Tag: Saturday Miscellany Page 14 of 54

Today’s one of those days where I open MyPocket and look at what I have for this Miscellany and wondered if I actually went online at all this week. I don’t think that’s because I’m making healthy choices or anything, just a sign that I was as busy this week as it felt like I was. Two small miscellanies in a row.

Also, happy Free Comic Book Day to those who observe.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Announcing 20 Books of Summer ’22—phew…I already have 2 draft-lists for this. Glad Cathy’s doing this again, I’ve enjoyed it.
What Goes Into a Book’s Appearance?—it’s been too long since I’ve had something along these lines to share
Interview With Author Ben Aaronovich
Opinions: Plagiarising Book Reviews is Weird—This is a thing? I mean, of course this is a thing, our world is a dumpster fire and everything stupid and wrong is a thing…but really? This?
In Praise of Mythopoeic Fantasy—A good post, but worth the click anyway for the excuse to say “mythopoeic” a few times.
Where to buy books other than Amazon (and for cheaper)—I meant to share this a month ago, better late than never…
Getting Started in Superhero Fiction—seems appropriate for today…I’ve dipped my toe in at least a few of these. Good place to start, if you’re someone who digs the genre.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Of Claws and Fangs by Faith Hunter—Vignettes, short stories, and a novella from the Jane Yellowrock/Soulwood universe. I said some complimentary things about it on Monday.
Robert B. Parker’s Revenge Tour by Mike Lupica—Lupica and Sunny are back for another adventure. I’ve like Lupica’s Sunny novels more than most of Parker’s, it’s bugging me that I haven’t been able to open this yet.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to A.B. Finlayson, Gottfried, and blackwings666 who followed the blog this week.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Today is Independent Bookstore Day—be sure to go spend some time at a store near you, they probably have something fun going on
Why We are An Indie Bookstore—a short little post from the people who will be getting some of my money today
Book Sales in the U.S. Are Stronger Than Ever
Why Reading is Good for You: Neuroscientist and author Ali Hazelwood on the benefits of curling up with a book
Why the Mystery Novel Is a Perfect Literary Form: David Gordon on the long, rich history of private eyes – and why contemporary novelists keep on turning to them.—Yup.
“It’s The Most Stressful Book I’ve Ever Read, And I Couldn’t Put It Down”: People Are Sharing The Book They Wish They Could Read Again For The First Time—been there…
Thank you and Goodnight!—one of my favorite book bloggers (despite how little our tastes overlap) calls it a night.
Witty and Sarcastic Book Club is back with another Fantasy Focus, this month, tackling High and Epic Fantasy—there are some great reads and authors featured here.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Author Stories Podcast Episode 1224: Don Winslow interview—obviously they talk about City on Fire but listening to talk about writing and writers is a treat.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon (starting with one that I forgot last week):
Against All Odds by Jeffery H. Haskell—Haskell steps away from super-heroes to launch a Military SF trilogy.
City on Fire by Don Winslow—Winslow’s trilogy about the mafia in New England draws upon Homer and other classic epics. This looks fantastic.
Rosebud by Paul Cornell—”When five sentient digital beings—condemned for over three hundred years to crew the small survey ship by the all-powerful Company—encounter a mysterious black sphere, their course of action is clear: obtain the object, inform the Company, earn lots of praise. But the ship malfunctions, and the crew has no choice but to approach the sphere and survey it themselves.”

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Raylene Second who followed the blog this week.

On Monday, I hit a little landmark:

A few years ago, I’d struggle to get 4 posts a week–so it came as a surprise when WP let me know last year that I’d gone 30-40 days in a row ( the details are fuzzy). Then I turned it into a personal challenge–could I hit 100? It was unexpectedly easy. Then I decided to try for a year. I will admit I struggled a bit, but I managed to pull it off. A few months back, I thought about taking the day after the one-year mark off, but I forgot to. Now, I’m not shooting for 2 years, but I have no intention of taking a break or going back to my early/very sporadic days. I like the discipline–but if I happen to miss a day, I’m not going to sweat it.*

Much.

