Tag: Saturday Miscellany Page 16 of 54

We’re nearing the end of the year, which means a couple of things for these posts: almost no new releases on the horizon and lots of year-end Best-Of lists. Which I’ll now demonstrate:

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
‘Interview with a Vampire’ Author Anne Rice Dies at Age 80—I’m not a Rice fan, but it’s more-than-easy to see the giant impact she had on fiction. I read Interview back in college and loved it. At the same time, I didn’t think I needed to read another work by her.
Yanking Books From School Libraries: What the Supreme Court Has Said, and Why It’s Murky—I don’t see my shutting up about this any time soon…
So my Saturday night was ruined last week when I saw Ace Atkins’ tweet about next month’s Spenser being his last. I’ll probably say something in a couple of days about this, but in the meantime:
Publisher’s Weekly tweeted some details about the next Parker series novels.
Blogger/Parker aficionado Gerald So posted a professional take on the news and a personal one.
What’s So Great About Great-Books Courses?—Some thoughts about the state of humanities in universities. (I’ve always wanted to take one a Great Books course)
I’ve put this off as long as I could, but it’s time to start looking at Best Of lists…
I’m not sure that David Rosenfelt’s list was all that impartial. But it was probably the most enjoyable to read.
Over at FanFiAddict, Lord TBR’s Top Reads of 2021 could easily occupy my first quarter of 2022
Kevin Burton Smith‘s list is pretty impressive, too.
The Best Crime Novels of 2021 from Crime Reads
My Top 10 Reads of 2021!from Out of This World SFF
It was the penultimate week for The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles. The posts over the last week were:
Book Blogger Catherine Friess
BookBlogger Eva
Book Blogger Ally
Author Jon Ford
BookBlogger Richard Fernandez
Book Blogger Julie Morris
How Many Books Make a Book Blogger?—I didn’t realize this was a thing, but now that I’ve read this, I can see it. Like so many “you have to do X to be Y” in fandoms, the notion that you have to have a number of physical books to qualify is pretty silly. And I say that as someone who’s waiting for his youngest to move out so I can have more room for my collection…

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to sang, who followed the blog this week. Please don’t be a stranger!

I feel bad not having an introduction of sorts this week (I remember when I didn’t do that at all, but that was a while ago), but I really don’t have anything on my mind today. And then I started thinking that if I’m not careful, I’m going to end up as the bookish equivalent to a recipe blog that makes you slog through a thesis on the history of potpourri or finding just the right pillow for their dog or whatever before getting to the ingredient list. And who wants that?

Oh look, I found an introduction. I never said that I wanted a good one. I’d better shut up and make with the links.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
A Double Loss: Ford and Waterman—there were something special about G. M. Ford’s Leo Waterman books, I’ll miss them.
A novelist says fake editions of his works were listed on Amazon as centuries old, with one $7 book going for $1,008—what?
Bookstores are dying. Barnes & Noble’s pricing policy may help explain why.—again, I say, what? (this feels like I’m starting an Amber Ruffin sketch from Late Night)
PEN America Calls Out Texas School District for Banning Eleven Books—you know, I might (might) feel a teensy-weensy bit better about this wave of School Book purges if there was even one book on this list that punched Left.
Of course, it’s spreading…Iowa legislators target books and teachers for upcoming session
The 101 Best Book Covers of 2021—I usually enjoy this list, but the overwhelming majority of these didn’t do anything for me. There are some worth checking out though–and I’ve spotted those in the wild (and have been led to at least read the back of the book)
The Curse of Englishness: Why Every British Thriller Is Also a Black Comedy
How Can You Be A Fantasy Author If You Flunked Creative Writing Class? – An Origin Story by Thomas Howard Riley
Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too! An Interview with Jamie Jackson—Lockhaven’s starting a series of interviews along these lines (I meant to drop a link to the first one, with Camila Sortica AKA Blackbird (@Bbird_26), back when it posted, too).
Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Broken Room by Peter Clines—Nice interview to go along with that reveal, too.
The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles keeps chugging along, expanding TBRs of all who read the posts. The posts over the last week were:
Book Blogger Sarah Swan
Book Blogger Lynne aka Fictionophile
Bookstagrammer Zoebeesbooks
Book Blogger David
Book Blogger Anne Williams
Book Blogger Kate
Let’s Talk About Mood Reading
Quotables: Words that Stuck with Me- 2021—This is a great collection over at Witty and Sarcastic Book Club. It’s inspired me to start something in 2022, too, that will absolutely be the most blatant rip-off (but will hopefully be thinly disguised enough that I can get away with it).

