Tag: News/Misc Page 20 of 26

The New Year Book Tag

On January 11, 2021

The New Year Book Tag
I saw this over at Books are 42, and I needed a break from looking backwards. Nice to look ahead a bit.

How Many Books Are You Planning on Reading in 2021?

200

That’s the goal I’ve set on Goodreads since 2017, have beat it each year since. Seems like a good one to stick with.

Name Five Books You Didn’t Get to Read in 2020 But Want to Make a Priority in 2021?

Blank Space

bullet The Mermaid’s Pool by David Nolan
bullet Troubled Blood by Robert Galbrieth
bullet Evil Valley by Simon Hall
bullet Fools Gold Ian Patrick
bullet The Border by Don Winslow

Name a Genre You Want to Read More of in 2021?

Lad Lit/Lad Lit-type stuff.

I just like the headspace these books leave me in.

Three Non-Book Related Goals for 2021

Non-Book Related Goals? People have those?
bullet Spend time with my family without most of them further than 6′ from me.
bullet Get a different/better job. One I can grow in.
bullet Drop the weight I’ve put on since I’ve started sheltering-in-place, regain the fitness I’ve lost (and had barely just begun to get!).

What’s a Book You’ve Had Forever That You Still Need to Read?

Stiletto

Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley

I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned this in one ortwo tags before for similar reasons. Clearly, it’s not working yet.

One Word That You Hope 2021 Will Be?

Irenic

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

2021 Reading Challenges

By HCNewton

On January 5, 2021

In Books, News/Misc.

Sorry for the coding that didn’t work here, I copied and pasted some of this from the Challenge sites as requested.

So, sure, I’ve said (repeatedly) that I’m cutting down on Challenges for 2021, but I’m doing some, because I find them pretty fun.

For 2021, they’re going to be:

The Goodreads Challenge

Because I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.

2021 Reading Challenge

Hobart has
read 2 books toward
his goal of
200 books.

hide

2 of 200 (1%)

view books

2021 Library Love Challenge

hosted by Angel’s Guilty Pleasures & Books of My Heart.
I think I’ve been doing this one for 4 years or so, there’s a nice group involved.

2021 Audiobook Challenge

Hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and That’s What I’m Talking About
As much as I’ve been doing Audiobooks lately, why not?

2021 Audiobook Challenge

The TBR Tackle Challenge

Hosted by @books.are.42 @mystorynook and @theartsy_bookworm88
Because I could use the help focusing on reducing that stack.

2021 While I Was Reading Challenge

Hosted by ramonamead.com.
For the fourth year running.

20 Books of Summer

Hosted by 746books.com
(assuming that’s a thing) It was a great help to focus last summer.

The Friday 56 for 1/1/21: Dead Perfect by Noelle Holten

By HCNewton

On January 1, 2021

In Currently Reading, DC Maggie Jamieson, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Noelle Holten, 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 56% of:
Dead Perfect

Dead Perfect by Noelle Holten

…I apologize if this is slightly repetitive. Remember when we were talking about strange people you may have come across or who’ve made you uncomfortable? Can you just remind me of them again and maybe what made you feel weird around them?’

‘Erm … All right. Is this one of those times I have to just give you what you ask and trust that you have your reasons?’

‘I’m afraid it is.’

The Friday 56 for 12/18/20

By HCNewton

On December 18, 2020

In (Auto)Biography, Currently Reading, Dogs, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, 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:
Olive, Mabel & Me

Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogs by Andrew Cotter

She just wouldn’t leave Olive alone. And Olive, having enjoyed four years of peace and solitude, was clearly rather put out by the visitor—asking, with those Labrador eyes that tell all, “Is this thing going to be staying long?”

I’m pretty sure that from the start Mabel saw Olive as some sort of replacement mother. They are, in fact, related in that curious mixed-up dog dynamic, where romantic liaisons are free and easy and they don’t feel tied down by human constraints or propriety. Olive’s father Henry was also the father of another litter, which contained Mabel’s mother Izzy. Working it out, that makes Olive a half-aunt to Mabel, if there can be such a thing. One of these days we’ll get everyone together on a Jerry Springer-style program and Henry will be confronted by his numerous partners and offspring. Child support will finally catch up with him and it will all get messy.

