Tag: News/Misc Page 1 of 26

On November 26, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top X List

This week’s topic is, “Top 5 books I meant to read in 2024.” This seemed like a fun one to try until I actually tried to sit down and come up with the five. I recently described my TBR as a tragicomedy, and the 2024 version alone is more tragic than comedic. But then I realized I had a perfect five–so, here’s my approach to this list: Top 5 books I meant to read in 2024 (and actually checked out of the library…multiple times…but didn’t start). I’ve also mentioned some of these on Books on My Summer 2024 to-Read List and multiple WWW Wednesday posts. I’ve done everything but read them, not even the first page. I’ve checked them out, held them for the maximum amount of renewals, returned them, got back on the hold list, checked them out…and so on, twice.

We could also call this “5 sources of frustration this year.”

In alphabetical order by author:

	Amari and the Despicable Wonders by BB Alston War has come to the supernatural world, and Amari's two worst enemies are leading the charge. Elaine Harlowe has manipulated her way into becoming prime minister, using her mind control ability to force the Bureau to take up her vicious grudge against magiciankind. Meanwhile, Dylan Van Helsing, the newly crowned leader of the League of Magicians--and Amari's former partner--is after a destructive new power that would not only ensure the magicians' victory . . . it would make him invincible. With neither the Bureau nor the League safe for Amari, and her newly returned brother, Quinton, determined to keep her out of the fray, she and her friends decide to find a way to end the war on their own. So when they learn that the only way to stop Dylan is to find powerful magical inventions known as Wonders, they go after them. But wielding these items comes at a terrible cost, and Amari will have to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice . . . because the Despicable Wonders will demand everything.
	What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, read by Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, Winson Ting, and Shiro Kawai What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it. A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose. In Komachi's unique book recommendations they will find just what they need to achieve their dreams. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is about the magic of libraries and the discovery of connection. This inspirational tale shows how, by listening to our hearts, seizing opportunity and reaching out, we too can fulfill our lifelong dreams. Which book will you recommend?
	Don’t Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins Hell is empty...and Addison McKellar's husband is missing. Addison McKellar isn't clueless--she knows she and her husband Dean don't have the perfect marriage--but she's still shocked when he completely vanishes from her life. At first Addison is annoyed, but as days stretch into a week and she's repeatedly stonewalled by Dean's friends and associates, her frustration turns into genuine alarm. When even the police seem dismissive of her concerns, Addison turns to her father's old friend, legendary Memphis PI Porter Hayes. Porter and Addison begin to dig deeper into Dean's affairs and quickly discover that he was never the hardworking business owner and family man he pretended to be. As they piece together the connections between a hook-handed mercenary, one of Elvis's former leading ladies, and a man posing as an FBI agent, it becomes clear that Dean was deeply enmeshed in a high-stakes web of international intrigue, and Porter and Addison aren't the only ones looking for him. Dean angered some very dangerous people before he disappeared--people who have already killed to get what they want--and they won't hesitate to come after his family to even the score. Don't Let the Devil Ride is a thrilling adventure about what can happen when you pull back the curtain on your life. Ace Atkins, long known for gritty Southern noir with a witty edge, has crafted an ambitious, globe-hopping story that comes home to Memphis in explosive fashion.
	An Honorable Assassin by Steve Hamilton He was released from federal prison to a second life as an unwilling assassin, serving a major Chicago crime lord until the day he finally won his freedom. But that freedom was a lie. Now Mason finds himself on a plane to Jakarta, promoted to lead assassin for a vast shadow organization that reaches every corner of the globe. This time, there's only one name on his list: Hashim Baya--otherwise known as the Crocodile--international fugitive and #1 most wanted on Interpol's "Red Notice" list. Baya is the most dangerous and elusive criminal Mason has ever faced. And for the first time in his career ... Mason fails his mission. Baya gets away alive. There's only one thing he can do now: to save himself, his ex-wife, and his daughter, he must make this mission his life, hunting down the target on his own. But Mason isn't alone in his search, because for Interpol agent Martin Sauvage, apprehending Baya has become a personal vendetta. Sauvage is a man just as haunted as Mason. And just as determined. Never have the stakes been so high, the forces surrounding him so great. Sauvage wants Baya in prison. Mason needs him in a body bag. Assassin and cop are on a five-thousand-mile collision course, leading to a brutal final showdown--and the one man in the world who can finally show Nick Mason the way to freedom.
	Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell Back in high school, everybody thought Shiloh and Cary would end up together . . . everybody but Shiloh and Cary. They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh's porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha--Shiloh would go to go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change. Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed. Now Shiloh's thirty-three, and it's been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She's been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she's back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned. When she's invited to an old friend's wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there--and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything? The answer is yes. And yes. And yes. Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost. It's the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.