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon. This looks like it’s going to be a slim month for new releases, but at least it starts off promising:
Risen by Benedict Jacka—As I whinged about Wednesday, I didn’t get this on time. So I can’t link to my (expected) tear-filled rave about the last Alex Verus novel, so check in mid-week next week for that. In the meantime, go procure your own copy.
Family Business by S.J. Rozan—a new Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery? I’m in, even before reading about it: “The death of a powerful Chinatown crime boss thrusts private eye Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith into a world of double-dealing, subterfuge, murder, and—because this is New York City—real estate”
The Liar’s Knot by M. A. Carrick—the follow-up to The Mask of Mirrors is out. I’m honestly a bit intimidated about diving back in to this world, but I imagine it’ll be worth it.

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

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Resurfacing Of A Book; A 110-Year-Old Story—a local library has hit news sites around the world after someone turned in a book that was 110 years overdue, it’s a great story. The Library’s Facebook page has some good pictures of the book, it is in remarkable shape.
What We’re Reading: Help, I’m lost in a maze of books about books
Interview: Benedict Jacka, Author of the Alex Verus series—FanFiAddict interviews Jacka as his UF series comes to a close
Author Interview : K. R. R. Lockhaven—a nice interview with a new favorite around here
It’s that time of year, Best of lists are rolling out, a couple that have caught my eye:
Best books of 2021 that should be on your bookshelf—from Owl Book World
21 Best Science Fiction Books of 2021—According to Books, Bones & Buffy
The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles, had some great recommendations this week. Check out the three books these people recommended:
BookBlogger Ceri Evans
BookBlogger Jen Lucas
BookBlogger Kerry Parsons
Bookstagrammer Dee
BookBlogger Lisa
BookBlogger Lindsey
BookBlogger Cathy Johnson
I guess the flip-side of the best reads of 2021 would be: A Year in Books Not Yet Read
The Influences of Early Commercial Epic Fantasy Authors
5 Simple Ways To Fully Appreciate Reading

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Love & Bullets: Megabomb Editionby Nick Kolakowski—Kolakowski’s Love & Bullets Hookup novellas combined into a novel. I’ve mentioned it a few times over the last couple of weeks, but here is where I talked about it.

Anyone else spending too much time fretting about the end of the year approaching? (and by too much time, I mean a stray thought here or there, not hours sitting in a corner rocking and chewing nails). There are a handful of books (and other things) that I promised myself I would read in 2021 and I’m not sure I’m going to get to them–especially as it seems that every library hold I’ve placed this fall is arriving at once. Library due dates trump just about every other plan that I have.

On the other hand, if in 2021 these are my most pressing woes? I’m going pretty good.

Speaking of pretty good–I hope you’ll find at least something “pretty good” below. Maybe even better:

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
NPR Unveils: “Books We Love,” an Interactive Reading Guide—I think I could fall down this rabbit hole for a while (thankfully with 360 books, I’d eventually hit bottom–unlike a YouTube hole)
A Scientific Explanation for Your Urge to Sniff Old Books: Jude Stewart Breaks Down the Chemical Reactions Behind Olfactory Bibliomania
The Hare and the Tortoise—a profile of author Ian Robinson
The Dresden Files Destroyed My TBR! (Spoiler Free Series Overview)—Honestly, I’ve only watched a couple of minutes of this–I have a hard time finding 20+ minutes for a YouTube video, but they were a good couple of minutes. I will finish this soon.
The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles, had some great recommendations this week. Check out the contributions from:
BookBlogger Sue Bavey
BookBlogger Nicki Mags
Yours Truly
BookBlogger Veronika Jordan
BookBlogger Nicki
Reviewer Angi Plant
Author and BookBlogger Zoé O’Farrell
Five Books I’ve Read about Readers—a list of books about people most of us can really identify with
my favourite bookish travels of 2021—I like the approach to this best-of list
My Faves So Far: 2 Years of Reviews—a good way to commemorate the anniversary
Book Reviews: Star Rating Systems for Books
Captivating First Lines

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to EmmabBooks.com who followed the blog this week.

