Tag: Miscellany Page 64 of 175

Saturday Miscellany—4/22/23

On April 22, 2023

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I spent more hours this week interacting with people after work hours than I’m used to (well, people who don’t live with me), which meant that I had very little time to do the kinds of reading that leads to things getting posted here. C’est la vie…

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 National Library Week kicks off on Monday, the theme this year is “There’s More to the Story,” spotlighting the all the things libraries do.
bullet I spent all night at the Last Bookstore. Things got spooky—a bookstore sleepover is such a great idea
bullet Memes-field Park? ‘Digital natives’ are flirting with Jane Austen’s vision of the ideal man all over again
bullet What Do Modern Mystery Novels and Medieval Mystery Plays Have in Common? Sin.
bullet Nancy Drew and the Case of the Guilty Pleasure—how a young reader jumped the gap between blue-spined mysteries to those with yellow-spines
bullet It’s Not The Size Of The Dog: A ramble on Small Men in early Epic Fantasy—a fun follow-up to Peat’s previous ramble about Large Men in Fantasy
bullet Top 5 Tolkien Metal Bands—I didn’t even know this was a thing…
bullet Stop the Audiobook Hate—it seems so stupid that this is a thing that people need to say, but…
bullet What Worldbuilding Peat Likes—another follow-up from Peat Long, some good stuff here (probably doesn’t need to be said)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet City of Dreams by Don Winslow—the second of Winslow’s swan-song trilogy is out, and getting nothing but (likely well-deserved) raves
bullet The Rhythm of Time by Questlove and S. A. Cosby—I’m super-curious about what a collaboration between these two authors would produce—and then you make it a MG Fantasy (that sounds fun no matter who wrote it)? I’m dying to find out.
bullet Hard Rain by Samantha Jayne Allen—she solved one murder as an amateur, what can Annie McIntyre do as she trains as a P.I.? I had some very positive things to say about it recently.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Bachir Bastien, who followed the blog this week. I hope you enjoy the content and keep coming back.

The Friday 56 for 4/21/23: The Deal Goes Down by Larry Beinhart

By HCNewton

On April 21, 2023

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it.

from Page 56 of:
The Deal Goes Down

The Deal Goes Down by Larry Beinhart

Trees fight for life. If you climb to the high, rocky places, where the soil’s been stripped by the beating of the winds, day and night, you’ll see the pines hanging on, their roots crawling into the splits between the stones and wrapping tight around them, like the crew of a ghost sailing ship, desperately clinging forever to the lines as they ride through an eternal storm. .

This love of life that we go on about, how precious it is and such, is just a mechanism. Spiders and flies, blades of grass, and bacteria have it. Any form of life that doesn’t have it gets wiped out. Ipso facto, it’s built in, like spark plugs in an internal combustion engine. We spend endless hours wondering if our life will be short or long, good or bad, worthwhile or worthless, then death comes, and we have no idea at all.

WWW Wednesday, April 19, 2023

By HCNewton

On April 19, 2023

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

I have nothing to ramble on about here at the beginning of this post (I’m sure you’re all relieved)…let’s get right to the WWW of it all.

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m slowly working and thinking my way through Kneading Journalism by Tony Ganzer. I just started Swamp Story by Dave Barry (which will probably not involve much thinking, but a lot of laughter). I should be wrapping up The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley, Hillary Huber (Narrator) on audiobook, and I’m still trying to figure out what I think about it (but it’s generally positive).

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished the compelling Larry Beinhart’s The Deal Goes Down and the utterly adequate Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs, Emily Woo Zeller (Narrator) on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be the promising-looking Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. My next audiobook should be a Kenzie and Gennaro novel that I’m fairly ambiguous about, Sacred by Dennis Lehane, Jonathan Davis (Narrator).

Blank Space

Are you working your way through anything good, compelling, or just vaguely interesting?

That’s Some Streak!

By HCNewton

On April 19, 2023

In News/Misc.

730 Day Streak
I tried to work in a Ray Stevens joke, but I think most of my readers are too young for it. And even if you aren’t too young, do you really want to get that song stuck in your head? (oh, I did that already? Whoops.)

For most of the life of this blog, I’ve struggled to get 4-6 posts up a week. The goal was always 6, but sometimes I’d have to settle for two. Sure, I’d occasionally get 8 or 9 days in a row, but that was about it.

Then in 2021, I got a notification that I’d posted something here for like 50 days in a row—without trying or noticing. That seemed pretty cool, so I thought I’d see if I could go for 100 days in a row. And then I’d take a couple of days off. But then I got the 100-day notification and decided to go for 200, I was liking this challenge.

