Tag: News/Misc Page 19 of 26

The Friday 56 for 2/26/21: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

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:
The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

DCI Chris Hudson has been given a file on Tony Curran so thick it makes a pleasing thud if you drop it on a desk. Which is what he has just done.

Chris takes a swig of Diet Coke. He sometimes worries he is addicted to it. He had once read a headline about Diet Coke that was so worrying he had chosen not to read the article.

He opens the file. Most of Tony Curran’s dealings with Kent Police were from before Chris’s time in Fairhaven. Charges for assault in his twenties, minor drug convictions, dangerous driving, dangerous dog, possession of an illegal weapon. A tax disc misdemeanor. Public urination.

Then comes the real story.

Down the TBR Hole (21 of 24+)

Down the TBR Hole

I’ve only got 2 posts to go from the original list–but I’ve added a few since then, I’m going to have to come up with a new Master List soon. I’ve trimmed the list considerably, but not as much as I’d hoped. This series has spurred me to read some things that had been languishing on the list for years, so that’s cool. But I don’t want to spend too much time on that now, I’ll wait until I’m done to do that.

Interestingly (for me, at least), somehow, three cookbooks landed on this part of The List. Which is just strange, I don’t know why I’d put them as “To Read.” I don’t read cookbooks, I can see them on a separate “To Buy” list (I have a few others on it), but…¯_(ツ)_/¯

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

  1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
  2. Order on ascending date added.
  3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
  4. Read the synopses of the books.
  5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
  6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