Anyway, you didn’t come here for my own horn-tooting, on with the miscellany:
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
I’m a High School Junior. Let’s Talk About ‘Huckleberry Finn’ and ‘Mockingbird.’—worth a read if you can evade the paywall
A preview clip from CBS Saturday Morning (the whole thing just aired, I guess) where Don Winslow announces his retirement—from writing, anyway. Hate to see him set down the pen, but at least I now have a chance to catch up on the backlog.
There’s more Winslow to come on this list, he does have a book releasing next week, and I’m excited for it.
Murder, revenge, power: Don Winslow reveals classical inspirations for crime novel ‘City On Fire’—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
Author Don Winslow Reveals Why We’re Obsessed With the Mafia and What’s To Love About His New England Mafia Book City on Fire
He also tweeted this video from his Polish publisher showing the book printed—I could watch this kind of thing all day
Neil Gaiman on book bans and the secret to a good book-to-film adaptation—anytime is a good time for a Gaiman interview
A Veterinarian’s Perspective on Writing Animals—I’d already put this vet’s book on my list when I read this piece on CrimeReads. Now I’ve moved it a little higher on the list.
Rarely Seen Paintings by J.R.R. Tolkien Portray a Lush ‘Lord of the Rings’ Landscape—ooh…
Ben Aaronovitch Celebrates 11 Years of ‘RIVERS OF LONDON’—haven’t had a chance to watch this yet, but looking foward to it.
8 Reasons Why Reading Is Better Than Sleeping—in case there was any doubt
Do You Annotate? Pros and Cons
Are Readers Patient?—a question I’d never have thought to ask
Alternatives to Goodreads: Literal—I’d never heard of this Goodreads Alternative.
It’s okay to collect books—yup
The books that shaped me as a reader – The Early Years!—I love reading things like this
The Problem With “Problematic” | The Book Community’s Perpetual Witch Hunt—I wouldn’t co-sign every jot and tittle of this, but most of them….

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen—a small Texas town is rocked by the murder of a waitress. Which is a lousy way to pitch this, but in a sentence, that’s as good as I can do. Why don’t you just read my post about it?
King Of The Crows Anniversary Edition by Russell Day—This was one of my (possibly the) favorites of 2020, the anniversary edition looks gorgeous. Get it while you can.
Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild—A woman fights to clear her name after being falsely accused of murdering her husband. But she has killed three other people…
The Sweet Goodbye by Ron Corbett—An FBI agent looks into small-town corruption in northern Maine.
Fifty-Four Pigs by Philipp Schott—A Canadian veterinarian investigates a murder to save a friend

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Sarah Tavanello, who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
How to make reading a regular habit—I’d say this is a shorter version of the usual thing written on this topic, but it is from Reader’s Digest, so I guess it’s about standard. Also, Reader’s Digest is still a thing?
The Summer of Ree!—Michael R. Underwood is re-releasing the series that started it all for him this summer—including in paperback this time! A great time to pick up this fun UF series.
The Art of the Book Recommendation
8 Types of Audiobook Listeners—I’m the last 3–okay, I’ve become too lazy to be all 3, I’m the last 2 types. But I should be the last 3.
Starting a Home Lending Library Has Made Me a Better Friend
Interview with Literature & Lofi and Announcement—Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week will be back this year, read here to see what Literature and LoFi and Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub have to say about it.
Against Sub-Genres—this comes so close to what I’ve been thinking lately, it’s kind of creepy.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch—I finished this new Rivers of London book yesterday, and it’s so good!
The Cutting Season by M.W. Craven—This quick Poe & Tilly novella pulls no punches.
Still Just a Geek: An Annotated Memoir by Wil Wheaton—Wheaton’s put out a new edition of his memoir, with added material–including annotations on his original material, casting whole new lights on it. Sounds like a great idea.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Brothers Campfire , who followed the blog this week. Check out their blog, folks.