Once I hit 200, I didn’t even bother shooting for 300—I had to go for a year. And then once I got there (actually, it was a couple of days afterward—I don’t think I saw the year mark), I figured it could be fun to go for two years—or 730 days. Yesterday’s repost about Hard Rain was enough for me to achieve that personal record. I’d hoped to get 2 other posts up yesterday (maybe 3), just to make the day more of an event, but things happen (I do have 1.2 of them written, I want to note).

Sure, not every one of those days resulted in something I’m proud to have posted—once it became a goal and not something I stumbled into, I’d stress about getting something up and would have to settle for a repost of something just to qualify. But I did work on something every day, whether I got it in decent shape to post or not. I’m enjoying the discipline

I haven’t decided if I’m going to try for three straight years (1,095 days) or if I’ll let myself have a day or two off. For now, I’m just going to enjoy the accomplishment. We’ll see what happens next.

MUSIC MONDAY: Lux Æterna by Metallica

By HCNewton

On April 17, 2023

In News/Misc.

Music Monday’s originated at The Tattooed Book Geek‘s fantastic blog and has shown up here and there since then. I’ve resisted joining in for various and sundry reasons (primarily that I do a lot of these X days of the week memes already—some argue too many), but I couldn’t resist an excuse to use the graphic at the bottom of the post (you can blame my kids for showing me https://www.metallicalogogenerator.com/). So, yeah, I’ll join in on this occasionally.

This week, let’s start off with a song from Metallica’s new album, “Lux Æterna.”*

* If I was going to start with a Metallica track, I probably should’ve gone with “One” for the bookish tie-in, but no one wants to spend that much time on this page.

The Irresponsible Reader Metallica Logo

Saturday Miscellany—4/15/23

By HCNewton

On April 15, 2023

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I didn’t set out to share a bunch of recommendation lists this week, but, it ended up that way (and I axed a couple before publishing). Actually, I’m a little surprised to see that I have much to share. I spent most of my blog-hopping/social media/reading time this week doing things with people—a strange occurrence for this introverted homebody (all pleasant, don’t get me wrong–just strange).

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 Bristol library exhibition of forgotten items left in books—I always enjoy these stories about odd things found in library books. (also, wow, is the BBC more comfortable with silence than US news. There’s no way that a US newscast wouldn’t impose a voiceover on those shots).
bullet How Bookshop.org Survives—and Thrives—in Amazon’s World—(and yes, I would’ve shared this story even if I hadn’t recently been transitioned over to Bookshop.org for my purchase links)
bullet Are these the most influential novelists of 2023?—LitHub’s Emily Temple trimmed TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023 down to the bookish people.
bullet Judy Blume forever: the writer who dares to tell girls the plain truth—a nice piece about her on the eve of the long-awaited adaptation of her classic novel
bullet Behind the Scenes of Barack Obama’s Reading Lists: Does the president really read all those books? The answer might surprise you.—huh. With lists like his (which are always interesting to peruse, even if they don’t move me to read anything) being so influential, it’s nice to get a behind-the-scenes glance.
bullet How Ian Fleming Wrote Casino Royale and Changed Spy Fiction Forever
bullet Don Winslow recommends 6 novels that have informed his craft
bullet The 15 Best Modern Sci-Fi Authors Who Are Writing Today
bullet What Characters Peat Likes
bullet ARC Book Review Etiquette
bullet Discussion: Star ratings need not be part of reviews
bullet Revisiting my old blog posts—I don’t know that I’d have the guts to do this
bullet Not So Gentle Giants: A Ramble on Big Men in early Epic Fantasy—a fun little ramble
bullet Real Funny Books – Random Titles—some people would move on and try to forget these titles. Other people make lists with them.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Blood Runs Cold by Neil Lancaster—The newest DS Max Craigie promises to be disturbing as it focuses on human trafficking victims being re-abducted. It took me months to get to the last Max Craigie–I’m hoping my priorities are in better shape now.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Damien de Soto, who followed the blog this week. I hope you enjoy the content and keep coming back.

The Friday 56 for 4/13/23: Ozark Dogs by Eli Cranor

By HCNewton

On April 14, 2023

In C-E, Currently Reading, Eli Cranor, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it.

from Page 56 (and 57) of:
Ozark Dogs

Ozark Dogs by Eli Cranor

Evail loved his big brother, a bond that went even deeper than blood. In a way, Rudnick was the start of everything all those nights in the field, the kits’ calls playing out scared and lonely. It was just like the hunting. Rudnick had simply asked if Evail would do it, and then he did. Again and again. For a while, the brothers went hunting almost every night. It was the summer before Rudnick’s senior year in high school. Evail on the cusp of sixteen.