Literary Landscapes Literary Landscapes: Charting the Worlds of Classic Literature by John Sutherland
Blurb: “Literary Landscapes delves deep into the geography, location, and terrain of our best-loved literary works and looks at how setting and environmental influences storytelling, character, and our emotional response as readers. Fully illustrated with hundreds of full-color images throughout…Literary Landscapes brings together more than 50 literary worlds and examines how their description is intrinsic to the stories that unfold within their borders…The landscapes of enduring fictional characters and literary legends are vividly brought to life, evoking all the sights and sounds of the original works. Literary Landscapes will transport you to the fictions greatest lands and allow you to connect to the story and the author’s intent in a whole new way.”
My Thoughts: This looks like a fun thing to flip through, the kind of thing to have on your bookshelf for the occaisional glance and/or research. But to read? I just don’t see me sitting down to do it.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Imaginary Numbers Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire
Blurb: “Sarah Zellaby has always been in an interesting position. Adopted into the Price family at a young age, she’s never been able to escape the biological reality of her origins: she’s a cuckoo, a telepathic ambush predator closer akin to a parasitic wasp than a human being. Friend, cousin, mathematician; it’s never been enough to dispel the fear that one day, nature will win out over nurture, and everything will change. Maybe that time has finally come.”
My Thoughts: I read this one in June of last year.. It’s not my favorite of the series, but I enjoyed it (and will hopefully start the follow-up this week).
Verdict: Like last week, I almost feel like I’m cheating to kill this from The List since I read it months ago, but…
Thumbs Down
The Death of Mungo Blackwell The Death of Mungo Blackwell by Lauren H. Brandenburg
Blurb: “After an incident involving a food truck leaves Charlie Price jobless, he moves to small Coraloo with his wife and son. They find themselves thrown in the middle of a feud between two old families: the Tofts and the Blackwells.” The book “found a sweet, quiet way of talking about stress, adjusting to new and scary circumstances, and ‘blooming where you’re planted.'”
My Thoughts: This was recommended by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub who described it as “Equally funny and touching, this book managed to warm my cold little heart” (I blatently stole the description from that post). Still sounds good to me.
Thumbs Up
Forking Good Forking Good: A Cookbook Inspired by The Good Place by Valya Dudycz Lupescu
Blurb: “a pun-filled and fully illustrated cookbook of 30 original recipes inspired by the philosophy and food humor of the hit show.”
My Thoughts: Yes, that sounds like a lot of fun. But I’m never going read it, much less use it. Although, I am curious if any of the recipes used Almond Milk in honor of Chidi…
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Indian-ish Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family by Priya Krishna
Blurb: “This colorful, lively book is food writer Priya Krishna’s loving tribute to her mom’s “Indian-ish” cooking—a trove of one-of-a-kind Indian-American hybrids that are easy to make, clever, practical, and packed with flavor. Think Roti Pizza, Tomato Rice with Crispy Cheddar, Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Green Pea Chutney, and Malaysian Ramen.”
My Thoughts: I have flipped through this book, it looks great. There’s a decent amount of non-recipe text, too. So it would take some reading to get through, unlike your typical cookbook. I just need to get around to getting it.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Plant-Based on a Budget Plant-Based on a Budget: Delicious Vegan Recipes for Under $30 a Week, for Less Than 30 Minutes a Meal by Toni Okamoto
Blurb: 100 Plant-Based meals that can be made in under 30 minutes (and cheaply!)
My Thoughts: As I try (try) to go Whole-Food Plant-Based, this is something I really need. A foreward from Dr. Greger, increases the appeal. I actually thought I’d bought this already, but I confused it with another one (that I ended up using exactly zero times, which is exactly what it was worth).
Verdict: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
Thumbs Up
The Ninja Daughter The Ninja Daughter by Tori Eldridge
Blurb: “[An] action-packed thriller about a Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja with “Joy Luck Club” family issues who battles the Los Angeles Ukrainian mob, sex traffickers, and her own family to save two desperate women and an innocent child.”
My Thoughts: I read it back in August. This was really good, I’ve got the sequel waiting to be read next month.
Verdict: This is another one where I technically get to cut it since I pulled this list months before I read the book.
Thumbs Down
Pricked Pricked by Scott Mooney
Blurb: “Briar Pryce has the power to change the emotions of others by handing them a rose. It is a talent that has done surprisingly little for her, besides landing her a dead-end enchantment delivery job and killing any chance she had with her childhood-crush-turned-roommate. Worst of all, her ability might be responsible for getting her best friend transformed into a cat via a cursed muffin basket. Needless to say, Briar is nowhere near happily-ever-after. But that’s just life as a twentysomething in the Poisoned Apple, New York City’s lost borough of fairy-tale wonder and rent-controlled magic.”
My Thoughts: I was set to cross this off as “cute idea, but I just don’t have the time.” But the last clause I quoted there just sounds too promising.
Verdict: (with reservations)
Thumbs Up
The Land of Roar The Land of Roar by Jenny McLachlan
Blurb: “When Arthur and Rose were little, they were heroes in the Land of Roar, an imaginary world that they found by climbing through the folding bed in their grandad’s attic…Now the twins are eleven, Roar is just a memory. But when they help Grandad clean out the attic, Arthur is horrified as Grandad is pulled into the folding bed and vanishes. Is he playing a joke? Or is Roar . . . real?”
My Thoughts: Looks like it’d be a ton of fun, but I know I’m not getting to it anytime soon.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
The Age of Innocence The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Blurb: “Dutiful Newland Archer, an eligible young man from New York high society, is about to announce his engagement to May Welland, a suitable match from a good family, when May’s cousin, the beautiful and exotic Countess Ellen Olenska, is introduced into their circle. The Countess brings with her an aura of European sophistication and a hint of perceived scandal, having left her husband and claimed her independence. Her worldliness, disregard for society’s rules, and air of unapproachability attract the sensitive Newland, despite his enthusiasm about a marriage to May and the societal advantages it would bring. Almost against their will, Newland and Ellen develop a passionate bond, and a classic love triangle takes shape as the three young people find themselves drawn into a poignant and bitter conflict between love and duty.”
My Thoughts: I think I read some article a couple of years ago about “why you need to read Edith Wharton.” I don’t remember where I read it or any of the content. So I really don’t remember why I put this 20th Century Classic on my list. From the description, it’s not my cup of tea.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down

Books Removed in this Post: 6 / 10
Total Books Removed: 117 / 240

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?


(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

The Friday 56 for 2/19/21: The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds

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:
The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter

The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds

…we now know I’m not imagining things.

Which means my deepest darkest fear has come true. Next to falling into a pit of snakes. And global takeover by evil robots. And paper cuts. These are the things that haunt my nightmares.

My fourth deepest darkest fear has come true.

I have been cursed by a rogue carnival game.

Down the TBR Hole (20 of 24+)

Down the TBR Hole
I did not cut a lot off of this list—2 of the cuts were only by technicalities, too. On the other hand, some of these look really good, and I was reminded why I wanted to read these in the first place and should result in me reading a couple pretty soon. Which is almost as good, right?

