Tag: News/Misc Page 28 of 29

Down the TBR Hole (3 of 24+)

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On March 25, 2020

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

Down the TBR Hole

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?

Here we are with another 10 books to choose the fate of. I’m forcing myself to be ruthless with this project. Mostly. (I really don’t want to)

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

Shall We Gather Shall We Gather by Alex Bledsoe
Blurb: “When one world brushes another, asking the right question can be magic…”
My Thoughts: That’s it. That’s the whole blurb. Which actually makes me really curious. Also, it’s in the Tufa series, so I have to read it.
Verdict: No brainer. Also, I bought it this weekend to force my hand.
Thumbs Up
The Guts The Guts by Roddy Doyle
My Thoughts: What is wrong with me. There’s a sequel to The Commitments that was published four years ago and I haven’t touched it? This has gotta end soon.
Verdict: Have to keep this.
Thumbs Up
Dogtripping Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure by David Rosenfelt
Blurb: Subtitle pretty much says it all.
My Thoughts: Rosenfelt talked about this some in his Lessons from Tara which was great, and made the book sound like a must-read.
Verdict: Rosenfelt + dogs? Duh.
Thumbs Up
Stay Stay by Allie Larkin
My Thoughts: I wish I remembered how this ended up on the list. Looks like a rom-com about a woman trying to get over a guy, so she buys a dog and then falls for the vet? Or something like that.
Verdict: Probably cute enough, but it’s not really speaking to me.
Thumbs Down
The Bastards and the Knives The Bastards and the Knives by Scott Lynch
My Thoughts: So apparently this book didn’t get published, plans changed, etc., etc.
Verdict: Seems pretty obvious, no?
Thumbs Down
Other People's Weddings Other People’s Weddings by Noah Hawley
Blurb: A romance between a wedding photographer and a caterer, exploring loss, recovery, and I’m guessing, love.
My Thoughts: A few years back, I decided I needed to read the Hawley novels that I’d missed. So that’s how this one ended up on the list. Would probably enjoy it, but I have to admit to myself that I’m just not interested enough to track it down.
Verdict: Sorry, Mr. Hawley.
Thumbs Down
The Punch The Punch by Noah Hawley
Blurb: Hawley’s version of This is Where I Leave You, but not as light?
Verdict: Again, I’d probably enjoy it, but I have to admit to myself that I’m just not interested enough to track it down.
Thumbs Down
Death Watc Death Watch by Jim Kelly
Blurb: The disappearance of one sibling is followed by the murder of another 18 years later. But what’s the connection?
My Thoughts: I remember really enjoying the interplay between DI Peter Shaw and DS George Valentine as they investigated the crime in the first novel. No idea why I didn’t continue.
Verdict: Gotta get on it.
Thumbs Up
What Fresh Hell Is This? Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? by Marion Meade
Blurb: A biography of Dorothy Parker.
Verdict: ’nuff said. Why haven’t I read this yet?
Thumbs Up
The Rules for Disappearing The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston
Blurb: A YA novel about a teen daughter in Witness Protection with her father—who refuses to explain why they’re in the program.
My Thoughts: Intriguing concept—good enough/popular enough to justify a sequel, too.
Verdict: Intriguing, but not enough to get me to move forward.
Thumbs Down

Books Removed in this Post: 5 / 10
Total Books Removed: 12 / 240

That’s an average of 4 books per entry. That’s not going to trim this down too quickly if I don’t get stricter (still, 40% down is better than nothing).

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

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

Top 5 Saturday: Trilogies

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On March 7, 2020

In Books, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, News/Misc.


The Top 5 Saturday weekly meme was created by Amanda at Devouring Books.

Rules!

  • Share your top 5 books of the current topic—these can be books that you want to read, have read and loved, have read and hated, you can do it any way you want.
  • Tag the original post (This one!)
  • Tag 5 people (I probably won’t do this bit, play along if you want)

This week’s topic is: Trilogies. I immediately wrote down three of these, and then thought a bit and came up with 8 more. I whittled those down to five—the ones that had the biggest impact on me/my development as a reader. I left a lot of good candidates out, but at the end of the day, these are the biggies for me. I’ve read them all multiple times (except #4, honestly—only read that twice), and would gladly do so again tomorrow (well, okay, in three weeks, am too busy in the meantime).