One thing that was more simple and obvious was Mabel’s love for Olive, and within just a few weeks, some—if not all—of that love was reciprocated. Neither would now want to be without the other, but Olive could probably spend more time without Mabel than vice versa.

Down the TBR Hole (17 of 24+)

By HCNewton

On December 15, 2020

In Books, Down the TBR Hole, News/Misc.

Down the TBR Hole

I’m closing in on the end of this project, well, not really, but the remaining list is getting short. I made some good progress with this one (I think).

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:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
Read the synopses of the books.
Decide: keep it or should it go?
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)

	Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of Less Valued Knights by Liam Perrin Blurb: “The story of Thomas Farmer who dreams of becoming a knight, sets out to save his brother from the hands of an evil Baron, and uncovers a plot that threatens Camelot itself. Along the way, he befriends a series of misfits including an allegedly reformed evil wizard, a shrinking giantess with a latent gift, a veteran knight with a dark secret, and his best friend Philip the Exceptionally Unlucky. In the end, his friends must all join forces and Thomas must come to grips with what it means to be a true hero if they are to outwit the evil Baron. ” My Thoughts: I have no memory of this book, but the blurb and cover sold me. It’s waiting for me on my Kindle. Verdict:
	The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen Blurb: The first in a Danish series about a Cold Case Squad. My Thoughts: Probably pretty good (I think I saw it was on Book 8), but this is going to fall under the label of “just don’t have the time” Verdict:
	If She Wakes by Michael Koryta Blurb: “Tara Beckley is a senior at idyllic Hammel College in Maine. As she drives to deliver a visiting professor to a conference, a horrific car accident kills the professor and leaves Tara in a vegetative state. At least, so her doctors think. In fact, she’s a prisoner of locked-in syndrome: fully alert but unable to move a muscle. Trapped in her body, she learns that someone powerful wants her dead–but why? And what can she do, lying in a hospital bed, to stop them?” My Thoughts: It’s Koryta. It’s gonna be well-done, tense, claustrophobic, and gripping. I didn’t grab it when it first came out because the more I thought of it, the more a protagonist with locked-in syndrome sounds like a very uncomfortable experience. Gonna pass. Maybe if it was another, lesser, writer. Verdict:
	The Lost Prince by Edward Lazellari Blurb: The second in the Guardians of Aandor series, a mix of Urban Fantasy and Portal Fantasy. My Thoughts: I really the first book in the series, Awakenings, but the library system here doesn’t have book three, and I’m cheap. Verdict:
	Blood of Ten Kings by Edward Lazellari Blurb: The conclusion to the Guardians of Aandor. This time, the battle for Aandor rages. My Thoughts: See above. Verdict:
	Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O’Keefe Blurb: A renegade AI, a woman 200 years out of time, and the brother trying to save her (and their world) from war. It’s hard to explain a paragraph. My Thoughts: I listened to the audiobook a few months back, so I can take this off the list. Which is technically cutting one. Verdict:
	Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan Blurb: “A missing person, a grieving family, a curious clue: a half-finished manuscript set in Paris. Heading off in search of its author, a mother and her daughters find themselves in France, rescuing a failing bookstore and drawing closer to unexpected truths.” Verdict: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
	Inescapable Arsenal by Jeffery H. Haskell Blurb: Arsenal defends the earth from an alien invasion’s advance attack. My Thoughts: I’m a fan of Arsenal, I halfway expected to have read the whole series by now. I’ve got to get on this. Verdict:
	On the Come Up by Angie Thomas Blurb: Taking place in the same neck of the woods as The Hate U Give, this is the story of a 16-year old daughter of a legend trying to become the greatest rapper in history (or at least one who can win a rap battle). My Thoughts: The hardcover is sitting on my shelf, I just need to make the time. Verdict:
	The Border by Don Winslow Blurb: The conclusion to The Cartel trilogy. My Thoughts: It’s gonna be fantastic. The first two blew me away, I’m honestly itimidated by the looks of this one, but I’ll overcome that soon (I hope). It too, is sitting on my shelf, just waiting for me to get a move on. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 6 / 10
Total Books Removed: 94 / 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 12/4/20

By HCNewton

On December 4, 2020

In Currently Reading, Fantasy, Fiction, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56, YA/MG/Children's Books

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice

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

from page 56 of:

The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman

“Kate. Tom. Good to see you. You made it this far.”