We start off with some grim stuff this week, and then transition into what feels more hodgepodge-y and eclectic than usual. Which is pretty cool. I like it when this list feels as scattered as my mind at rest. If only because it feels like it raises the chances of you (yes, you) finding something you’d like to read…

Hope you all had a good week!

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Librarians, Educators Warn of ‘Organized’ Book Banning Efforts—(is it really an organized effort, or are people just lazily copying what they see on social media? Both?)
‘We’re Preparing For a Long Battle.’ Librarians Grapple With Conservatives’ Latest Efforts to Ban Books—you know, in case the PW piece wasn’t depressing enough.
Lawmakers Expand Inquiry into Library E-book Market
Spotify’s latest purchase is about becoming the place you listen to everything: Why it bought an audiobook company
How the MFA swallowed literature: On the total world-domination of workshopped fiction
The Strange History of the Worst Sentence in English Literature—About Bulwer-Lytton’s famous opening
Speaking of sentences…Simplicity or style: what makes a sentence a masterpiece?
I used to spend hours arranging my books until I realised it was a colossal waste of time and changed my ways—sure, she sounds reasonable, but…what?
The 12 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books That You, an Adult, Should Absolutely Read—there’s some good stuff on this list, but that headline makes my blood boil. Haven’t we grown past the idea that SF/F isn’t for adults yet?
Getting It Wrong: How Thomas Perry Learned to Live With His Books’ Errors—this was a lot of fun
The Fantastical Food of Fantasy Fiction—I’m pretty sure this is a re-run, but I don’t care. It’s worth a re-read.
The tortuous literary puzzle Cain’s Jawbone has been solved for the first time since 1934—this book was recommended to me a few months back, frankly I think it’d drive me insane. Hats off to the latest victor.
The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles offered up another good looking batch of recommendations this week (including one that may have made my list if I’d read it by the time I wrote mine). Check out the contributions from:
BookBlogger Els Ebraert
BookBlogger Joanne
BookBlogger Jo B
BookBlogger Emily Quinn
BookBlogger Yvonne – Me and My Books
Emma Kuyateh – Primary Teacher Bookshelf
Blogger, Reviewer, and Crime Fiction Commentator Ayo Onatade
Balancing Reading For Your Blog and Other Hobbies—Am tempted to ask, “What is this Earth thing you call, ‘Balance’?”
Why my reads are no longer 5 stars?—I get this…I’m not there, but I get this.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Dead Mercy by Noelle Holten—the latest gripping read in the the DC Maggie Jamieson series is out now. It can be read alone, too. I enthused about it recently
The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman—Fahrenheit Press steps away from their particular brand of noir to put out a new edition of the holiday classic. I love that cover.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Sleep Comfort Month: Rethinking Night Reading—Passing this along as a PSA. Something I should pay more attention to, I know.
Is Superman Circumcised? favourite to win Oddest book title of the year—I’ve somehow not heard of this prize before, but you know I’m going to be looking forward to the nominees every year.
Fahrenheit 451 Is Controversial Because It’s Honest—it’s (sadly) an evergreen topic, but this week made this piece seem especially relevant.
Loose Ends: A Literary Supercut of Sci-Fi Last Sentences—These 137 last lines have been arranged “into a sequence of interconnected vignettes. In these ways “Loose Ends” doubles as narrative and archive, short story and data analysis.”
Books and Bookish Gifts for Every Reader on Your Holiday List
What Makes a Long Book Feel Too Long?—Molly Templeton muses on book length
The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles offered up another good-looking batch of recommendations this week. Check out the contributions from:
Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog
EmmabBooks
Modern Gypsy
Kate from The Quick and the Read
Anitha @ Series Book Lover
Author Rachel Sargeant
On Writing Negative Book Reviews
What I’ve learnt from reading fiction – part 5—Love this idea (I tried it here once, and then had a few weeks where I didn’t learn anything worth passing along).

