. I’ve forgotten them all. I don’t know about unusual or quirky. I’m sure there’s something there.

This question, like the one I mentioned above, made me think of a post from a few years ago, and I figured I’d copy and paste it here. It seems sort of appropriate. I’m not sure it’s the most unusual or quirkiest, but it’s as close as I can remember.

Where the Magic Happens…or something

Three years ago when I switched to a day job, my reading habits had to change—among other things. It took almost no time at all to realize that reading in the break room just wasn’t going to work—it was too loud, there were too many things going on, you couldn’t sit by yourself, really. And then there were all these nice people wanting to talk.

Actually, people, in general, being around was something to get used to, but that’s another story.

Then I realized that there were perfectly good stairs a lot closer to my workspace than the break room was. So I started hanging out there and reading—sometimes, sitting on the stairs, other times leaning against the railing—it’s at a decent height for that. Nowadays, that’s where 40-60% of my weekday reading happens while on break.

It’s not perfectly quiet, but it’s close enough. Except when the flautist practices every couple of months. There are people who pass through—and some of them talk to me, but the conversations are short—because they’re on their way to somewhere else. Sometimes it’s just a “hi,” and occasionally I workshop ideas for posts here when someone asks about what I’m reading. I’ve even been given a couple of good recommendations.

Now, the keen-eyed among you might have noticed a couple of post-its on the wall (circled below).

So, for a couple of years, people would joke about putting up a sign where I read with my name on it or something (more than one person has suggested getting me a chair). But last December, I moved to a different floor, and within a month, someone had put up the larger post-it reading “[H. C.]’s Reading Spot.” This would be in the larger circle.

A couple of weeks later, that person asked if I liked my sign. I had to confess that I had no clue what she was talking about and apologized profusely. Who pays attention to the walls along the stairs? Especially when you’re not climbing the stairs, but are focused on the book/eReader in your hand. So when I went out for my next break, I went looking for it—and she’d added another post-it (the smaller one), “<– This is the sign.”

Very helpful.

So, yeah, that’s where I read and recharge from all the interaction with people so I have enough energy to get back to work and interact with more people.

Sure, it’s not as snazzy as some of the reading nooks you see on Instagram, Bookstr, etc. It could be more comfortable, that’s for sure. But I’ve gotta say, when the book is halfway decent, I don’t notice. That’s where the magic happens.

What’s your quirkiest place?

WWW Wednesday—June 10, 2026

By HCNewton

On June 10, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

The last week and a half has found me fighting sleep almost every minute I’ve been awake–which hasn’t made for a lot of reading or writing. But the reading I’ve managed to do more than makes the struggle worth it. I’m on a great streak of winners right now–and hope it continues for a while.

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?


Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman	What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack	Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen, read by George K. Wilson

The famed DCC starts off slow, not un-entertainingly. It needs to set up ground rules (literally) for the book/series. I think I’m close to finishing that part–and I’m eager to get to whatever comes next. I’m beginning to see the appeal of it all.

I feel like I could easily sit and tear through What’s Next in one sitting–despite the 600-ish page length. I’m glad I’m limiting myself to a chapter or two a day so I can relish it.

Hiassan has a lot of style and quirky characters. I’m really digging this.

What did you recently finish reading?


The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson	Some Sort of Justice by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

Johnson gave us one of the best Longmire novels this year. I was grinning throughout.

Grainger’s latest was more than satisfying. The only problem is that I’m going to have to wait another 12+ months for the next one.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley	The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst, ready by Caitlin Davies

It’s been a while since I read about a morally grey Scottish police officer. I’m hoping McSorley’s DI Alison McCoist fixes that for me.

I’m dipping another toe into the world of The Spellshop. Time to find out if I’m a fan of Durst in general or just that book.

How’s your summer reading going? You have any winners?

MUSIC MONDAY: “Better Together” by Jack Johnson

By HCNewton

On June 8, 2026

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

Don't Panic

Fantasy with Friends: Series or Standalones? How Much Is Too Much?

By HCNewton

On June 8, 2026

In Books, Fantasy with Friends, News/Misc.

I didn’t get this up yesterday–you might have noticed things were busy around here. A day late and at least a quarter short, here’s my

Fantasy with Friends is a weekly meme hosted by the good people over at Pages Unbound. Fantasy with Friends poses questions each Monday about fantasy, either as a genre as a whole or individual works.

This week’s prompt is:

Do you currently prefer standalone fantasies or series? Is there a certain number of books that seems like “too much,” whether that means the series feels intimidating to start or just that the author might need to move on to something else? Is there a point at which you worry that a series is just a “cash grab?”

Ahhh, yet another This or that, Coke or Pepsi, kind of question that I shrug at. It depends?

There is something so satisfying about opening a book and spending 150-600 pages immersed in a complete idea. Beginning-middle-end and then you’re done.

t the same time–the pleasure of spending years with a story, watching characters grow, develop, storylines going deeper and more intricate than they could in a standalone…there’s something so fantastic about that.

Really it depends on the story that the author wants to tell. If a story needs multiple volumes–and the author has the chops to develop it over them–then bring it on. If the story wavers too much, gets too thin, or runs out of steam somewhere in the second or third volume–than editors and authors have made a mistake.