Leaving those unread has been driving me crazy since July or so…what’ve you left untouched this year despite your best intentions?

Game Night Book Tag 2

On November 15, 2024

Game Night Book Tag 2
Last week just as I was scheduling the publication of my responses to Game Night Book Tag, I thought, “ooh, I wish she’d included Game X and Game Y.” Next thing you know, I had a whole roster of games for this sequel (maybe I should say expansion pack?). If you use this version yourself, I’d ask that you include this post as well as the original from Witty and Sarcastic Book Club.

Pictionary: A Book with a Dynamite Cover

The cover of Pictionary boardgame and the cover of The Name of the Wind: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss

I had a realy hard time narrowing this down to one, and had started to think of a different category/game (which was extra-annoying because this was the first one I thought of). But then I remembered this cover by artist Sam Weber and designer Paul Buckley and settled down. The original cover was more than good enough–but this one went the extra mile.

Stratego: A Book with an Epic Battle Scene (or Some Complicated Scheme)

The cover of Stratego boardgame and the cover of The Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

The Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

I could’ve named any number of thrillers, SF adventures, or Fantasy epics (and even as I type this, I fight off the impulse to make a half-dozen replacements). But there’s something just right about the way that Eames handles fight scenes–no matter the scale. But that last one? Chef’s kiss.

Candyland: A Book from Your Childhood that Brings Back Fond Memories

The cover of Candyland boardgame and the cover of The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards

You thought I’d say The Westing Game here, didn’t you? It seems to be the first book from my childhood I tend to mention. But from Edwards’ descriptions of the characters–particularly the Whangdoodle himself, the solution to the big problem, and a large part of the setting–there’s little about this book that isn’t as sweet as Candyland. As for memories…from the time Mrs. Jennings first read this to our class through me repeatedly checking this out from the Library (and eventually it being the first hardcover book I remember getting), few books evoke fondness like this for me.

Sorry: A Book about Revenge

The cover of Sorry! boardgame and the cover of Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

Okay, sure, any of Brown’s Red Rising qualifies as being “about revenge.” But Light Bringer seemed to be vengeancier than the rest.

Life: A Book that Tells the Story of a Life

The cover of Life boardgame and the cover of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Henning Koch (translator)

From the flashbacks to his childhood or over the course of his marriage and up to the events that changed his life/attitude in his later years (and the last chapter that probably helps the bottom line for whatever facial tissue companies the readers use), this book is a sure-fire winner. Funny, touching, inspiring…Backman knows how to deliver the goods.