The Foundation Trilogy
by
Isaac Asimov

Hari Seldon, uber-mathematician, creates a new science combining mathematics and social sciences to predict (and shape) how humanity will react to the imminent fall of the Galactic Empire. He uses this science to come up with a way to shape the future, helping humanity survive the challenges on their way. I read this sooo many times in high school—for years it served as the ruler by which I judged all SF. Also, other than his Black Widowers mysteries, my favorite works by Asimov.

Yeah, there were a couple of sequels (not nearly as good) and other related works, but these were a trilogy for so many years, I have no problem ignoring the others.

The Deed of Paksenarrion
by
Elizabeth Moon

Wow. This is just…wow. Rather than submit to the arranged marriage her father has planned, Paksenarrion, takes off and joins the army. Eventually is trained and recognized as a Paladin. A fantastic hero’s journey that I wish I remembered more of. I remember being blown away by it and hating that the trilogy ended.

The Barrytown Trilogy
by
Roddy Doyle

Can I talk about these in less than 1500 words? These books focus on the Rabbitte family in Dublin. The first chronicles the oldest son’s attempts to launch his career as the manager of The Commitments, the second is about the very unplanned pregnancy of the eldest daughter (and her father’s struggle to accept it—followed by his outrageous pride for the kid), and the last focuses on the father’s attempt to provide for his family after he becomes unemployed by opening a chip van (a precursor to today’s food truck obsession). They’re all as funny as you could hope, full of hope, sadness, and love. I’m getting excited just by writing this snipped about them.

The Dragonlance Chronicles
by
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning were my obsession in eighth grade—one I shared with as many people as I could. I’m pretty sure the fantasy I respond to today is the fruit of these books. And I’m totally okay with that. Say what you will about the quality of these, they hold a special place in my heart (right above the cockles, near the blockage on the right)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy
by
Douglas Adams

Was there any doubt? I can’t stop talking about Adams/This Trilogy (see my Annual Towel Day posts, for example). From the moment I read the first chapter (three or four times before I moved on to Chapter 2) to the point when I heard the radio series to getting the planet icon tattooed on my arm to today and all points between. This Trilogy has been at or near the top of my list, and will stay there for a long time to come.

I maybe should’ve added Colfer’s 6th volume, but…I decided to go old school.

Thoughts at the beginning of March

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On March 4, 2020

In Books, News/Misc.

I liked doing a post like this last month so I’ll try it again.

I’ve done one Book Tour already this month with two to go (including this week), and with 3 or 4 books I’ve received from authors (most of which are a hold-over from last month, I must admit).

Something I don’t do often (and it’s been years since I did), but am glad to have happening: I’m doing one book tour for an audiobook and reviewing an AARC (is that what you call an Advanced Audiobook?), I’ve listened to the AARC and IT.WAS.AWESOME.

There are 4 books I’m doing tours for/promised an author I’d read this month (plus one from December that I thankfully didn’t give a firm commitment to).

And then, as I said four weeks ago (it’s literally the same sentence and graphic)–My NetGalley Shelf needs to get cleaned out this month:

Lastly, I have A Blight of Blackwings, The Border (paperback), and Imaginary Numbers still taking up space on my TBR shelf.

It feels like this year has gotten out of my control already–and I know with the way the ol’ day job is looking for the next 3 months, I bet I’ll still be talking about a lot of these books as upcoming reads in early April. So much for having fun with this post, just elevated my blood pressure instead…

That aforementioned audiobook got me thinking yesterday. Here it is March 3, and I’ve already got 4 things I fully expect to show up on my 2020 Best of non-Crime List and a strong contender (or two) for the Crime Fiction list. This is insane. If this trend continues, I won’t be able to produce a Top Ten, but I’ll have read so many great things, I won’t really care.

February 2020 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

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On March 2, 2020

In Books, Calendar Items, Currently Reading, News/Misc.

The short version: 17 books, 5715 pages, 3.6 Average. The same number of books as January, a thousand (or so) more pages (not sure how that worked), a decent average rating. Things are ramping up at work for a couple of months, and I’ll be stunned if my numbers don’t slim down a little until June. All in all, a pretty decent month (unless you compare what I did to my February Plans post…but we can ignore that, right?)

So, here’s what happened here in February.
Books Read

A Beginning At The End Bloody Acquisitions Burn the Dark
4 1/2 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars
House on Fire Academ's Fury QualityLand
3.5 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars
Hi Five Hidden Steel The Gene Wizards
4 Stars 2 Stars 2 Stars
Shadow of the Batgirl Lies Sleeping Every Day Matters
3 Stars 5 Stars 3.5 Stars
Highfire God Save the Child Dark Harvest Magic
4 Stars 5 Stars 3 Stars
Madam Tulip and the Serpent's Tree Venators: Magic Unleashed
4 Stars 4 Stars

Still Reading

Tom Jones Original Cover Institutes of Christian Religion vol 1 The Identity and Attributes of God
The In Between False Value

Ratings

5 Stars 2l 2 1/2 Stars 0
4 1/2 Stars 1 2 Stars 2
4 Stars 6 1 1/2 Stars 0
3.5 Stars 2 1 Star 0
3 Stars 4
Average = 3.6

TBR Pile
Mt TBR January 20

Breakdowns
“Traditionally” Published: 10
Self-/Independent Published: 7

Genre This Month Year to Date
Children’s 0 (0%) 1 (3%)
Fantasy 4 (24%) 7 (19%)
General Fiction/ Literature 0 (0%) 3 (8%)
Horror 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
Humor 0 (0%) 1 (3%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller 5 (29%) 11 (31%)
Non-Fiction 0 (0%) 2 (6%)
Science Fiction 3 (18%) 3 (8%)
Steampunk 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
Theology/ Christian Living 1 (6%) 1 (6%)
Urban Fantasy 4 (24%) 8 (22%)

Review-ish Things Posted

Other Things I Wrote
I had a post that I was very excited about, but everytime I tried to write it, it went off in another direction than I wanted and I couldn’t get it back in line. Maybe next month, maybe it’s (another) one for the Trash Heap. On the successful side, other than the Saturday Miscellanies (1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th Sat), I also wrote:

How was your month?

Top 5 Saturday: Books Inspired by Mythology

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On February 29, 2020

In Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Kevin Hearne, News/Misc., Urban Fantasy, YA/MG/Children's Books


The Top 5 Saturday weekly meme was created by Amanda at Devouring Books.

Rules!

  • Share your top 5 books of the current topic—these can be books that you want to read, have read and loved, have read and hated, you can do it any way you want.
  • Tag the original post (This one!)
  • Tag 5 people (I probably won’t do this bit, play along if you want)

This week’s topic is: Books inspired by Mythology. Which you’d think would be super-easy—and it was fairly easy—but coming up with a fifth took a little more work than I expected.

Bad Blood
by
Lucienne Diver

An Urban Fantasy featuring a strong, snarky, female PI who doesn’t believe the family legend that she’s descended from Pan and Medusa. But when Apollo himself shows up to hire her, she starts to come around . . . I admit I don’t remember a lot of this (I read it 7 years ago), but it was one of the first I thought of when I decided to do this list and I do keep asking myself why I never got around to reading the rest of the series.

American Gods
by
Neil Gaiman

Honestly, not my favorite Gaiman (maybe on a second read that’d change). But man, there are passages in this book that are pure magic. Epic in scope, but filled with fantastic characters, and Gaiman’s prose, you can absolutely understand why it’s beloved and so widely-read.

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
by
Douglas Adams

Unless I read something I cannot recall, this was the first book I read that made use of mythological characters in a contemporary setting. I absolutely loved the idea and wondered why more people didn’t do that. Clearly, they do (just see the rest of this post and the others posting on this theme today), but at the ripe old age of 15, it was revolutionary to me. Odin, Thor, Loki and a few other Norse dignitaries are flitting about London and the area, inflicting damage, killing innocents, and driving nursing home staff crazy. Throw in Dirk Gently and Adams at his best and you have a killer read.

Hunted
by
Kevin Hearne

Members of five (I think) pantheons show up in this book—in what’s probably Hearne’s finest use of them all. A good story for Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile (Oberon has his best dramatic moment, as I recall) aside from that, but a great way of blending the various pantheons into the Iron Druid’s world. One of my Top 2 in the series.

The Lightning Thief
by
Rick Riordan

How can you have a list like this and not include this book (or one of the legion it spawned)? The book that started a craze and gave Riordan the ability to quit teaching. This set the template for all of Riordan’s myth-inspired books (be it Greek, Roman, Egyptian or Norse mythology) and is just fun (unlike some of the latter books which got a bit preachy and tedious). It’s not quite Potter-level of fame/influence, but it’s the closest we have in the States, a nice collection of kids, a creative way of brining myths to the 21st Century, and a rollicking good time.

Down the TBR Hole (2 of 24+)

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On February 26, 2020

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

Down the TBR Hole

Back for Round Two!

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)

Monster Hunter Vendetta Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia
My Thoughts: I read and enjoyed Monster Hunter International years ago, probably would’ve jumped on this follow-up if my library had a copy of it—or if I’d had the cash for it then. I liked International enough, and have heard primarily good things about the rest of the series. Gotta give it another shot.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
City of the Sun City of the Sun by Daid Levien
Blurb: A P.I. with a dark past hunts for a missing child.
My Thoughts: I don’t remember what attracted me to this. Looks perfectly decent, but I have so many mysteries that I know why I want to read, I’m going to pass on this.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Unicorn Precinct Unicorn Precinct by Keith R.A. DeCandido
My Thoughts: See what I said about Monster Hunter Vendetta.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Jack Reacher's Rules Jack Reacher’s Rules by Lee Child
Blurb: “…this one-of-a-kind book compiles timeless advice from maverick former army cop Jack Reacher, the hero of Lee Child’s blockbuster thrillers…”
My Thoughts: Why haven’t I read this yet?
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Two Pints Two Pints by Roddy Doyle
Blurb: “Two men meet for a pint in a Dublin pub. They chew the fat, set the world to rights, take the piss… They talk about their wives, their kids, their kids’ pets, their football teams and – this being Ireland in 2011–12 –about the euro, the crash, the presidential election, the Queen’s visit.”
My Thoughts: Doyle going the comedic route? (which is what it seems like) A sure-fire win. (and there are two sequels…)
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
Blurb: “Budo is lucky as imaginary friends go. He’s been alive for more than five years, which is positively ancient in the world of imaginary friends. But Budo feels his age and thinks constantly of the day when eight-year-old Max Delaney will stop believing in him. When that happens, Budo will disappear.Max is different from other children. Some people say he has Asperger’s, but most just say he’s “on the spectrum.” None of this matters to Budo, who loves Max unconditionally and is charged with protecting him from the class bully, from awkward situations in the cafeteria, and even in the bathroom stalls. But he can’t protect Max from Mrs. Patterson, a teacher in the Learning Center who believes that she alone is qualified to care for this young boy.

When Mrs. Patterson does the unthinkable, it is up to Budo and a team of imaginary friends to save Max—and Budo must ultimately decide which is more important: Max’s happiness or his own existence.”
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
A Ticket to the Boneyard A Ticket to the Boneyard by Lawrence Block
My Thoughts: The first seven of these were compelling, and I’m not sure why I ran out of gas with these. A friend has been castigating me for that choice for a few months now. Gotta get back on that horse.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Dixie City Jam Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke
My Thoughts: I admired and respected the first six of these more than I enjoyed them. I’m betting this would be the same. Life’s too short.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
The Nightgown The Nightgown by Brad Parks
My Thoughts: A 32-page prequel to the Carter Ross series seems like it’d be 20 or so minutes of fun, but I can’t see me getting around to this (unless Parks writes another Ross book or two—might renew my interest, but even then…a singular short isn’t my style)
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
Trouble in Paradise Trouble in Paradise by Marcia Clark
My Thoughts: See above, but re: the Rachel Knight series.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down

Books Removed in this Post: 4 / 10
Total Books Removed: 7 / 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 (1 of 24+)

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On February 12, 2020

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

Down the TBR Hole

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?

I’ll probably be tackling 5 of these at a time, but this time I’m going for 10 because the first 3 are in one series, and it seems like cheating to have the first 3 of 5 to be answered together. I’ll probably slow down in the future.

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

The Ghost Brigades The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
My Thoughts: This is the sequel to Old Man’s War which was plenty of fun, but after I read it I couldn’t quickly get my hands on the sequel (although I could’ve gotten 3 & 4), and then I got distracted and…well, here I am 8 years later.
Verdict: Yeah, I’ll have to re-read Old Man’s War first, but that should be a good time anyway.
Thumbs Up
The Last Colony The Last Colony by John Scalzi
My Thoughts: See above.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Zoe's Tale Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
My Thoughts: See above.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
The Naming of the Beasts The Naming of the Beasts by Mike Carey
My Thoughts: Similarly, I’ve read the first two of this series 3+ times, and the second two once, but couldn’t get my hands easily on this one (and it’s the only one not in my library system, how horrible is that?). Felix Castor was such a fun character, I really should get to this one—even if it means I have to spend a little money.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
This Dog for Hire This Dog for Hire by Carol Lea Benjamin
My Thoughts: A P.I. Novel with a Canine sidekick. This should be a slam-dunk for me. But when I read the blurb, something fails to grab me. Don’t ask me what. Just don’t think I’m going to get around to it. Possibly my loss.
Verdict:
Thumbs Down
To Speak for the Dead To Speak for the Dead by Paul Levine
Blurb: The first mystery in Paul Levine’s best-selling series, To Speak for the Dead, introduces trial lawyer and ex-Miami Dolphins linebacker Jake Lassiter, who has an uncanny knack for digging up the truth – and the danger that comes with it.
My Thoughts: About 15 years ago, I gobbled up Levine’s Solomon vs. Lord series and probably should’ve jumped on this one at the time. I didn’t and have kicked myself for it frequently since. Maybe it’s the football thing? Odds are these are just as fun as the Andy Carpenter books.
Verdict: I don’t know when I’ll get around to it, but I can’t bring myself to cut this.
Thumbs Up
Devil in a Blue Dress Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
Blurb: Set in the late 1940s, in the African-American community of Watts, Los Angeles, Devil in a Blue Dress follows Easy Rawlins, a black war veteran just fired from his job at a defense plant. Easy is drinking in a friend’s bar, wondering how he’ll meet his mortgage, when a white man in a linen suit walks in, offering good money if Easy will simply locate Miss Daphne Monet, a blonde beauty known to frequent black jazz clubs.
My Thoughts: In casual conversation, I’d tell you I’ve read this. But a quick look at the blurb tells me that I haven’t. It’s more than a little unthinkable, really. I need to change this.
Verdict:
Thumbs Up
Pelham Fell Here Pelham Fell Here by Ed Lynskey
My Thoughts: I have no idea how this one ended up on my radar in April ’12, but it did (the author’s name rings a bell for some reason…maybe people on a Nero Wolfe discussion group have mentioned him?). The blurb is semi-interesting, but a couple of the quotations on Goodreads make me leary.
Verdict: No idea what drew me to the book, leary quotations = time to go.
Thumbs Down
A Cold Day in Paradise A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton
Blurb: Other than the bullet lodged near his heart, former Detroit cop Alex McKnight thought he had put the nightmare of his partner’s death and his own near-fatal injury behind him. After all, the man convicted of the crimes has been locked away for years. But in the small town of Paradise, Michigan, where McKnight has traded his badge for a cabin in the woods, a murderer with the same unmistakable trademarks appears to be back. McKnight can’t understand who else would know the intimate details of the old murders. And it seems like it’ll be a frozen day in Hell before McKnight can unravel truth from deception in a town that’s anything but Paradise.
My Thoughts: I remember reading that Hamilton has come back to this series after a while away. That blurb, my impression of Hamilton from his Nick Mason books, and the fact that Hamilton has been drawn back to the books make this a no-brainer.
Verdict: If anything, I need to prioritize this.
Thumbs Up
Detective Detective by Parnell Hall
Blurb: Stanley Hastings, the world’s most unlikely private eye, a struggling actor/writer trying to support his wife and kid in New York City, who chases ambulances for a negligence lawyer and carries a camera instead of a gun and photographs accident victims and the cracks in the sidewalk that tripped them, tackles his first real case, tracking down the murderers of a client he could not save because he wasn’t a real detective.
My Thoughts: Like the Lynskey book, I have no idea how this ended up on my radar.
Verdict: I dunno, just not feeling this.
Thumbs Down

Books Removed in this Post: 3 / 10
Total Books Removed: 3 / 240

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

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

Do I Have That? Booktag

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On January 15, 2020

In Book Tag, Books, News/Misc.


I saw this over on Way Too Fantasy a couple of months ago and thought it looked fun (and promptly ran out of time to get to it). It’s harder than it looks (at least it was for me), but I enjoyed the challenge.

1. Do you have a book with deckled edges?

The Complete Novels of Jane Austen

I know that I have more, but this is the first I could find. (and yes, I looked rather strange pulling books off the shelf to run my fingers along the pages to check)

2. Do you have a book with 3 or more people on the cover?
Kings of the Wyld

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

The book that continues to be out of my grasp–couldn’t write up a post on the paperback, couldn’t write up a post on the audiobook. Love the book, just can’t articulate why. BTW, the French cover is even better than this very cool one (and would also qualify for this category if I owned a copy).

3. Do you have a book based on another fictional story?


Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye / Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

Couldn’t decide, so, a twofer. Loved Fuzzy Nation, should probably give it another whirl, actually. Haven’t gotten around to Jane Steele yet, don’t ask me why, I couldn’t tell you.

4. Do you have a book with a title 10 letters long?
In The Still

In the Still by Jacqueline Chadwick

Scrolling through Goodreads “Read” page, counting letters. How did you spend your Saturday afternoon?

5. Do you have a book with a title that starts and ends with the same letter?
Armada

Armada by Ernest Cline

Tricksy one. Thankfully, this came up on that Goodreads page pretty early. Well…not late, anyway.

6. Do you have a Mass Market Paperback book?
Look Alive Twenty-Five

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich

Do I have an MMP? They’re only about 50% of my Fiction shelves. This was my latest.

7. Do you have a book written by an author using a pen name?

Deep Down Dead
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith / Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb

The first one felt like cheating, so you get another twofer. By the way, these are all great no matter what name they go by. Read anything by Robert Galbraith, Steph Broadribb, J. K. Rowling, or Stephanie Marland (except The Casual Vacancy, why do that to yourself?)

8. Do you have a book with a character’s name in the title?
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eponymous titles are rarer (at least on my shelves) than I expected. But I’ve got this one, at least.

And just thought of another just before I hit “Schedule” (but sticking with the original post).

9. Do you have a book with 2 maps in it?

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

This was tough. I tend to ignore the maps in fantasy novels (when I’m not constantly referencing them, that is). This may have been the hardest to find.

10. Do you have a book that was turned into a TV show?

Angel’s Flight by Michael Connelly

I went with this one because it’s the basis of my favorite season of Bosch to date.

11. Do you have a book written by someone who is originally famous for something else? (celebrity/athlete/politician/tv personality…)

The Road to Mars by Eric Idle

One might say I have too many, thankfully, I’ve had pretty good luck with them. This is a gem.

12. Do you have a book with a clock on the cover?

Fated by Benedict Jacka

Figured a time-travel novel would be the way to go, but…nope. Had to think outside the box to get this one.

13. Do you have a poetry book?

The Pocket Book of Ogden Nash

Yeah, I’ve said that poetry isn’t really my thing. This is probably the only one I own.

14. Do you have a book with an award stamp on it?

The High King by Lloyd Alexander

Yes, and I hate the stupid sticker, ruins the cover image. The first one that came to mind was The High King by Lloyd Alexander. The conclusion to the series that turned me into a Fantasy fan.

15. Do you have a book written by an author with the same initials as you?

Ummmm…er…no? Can’t even think of one…Did Huey Newton (no relation, despite what you may read on Twitter) write a book? Harriet Nelson? (can’t think of another well-known H.N.)

16. Do you have a book of short stories?
Planet Grim

Planet Grim by Alex Behr

Behr liked what I said about the eARC of this enough that she sent me a hardcopy. It’s got a special place on my shelf because of that bit of generosity. Cool stories, too.

17. Do you have a book that is between 500-510 pages long?

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

This made me so grateful for years of spreadsheet keeping (and a search function).

18. Do you have a book that was turned into a movie?

The Martian by Andy Weir

(if I’d gone with The Hobbit would I get 2 extra points?)

19. Do you have a graphic novel?

Scott Pilgrim – Scott’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Such a fun little read.

20. Do you have a book written by 2 or more authors?
No Country for Old Gnomes

No Country for Old Gnomes by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne

Yeah, I posted about an eARC, but I have the hardcover, too.

By reading this, you’ve been tagged (probably should’ve warned you earlier, oops). Am very interested to see what you come up with!

Miscellaneous Meanderings while Waiting for the Dryer to Finish.

By

On December 10, 2019

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

I knew I should’ve banked one of the posts I wrote this weekend to post today, but I felt energetic enough that I didn’t need to.

Cut to the end of a good, but energy-tapping day, and I have two posts that I tried to push out and got a good paragraph done on each before abandoning both for now and nothing to post. I’m hoping I can get one of those done tomorrow, but I’m not sure I can count on it. Bah.

Nevertheless, it was a good day for being a Reader, if not a Blogger. I was hoping I’d finish Matthew Dick’s Twenty-one Truths About Love this evening. I clearly estimated poorly—I finished it before work.

Barely. I apparently was so into the ending that I turned off the alarm that’s supposed to keep me from being so into a book that I get to work late without noticing I’d done so. I still made it into the office on time, but without any cushion. It was just that good.

Probably wouldn’t have worked out too well, “Sorry I’m late, boss. I was in the parking lot getting misty-eyed over a novel.”

The downside of finishing a book 9 hours earlier than you’d expected is, of course, I had nothing to read the rest of the day (2 breaks and lunch). I downloaded an ARC onto my phone and got through the day without having to actually talk to people during my downtime. But it did mess up my plans (moved up reading that ARC by 2 weeks), So once again, I’ve put off reading Hacked by Duncan MacMaster for the 43rd time (or so) since it came out in August. And then there’s the joy of reading on a tiny screen…but that a whine for another day.

So I tell all that for no real reason, just something to say that doesn’t take a lot of editing. But I got an important lesson/reminder from this—there are books out there that are so good you won’t notice your phone making a loud and obnoxious sound, chosen specifically so that you have to pay attention to it, and those’re what I’m supposed to be focusing on—the rest of the stuff around my reading/blogging isn’t.

Hopefully you’re reading something about as good—just be sure to get to work on time.

The End of The Year Book Tag

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On November 13, 2019

In Book Tag, Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc.


This book tag has been floating around the last couple of years, having been started (as far as I can tell) by Ariel Bissett on her vlog. It seemed like a nice pairing with my post on Monday.

bullet Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
I’ve got two more weeks in my Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 5: Ecclesiology, the Means of Grace, Eschatology by Geerhardus Vos schedule (which will finish off the set), but that’s about it.

bullet Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?
I honestly have never thought of a book in these terms. In the last month or so, it seems like 60% of the blogs I read and at least half of my Twitter feed is talking about Autumn/Fall books. I assume there’s something wrong with me.

bullet Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?
There are four this month alone…Robert B. Parker’s Angel Eyes by Ace Atkins; The Lights Go Out in Lychford by Paul Cornell; You Must Have a Death Wish by Matt Phillips; and The Hero by Lee Child (non-fiction!). There might be one or two in December, too. But I can’t think of them off the top of my head.

bullet What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?
Well, there are those four for starters. But if I don’t finish The Cartel by Don Winslow, Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer, and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle by Dec. 31, I’ll be really annoyed with myself.

bullet The Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
A few years ago, my best of the year was something I started on Dec. 28, so, yeah, there’s a strong possibility. The Cartel is the likeliest contender, but the Beagle book could be a dark horse contender.

Dark horse…unicorn…HA! I kill me…

bullet Have you already started making reading plans for 2020?
Still very sketchy at this point, but yeah…I’ve started. Just trying to decide what’s the middle ground between a cake walk and overly-ambitious.

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