Tag: Miscellany Page 75 of 177

The Friday 56 for 11/18/22: Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

The Friday 56This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

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

from Page 56 of:
Theft of Swords

Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

The room was unused.

Hadrian remained silent near the window as Royce moved across the room to the door. He watched as the thief’s feet tested the surface of the floor before committing his weight. Royce mentioned once how he had been in an attic on a job when he hit a weak board and fell through the bedroom ceiling. This floor was stone, but even stones sometimes had loose mortar or contained hidden traps or alarms. Royce made it to the door, where he crouched and paused to listen. He motioned a sign for walking with his hand and then began counting on his fingers for Hadrian to see. There was a pause, and then he repeated the signal. Hadrian crossed the room to join his friend and the two sat waiting for several minutes in silence.

Eventually Royce lifted the latch with gloved hands but did not open the door. Outside they could hear the heavy footfalls of hard boots on stone, first one set, and then a second. As the steps faded, Royce opened the door slightly and peered out. The hall was empty.

Book Blogger Hop: Are You a Voracious Reader or a Book Nerd?

Book Blogger Hop

 

This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:

Which do you prefer to be known as: a voracious reader or a book nerd?

If I’m going to limit myself to those choices, I guess I’d probably go with “voracious reader”. I like the term book nerd, though, and would answer to it unthinkingly. But voracious seems to fit me better (although it also feels like an understatement…from my first reading to today, I saw myself in Scout Finch’s “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”).

However, if I’m not limiting myself to those options, I have a few other ideas:
bullet The ubiquitous Book Wyrm/Book Dragon label
bullet A Book Shark (à la “I always read. You know how sharks have to keep swimming or they die? I’m like that. If I stop reading, I die.” as Patrick Rothfuss has said)
bullet An Irresponsible Reader (see this comic, and, well…the banner above)
bullet A Bookish Weirdo (thanks, Fahrenheit Press merch!)
bullet But I think my favorite description is something I stumbled onto via a Kevin Hearne tweet: “ink drinker” (buveur d’encre) (see this post from bluesyemre for other nifty international terms).

How do you self-identify as readers?

WWW Wednesday, November 16, 2022

We’ve reached the midway point for the week, and it’s about time that I actually produce something. Let’s start with this week’s WWW Wednesday and see if I can manage anything else.

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 having a blast with Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan and I’m listening to Missing Pieces by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator) on audiobook. I’m a little worried about what I’m going to do now that I’m a couple of hours short of being totally caught up on this series. I guess it’s about time to start it again.

Theft of SwordsBlank SpaceMissing Pieces

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Michael Connelly’s Desert Star (hopefully you’ll read my take on it later today) and All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor, Ray Porter (Narrator) on audio—this series keeps getting better..

Desert StarBlank SpaceAll These Worlds

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones and my next audiobook should be Druid Vices and a Vodka by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator).

A Hard Day for a HangoverBlank SpaceDruid Vices and a Vodka

What about you?

Saturday Miscellany—11/12/22

Between Twitter collapsing and insert-your-own-description of Election Day, I didn’t see a lot of bookish things to read this week (could be me being distracted by the books I was working on more than the other items, honestly). So this is going to be another skimpy entry. By all means, point me at things you think I missed. We’ve also got the holiday season commencing, so that typical results in a plethora of things to read or a real desert.

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 Today in AWWWW: Reading out loud to dogs improves literacy in kids.—Along these lines, my daughter’s work has taken her to a few events at a local library where kids can read to therapy-dogs-in-training, as a way to help both participants. Which is about the most wholesome thing I can think of.
bullet 5 Helpful Ways to Overcome Reader’s Block—I’m pretty sure almost every piece on Blocks/Slumps I share has these tips, but who knows… (I just can’t help myself)
bullet Carlisle author MW Craven’s detective Washington Poe gives boost to Cumbria—a nice side effect to being the home of one of the greats
bullet Damppebbles’s annual recommendation-fest, #R3COMM3ND3D, is in full swing—be sure to drop by for all the temptation and maybe a new favorite or twelve:
bullet …with BookBlogger Joanne
bullet …with BookBlogger Kate
bullet …with BookBlogger Anita
bullet …with BookBlogger Emily Quinn
bullet …with Blogger, Reviewer and CrimeFictionCommentator Ayo Onatade
bullet …with Author Pernille Hughes
bullet …with Bookstagrammer Charlotte Bonner
bullet The Anxiety of the TBR Shelf—co-sign
bullet 23 of the Most Iconic Young Adult Books of All Time—I don’t consider myself much of a YA reader (not opposed to it, but, you know), but I’ve read a larger number of these than I’d expected to
bullet 5 Millennial-Approved Young Adult Book Series That Are Still Going Strong