Operation: A Book with a Lot of Technical Details (that may or may not be true)

The cover of Operation boardgame and the cover of Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

(I really should’ve thought about the two yellows there when I combined them into that image…gak)

First, Adjei-Brenyah gets the fight scenes (the ugly and the beauty) just right and delivers them in such a way that you feel like you can see them–and he gives enough detail in the SF-ish elements and all the rest to bring this to life. But the part that brought this book to mind for this category for me (and why I cancelled my first pick in its favor) are the footnotes–those that are actual documented history and those that are fictional (from a future to us, but history to the characters), these details, studies, and quoted documents add a weight and depth to the narrative to make this feel like a non-fiction work that had slipped through a wormhole to arrive in our time. (the narrative didn’t need that weight and depth, I stress…)

Trivial Pursuit: A Fun Non-Fiction Book

The cover of Trivial Pursuit boardgame and the cover of The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

I probably use this too often for Non-Fiction prompts in Book Tags–but every alternative that I came up with didn’t feel as right. So…here we are. Wolfe’s book is probably my all-time favorite Non-Fiction, it captures the spirit of the Space Race, the way it depicts the individuals involved is so vivid and lifelike, the way the narrative moves, and Wolfe’s style make this both informative and enjoyabler.

I don’t typically tag anyone in these, but I’m making an exception here. I’d love to see what Jodie has to say about my amendments.

Image by OTH Amberg-Weiden from Pixabay

Game Night Book Tag

On November 7, 2024

Game Night Book Tag
I’ve only seen this on one other blog–Witty and Sarcastic Book Club–which is also where it originated. Like Jodie said, these games aren’t my go-tos, but it was fun to revisit them. Just for fun, I tried to find images from the editions of the games that I used to play from.

Clue: A Book Featuring a Mystery

The Cover of the Clue boardgame and the cover of The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowall

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowall

Anyone who’s even glanced at this site knows I could go on and on and on here. But I limited myself to one–this is a fun mystery in a SF world. It’s basically The Thin Man in Space–classic mystery characters, classic mystery tropes, unclassic mystery setting–but you couldn’t tell from teh way that Kowall deals with it.

Monopoly: A Book Focused on Treasure or Money

The cover of Monopoly boardgame and the cover of Tower of Babel by Michael Sears

Tower of Babel by Michael Sears

This is all about New York Real Estate–doesn’t get more focused on Money/Treasure than that. Not that Sears limits himself to that, but the other parts of the book featured on money don’t seem as intense.

Ticket to Ride: A Book Featuring Travel

The cover of Ticket to Ride boardgame and the cover of Paradox Unbound by Peter Clines

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

Paradox Bound jumped to mind when I thought of this category. It’s all about travel–both geographically and chronologically. Why stick to something as mundane as roaming the highways and byways of the world, when you can throw in history as well?

The Settlers of Catan: A Book with a Lot Going On

The cover of The Settlers of Catan boardgame and the cover of The Cartel by Don Winslow

The Cartel by Don Winslow

There are so many plotlines, layers in plotlines, betrayals, set-ups, twists, suprises…saying there’s “a lot” going on feels like an understatement. Winslow’s a pro at this kind of thing–you don’t even notice how much happens until you stop and think about it afterwards.

Risk: A Book in Which an Attempt at Domination is Key to the Story

The cover of RISK boardgame and the cover of Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn

Many, many books led up to this one–it’s for all the marbles, Kitty and her pack (of friends and wolves) vs. Roman. And if they lose, well, he wins everyething. Yet even in the midst of all that, Vaughn makes room for character moments, resolving arcs, and a satisfying series conclusion.

Apples to Apples: A Book that Makes You Laugh

The cover of Apples to Apples boardgame and the cover of Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

I could’ve put all sorts of things here, but I’d just had a conversation with someone about this book when I sat down to start working on this tag. So…

There’s some humor here about the entertainment industry (on both sides of the camera), about interpersonal relationships, Alien life, Aliens trying to blend in on Earth, the relationship between people and dogs, and…just generally funny stuff. I’ve read it multiple times, and listened to the audiobook once. Found it funny every time.
(my post about it)

Scrabble: A Book with Beautiful Writing

The cover of Scrabble boardgame and the cover of Seraphina's Lament by Sarah Chorn

Seraphina’s Lament by Sarah Chorn

It’s been 5+ years since I read this, and it still haunts me–not becuase the images and characters are haunting, but because Chorn’s writing is beautiful. I think of it frequently. I’ve read a number of her books, and they all have that teeth-achingly tragic-yet-beautiful/tragic-while-beautiful prose, but this is the one that stands tallest in my mind.