Similarly, I don’t think there’s a magic number. And that again goes back to the story the author is trying to tell, and the skill of the author.

I’m not saying there are no “cash grabs” in Fantasy fiction, but there have to be easier (and more profitable) ways to grab some. But I’ll let others who know more than I do weigh in on that.

I thought I had more to say on this, but I’m just coming up with variations on one idea: it just depends on the author, the themes, the characters, and the story. Oh, well, sales and a publisher’s willingness to keep buying the books (unless it’s a self-published series, then it’s just sales). Can I think of books that I wish had a sequel but didn’t? Yes. Can I think of series that were cut short because of sales/publishers? Sure. Can I think of series that went on too long, and should’ve been walked away from while they were still good? Yup. Series that needed one more book to really say everything? Yeah.

I’m really looking forward to some of the other posts in response to this prompt, I’m expecting better answers than mind.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Saturday Miscellany—6/6/26

By HCNewton

On June 6, 2026

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

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:
bullet Lee Goldberg has a new book out this week, naturally, he’s doing a lot of press and whatnot. Lee Goldberg’s favorite books that find the humor that makes us human —isn’t part of the press for the new book, but I hadn’t seen it before and really appreciated it.
bullet Building a whodunit from the ground up: Lee Goldberg on his new series starter, ‘Murder by Design’—Is part of that PR.
bullet Book Reviews Vs. Book Reactions and Reviewers’ (Lack of?) Confidence
bullet Behind the Book: Rübezahl by M. Laszlo | Story Inspirations—this is so cool. I hope Gina posts several of these.
bullet Time to start making YA for teens again—novel concept.
bullet A Murder Most Fungal playlist—Adrian Gibson has curated a playlist for his upcoming novel. I remember when many authors did this, and am glad some continue. I’m on track 4 of 23 and know 2 things: I would not have found any of this music myself, and it seems perfect for that world.
bullet It’s time for AJ Calvin’s The Indie Author Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror New Release List: June 2026
bullet @AlexAndBooks_—makes me feel so much better about the number of unread books I have.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet High Stakes Ep 36 – Lee Goldberg on MURDER BY DESIGN & Splitting His Time Between Television and Novel Writing

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“She really didn’t understand people at all, they were so weird. Dealing with them was like being slapped in the face over and over.”—The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet Condominium by Daniel Falatko—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
bullet The CleanSweep Conspiracy by Chuck Waldron
bullet No Problem, Mr. Walt by Walt Hackman—a nice book by a very nice man
bullet A Change of Heart by Mark Benjamin
bullet I mentioned the releases of: The Cupid Reconciliation by Michael R. Underwood; We’re All Damaged by Matthew Norman; The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman; and Death by Cliché by Bob Defendi

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg—first in a new series: “Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible. Enter Wally Nash: a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.”
bullet Castaway Cays: Curse of the Sea Serpent by Amy Maren Rice—The second Fuzziwigs MG adventure, “Aliens are running amok in the backwoods of Idaho, Grandpa Slater is trapped in another dimension, and the crazed sea serpent of Castaway Cays-Dragula the Dreaded-has stolen something the Slater family desperately needs.” I’m looking forward to this!
bullet Assassin in the Alehouse by Z.S. Diamanti—”Embark on a cozy fantasy tale of found family and quiet mysteries. A quaint quest to find the place that feels like home and the ones who make it so. A journey filled with self-discovery and new romance. From cloaks and daggers to mugs and flagons …” Sign me up!

Psychological Thriller Readers’s Post on Facebook.

WWW Wednesday—June 3, 2026

By HCNewton

On June 3, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

This is the third (and, I think, final) “hey, what am I reading” kind of post for the week. If I’d planned better, maybe I could’ve broken them up more. But I didn’t. So at least I can move on now.

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 Devils by Joe Abercrombie	What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack	Some Sort of Justice by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

I heard just a little bit of the alternate history involved in Abercrombie’s fantasy novel on Monday. That alone seems worth cracking it open.

I’m about 10% into What’s Next, and already I’m glad I finally stopped putting this off.

It took less than 20 minutes of listening to Gildart Jackson for me to be content in Grainger’s world again. Ahhh…

What did you recently finish reading?


Three Hitmen and a Baby by Rob Hart	Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano, read by Angela Dawe

The latest installment in the Assassins Anonymous series is just as fun, action-packed, and full-of-heart as its predecessors. Hart pulls no punches here (unlike his characters, who are trying to avoid all that).

The Lucy and Ethel of amateur detectives are up to their usual antics. I think this was better than their recent excursion to Atlantic City, which tested my patience.

What do you think you’ll read next?


The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson	Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen, read by George K. Wilson

This is possibly the longest that I’ve let a new Walt Longmire gone unread in years. Hope to crack it open no later than this weekend.

I’ve been curious about Hiaasen for ages. This just showed up as a new addition to my library’s audio collection. Figured I might as well try it.

Tag: Miscellany Page 4 of 180

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What books are capturing your attention this week?

What’s the quirkiest or most unexpected place you’ve ever read a book, and why?

Where the Magic Happens…or something

What’s your quirkiest place?

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

How’s your summer reading going? You have any winners?

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

How are you all starting the month?