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

  1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
  2. Order on ascending date added.
  3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
  4. Read the synopses of the books.
  5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
  6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

Better Grammar in 30 Minutes a Day Better Grammar in 30 Minutes a Day by Constance Immel
My Thoughts: I’m not sure what drove me to add this to the list, I dig books about language and grammar and so on. But a workbook? Yeah, that’s really not what I need. (it looks like a decent one, don’t get me wrong, if you’re looking to brush up on it)
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Know Your Rites Know Your Rites by Andy Redsmith
Blurb: The second in the series, this time Inspector Nick Paris is on the hunt for a killer—with a rapping dwarf as the lead suspect.
My Thoughts: I really dug the first in this series—I ordered this months ahead of publication. And got too busy to read it then. I’m absolutely reading this. Even if I hadn’t spent the money…a dwarf who raps. You don’t say no to that.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Hey Grandude! Hey Grandude! by Paul McCartney
My Thoughts: It’s a picture book by McCartney. That’s a no brainer.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Divorce is Murer Divorce Is Murder by Elka Ray
Blurb: “Shortly after returning to her sleepy hometown on Vancouver Island, Chinese-Canadian divorce lawyer Toby Wong runs into Josh Barton, who broke her heart as a teen at summer camp. Now a wealthy entrepreneur, Josh wants to divorce Tonya, the mean girl who made Toby’s life hell all those years ago. Not long after Toby takes Josh’s case, Tonya is found murdered. Josh is the prime suspect. Together with her fortune-teller mom and her pregnant best friend, Toby sets out to clear Josh, whom she still has a guilty crush on.”
My Thoughts: I’ve read some pieces by Ray that were pretty good. But I’m just not feeling this.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
A Little Hatred A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
Blurb: The First Law: The Next Generation. Glokta’s daughter and Luthar’s son star in the first volume of the The Age of Madness Trilogy, “where the age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die.”
My Thoughts: I really need to get to this.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Kopp Sisters on the March Kopp Sisters on the March by Amy Stewart
Blurb: “It’s the spring of 1917 and change is in the air. American women have done something remarkable: they’ve banded together to create military-style training camps for women who want to serve. These so-called National Service Schools prove irresistible to the Kopp sisters, who leave their farm in New Jersey to join up.” After an accident sidelines the Camp Matron Contance takes over and ends up actually training the women to do something.
My Thoughts: I listened to the audiobook last fall, and just now noticed that I haven’t written about it. Technically, that means I can remove it from the list.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
A Dastardly Plot A Dastardly Plot by Chrisopher Healy
My Thoughts: I had a lot of fun with Healy’s The League of Princes series, and can’t imagine that this steampunk-ish tale wouldn’t be just as fun. It’s sticking around. I have no idea when I’ll get to it, but the idea of a reading a book that’s nothing but fun is something I can’t cut.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
No Man's Land No Man’s Land by Neil Broadfoot
Blurb: “A mutilated body is found dumped at Cowane’s Hospital in the heart of historic Stirling. For DCI Malcolm Ford it’s like nothing he’s ever seen before, the savagery of the crime makes him want to catch the murderer before he strikes again. For reporter Donna Blake it’s a shot at the big time, a chance to get her career back on track and prove all the doubters wrong. But for close protection specialist Connor Fraser it’s merely a grisly distraction from the day job.”
My Thoughts: I think I heard an interview with Broadfoot about this book, I know Raven Crime Reads talked about it. Both of them made an impression on me. Looks good.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Nothing to See Here Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Blurb: “Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian [an old boarding school friend] to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth…Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband.”
My Thoughts: I don’t remember much about Wilson’s The Family Fang (it was nine years ago, and before the blog). I remember it was strange. It was heartfelt. And it was good. I imagine this will be the same. It’s gotta stick.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Last Couple Standing Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman
Blurb: “The Core Four have been friends since college: four men, four women, four couples. They got married around the same time, had kids around the same time, and now, fifteen years later, they’ve started getting divorced around the same time, too. With three of the Core Four unions crumbling to dust around them, Jessica and Mitch Butler take a long, hard look at their own marriage. Can it be saved? Or is divorce, like some fortysomething zombie virus, simply inescapable?” So the Butler’s cook up the dumbest plan ever to save their marriage—and then stuff happens.
My Thoughts: I read this back in May of last year. It’s one of those that I have so many things I want to say about that I still haven’t figured out how to write about it. It was so good. And so, so problematic. Either way, can X it off of this list.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down

Books Removed in this Post: 4 / 10
Total Books Removed: 111 / 240

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?