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet The Thriller Zone Episode 105: Robert Crais, author of Racing The Light—a short and snappy chat with the great

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Desert Star by Michael Connelly—Ballard gives Bosch one last shot at his White Whale—the killer of a family of four who has gotten away with it for far too long. Expect a very positive post from me next week.
bullet Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson—like most Wilson books, this seems to defy summarizing in a line or two. Click the link for a description.
bullet Blue Like Me by Aaron Philip Clark—this sequel to Under Color of Law puts the LAPD detective-turned-PI on the hunt for a cop-killer.

The Friday 56 for 11/11/22: Less by Andrew by Sean Greer

The Friday 56This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

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

from Page 56 of:
Less

Less by Andrew by Sean Greer

“Do you think of yourself as a genius, Arthur?”

“What? Me?”

Apparently the Head takes that as a no. “You and me. we’ve met geniuses. And we know we’re not like them, don’t we? What is it like to go on, knowing you are not a genius, knowing you are a mediocrity? I think it’s the worst kind of hell.”

“Well,” Less said. “I think there’s something between genius and mediocrity—”

“That’s what Virgil never showed Dante. He showed him Plato and Aristotle in a pagan paradise. But what about the lesser minds? Are we consigned to the flames?”

“No, I guess,” Less offers, “just to conferences like this one.”

Book Blogger Hop: Which Came First, the Book or the Movie?

Book Blogger Hop

 

This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:

Do you watch film adaptations of books before reading them?

Almost always I read the book first. I want my imagination to be the dominant vision in my head. For example, I don’t want to put up with Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in my head when I read a Herron novel, as fantastic as he was (or as Dracula, or as Sirius Black). Having my mental image and the character’s voice firmly established, I can watch Slow Horses and enjoy Oldman’s take on the character.

This has backfired on me a few times, mostly when the adaptations are so divorced from the source material that it hurts the experience. take The Water Horse. I read that to/with my kids before the movie came out because we all wanted that experience. And boy howdy, could that movie have been more different from the book? I think it was perfectly nice and we’d have probably enjoyed it more had we not known the book.

Sometimes, I don’t care enough about the book based on what I’ve heard/adaptation trailer I’ve seen to care, and will watch the show/movie first. Occasionally, actually seeing the adaptation will make me reconsider and grab the book (I can’t come up with an example at the moment to use here, which is a shame).

Rarely, I think an adaptation looks so good that I don’t want to know what the novel is like. For example, Game of Thrones. You knew that the writers/producers were going to have to make changes from the novels for that, and I didn’t want to be one of those guys sitting there watching saying things like, “Well, actually Khal Drogo should have bells in his hair and…” After having seen season one, I could read the books and keep the two worlds separate in my mind. Sure, that seems to be the opposite of what I said in that first paragraph. It’s rare that an adaptation looks that good to me.

There’s always the stuff that I end up watching for one reason or another and don’t know it’s an adaptation until I’m watching/have watched. That usually inspires me to read it afterward, just to see.

So basically, the book first, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. I didn’t realize I had so many exceptions to the rule, though. Guess you learn something every day.

What about you, readers?

WWW Wednesday, November 9, 2022

While all of us in the U.S. are celebrating or grousing (or a little of each) about the election results (and you’re formally invited to not comment on them below), I’m going to take a quick break to tackle today’s WWW Wednesday!

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 reading the ARC for NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority by Marshall Karp (an actual paper ARC, it’s been ages since I got my hands on one of those) and I’m listening to All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor, Ray Porter (Narrator) on audiobook, I’ve barely scratched the surface and Taylor has already upped the stakes more than I expected.

NYPD Red 7: The Murder SororityBlank SpaceAll These Worlds

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Andrew Sean Greer’s Less and Screwed by Eoin Colfer, John Keating (Narrator) on audio. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve listened to and read two books with such divergent feels simultaneously.

LessBlank SpaceScrewed

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Desert Star by Michael Connelly and my next audiobook should be Missing Pieces by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator) it’d be easy to draw a lot of parallels between these series at this point in their runs, but I know the voices are so different, that I’m not worried about them being too similar.

Desert StarBlank SpaceMissing Pieces

Have you been reading anything interesting lately?