Indie Board Game: An Indie or Self-published Book that Everyone Should Read

Some generic die and game pieces and the cover of Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne

Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne

I can name any number of Indie Books that more people should read. Several that many people should read. But everyone??? That’s a tall, tall, order.

I don’t know that Wistful Asending something that everyone should read. But most people should. Most people (everyone?) will find something in its pages they’ll enjoy, it’s got it all: Superheroes. Sentient space bears. Dinosaur-y/kaiju-y aliens. Talking spaceships. Fantastic Dialogue. Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True Love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest Ladies. Snakes. Spiders… Pain. Death. Brave men. Cowardly men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles. Er, wait. I think I started talking about a different book there. Eh, close enough.

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

Image by OTH Amberg-Weiden from Pixabay

Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 books on my TBR that intimidate me

On November 5, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top X List

This week’s topic is, “Top 5 books on my TBR that intimidate me” I haven’t done one of these in a minute, this seemed like a fun one to try.

In alphabetical order by author:

	The Annotated Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Edited by Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson and Anthony Rizzuto I love The Big Sleep–it was my first Chandler novel, it’s the one I’ve read the most often. And the idea of learning more about it, getting background, digging into to some of the scholarship, etc. sounds great (which is why I ordered it months before it came out in 2018). But I haven’t been able to bring myself to read it–there’s part of me that doesn’t want to know that much about it (and I almost never say that kind of thing). I’m also a little afraid that it’s going to flip a switch and I’m going to spend months digging into Chandler scholarship in general.
	The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins I don’t know that intimidated is the best word, but I needed a fifth book. I’m more apprehensive about dipping back into that world. Also, apathetic. But sure…let’s go with intimidated.
	The Will in Its Theological Relations by John L. Girardeau 550 pages of a critique of Jonathan Edwards and a restatement of the classic Reformed position on the freedom and bondage of the will in dense 19th Century language. Yeah, that’s easy to see why I’m intimidated.
	Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley The Rook is such a good novel, but after seeing some not-as-good reviews, I’ve been putting it off since it was published. I just don’t want anything to tarnish The Rook in my mind. I should add that I haven’t seen bad reviews for Stiletto, just people who didn’t like it as much as I’d hoped. Which makes it different than the other books by O’Malley.
	Flynn’s World by Gregory Mcdonald Similarly, I just don’t know if I can muster up the courage to read this one. The Fletch novels that Mcdonald wrote in his later years were good enough, but they were missing something. I’m afraid that this would be the same way–that it came so many years after the Fletch books, makes me even more intimidated by it. The initial Flynn books are probably in my all-time favorite stack. I just don’t want to see it be tarnished. But there’s a chance I’m missing out on something really good.

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Opening Lines

On September 18, 2024

In A-B, Authors, Douglas Adams, Fiction, News/Misc., Science Fiction, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Today is turning out to be a bad day for me to post things, but I’ve been inspired by Witty & Sarcastic Bookclub’s thread on Twitter to revisit this post (and a similar one). So, why not repost it while I consider revising the list? From wayyyyyy back in 2020.

The topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesdays is Opening Lines.

Part of what made cutting last week’s Top 5 Opening Lines down to just five was that I knew this was coming. I let myself go a little long with these, hopefully not annoyingly so. These may not be the best openings I’ve ever read, but they’re the most memorable.

	White Noise by Don DeLillo This is just one of those novels that imprinted on me in ways I don’t fathom, and it all started like this. The station wagons arrived at noon, a long shining line that coursed through the west campus. In single file they eased around the orange I-beam sculpture and moved toward the dormitories. The roofs of the station wagons were loaded down with carefully secured suitcases full of light and heavy clothing; with boxes of blankets, boots and shoes, stationery and books, sheets, pillows, quilts; with rolled-up rugs and sleeping bags; with bicycles, skis, rucksacks, English and Western saddles, inflated rafts. As cars slowed to a crawl and stopped, students sprang out and raced to the rear doors to being removing the objects inside; the stereo sets, radios, personal computers; small refrigerators and table ranges; the cartons of phonograph records and cassettes; the hairdryers and styling irons; the tennis rackets, soccer balls, hockey and lacrosse sticks, bows and arrows; the controlled substances, the birth control pills and devices; the junk food still in shopping bags—onion-and-garlic chips, nacho things, peanut creme patties, Waffelos and Kabooms, fruit chews and toffee popcorn; the Dum-Dum pops, the Mystic mints. I’ve witnessed this spectacle every September for twenty-one years. It is a brilliant event, invariable. The students greet each other with comic cries and gestures of sodden collapse. Their summer has been bloated with criminal pleasures, as always. The parents stand sun-dazes near their automobiles, seeing images of themselves in every direction. The conscientious suntans. The well-made faces and wry looks. They feel a sense of renewal, of communal recognition. The women crisp and alert, in diet trim, knowing people’s names. Their husbands content to measure out the time, distant but ungrudging, accomplished in parenthood, something about them suggesting massive insurance coverage. This assembly of station wagons, as much as anything they might do in the course of the year, more than formal liturgies or laws, tells the parents they are a collection of the like-minded and the spiritually akin, a people, a nation.
	The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O’Connor O’Connor’s the perfect mix of Southern sensibility, Roman Catholic worldview, and glorious prose. FRANCIS MARION TARWATER’S uncle had been dead for only half a day when the boy got too drunk to finish digging his grave and a Negro named Buford Munson, who had come to get a jug filled, had to finish it and drag the body from the breakfast table where it was still sitting and bury it in a decent and Christian way, with the sign of its Saviour at the head of the grave and enough dirt on top to keep the dogs from digging it up. Buford had come along about noon and when he left at sundown, the boy, Tarwater, had never returned from the still. The old man had been Tarwater’s great-uncle, or said he was, and they had always lived together so far as the child knew. His uncle had said he was seventy years of age at the time he had rescued and undertaken to bring him up; he was eighty-four when he died. Tarwater figured this made his own age fourteen. His uncle had taught him Figures, Reading, Writing, and History beginning with Adam expelled from the Garden and going on down through the presidents to Herbert Hoover and on in speculation toward the Second Coming and the Day of Judgment.
	The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout I could’ve filled this list with Stout beginnings. But I limited myself to this one. Since it was deciding factor, I might as well begin by describing it. It was a pink slip of paper three inches wide and seven inches long, and it told the First National City Bank to pay to the order of Nero Wolfe one hundred thousand and 00/100 dollars. Signed, Rachel Bruner. It was there on Wolfe’s desk, where Mrs. Bruner had put it. After doing so, she had returned to the red leather chair.
	Dead Beat by Jim Butcher The first words I read by Butcher, got me hooked but good. On the whole, we’re a murderous race. According to Genesis, it took as few as four people to make the planet too crowded to stand, and the first murder was a fratricide. Genesis says that in a fit of jealous rage, the very first child born to mortal parents, Cain, snapped and popped the first metaphorical cap in another human being. The attack was a bloody, brutal, violent, reprehensible killing. Cain’s brother Abel probably never saw it coming. As I opened the door to my apartment, I was filled with a sense of empathic sympathy and intuitive understanding. For freaking Cain.
	Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain This was the hardest cut from last week’s list, but I just can’t resist the moocow. You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary. Aunt Polly—Tom’s Aunt Polly, she is—and Mary, and the Widow Douglas is all told about in that book, which is mostly a true book, with some stretchers, as I said before. Now the way that the book winds up is this: Tom and me found the money that the robbers hid in the cave, and it made us rich. We got six thousand dollars apiece—all gold. It was an awful sight of money when it was piled up. Well, Judge Thatcher he took it and put it out at interest, and it fetched us a dollar a day apiece all the year round—more than a body could tell what to do with. The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back.
	A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce I remember in our English class in High School when we were assigned this book, pretty much no one was interested. When Mr. Russo passed out the paperbacks, a few of us flipped it opened and read these first words—and suddenly we were open to the idea (didn’t last long for all of us, but that’s beside the point, we’re focused on the opening lines here). It’s stuck with me for almost 30 years, that’s gotta say something. Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo….
	Neuromancer by William Gibson This sentence was love at first glance for me. Still love it. Naturally, no one knows what color this is referring to anymore. The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. “It’s not like I’m using,” Case heard someone say, as he shouldered his way through the crowd around the door of the Chat. “It’s like my body’s developed this massive drug deficiency.” It was a Sprawl voice and a Sprawl joke. The Chatsubo was a bar for professional expatriates; you could drink there for a week and never hear two words in Japanese. Ratz was tending bar, his prosthetic arm jerking monotonously as he filled a tray of glasses with draft Kirin. He saw Case and smiled, his teeth a webwork of East European steel and brown decay. Case found a place at the bar, between the unlikely tan on one of Lonny Zone’s whores and the crisp naval uniform of a tall African whose cheekbones were ridged with precise rows of tribal scars. “Wage was in here early, with two joeboys,” Ratz said, shoving a draft across the bar with his good hand. “Maybe some business with you, Case?” Case shrugged. The girl to his right giggled and nudged him. The bartender’s smile widened. His ugliness was the stuff of legend. In an age of affordable beauty, there was something heraldic about his lack of it.
	The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Oft-parodied. Oft-imitated. Often-celebrated. Does it get better than this? It was about eleven o’clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars. The main hallway of the Sternwood place was two stories high. Over the entrance doors, which would have let in a troop of Indian elephants, there was a broad stained-glass panel showing a knight in dark armor rescuing a lady who was tied to a tree and didn’t have any clothes on but some very long and convenient hair. The knight had pushed the vizor of his helmet back to be sociable, and he was fiddling with the knots on the ropes that tied the lady to the tree and not getting anywhere. I stood there and thought that if I lived in the house, I would sooner or later have to climb up there and help him. he didn’t seem to be really trying.
	Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone by J. K. Rowling Why bother saying anything here? Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.
	The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea. This planet has—or rather had—a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole it wasn’t the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy. And so the problem remained; lots of the people were mean, and most of them were miserable, even the ones with digital watches.

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 Opening Lines

On September 18, 2024

In A-B, Authors, Books, Douglas Adams, Fiction, Humor, News/Misc., Science Fiction, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I love a good opening line. A solid opening paragraph or page is great, but an opening line that sells you on the next 200-500 pages? Magic. When I saw this list topic listed, these 5 jumped to mind—they may not be the best I’ve ever read, but they’re the most memorable.

(I tried, tried, tried to limit myself to the opening line, but I failed on a couple of them, couldn’t help myself.)

	A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce I remember in our English class in High School when we were assigned this book, pretty much no one was interested. When Mr. Russo passed out the paperbacks, a few of us flipped it opened and read these first words—and suddenly we were open to the idea (didn’t last long for all of us, but that’s beside the point, we’re focused on the opening lines here). It’s stuck with me for almost 30 years, that’s gotta say something. Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo….
	Neuromancer by William Gibson This sentence was love at first glance for me. Still love it. Naturally, no one knows what color this is referring to anymore. The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.
	The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Oft-parodied. Oft-imitated. Often-celebrated. Does it get better than this? It was about eleven o’clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.
	Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone by J. K. Rowling Why bother saying anything here? Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.
	The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams I’ll go on and on about this book next week, so I’ll just keep my trap shut here. But man…there was something about these lines that got into my blood. Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.

Back to School Book Tag

On September 3, 2024

Back to School Book Tag
When I saw this over at Chasing Destino last week, I thought that seems like a bit of seasonal fun. I might want to try that. And as I did try it, I discovered it was a bit of seasonal fun. (phew)

It was created by That Book Gal blog, and if you desire to jump into the Back to School Fun, be sure to tag the creator.

English – Name your favorite author’s (or books) writing style.

Cover of Mortal Stakes by Robert B Parker

Mortal Stakes by Robert B. Parker

I just can’t get enough of Robert B. Parker’s style–even when the novel is “meh,” his voice…man, oh, man. (the similarities between his and so many other authors I follow blindly show just how much I love his voice).

This is a dangerous topic for me, style is so important in my tastes, I could list two dozen others here…I’m going to leave it with two others that I can’t help but think of…

Cover of Dead Beat by Jim Butcher Cover of The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

Math – A book that made you frustrated!

Cover of the Meifod Claw by JW Bowe

The Meifod Claw by JW Bowe

I literally just searched my posts for the word “frustrated” and this one came up. Sorry to Mr. Bowe but man, this book did.

Science – A book that really made you think or question things.

Cover of The Appeal by Janice Hallett

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

You just can’t get through Hallett’s fascinating and mind-boggling book without having to rethink everything you’ve read in it by the end.

History – Your favorite book from a different time period.

Cover of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Did anyone really think I’d say something different?

Art – Your favorite book with pictures.

Cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Illustrated Edition by Douglas Adams and Chris Riddell Cover of The Mysteries by Bill Watterson and John Kascht

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Illustrated Edition by Douglas Adams and Chris Riddell and The Mysteries by Bill Watterson and John Kascht

This was a stumper for me (especially with all of the board books and picture books that I’ve been swimming in lately), but the artwork in these two are just great.

Drama – A book you would love to see turned into a movie.

Cover of Whistful Ascending by JCM Berne

Whistful Ascending by JCM Berne

I don’t know how it could happen, but I’d preorder every Blu-Ray collector’s edition today. (outside of animation…maybe when the Invincible team start looking for their next project).

Music/Band – A character with a similar music taste to you.

Cover of The Heathens by Ace Atkins

The Heathens by Ace Atkins

There was a character, TJ Byrd, that Atkins made a Spotify playlist for–I listened to it a lot. It’s not really representative of my taste as a whole, but it hit a sweet spot. (and every other character that I could tie to a specific taste made me think, “eh, that’s too ____ for me”)

Lunch – A food from a book you would love to try.

Cover of Kneading Journalism by Tony Ganzer

Kneading Journalism by Tony Ganzer

Between how bad I am at baking bread, and the fact that I might have celiac…this isn’t something I should try (but man, did I want to)

Bus Ride Home – A book or author that is relaxing.

Cover of And Be A Villain by Rex Stout

Any Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin book by Rex Stout

Reading Stout is like coming home after a long day. It takes me less than a page to be comfortable and forget whatever chaos is around me.

Extra Credit – A book someone recommended that you enjoyed.

Cover of No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister

I could name so, so, so many–and I feel like I’m insulting people who aren’t Carol who’ve recommended books to me. But this is the most recent and the freshest in my mind.

Sorry to not mention one of your recs Nicole, Micah, Jodie, Paul, Sean, Jamie, Mom…..

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with. How’re you hitting the books?

gif of Fozzie looking for laughs
See what I did there? Hitting the books…Ha!!

The Quintessential Summer Book Tag

On August 22, 2024

A generic-looking tag reading 'The Quintessential Summer Book Tag'
This was created by TheBookishKat and I found it on Jo Linsdell’s ever-so-helpful Book Tags To Try This Summer post. I just needed a little variety in my life, so figured I’d give it a shot.

1. Iced Drink- a refreshing book

Graphic of an iced drink and the Cover of The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

I don’t remember what I was home sick with when my mother brought this home to me, but it helped me feel better then and every–countless–time that I’ve read it since then. This story about fifteen contestants (and 1 mistake) competing for the inheritance of Samuel W. Westing has always been as refreshing as the best iced tea I’ve ever had.