I don’t look at these posts on my phone–almost ever. But something led me to an old one yesterday, and ugh. These Saturday Miscellany posts just do not look right on them–I made a small tweak today that should help. If you read this on your phone/tablet, will you let me know if this looks better than usual? Also, my apologies.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Congress Investigates Book Banning in Schools—Oh good. Congress is getting involved. That’ll help.
ALA Releases Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021—I don’t know much about the majority of this list, but I’ve read a couple of these and the noted complaints about them are pretty baseless. Can only imagine the rest of the list is similarly meritless.
Will George R.R. Martin Ever Finish A Song of Ice and Fire? (And Does It Matter Anymore If He Doesn’t?)—The penultimate paragraph is pretty much were I am.
Treasuring the Books No One Else Seems to Love—I think most of us can find ourselves in this
How to Read More Books! 7 Tried and True Tips—Shelf Centered weighs in on this evergreen topic. Some handy tips.
Buying Secondhand Books
My Top 36 Fantasy Series/Books—As I demonstrated yesterday, I don’t think I could pull off a list like this. My hat’s off to Peat Long for doing so. Also, I’m coming back to this next time I’m in the mood for a fantasy read.
Why I Love To Read… Middle Grade
The 10 types of book reviewer!—Do you see yourself in one/more of these?
PSA: Honesty and Book Reviewing—I may have linked to this last time Bookstooge posted this. I probably did. Still, it’s worth reading again.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Blood Brothers Episode 87 with Ben Aaronovitch—a discussion with Aaronovitch on the eve of the next Rivers of London book. Aaronovitch was on his game here, very fun podcast.
Fiction Fans Storm Front (Dresden Files) with Literature & Lofi—Ben from Literature & Lofi and the hosts talk about Butcher’s Storm Front, I’d quibble with some of the discussion, but on the whole, it was a decent look at the book/teaser for the series.

This week, there were no New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon. So I won’t be tempting you (or be tempted myself). Time to catch up on what you already decided to read!

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Brandon Sanderson’s record-breaking Kickstarter campaign ends with $41.7 million—ruminate on that number for a bit, will ya?
Your Guide to Independent Alternatives for Books, Audiobooks, eBooks, and Beyond—libro.fm has put together a handy list of bookish resources without a tie to “The River.”
Everything You Want To Know About Requesting Books on NetGalley—This is too much effort for me, NetGalley approvals aren’t a huge priority (but I could easily let it become one), but this is another handy resource for those who want to get more approvals.
Witty and Sarcastic Book Blog brought us a new Fantasy Focus this week, this focus is on Grimdark—a sub-genre I appreciate, even if I’m vague on understanding it (some of these posts have been very educational for me). Check it out.
Why is Literature so Important?, asks Booksh Brews
What I learned from my self-imposed three-month book-buying ban.—an impressive feat. Not one I think I could pull off.
How Kindle Has Changed My Reading Experience!

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Blood Brothers Podcast Episode 85 with Steph Broadribb—Broadribb talks about her Retired Detectives Club and a slew of other topics

