Tag: News/Misc Page 6 of 26

Mrs. Covington’s: A Cozy Fantasy Novel Kickstarter

On March 14, 2023

I told you yesterday that you’d be hearing a lot about this book over the next few weeks–and I’m starting to make good on that promise now. I’ve said plenty of good things about Lockhaven’s previous books, we’ve asked each other Qs and As on our respective sites, and so on. So it’s not a huge surprise that I want to encourage you to support this Kickstarter.

I’m currently beta-reading this book (I hope to finish it tonight) and I’m doing a lousy job of taking notes for feedback, because I keep getting sucked into the story. This novel, “Set in a capybara-themed pub, this book includes a clue-based treasure hunt, found family, kindness, empathy, and nachos,” is going to charm readers–but it needs to get out into the world for that to happen. As of the moment I’m writing this, the campaign is 20% of the way to the goal–help it get a little closer.

Check out the video:

What do you know? I’ve been pronouncing the “o” in Covington wrong…anyway.

Look into the book and then pitch in to help Lockhaven put this out there in the world. I think you’ll be glad you did. I won’t be so bold as to suggest that the publication of Mrs. Covington’s will make the world a better place, but it will brighten the day of whoever reads it. So it’ll feel like the world is a better place for a while.

Go kick that start.

The Friday 56 for 3/10/23: Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson

By HCNewton

On March 10, 2023

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

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

from Page 56 of:
Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons)

Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons) by Quenby Olson

Carefully, he looked through the pages, paused at one in particular, and handed it across to her.

“Is that a…?” She tilted it towards the light streaming through the windows. “It looks like a bird?” (In her defense, the sketch—a curious amalgam of skeleton and tendons and muscle rendered in a mixture of pencil and ink—was not well done. Her Great Uncle Forthright may have had a talent for collecting interesting things and living a hearty life for an extraordinary number of years, but his drawings—while technically correct, for the most part—bore a childlike quality to them that made portions of them difficult to decipher.)

Top 5 Tuesday – One Word Wonders

By HCNewton

On March 7, 2023

In Books, News/Misc.

This week’s topic is, Top 5 books with one word titles We’re aiming for brevity this week!” This would be easier to compile without the pesky definite article, but I pushed through.

These are likely the 5 most meaningful (to me) books with one-word titles.

	Underworld by Don Delillo Honestly, I remember so little about this book that I probably shouldn’t use it for this list (although, I have spent the last twelve hours with it in the back of my mind…at this rate, give me a week and I might be able to talk about it vaguely). However, it’s directly in my eyeline as I look up from my desk, so obviously it was one of the first I wrote down as candidates. I remember a scene or two..and the general impression I got from it back in ’97. As well as the great sense of accomplishment that I finished in the first place—800+ pages of not-at-all-breezy prose. It might as well have been called “A Great American Novel,” (but then it wouldn’t be on this list) discussing the Cold War, celebrity, baseball, and too many other things to list off here. Powerful stuff.
	Hounded by Kevin Hearne This is kind of a cheat, every novel in this series is a one-word title. Oh well. I’ve read every novel and almost every novella that Hearne’s produced, and it all started with this one. The sole surviving Druid who’s alive millenniums later than the rest because he’s really good at keeping his head down starts fighting back, and everything starts going wrong for him. This book also introduces a canine companion who is one of my favorite characters from the last decade or so (all time, really). I might not be the biggest fan of a couple of the later books—but Hounded has a special place in my heart.
	Geekomancy by Michael R. Underwood What geek/nerd/geek-ly inclined person wouldn’t love it if their passions paid off in an unexpected way…like, say, with magic powers tied to their fandoms? Throw in a plucky and snarky protagonist who’s immediately likable? Underwood has got himself a winner here.
	Valediction by Robert B. Parker It’s possible that this is Parker’s best work. Spenser’s pushed to his breaking point here—possibly past it, actually. But that doesn’t stop him from doing what he needs to in order to close the case. He’s clearly fallible here, making costly mistakes, but he’s still the man we’ve come to know.
	Changes by Jim Butcher If there’s a better way to sum up these 400+ pages than these two syllables, I can’t imagine what it’d be. Nothing is the same after this book, series is altered in ways readers are still figuring out by this book. I love it, it breaks me every time I read or listen to it.

The Friday 56 for 3/3/22: Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane

By HCNewton

On March 3, 2023

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 (55 and) 56 of:
Darkness, Take My Hand

Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane

“You got a pen?”’

“Somewhere. Let me find it.” More of that rustling sound and I knew she’d dropped the phone on the bed as she rummaged around for a pen.

Angie’s kitchen is spotless because she’s never used it, and her bathroom sparkles because she hates filth, but her bedroom always looks like she just unpacked from a trip in the middle of a windstorm. Socks and underwear spill from open drawers, and clean jeans and shirts and leggings are strewn across the floor or hang from doorknobs or the posts of her headboard. She’s never, as long as I’ve known her, worn the first wardrobe she’s considered in the morning. Amid all this carnage, books and magazines, spines bent or cracked, peek up from the floor.

Mountain bikes have been lost in Angie’s bedroom, and now she was looking for a pen.

The Friday 56 for 2/24/22: Haven by Ceril N Domace

By HCNewton

On February 24, 2023

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

Things worked out today for me to augment my Tour Stop by using Haven for my Friday 56 post…

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:
Haven

Haven by Ceril N Domace

He said he was here to take some measurements and deliver clothing to replace the tattered garments still clinging to Jen’s frame. Owen was treated to a lengthy lecture about her needs as a werewolf as he helped with the measurements.

She could wear most shirts, but pants would be touch and go. She didn’t need shoes and her fur would thicken during winter. Owen needed to make sure her claws were trimmed to a healthy length, get something for her to chew on when her teeth fell out, and arrange for pack bonding sessions. Jen turned around to dress while the two men talked, revealing another thing Owen would have to watch out for.

“You have a tail,” Owen said dumbly, pointing at the offending appendage.

“I do?” She dropped her new shorts as her hands flew to her rear. The way she twisted and turned reminded Owen of Toto chasing his tail; he put a stop to it before it could make him laugh.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the novel) they provided.

Announcing Grandpappy’s Corner—A New Regular Feature

By HCNewton

On February 18, 2023

In Books, Grandpappy's Corner, Miscellany, News/Misc., YA/MG/Children's Books

I’m very excited to announce a new regular feature that I’m calling Grandpappy’s Corner.
Grandpappy's Corner Logo
I’ve always gladly accepted requests from Children’s and Picture Book Authors to talk about their books–and I’ve even bought a few for that sole purpose (although those tend to skew towards Picture Books for the Adult Audience). But in the coming weeks (for reasons that should be self-evident), I’m going to start buying* and reading many more of them on a pretty regular basis. So, if I’m going to be paying attention to them more, I’m going to be blogging about them more.

* Okay, the purchasing has already started. What’s your point?

So why bother coming up with a new name for these posts, come up with a logo, etc.? Well, I’m going to be thinking of them a little differently, I think. I’ve always sort of tried to think about how it’d be to read them to a kid, how a kid might react, etc. But I’m going to focus on that a lot more. I want to talk about the art from the POV of the Reader (read: me) and the Read-To (read: the GrandCritter). I want to talk about what I experience as I read it aloud, what I think of the book, as well as what the Critter does, how they react, etc. (once they get to the point where I can notice a reaction). So to focus on that sort of thing, I want to change how I write about these books.

Also, it’ll make it easier for me to find them/point readers to them.

My first post along these lines should go up tomorrow–and maybe one more this week. I’m not going to flood the page with them, but they will appear frequently.

I can’t close out this post without calling attention to Idaho’s own Jeremy Billups, children’s book author/illustrator, (check out his website, and here’s every time he’s come up on the blog) who drew my Grandpappy Pilcrow figure. I love him.

Grandpappy Icon

The Friday 56 for 2/17/22: I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This! by Bob Newhart

By HCNewton

On February 17, 2023

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

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

from Page 56 of:
I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!

I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This! And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny by Bob Newhart

In the piece, I imagined a telephone conversation between the press agent and Abraham Lincoln just before Gettysburg, that I think, in part, would have gone something like this:

Hi Abe, sweetheart. How are you, kid? How’s Gettysburg? … Sort of a drag, heh? Well, Abe you know them small Pennsylvania towns, you seen one you seen ’em all…. Listen Abe, I got the note. What’s the problem?…. You’re thinking of shaving it off? Abe, don’t you see that’s part of the image with the shawl and the stovepipe hat and the string tie?… You don’t have the shawl. Where’s the shawl?…. You left it in Washington. What are you wearing, Abe?…A sort of cardigan? Abe, don’t you see that doesn’t fit with the string tie and the beard? Abe, would you leave the beard on and get the shawl?

Now, what’s this about Grant?… You’re getting a lot of complaints about Grant’s drinking. Abe, to be perfectly honest with you, I don’t see the problem. You knew he was a lush when you appointed him…. Your gag writers… You want to come back with something funny? Maybe an anecdote about a town drunk. I can’t promise anything. I’ll get them working on it.

The Friday 56 for 2/10/23: A Man Named Doll by Jonathan Ames

By HCNewton

On February 10, 2023

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

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

from Page 56 of:
A Man Named Doll

A Man Named Doll by Jonathan Ames

I went back inside and looked at the blood trail some more. Someone had dragged blondie from the table to the elevator and up to the sixth floor, and then for some reason had left him there and taken off.

Or, alternatively, that person was somewhere inside, hiding, and not making themselves known.

So I had a dilemma: Should I search the whole house? Or should I go home immediately and call the cops and tell them everything? Every stupid thing I had done?

I decided to search the house.

The Friday 56 for 2/3/23: The Silk Empress by Josef Matulich

By HCNewton

On February 3, 2023

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

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

from Page 56% of:
The Silk Empress

The Silk Empress by Josef Matulich

He poured tea for both of them into little glass cylinders with fancy silver handles.

“The British, and perhaps the court of the Emperor, are not very wise. Because they have a problem with rats, they hunt down mice and squirrels.”

Algie thought on that as he took a sip of his tea, strong, sweet, and heavy with lemon and spices. “Is that a metaphor,” he asked Zdan, “or a problem of translation?”

Zdan laughed out, displaying his strong yellow teeth. “I will miss your visits, British boy!”

The Friday 56 for 1/27/23: The Perception Of Dolls by Anthony Croix, edited by Russell Day

By HCNewton

On January 27, 2023

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

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

from Page 56% of:
The Perception Of Dolls

The Perception Of Dolls by Anthony Croix, edited by Russell Day

“I can remember that evening, when the three of us were eating dinner in the caravan, he stank to high heaven, he’d been sweating like a pig all day. Me and Steve weren’t saying much, we were both sulking like a pair of kids and Jed was rabbiting away 19 to the dozen. If I thought about it at all I guess I thought he was chattering to cover the silence. You know the how people do, they get caught up in someone else’s argument and talk out of embarrassment. But I don’t think it was that at all. He was hyped up about finding the flights of stairs didn’t match. I remember Steve asking him if that was unusual in houses of that age. I don’t remember the answer, but I know it went on for a long time and the crux of it was Jed just reiterating that he’d checked, checked and triple checked the results and there was an anomaly. He kept coming back to that word, anomaly.

“I slept in the house that night. Partly I wanted to get away from Steve, but mostly I wanted to get away from Jed’s chatter, and his BO.”