(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

The Friday 56 for 2/12/21: Phantom Song by Kate Sheeran Swed

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:
Phantom Song

Phantom Song by Kate Sheeran Swed

“The new ballet dancer entered from the wrong wing tonight,” she said-slash-sang, switching on the apartment’s news holo as she passed through the living room. She loved to fill her home with layers of background noise, constant streams of chatter over music over more chatter. She had no trouble flitting around or holding conversations without paying attention to any of it.

Sam, on the other hand, could never fully tune out the babble of voices. He tended to get pulled in. But Aunt C had given him a place to stay, and he didn’t feel right complaining.

She bustled into the kitchen and set her bags on the counter without glancing at him, removing containers that smelled like chicken and peanut sauce, with a tang of something peppery.

The Friday 56 for 2/5/21: Parting Shadows by Kate Sheeran Swed

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:
Parting Shadows

Parting Shadows by Kate Sheeran Swed

Astra would never be a hero. Heroes had hearts.

She wrenched her hand away from Henry’s. “Stay away from me, and you’ll be fine,” she said, straightening away from the glass wall. Someone passing brushed by her shoulder and murmured an apology. She was vaguely aware that the braided guard had returned to Conor’s door. She could feel the woman’s eyes locked on her, as though Astra might pull a battering ram out of her pocket and attempt to rush the fortress.

She ignored them. She ignored everyone.

“I’m not worried about me,” Henry said.

Astra forced herself to turn away, nearly forgetting the cactus and swiping it off the wall at the last moment. “Then you’re even more of a fool than I thought.”

The Friday 56 for 1/29/21: Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby

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:
Blacktop Wasteland

Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby

“What’s wrong?”

Ariel shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing. Just getting ready for graduation. Me and the other five dummies who couldn’t graduate with the rest of the class.”

“You ain’t no dummy. You had a lot going on,” he said.

“Yeah. Like Mama getting her third DUI and wrecking my car. Of course, that ain’t no excuse, according to her and grandma,” Ariel said. She shook her bottle of juice lackadaisically in her left hand.

“Don’t worry about them. You just concentrate on college and getting that accounting degree,” Beauregard said.

Ariel blew air over her bottom lip.

“What?” Beauregard said.

“Since I won’t be eighteen until January, Mama has to co-sign for my student loans. She says she don’t want to put her name down on nothing like that. She says I should just take classes at J. Sargeant Reynolds and get a job until January,” Ariel said.

Down the TBR Hole (19 of 24+)

Down the TBR Hole

Another deep theological book on this list. Huh. I’m learning a little about my own habits over the last couple of posts. Mostly, that I’m inconsistent in how I track things. No draconian cuts here, but some needed trimming. I’ll take it.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

  1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
  2. Order on ascending date added.
  3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
  4. Read the synopses of the books.
  5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
  6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