And then Rudnick was gone, Evail went to prison, and everything changed. The darkness shifted and the calls howled from the inside out. When Evail returned, he took to the field alone, no longer using the recordings, opting instead for the darkness, working along the tree lines and stalking his prey. He wore the hides of the creatures he’d taken. A mass of fur and bone death-still in the shadows, Evail crouching, waiting, the gun barrel blue in the night. Coyotes were loyal and thick as thieves. When one went down, the others came running. It wasn’t until there was a pile of blood-warm bodies that the big boy would finally come sauntering up from the shadows. The alpha. Rudnick had always been the alpha. He wasn’t anything anymore.

WWW Wednesday, April 12, 2023

By HCNewton

On April 12, 2023

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

This is a pretty standard post by me by now. I like doing these–if only because they help me plan…but after Peat Long’s WWW last week, this feels pretty boring. If you haven’t read it yet, you really should.

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?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I just started Ozark Dogs by Eli Cranor, one of my most anticipated books of the year. I’m listening to the funny and sweet How to Examine a Wolverine: More Tales from the Accidental Veterinarian by Philipp Schott, Geet Arora (Narrator) on audiobook.

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Gigi Pandian’s The Raven Thief and Self Help by Ben H. Winters, narrated by Wil Wheaton and Ron Perlman on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be either Bait by D.I. Jolly or Kneading Journalism by Tony Ganzer (maybe I’ll tackle both at once). My next audiobook should be Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs, Emily Woo Zeller (Narrator).

Blank Space

Are you reading anything good?

Book Blogger Hop: Lunchtime Reading

By HCNewton

On April 12, 2023

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:

Do you spend your lunchtime reading?

I have three primary reading sessions a day–before work (assuming I can stay awake), during lunch, and in the evening (although I try to squeeze in a few others). I talked about my lunchtime routine in the past, back when I worked in an office. Now, I primarily work from home–and my lunchtime reading is so much better*.

Why? Because after I grab a bite, my book and I settle down and am joined by my dog. This is what the rest of the hour looks like:
Lunchtime View
Can’t get any better than that, can it?

* Okay, most things are.

Do you eat your lunch with a side of book?

Saturday Miscellany—4/8/23

By HCNewton

On April 8, 2023

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 What’s going on with all the empty author signing pics?—Lit Hub asks the question many of us have been asking lately.
bullet Author James Patterson rips New York Times over its ‘bonkers’ Best Sellers list—On the one hand, it feels rather self-serving for this industry-unto-himself to take umbrage. But it could end up helping others, too.
bullet Judy Blume Slams Gov. DeSantis’ Florida Censorship in Passionate Speech: ‘Teachers Are Under Fire’
bullet A new edition of Gone With the Wind comes with a warning.—I could not care less about Mitchell’s work, but this warning is such a breath of fresh air following the Dahl, Christie, Fleming, etc. hubbub lately. This is how to do it.
bullet Points mean pages: why I’ve embraced the world of online reading challenges
bullet The Secret Codes Hidden in the Books of a Scottish Library—I’m pretty sure I’ve shared the link to this story before, but I saw a couple of people talking about it this week and had to do it again. How do you not smile about this?
bullet Eli Cranor: An Author That’s Ozark Tough—A nice interview with Cranor
bullet If you’re like me, when you think Eli Cranor your next thought is Sandra Boynton. Pop Culture of My Life: Sandra Boynton on Ted Lasso, Eloise, and her new book Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great!—Okay, no one has ever thought that until now, but I thought the two pieces worked well. Also, I need a poster of that cover next to my desk.
bullet Word love: In addition to being a fictionophile – I am also a logophile.—some great words are featured here (and some I’m trying to add to my working vocabulary now)—and the graphics are as good, if not better.
bullet Breaking out of Completionist Mode—I’ve read this a few times just because I can appreciate where Alex is and have felt this so often.
bullet For Adults Who Want to Try Kids Books

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Ozark Dogs by Eli Cranor—I’m not going to try to summarize the story, if you need to know the plot, click the link. But the author’s name should be enough.
bullet The Part About The Dragon Was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson—not a new release, but a snazzy re-issue. This snarky bard’s story of a dragon hunt should not be missed.
bullet Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas—Thomas tries her hand at MG Fantasy “inspired by African American history and folklore.” This looks fun.
bullet This Bird Has Flown by Susanna Hoffs—I’m not the target audience for this, but I’ve stumbled onto a couple of reviews this week and I’m very curious now. A love story, a celebration of pop music, a look at fame, and probably more, too.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Mike Finn and mehsi, who followed the blog this week. I hope you enjoy the content and keep coming back.