Saturday Miscellany—11/5/22

I don’t think I have much to say today before diving into things (I rarely do, probably, I’m just rarely self-aware enough to stop talking), so let’s skip my blather and get right to the good stuff:
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 Words we think we know, but can’t pronounce: the curse of the avid reader—Been there, done that. I particularly enjoy when strong Jeopardy! contestants display this. If those masters of the minutiae stumble, I can get away with it, too.
bullet On the Cult of Craftism
bullet ‘It provoked an erotic shock in me’ – Marian Keyes, Nick Hornby, Leïla Slimani and other writers on the books that changed them
bullet Five Mysteries That Inspire Serious Childhood Favorite Vibes: Find out what mystery you should read next based on your favorite childhood books.
bullet A Milestone, of a Sort: One Kay for The Iron Gate—Harry Connolly (who I will convince more of you to read if it’s the last thing I do) looks at his sales and ponders the state of his career
bullet My First Thriller: S.A. Cosby—A great profile of Cosby and his first novel.
bullet Thoughts on Cozy Fantasy by K. R. R. Lockhaven—Lockhaven dropped by Fanfiaddict to offer some thoughts on the subgenre. Apparently, I’ve been reading it longer than I realized.
bullet Dolls, weirdness, and imaginary numbers…—Fahrenheit Press announces an upcoming release. All I can say is that you have to read about it. (and probably order it)
bullet #R3COMM3ND3D is back! This is likely my favorite annual blog series and I’ve already been tempted by too many books to read (and I’ve been happy to see some familiar titles, too).
bullet …with #BookBlogger Lorna
bullet …with #BookBlogger Ally Parsonage
bullet …with #BookBlogger Carla
bullet …with Author Anne Coates
bullet …with Reviewer Me And My Books
bullet Transmissive Authors: A Theory and Thoughts
bullet A Blogger’s Life: Anxiety Ridden Mind of a Blogger—The Withering Blog talks about resuming blogging, or “My Return from Exile”
bullet Books, books, and more books—shelves to admire and a habit I can relate to

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet The Flood Circle by Harry Connolly—Fresh on the heels of The Iron Gate, Ray and Annalise are up against their greatest challenge yet—with the greatest rewards. I’m trying to work this into my schedule ASAP. If I go without sleep this week…
bullet Racing the Light by Robert Crais—Elvis Cole (with some help from Joe Pike and Jon Stone) hunts for a missing/abducted podcaster. I had a few enthusiastic things to say about it.
bullet Gardens by Benedict Jacka—an action-packed novella in the Alex Verus universe. .

The Friday 56 for 11/4/22: Gardens by Benedict Jacka

The Friday 56This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

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

from Page 56 of:
Gardens

Gardens by Benedict Jacka

He nodded off into the forest. “You can go now.”

​“While you do what?” Jess said.

​“Not your problem.”

​“Don’t let him—” Shirazad began, before Deathgrip twisted her arm, making her cry out in pain. ​

“You still here?” Deathgrip asked Emmanuel. ​

“So how do we get paid?” Emmanuel asked.

​“Guess you’ll just have to keep your advance.”

​“We didn’t get an advance.” ​

Deathgrip raised his eyebrows. “Sucks to be you.”

WWW Wednesday, November 2, 2022

So life interfered last week and I’ve had to skip two books on my schedule so I can meet some commitments. I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to double back and get those I skipped, either. I tell ya, I should just retire early and do this full-time. The only thing that stands in my way are trivialities like my need for food, shelter, an Internet connection, and the ability to buy books.

While I put together the inevitable gofundme drive, why don’t we try this WWW Wednesday?

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 reading Kestrel’s Dance by Misty Massey for some high seas adventure and am listening to Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire, Emily Bauer (Narrator) on audiobook—I’d really forgotten how fun Verity can be.

Kestrel's DanceBlank SpaceDiscount Armageddon

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished James Brayken’s The Veiled Edge of Contact—look for a Q&A with the author soon (shortly after I whittle down the 3 dozen things I want to ask him). I also just wrapped up Poltergeist by Kat Richardson, Mia Barron (Narrator) on audio.

The Veiled Edge of ContactBlank SpacePoltergeist

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should either be Gardens by Benedict Jacka or Terry’s Crew by Terry Crews and Cory Thomas (it depends on how long Kestrel’s Dance takes me). My next audiobook should be Screwed by Eoin Colfer, John Keating (Narrator).

GardensBlank SpaceTerry's CrewBlank SpaceScrewed

What about you?

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