“Uncle Herbert!”

“Uncle Herbert!” Tom said. “We went through the woods and didn’t crash and then we saw a station and it was full of animals and they talked and then the train talked!”

Tom said this as one long continuous word. Uncle Herbert didn’t look particularly surprised at any of it.

Shelfies! (an Irresponsible Reader first!) Also, Looking for Some Advice

By HCNewton

On November 12, 2020

In Books, News/Misc.

Shelfies are a pretty common thing for Book Bloggers to post, I’ve never shown any of my shelves for one simple reason—for the last few years, my shelves have been a disastrous, disordered mess, comprehensible to me and me alone (my wife would frequently have to get my help to find her own books!).

But now, I’ve managed to get my library in some sort of order—the best it’s looked in ages—and I can’t wait to show you the pictures:

Sure, I’ve got a little work to do on the presentation, but I think I’m off to a good start.* It’s going to take me a little bit to get through the 33+ cubic feet of Fiction and 31+ cubic feet of Non-Fiction and get them set up decently and in good order, but I’m looking forward to it.

* Or, you know, not off to any kind of start at all.

While I’m at it, I think I should finally get around to cataloging/inventorying my collection. It looks like the best two options are LibraryThing and Libib, does anyone have any experience using them for cataloging? I’ve used LibraryThing a little bit for reviews, but not for adding a lot of books all at once. Does someone have another/better option?

Down the TBR Hole (16 of 24+)

By HCNewton

On September 30, 2020

In Books, Down the TBR Hole, News/Misc.

Down the TBR Hole

I’ve spent the afternoon composing September’s Down the TBR posts and there have just been so many books in the last four posts that I have no memory of ever seeing, much less wanting to read. At the same time, I almost feel like I just found a whole bunch of great books I want to read (even if I really put them on the “Want to Read” shelf two years ago).

The Rules are simple:

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

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

	Penelope Lemon: Game On! by Inman Majors Blurb: My Thoughts: I wish I knew how this fell on my radar. I also wish I knew why I haven’t read it yet. I’m not going to try to recap the blurb without reading this comic novel, I’d probably do a bad job of it. Just click the link above. Verdict:
	The Lonely Witness by William Boyle Blurb: When a young woman with a sordid past witnesses a murder, she finds herself fascinated by the killer and decides to track him down herself. My Thoughts: Once again, I wish I knew how this fell on my radar, because then maybe I’d remember why I thought this would be something I’d enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, it looks gripping and well-written, but it also doesn’t look like my cup of tea. Verdict:
	First Watch by Dale Lucas My Thoughts: A police procedural in a Fantasy world, like DeCandido’s Precinct books. Probably a different approach beyond that, though. Looks pretty good. Verdict:
	Middlegame by Seanan McGuire My Thoughts: I can’t believe I’m not interested in a McGuire novel. But despite all the acclaim (and there are mountatins of it), this one just doesn’t appeal to me. Verdict:
	An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir My Thoughts: This looks like a great fantasy novel, but I know Im not going to find the time for it. Verdict:
	Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher Blurb: “Finally a novel that puts the ‘pissed’ back into ‘epistolary.’…the vehicle this droll and inventive novel uses to tell that tale is a series of hilarious letters of recommendation that [beleaguered creative writing professor] Fitger is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce, each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits, and passive-aggressive strategies.” My Thoughts: Looks like a bit of fun à la Straight Man Verdict:
	A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor My Thoughts: The second in the Chronicles of St Mary’s features the historians facing off with Jack the Ripper (among with other time travel hijinks). Verdict:
	The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan Blurb: “When three thieves – an orphan, a ghoul, and a cursed man – are betrayed by the master of the thieves guild, their quest for revenge uncovers dark truths about their city and exposes a dangerous conspiracy, the seeds of which were sown long before they were born.” My Thoughts: I’ve yet to see anything bad about this book, it looks so good. I’ve come close to buying it a couple of times, but I’ve been intimidated by the size and density of the text. (how lame does that sound?) Verdict:
	The Disappeared by Ali Harper Blurb: A couple of newbie PI’s on a hunt for a missing college student when the case turns out to be a lot more than they bargained for. My Thoughts: This looks like it could be a good one, but I’m probably not going to find the time. Verdict:
	Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic by Elizabeth Little Blurb: “Language, like travel, is always stranger than we expect and often more beautiful than we imagine. In Biting the Wax Tadpole Elizabeth Little takes a decidedly unstuffy and accessible tour of grammar via the languages of the world—from Lithuanian noun declensions and imperfective Russian verbs to Ancient Greek and Navajo. And in one of the most courageous acts in the history of popular grammar books, she attempts to provide an explanation of verbal aspect that people might actually understand.” My Thoughts: I always enjoy reading about how English is messed up, might be nice to see how other languages are strange. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 5 / 10
Total Books Removed: 88 / 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 9/25/20

