Tag: Miscellany Page 93 of 175

This week’s topic is, “Top 5 books I will definitely* read in 2022. Same disclosure from 2021. You won’t be subjected to punishment (from me) if you don’t read these. But what are 5 books you really want to tick off your TBR this year?” Sure, I could’ve just picked five books that are the next in a series (and, yeah, that’s what I mostly did)–but these are ones that either I am champing at the bit to read or that I know I have every intention on reading, but can see myself getting distracted from and still wanting to read in 2023 (see the entry for Return of the Paladin on Top 5 books I haven’t read yet in 2021). So, calling my shot at the others should help me remember to do it.

	Robert B. Parker’s Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins The fiftieth Spenser novel is also the last one that Atkins will write. I can only imagine that Atkins is going to go out with a bang. This is the epitome of me champing at the bit to read a book. I will be abandoning whatever I’m reading to dive into this as soon as I get my hands on it.
	The Botanist by M. W. Craven The Poe/Tilly novels have become a (the?) highlight of my summers. I cannot wait to see what happens here.
	Lives Laid Away by Stephen Mack Jones August Snow was one of my favorite “discoveries” of 2021–I was practically giddy reading it. I’d expected I’d read this one last year, and don’t know how I didn’t get to it. This will happen soon.
	Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman This made my list without me knowing anything about it–I’ve just enjoyed Waxman’s voice so much the last few years. Also, I wanted something on this list that wasn’t a Mystery/Detective/Crime novel or part of a series. Oops. It turns out that this is a sequel to The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. 1 out of 2 ain’t bad, right?
	City on Fire by Don Winslow I’ve loved almost every Winslow book I’ve read–and was impressed with those I didn’t. So it would seem I’d be super-excited about this–and I am. But after The Cartel–both in scope and impact–I’ve been intimidated by him. This is going to be one of those I have to push myself to read, oddly enough.

Top Ten Tuesday: 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

By HCNewton

On January 18, 2022

In News/Misc.

The topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesdays is the 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To.

Wow, I really kept up with new releases in 2021. I remembered 6 of these right off the bat, but I then had to go through a year’s worth of my Saturday Miscellany posts to find another 4 for the list. And if this was a top 12, I’d have listed every new release I made note of last year—unlike past years, where I probably left fifty untouched. Sure, I likely didn’t document another 60 or so that fell in the category “oh, wow, that looks great, I should get that” before promptly forgetting about it. But I’ll take this as a win regardless.

I’m going to try to knock off this list by May—we’ll see how that goes.

Top Ten 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

	AMORALMAN: A True Story and Other Lies by Derek DelGaudio DelGaudio’s memoir should prove intersting, and I really don’t know what else to say until I actually open the thing. If the film In & Of Itself is anything to go by, it’ll be a compelling read, if nothing else.
	Dreyer’s English (Adapted for Young Readers): Good Advice for Good Writing by Benjamin Dreyer I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on this one since I heard about it. I loved the “adult” version and want to see how he translates that into advice for kids (also, I can see this being easier to pass on to non-language nerd friends/family who need the help)
	*Eye of the Sht Storm** by Jackson Ford The third Teagan Frost adventure looks great (and reminds me to get my act together and read #2).
	A War of Wizards by Layton Green The Blackwood Saga concludes here in Book 5. I’d say I’d dive in next week, but, I still haven’t read book four.
	Swashbucklers by Dan Hanks This is one of those books I can’t imagine summarizing in a few paragraphs (at least without reading it first), much less a sentence. Click that link there to learn about it. Looks fun.
	The Curious Reader: Facts About Famous Authors and Novels \| Book Lovers and Literary Interest \| A Literary Miscellany of Novels & Novelists edited by Erin McCarthy & the team at Mental Floss “This literary compendium from Mental Floss reveals fascinating facts about the world’s most famous authors and their literary works.” I’ve flipped through this a little since picking it up at my bookstore, I have no idea how to describe it—or how I’m going to write about it. But it’s going to be fun trying to figure it out.
	Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach Roach’s books always look interesting, but I haven’t gotten around to trying one. This one could change that.
	Questland by Carrie Vaughn Jurassic Park, but for D&D types.
	Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Weir’s latest looks more like The Martian than Artemis, which should help sales, even if it seems like a cheat for him to try (looking at you, Ernest Cline).
	Hard Reboot by Django Wexler “Kas is a junior researcher on a fact-finding mission to old Earth. But when a con-artist tricks her into wagering a large sum of money belonging to her university on the outcome of a manned robot arena battle she becomes drawn into the seedy underworld of old Earth politics and state-sponsored battle-droid prizefights.” Oh, that old chestnut…this is just such a strange collection of ideas I think I have to try it.