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus—Broaddus has given us his spin on Arthurian tales and steampunk, and now turns to Space Opera,
Monarch by Candice Wuehle—The cryptic worlds of Hanna and Stranger Things mingle with the dark humor of Dare Me in this debut novel about a teen beauty queen who discovers she’s been a sleeper agent in a deep state government program, and whose love for a fellow pageant girl sparks an underworld journey to the truth of her being.” After reading this post on Crime Reads, I had to put this on my list.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
What Counts as Reading?—a bookseller weighs in on this evergreen topic
Creating Harry Bosch and Renée Ballard—a couple of nuggets I don’t think I’ve read before in this interview with Connelly
Our readers recommend these mystery novels that are also funny—Seattle Times readers weigh in on crime fiction that made them laugh out loud. (most of the recommendations are spot-on, but a couple make me worry about the readers who nominated them)
Revealing Dead Man’s Hand, the Debut Novel From James J. Butcher—hard enough to launch an UF series, but the weight of expectations on this debut? Oof.
Spotify Playlist Recommendations For Every Bookish Mood—a couple of these look like they could be worth a try
“After I Read It, It Took Me Two Weeks To Fully Recover”: People Are Sharing Books That Have Genuinely Changed Their Lives—yeah, like most buzzfeed lists, it’s too long. But I had fun going through this.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Payback is Forever by Nick Kolakowski—A thief goes into hiding after a heist goes wrong, and things get worse from there
Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor—I’ve been seeing nothing but positive buzz about this book for months now. High School Football and Southern Noir—a powerful combination.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
How It Felt to Have My Novel Stolen—Peter C. Baker talks about being the victim of a manuscript thief
How to write an audiobook—Rob Parker discusses his approach to writing for an audio-first format.
The best books for people who love sweet old dogs—because I needed more books about dogs in my life? I think I’m going to have to get all of these…(Hat-tip: David Rosenfelt)
Hardcover.app—is a new Goodreads competitor, anyone else try it?
Booktuber, Shelf Centered, provides a through, in-depth, and definitive answer to the question: Do Audiobooks COUNT as Reading?—hopefully the debate is over now.
I’ve been enjoying this series on Before We Go Blog, The Books That Made Us, this week had a couple of entries that really resonated with me: Time of the Twins (Dragonlance Legends) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and As I lay Dying by William Faulkner.
New is Not Always Better- Hollywood’s Butchery of Good Stories
How to Read More—Kopratic shares some tips that you probably haven’t seen before

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
TFTB Ep.34: A Conversation with John Scalzi

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi—”Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.” He’s not told that the animals are Kaiju, and, well…trouble ensues
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd—is one of those that I can’t think of a way to compress the synopsis into a sentence or two. Just click the link, looks like a lot of fun.
Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian—a strange, locked-room style mystery
Blessed Are the Bank Robbers: The True Adventures of an Evangelical Outlaw by Chas Smith—the true story of a bank robber reared and enmeshed in Southern California’s Evangelical subculture.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
What is the best age to learn to read?—there’s a lot of info here, and a great conclusion
Is It Possible to Read Without Expectations?
The Books That Made Us – Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman—Over on Before We Go Blog, Jodie Crum talks about The Dragonlance Chronicles (because what else is she going to talk about?).
How to get over a book hangover—some handy advice from Kopratic at The Fantasy Inn
Owl! at the Library tweeted a good point about kids books vs. adult fiction

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Constance Verity Destroys the Universe by A. Lee Martinez—The end of the Constance Verity Trilogy sees Constance fighting her biggest foe yet. I’ve been waiting for this since 2018, can’t wait to dive in.
One for All by Lillie Lainoff—A young French woman in a Three Musketeers-esque adventure. I talked about it the other day

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to mariakonnel who followed the blog this week.

I’m preparing this Wednesday night, so we’ll be brief. Hope your week was good, will catch up soon—after I resume my typical Hobbit-ish ways.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
At least 7 state legislatures are proposing ‘book ban’ legislation, prompting concern from civil liberty advocatesm
A. Lee Martinez on creating Constance Verity—Martinez is one of my favorite writers to read about writing (in addition to a favorite author period). Here he talks about creating an unreaslistic hero for his Constance Verity trilogy.
I’m Dying Up Here: What a Decade of Stand-Up Taught Me About Fear and Thrillers—I’ve got to say this is not a perspective on thrillers I’d have expected to see
Publishing Predictions That Never Came True

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Barbican Station – Reconstruction by Mick Herron – Episode 13—Jeff Quest and I talk about this great Herron novel (this is the last time I talk about this podcast, really)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Death in the Sunshine by Steph Broadribb—The first in a new series, Retired Detectives Club. Think Richard Osman + police procedural. (I’m guessing)
Spelunking Through Hell: A Visitor’s Guide to the Underworld by Seanan McGuire—The newest InCryptid novel features Alice Price making a big push to find her husband. I can’t wait to jump in.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes who followed the blog this week. Sure, he’s been following for a while, but he’s got a new blog now, and I thought I’d share the link for it.