By HCNewton

On September 25, 2020

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 of:
Next to Last Stand

Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson

I hope you Westerners don’t mind, but this Custer stuff bores teh shit out of me.” Vic, uninterested in the conversation, reached out and turned over a Durant Courant, flipping a few pages as she sipped her drink. “you want to know what Custer was thinking there at the end?

The Bear volunteered. “Where di all these Indians come from?”

“Exactly.”

Down the TBR Hole (15 of 24+)

By HCNewton

On September 23, 2020

In Books, Down the TBR Hole, News/Misc.

Down the TBR Hole
I felt pretty pithy this week, it seems, and that’s not changing as I write this introduction.

The Rules are simple:

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

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

	Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson My Thoughts: This MG comedic-adventure novel about a girl determined to become a pirate looks like a blast. But I just don’t see myself making the time for it. I’m having a hard time giving it a thumbs down, though… Verdict:
	The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker Blurb: “…the cognitive scientist, dictionary consultant, and New York Times–bestselling author Steven Pinker rethinks the usage guide for the twenty-first century. Using examples of great and gruesome modern prose while avoiding the scolding tone and Spartan tastes of the classic manuals, he shows how the art of writing can be a form of pleasurable mastery and a fascinating intellectual topic in its own right. The Sense of Style is for writers of all kinds, and for readers who are interested in letters and literature and are curious about the ways in which the sciences of mind can illuminate how language works at its best.” My Thoughts: I started this, loved it, but ran out of time. I need to get back to it, if only to improve things around here. Verdict:
	Zhek by Andy Weir Blurb: This was supposed to be more traditional SF than The Martian which was enough for me to put this on the list (this was pre-Artemis), and then Weir decided it wasn’t working for him and moved on to another project. Verdict: Easiest one yet…
	I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga Blurb: A YA novel about the son of a serial killer helping the police track down another killer. My Thoughts: Verdict:
	The Courier by Gerald Brandt Blurb: A cyberpunk thriller about a courier (obviously) in the wrong place at the very wrong time. Verdict:
	Heroine’s Journey by Sarah Kuhn My Thoughts: The first two volumes in this super-hero series were fun, don’t see why this one wouldn’t be just as entertaining. Verdict:
	Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman Blurb: “…witty collection of essays recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language…moving easily from anecdotes about Coleridge and Orwell to tales of her own pathologically literary family. As someone who played at blocks with her father’s 22-volume set of Trollope (“My Ancestral Castles”) and who only really considered herself married when she and her husband had merged collections (“Marrying Libraries”), she is exquisitely well equipped to expand upon the art of inscriptions, the perverse pleasures of compulsive proof-reading, the allure of long words, and the satisfactions of reading out loud.” Verdict:
	Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Pena Blurb: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum My Thoughts: Last week, I talked about being gun-shy with this series after the Batman volume. This looks like a Smallville episode they didn’t have time for. Verdict:
	Tyche’s Flight by Richard Parry My Thoughts: While talking to Jeffery H. Haskell about his own books, Haskell and his wife gave me the hard-sell on this one. That alone secures it a place on the TBR.
	Nemesis by Brendan Reichs Blurb: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum My Thoughts: If I summarized the premise, you wouldn’t believe me. And the blurb is too long to comfortably fit here. Click the link above. I can see where this would appeal to some people, I’m just not sure why I ever thought I’d be one of them. Verdict: