Tag: News/Misc Page 8 of 29

The Friday 56 for 4/7/23: The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian

On April 7, 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 Raven Thief

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian

“I think she means,” said Sanjay, “that the killer could have run away, and now they’re getting farther away.”

“We all know that’s not what happened,” Kumiko said. then muted her phone so the 9-1-1 dispatcher wouldn’t hear what she said next. “This wasn’t an outsider. It was one of us.”

For the next seven seconds, the only sound in the room was the breathing of its stressed-out occupants.

UPDATE: Mrs. Covington’s: A Cozy Fantasy Novel Kickstarter

By HCNewton

On April 6, 2023

In Books, Fantasy, Fiction, News/Misc.

Before this Kickstarter launched I assured you that you’d be hearing a lot about this book over the next few weeks–I might as well keep going now. Yesterday, the book hit the funding goal, and is a couple of hundred past it. So, congrats to K.R.R. Lockhaven!

Now, I’m no longer trying to encourage (read: pressure) you into supporting this book for the sake of Lockhaven and his fans (like me), at this point I’m telling you to help yourself. You want this book in your life and you’ve got 6 days to do it easily (and to help him hit a stretch goal or two to make the experience better for everyone).

Last week, I blogged my thoughts on the beta version of the novel and was joined by Lockhaven for a Q&A about the book and Kickstarter campaign. If you haven’t read those yet, I encourage you to do so. Also, in case you’re not familiar with the name, I’ve said plenty of good things about Lockhaven’s previous books, and you should read those–not so much because what I’ve said is all that worth reading, but so I can point you to those books.

For those who haven’t looked into it yet, here’s the skinny on the campaign:

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 a better version of 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 3/31/23: Hacked by Duncan MacMaster

By HCNewton

On March 31, 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.

I’ve been reading a lot of ARCs lately, so nothing I can quote from, but MacMaster talking about editing book 3 in this series got me thinking about it. Ergo…

from Page 56 of:
Hacked

Hacked by Duncan MacMaster

“Let’s change the subject.”

“Well,” she said, “the rumours about you being kidnappig have really given interest in your books a big shot in the arm.”

“At least it was good for something,” I said.

I ordered breakfast, Geetha told me she already ate, so I only ordered for myself. I ordered big, waffles and Sausages with real maple syrup, coffee, and orange juice. I normally didn’t eat this big in the morning, but kidnappings really worked up an appetite.

The Friday 56 for 3/24/23: Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton

By HCNewton

On March 24, 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:
Please Return to the Lands of Luxury

Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton

Jane sighed and cradled the doll in her arms. As she studied the closest group of homes, the tag brushed against her hand. Her heart skipped a beat. Of course—even though she couldn’t read, she knew what the words ‘Spring Blossom Way’ looked like. She grabbed the tag and compared its letters to the ones on the sign. A few matched, but nothing exact.

Jane hurried down the street, stopping at each intersection until she found a match. A warmness swept through her, as if the letters had jumped off the sign and given her a hug.

The Friday 56 for 3/17/23: Backpacking through Bedlam by Seanan McGuire

By HCNewton

On March 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:
Backpacking through Bedlam

Backpacking through Bedlam by Seanan McGuire

Sitting down to dinner inside a giant termite mound, and other sentences I’ve never considered before.

The patriarch turned out to be a smiling man roughly Thomas’s apparent age, with paler spots than most of the others, and who went by the unprepossessing name of “Kenneth.” That was almost reassuring. Real-life cult leaders don’t usually call themselves “Bloodfang the Consumer,” but they also aren’t generally content to go around being named “Kenneth.”

Mrs. Covington’s: A Cozy Fantasy Novel Kickstarter

By HCNewton

On March 14, 2023

In Books, Fantasy, Fiction, News/Misc.

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.