Confessions of an Unlikely Runner Confessions of an Unlikely Runner: A Guide to Racing and Obstacle Courses for the Averagely Fit and Halfway Dedicated by Dana L. Ayers
Blurb: “Part Bridget Jones, part Forrest Gump, Dana Ayers chronicles her awkward mishaps and adventures in transitioning from childhood bookworm to accidental accomplished athlete. Over the last ten years, Ayers has completed a vast array of races. She runs them all while admittedly not getting much faster, much thinner, or much more disciplined—though she has managed to be on national television, split open her pants, and get electrocuted. Ayers intersperses her hilarious yet relatable struggles with insights about how and why she keeps running…A self-proclaimed ambassador of slow runners…For anyone who has considered trying a marathon, an obstacle race, or simply taking up running for the first time, Ayers is your ambassador. If she can do it, you can too.”
My Thoughts: I dunno about this one. It seems like it could be a good, encouraging read—I’ve often wanted to be a runner (probably a slow-runner, like Ayers). But I don’t know if I need that kind of book. Eh, I’ll axe it, but remember it in case I find a need for this brand of inspiration.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
Blurb: “For his entire life, Charley Sutherland has concealed a magical ability he can’t quite control: he can bring characters from books into the real world. His older brother, Rob — a young lawyer with a normal house, a normal fiancee, and an utterly normal life — hopes that this strange family secret will disappear with disuse, and he will be discharged from his life’s duty of protecting Charley and the real world from each other. But then, literary characters start causing trouble in their city, making threats about destroying the world… and for once, it isn’t Charley’s doing. There’s someone else who shares his powers. It’s up to Charley and a reluctant Rob to stop them, before these characters tear apart the fabric of reality.”
My Thoughts: I’ve heard nothing but good things about this (for example). It looks good, even without that.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Liars' Paradox Liars’ Paradox by Taylor Stevens
My Thoughts: This seems like the kind of thing that Stevens excels at, probably a slow-burning, multi-layered thriller. A pair of twins, raised to be spies (or something like that) trying to find out who’s out to kill them, CIA/KGB/someone else? I’m not sure I really want to start a new series from Stevens, but I’m not sure that I don’t.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down (but probably just for now)
The Covenant of Life Opened The Covenant of Life Opened by Samuel Rutherford
My Thoughts: Samuel Rutherford. ‘Nuff said.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
The Girl with Ghost Eyes The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson
My Thoughts: An Urban Fantasy set in 19th Century San Francisco with a very cool magic system that doesn’t seem like something I’ve seen before? It’s exactly the kind of thing that I want to read while knowing that I’ll probably never get around to it.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
The Black Hawks The Black Hawks by David Wragg
My Thoughts: Darkish fantasy-thriller with a sense of humor. There’s a band of mercenaries who apparently aren’t that good at their job (or maybe it’s just the protagonist), on a job none of them are enjoying, featuring a brat of a Prince. Sounds fun. I need to move this up on the priority list.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Lost You Lost You by Haylen Beck
My Thoughts: Haylen Beck is one of those guys I’ve been wanting to read for a while now. The fact that the author (Stuart Neville) seems to have retired this pen name to focus on his own stuff again, dampens that desire a bit. The premise of this book dumps cold water on the desire. It’s probably really good, but not the kind of thing I’d enjoy and it probably made its way to this list solely so I could try Beck/Neville. Gonna Pass.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
How To How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems by Randall Munroe
Blurb: “For any task you might want to do, there’s a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It’s full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole…As he did so brilliantly in What If?, Munroe invites us to explore the most absurd reaches of the possible. Full of clever infographics and fun illustrations, How To is a delightfully mind-bending way to better understand the science and technology underlying the things we do every day.”
My Thoughts: I can only imagine that the reason I don’t own this already was budgetary. Need to address that.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Sixteenth Watch Sixteenth Watch by Myke Cole
Blurb:
My Thoughts: A Space-version of the Coast Guard preventing a lunar war with China? Written by someone with Cole’s résumé to add some authenticity. Sounds very promising, right? The last couple of books that I’ve read by Cole fall more under the “I respect his craft and what he tried to do” than the “I’ve enjoyed this” column, and I’m simply not interested in that kind of investment right now.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Mythos Mythos by Stephen Fry
My Thoughts: I listened to the audiobook at the beginning of the month, I just need to write about it. Also, this was the second time this book ended up on this list (see #13 in the series), just another edition. So, that’s easy enough, eh?
Verdict:
Thumbs Down

Books Removed in this Post: 6 / 10
Total Books Removed: 107 / 240

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?


(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

Down the TBR Hole (18 of 24+)

Down the TBR Hole

I’m not going to bother with a word count, but I have the impression that I’m terser than usual in this round. I’m okay with that, but it’s an odd feeling. I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel of this series. That’s a nice feeling (be nicer if I would have made more progress on cutting and/or actual reading than I have, but…)

Anyway, I did some serious trimming of the fat on this list, and that feels pretty good. One thing I noticed is that there’s some pretty heavy theology in this group of 10. I don’t typically put these on my Goodreads list, and can’t heop but wonder why I did it here. I’m not opposed to it, but it’s a strange thing to find.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