Saturday Miscellany—1/15/22

By HCNewton

On January 15, 2022

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 Americans Reading Fewer Books Than in Past—pretty sure this is news to no one. Still depressing to see.
bullet Book bans in schools are catching fire. Black authors say uproar isn’t about students.
bullet The 23 most popular books of the past year, according to Goodreads members—huh.
bullet Have We Forgotten How to Read Critically?—Um, yeah?
bullet Ace Atkins bids Robert B. Parker’s Spenser farewell
bullet The Future of Robert B. Parker’s Sunny Randall—I meant to include this last week, but it fits the theme of the previous item.
bullet Some Books That Inspire Me—On the eve of his first novel’s publication, Adam Shaw talks about some books that got him to that point.
bullet Maybe Reading Goals Are Good, Actually—Templeton has some good ideas about reading goals for a self-described “free range reader”
bullet How BOOK IT! Made Reading Delicious—from Mental Floss
bullet Bookish Bucket List—Now this is a good idea…
bullet Misrepresentations of Autism in Fiction—good stuff from The Coycaterpillar Reads.
bullet StoryGraph vs. Goodreads – The Good & the Bad
bullet The importance of book reviews

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet The Jackals by Adam Shaw—Jack Dotson returns to his hometown for a funeral and has to deal with the past he tried to leave behind—and doing so may cause trouble for the rest of his life. (oof, that sounded lame…go read the link, it’s better when not summarized in a sentence)

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Rabhya Maini who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!

The Friday 56 for 1/14/21: Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

By HCNewton

On January 14, 2022

In Currently Reading, Fantasy, News/Misc., Quotations, Seanan McGuire, The Friday 56, Wayward Children

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 a little bit of 57) of:
Where the Drowned Girls Go

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

The matron narrowed her eyes. “Can scarecrows talk?” she repeated, tone clearly implying that there was only one right answer, and it wasn’t the one she expected from Emily.

…Silence and blending into the background were Cora’s forte. She was good at it. But she was also a hero, and heroes didn’t stand idly by while someone smaller was victimized.

“Scarecrows don’t talk,” she scoffed, loudly enough and clearly enough to guarantee she would be overheard. The matron stiffened. Cora acted like she hadn’t noticed, continuing blithely, “They’re just straw stuffed into old potato sacks. If scarecrows could talk, that would mean straw could talk, and if straw could talk, grass would be able to talk, and no one could mow their lawns.”

Book Blogger Hop: Bookish Art?

By HCNewton

On January 14, 2022

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Penelope @ The Reading Devil:

Do you have any bookish posters or artwork on your walls?

Yes, some. I should really have taken photographs here, but it’d be better to go look at the art at the links instead–I know what my photographs look like 🙂

On my walls are:
bullet a pair of Dresden Files prints by Mike Kuloda
bullet a print from Bearded by Jeremy Billups
bullet a print by Gene Mollica of Atticus, the Iron Druid (signed by Kevin Hearne)
bullet I also have a nifty print from No Country for Old Gnomes> signed by Delilah S Dawson, Kevin Hearne, and the artist (but I can’t read their name)
bullet a print by Chris McGrath of The Brightest Fell (October Daye) cover art
bullet and a mash-up of things like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ready Player One that my daughter painted for me a few years ago.

I’d get more, but I’m about at the point where I have to decide between space for bookcases and space for art. So something’s gotta give. (although I saw three prints while getting links for the artists I almost bought today, so…)

What about you?

WWW Wednesday, January 12, 2021

By HCNewton

On January 12, 2022

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

It’s WWW Wednesday time already, eh? Twelve days into the year and I’m already 2 books behind schedule, but I’m catching up. Hopefully, by this time next week, I’ll be on schedule—maybe even ahead (it could happen, don’t laugh).

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 of The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz and am listening to Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator) on audiobook, which is a lot less intense.

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What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Seanan McGuire’s Where the Drowned Girls Go, the latest Wayward Children novella, and The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello by Chris McDonald, Stephen Armstrong (Narrator) on audio—you may have seen me talk about the series a bit today.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron, I’m finally getting to it years after buying it, and my next audiobook should be Dark Queen by Faith Hunter, Khristine Hvam (Narrator).

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What about you?

Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

By HCNewton

On January 11, 2022

In News/Misc.

The topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesdays is the Ten Most Recent Additions to my Bookshelf.

I apparently showed some strong control lately, I had to go back weeks to come up with ten entries. That’s over with, however, if I did this post again in 2 weeks, only 2 books (maximum) would be on both lists. By the time this posts, I’ll have at least started all but one of these (and will likely start that this week). That’s an astounding bit of discipline on my part.

I should probably go reward myself with a couple of books for that kind of restraint, right? Some positive reinforcement to keep that kind of discipline cooking.

	Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman If you’re curious, here’s what I had to say about it.
	Why Did Jesus Live a Perfect Life? by Brandon D. Crowe
	Crime and Mistletoe by Author If you’re curious, here’s what I had to say about it.
	Risen by Benedict Jacka If you’re curious, here’s what I had to say about it.
	The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator)
	A Private Investigation by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator)
	The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament by G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd This was the *ONLY* book I was given over this past holiday season. (sending a glare to friends and family). I’ve been looking forward to getting into this for months, it’s going to be a project-read for a bit.
	Curious Dispatch by Chris McDonald, Stephen Armstrong (Narrator) If you’re curious, here’s what I had to say about the print version.
	And Your Enemies Closer by Rob Parker, Warren Brown (Narrator)
	Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

Saturday Miscellany—1/8/22

By HCNewton

On January 8, 2022

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

(really quick—I could still use a recommendation or two for the 12 Books Challenge, if you’re in the mood to help a guy out)

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 Never Donate These Books to Little Free Libraries (or Anywhere Else)—Some of this seems like common sense. Probably those parts need to be emphasized.
bullet Public Domain Day 2022—a list of some of the works that hit Public Domain this year, it’s not just Winnie-the-Pooh.
bullet Noah Hawley Keeps Changing Lanes—a profile of Hawley and his new novel
bullet #R3COMM3ND3D2021 The After Show Party—A look back at #R3COMM3ND3D2021 (a truly impressive number of books got mentioned in these posts—if you’re looking for a 2022 TBR list, you could do worse than working your way through these.
bullet Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too! An Interview with Darran Handshaw—Lockhaven’s series continues—and includes a fire safety tip!
bullet These are probably the last of the 2021 Wrap Up posts (although I might not be the only one taking too long to do theirs), those that caught my eye:
bullet Raven’s Yearly Round Up 2021 and Top 10 Of The Year—plenty of good recommendations here
bullet Bookworm Blues lists their 25 Best Books of 2021
bullet Bookforager’s 2021 Progress Report
bullet The Bookwyrm’s Den brings us something from the other end of the spectrum comes To All the Books I DNF’d (2021 Edition), which is a much nicer way of dealing with this idea than I’d come up with.
bullet 2022 Reading Challenge for Overwhelmed Book Readers—for those who need something like this
bullet Why I’m ditching star ratings in 2022—I keep circling back to this idea myself
bullet 10 Reasons to Read Indie and Self-Published Books

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet And Your Enemies Closer by Rob Parker—the first (fairly disturbing) book in this Audible Original series was my introduction to Parker, and this follow-up is just as riveting as the predecessor. Former detective DI Foley kicks off a war between criminal factions. (I almost wrote my post about the book right here…oops. No one has time for that right now)
bullet Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire—a non-reading/blogging project this week sucked up more time than I expected, which is the only reason I didn’t start (and likely finish) the 7th Wayward Children book two days ago.
bullet Anthem by Noah Hawley—”An epic literary thriller set where America is right now, in which a band of unlikely heroes sets out on a quest to save one innocent life—and might end up saving us all.” Yeah, that’s pretty vague, but it’s as good as I can do right now.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to MaureenBaks who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!

The Friday 56 for 1/7/21: Bloodlines by Peter Hartog

By HCNewton

On January 7, 2022

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:
Bloodlines

Bloodlines by Peter Hartog

“What the f*** are you doing, Holliday?” Deacon hollered from the kitchen.

He leaned against one of the tables with arms folded across his chest.

“It’s what we police-types like to call ‘looking for clues,’” I retorted, irritated by the question. “Shake down the premises, go through his sock drawer, locate the virtual workstation, and mine it for information. You should try it sometime.”

“I get that,” he replied amiably. “But I doubt a vampire’s gonna hide its secrets inside an office, do you?”

WWW Wednesday, January 5, 2022

By HCNewton

On January 5, 2022

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

It’s already Wednesday? Where has the year gone?? (I’m not proud of that, but I was struggling to come up with anything else). Let’s put that weak attempt at humor behind us and get on with the WWW Wednesday, okay

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 SF/Urban Fantasy combo, Bloodlines by Peter Hartog, and am wrapping up Gone Missing by Linda Castillo, Kathleen McInerney (Narrator) on audiobook.

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What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished S.J. Rozan’s Family Business—what a great way to start the year—and The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer, Katherine Kellgren (Narrator) on audio.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire and my next audiobook will probably be The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton, Matt Godfrey (Narrator).

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Tag: Miscellany Page 93 of 175

Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 books I will definitely* read in 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

Saturday Miscellany—1/15/22

The Friday 56 for 1/14/21: Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

Book Blogger Hop: Bookish Art?

Do you have any bookish posters or artwork on your walls?

What about you?

WWW Wednesday, January 12, 2021

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What about you?

Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

Saturday Miscellany—1/8/22

The Friday 56 for 1/7/21: Bloodlines by Peter Hartog

WWW Wednesday, January 5, 2022

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

How are you kicking off 2022?