Image by Stefan Schweihofer from Pixabay

2. Cotton Candy- a book that was fluffy and sweet

Graphic of Cotton Candy in a cup and the Cover of The Book That No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade

The Book That No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade

So this was just charming and sweet from beginning to end. Yes, it was written for a MG (at the oldest) audience, but I enjoyed it as much as–if not more–than cotton candy. It was light, it made me smile, and it made me want more.

Image from Pixabay

3. Sunglasses- a dark book

Graphic of Sunglasses and the Cover of According to Mark by H.B. O'Neill

According to Mark by H.B. O’Neill

Does it get darker than a couple of hundred pages about a broken-hearted man, who needs social/medical/psychiatric aid, seeking to kill himself because he’s convinced that Mark Twain wants him to? (still, it is a beautiful book with some moments of joy)

Image by Ronny Overhate from Pixabay

4. Picnic on a Rainy Day- a sad book

Graphic of a raining cloud and the Cover of The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

With a little thought, I could come up with sadder books, no doubt. But this was the first to jump into my mind (since I’d already used According to Mark). I stuck with it, because it fits this so well–not only is it sad, but like even a rained-on picnic, there are plenty of smiles and even some chuckles and warmth in this book. But yeah, it won’t just be rain that dampens your cheeks by the time you finish this.

Image by J S from Pixabay

5. Sand- a book that irritated you Red Queen

Graphic of a pile of sand and the Cover of Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado

Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado

This felt like it was written using a template to generate the hero, her sidekick, and the villains by an unimaginative committee looking for the next Lisbeth Salander or Robert Langdon (obviously, more of the former than the latter). It grated on me like sand in your clothes and shoes after you leave the beach (and yet, it kept me turning the pages, which is another kind of annoying).

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

6. Summer Blockbuster- favorite book-to-screen adaptation The Princess Bride

Graphic of people looking at a movie screen and the Cover of The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Is there another answer? I mean, really?

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

7. Dropped Ice Cream- a book you were anticipating, but it wasn’t good

Graphic of an ice cream cone on the ground and the Cover of Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch

Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch

After the success of The October Man, I had faith in Aaronovitch’s ability to pull off an American adventure. Especially because I already know and like Special Agent Reynolds from when she shows up with Peter Grant. But, it’s just clear that Aaronovitch pull off writing in the U.S. from an American perspective. If this was about Peter or Abigail coming to visit Reynolds and running into trouble, I could’ve bought it. But this narrator just isn’t an American (or really, that American Evangelical…not even an ex-Evangelical). A rare miss in this series.

Image by Izwar Muis from Pixabay

8. Palm Tree- a tall book you loved 42

Graphic of a palm tree and the Cover of 42 The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams edited by Kevin Jon Davies

42: The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams edited by Kevin Jon Davies

I honestly couldn’t think of another tall book. But also, I like to spread the word about this as much as I can.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

9. Bonfire- a book you want to burn

Graphic of a campfire and the Cover of Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Sure–I’m diametrically opposed to book burning of any kind, but if there was a fireplace in use anywhere near me when I finished this book, I’d have been tempted to toss it in. (and would’ve gladly paid the library fees). The ending of this just made me so mad. I know I’m in the minority with this book, but I don’t care.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

10. Fireworks- a book that exploded onto the scene

Graphic of fireworks exploding in the sky and the Cover of Don't Know Tough by Eli Cranor

Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor

If you’re going to make your debut, you want to do it like Cranor. From the first page, this book hits you with the velocity of a rocket taking off—and as far as I can tell that’s how the book went, too. Suddenly, every Crime Fiction account/page I follow was talking about this book.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

I don’t typically actually tag people when I do these, but I’m curious to see what you’d put here. So if you made it this far, consider yourself tagged. (no need to go overboard on graphics like I chose to do for reasons that I don’t quite get)

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Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 books of 2024… so far!