  1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
  2. Order on ascending date added.
  3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
  4. Read the synopses of the books.
  5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
  6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran
Blurb: A wise-cracking former teen detective plying her trade in post-Katrina New Orleans.
My Thoughts: How this has been on this list for a shade under two years without me moving on it boggles my mind.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
One Word Kill One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
Blurb: Looks like a strong Stranger Things vibe to this. A probably terminally-ill teen finds himself on a quest to save a member of his D&D group. Apparently, some sort of time travel is involved.
Verdict: Just not feeling it.
Thumbs Down
The Son Who Learned Obedience The Son Who Learned Obedience: A Theological Case Against the Eternal Submission of the Son by D. Glenn Butner, Jr.
Blurb: “This book offers a fresh perspective on the ongoing evangelical debate concerning whether the Son eternally submits to the Father. Beginning with the pro-Nicene account of will being a property of the single divine nature, Glenn Butner explores how language of eternal submission requires a modification of the classical theology of the divine will. This modification has problematic consequences for Christology, various atonement theories, and the doctrine of God, because as historically developed these doctrines shared the pro-Nicene assumption of a single divine will.”
My Thoughts: I probably should read this, I recognize. I’ve heard a lot about the controversy, and have a decent handle on it, but I know I need to understand it better, but I can’t sustain interest in this error.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Rump The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
My Thoughts: Middle-Grade Fairy Tale re-tellings are almost a guaranteed good time, and this one looks like a lot of fun. But I don’t know that I need one of these in my life right now and there’s nothing about this that says “must-read.”
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself by William Boyle
Blurb: “Goodfellas meets Thelma and Louise when an unlikely trio of women in New York find themselves banding together to escape the clutches of violent figures from their pasts.” Later the blurb describes this as “screwball noir.”
My Thoughts: I had another William Boyle book on #16 of this series, and couldn’t remember why I was initially interested in the book. This one, on the other hand, I absolutely remember wanting to grab in March 2019, reading interviews and reviews about it. Still looks good.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Million Mile Road Trip Million Mile Road Trip by Rudy Rucker
Blurb: “When a seemingly-innocent trumpet solo somehow opens a transdimensional connection to Mappyworld, a parallel universe containing a single, endless plain divided by ridges into basin-like worlds, three California teens find themselves taken on a million mile road trip across a landscape of alien civilizations in a beat-up, purple 80s wagon . . . with a dark-energy motor, graphene tires and quantum shocks, of course. Their goal? To stop carnivorous flying saucers from invading Earth. And, just maybe, to find love along the way.”
My Thoughts: I have a love-meh relationship with Rucker. And while this has the potential to end up on the love end of it, my gut tells me it’d end up being a “meh.” Think I’ll pass.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews by Geerhardus Vos
Blurb: Vos’s classroom lectures on The Epistle to the Hebrews distilled into book form.
My Thoughts: It’s Vos. No question about it.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
The Crown Conspiracy The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan
Blurb: “just two guys in the wrong place at the wrong time. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats in a plot to murder the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out…”
My Thoughts: Apparently, since I added this to the list, this was combined with the second book in the series and republished as Theft of Swords. So even if I was interested, I’d have a hard time tracking down a copy. And while almost everyone I know who’s read him is gaga over Sullivan, the blurb for this book (or the larger volume that replaced it) just doesn’t click with me. That said, a convincing argument to the contrary in the comments will result in me reading it in February.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Pimp My Airship Pimp My Airship: A Naptown by Airship Novel by Maurice Broaddus
My Thoughts: A Steampunk-ish story in Indianapolis (in a reality where the US lost the Revolution), featuring a Muslim professional protestor and a poet.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Behind the Laughter Behind the Laughter: A Comedian’s Tale of Tragedy and Hope by Anthony Griffith
Blurb: A memoir of a stand-up comic’s rough childhood, career in stand-up, and how he and his wife persevered in the light of their child dying from cancer
My Thoughts: If I remembered why I was interested in this book in the first place, I might be interested in it still. But I can’t say that I’ve heard of this comedian, and am unsure why I wanted to try this. Probably inspirational, but just not grabbing me.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down

Books Removed in this Post: 7 / 10
Total Books Removed: 101 / 240

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?


(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

The Friday 56 for 1/15/21: Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

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:
Across the Green Grass Fields

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

“You’ve just arrived, haven’t you?” asked the centaur “Bright and beautiful and brand-new, and I found you! Me, Pansy, found a human before someone else had a claim to chase. That’s even better than bringing back a lost unicorn! A real human-you are a human, aren’t you, not satyr or silene playing games with poor Pansy?”

“I’m human,” whispered Regan. Her voice sounded dull, almost deadened. Still, now that she’d found it, it was willing to let her keep going, which she considered very sporting of it. “You’re not real. None of this is real. Unicorns don’t exist.”

“But here I am, and here’s a unicorn, and there you are.” The centaur beamed. “Come on, human, let’s go see the others. They’re going to be even happier about this than I am.”

Regan shook her head. “No. This isn’t real. Centaurs are characters from Greek mythology. They’re not named ‘Pansy,’ and they don’t take lost human girls to see their friends. I’m dreaming.”

“You must be a lot of fun at parties, if you always argue with your dreams,” said Pansy, cocking her massive head.

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