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Blood Brothers Podcast Episode 73 with Michael Connelly—a fun chat with Connelly

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly—Ballard’s on the hunt for a murderer and a pair of rapists. You know, the typical light fare that’s Connelly’s trademark. I’m a little over a quarter of the way through and it’s great.
Swashbucklers by Dan Hanks—is one of those books I can’t imagine summarizing in a few paragraphs, much less a sentence. Click that link there to learn about it. Looks fun.

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Justice Department Sues to Block Penguin Random House Acquisition of S&S
Self-published? No thanks.: Why do readers value ‘real’ publishing more than self publishing?—a look at the other end of the spectrum
Three Publishers Get Real About Independent Publishing: What does it take to make indie publishing work?
Redemption for Doctor Watson: Olivia Rutigliano reads the detective duo as a brilliant double-act, designed by Watson himself.—absolutely.
Twitter Is The Worst Reader—I disagree with a lot of Lee’s tweets (none cited here, I think, but other things I’ve seen), but this kind of thing is just horrible.
Why Don’t Books Have A Credits Page?—fantastic idea.
Why Cliché Is My Safe Place? Familiarity.
Fantasy Subgenres: A Plethora of Choices—An updated guide to the mini-genres in Fantasy by Witty & Sarcastic Book Club
Hopepunk, Optimism, Purity, and Futures of Hard Work by Ada Palmer—I keep seeing the label “hopepunk,” but have been too lazy to track down what it referred to–but who doesn’t want to read something hopeful? So I was very glad to see this piece this week on my feeds. An answer I didn’t have to work for! Now to I need to start reading some of this stuff, it sounds great.
5 Hopefully Not Deadly Sins of Book Blogging: It’s High Time To Confess
Damp Pebbles’ #R3COMM3ND3D is back. This yearly celebration of the best of the year is off to a great start with contributions from:
Blogger Nicki Richards
Blogger Lisa from ReadandRated
Blogger Yvonne – The Coycaterpiller Reads
Blogger Sharon Rimmelzwaan
Author Anne Coates

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Prog.Gaming and Stephanie who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
The most brilliant bookshops in the world—Also known as “a bunch of places I’ll never step foot in (and Powell’s).” But the pics make me want to be a world-traveler.
5 Things You Didn’t Know About People Who Are Passionate About Books—The statistic in the first paragraph is hard to swallow, so I’m not sure about the facts, but it’s interesting anyway.
Is Amazon Changing the Novel?
1-Star Reviews of My Favorite Novels—Matthew Norman looks at some reviews his favorites have received—which helps him put negative revews he’s received in perspective.
Shop Talk: Michael Koryta Writes 1500 Words and Gets to Ring the Bell—I really love this series by Cranor, and this look at Koryta’s process is just great.
I haven’t watched Ted Lasso (though I want to), but still dug this thread by Scott Lynch about a character’s reading choices (not just for the fantastic description of The Da Vinci Code.
A Bookworm’s WORST NIGHTMARES!!—don’t read this post late at night if you want to sleep.
The Things I’ve Heard: Confessions of an Audiobook Narrator

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Author Stories Podcast Episode 1179: Lee Child And Andrew Child Talk Jack Reacher—the Jack Reacher authors talk about the process behind the first two collaborations and more

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg—the third Eve Ronin novel continues to impress. I had a little to say about it earlier this week.
Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child—Reacher in the Southwest—that’s all I know, more than I need to know to pick it up.
Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest—Priest’s new series featues travel agent who’s an “inconsistent psychic” and a Police Detective working on a cold case.
Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan—Riordan leaves his mythology-based work for a contemporary 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Color me curious.

Wow, I’m about 2 hours behind schedule for the day…so I’m not going to try to come up with anything to lead off this week’s post.

Well, maybe a little…I tend to share a meme or something like that with these posts, just stuff I stumble upon. This week, author R.T. Slaywood created one that made my day–had to be used (as self-aggrandizing as it may be).

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Will supply chain issues affect the books you want? Depends on what you’re reading.—that last line is a bit ominous, do we have to go through this again? Might be time to buy stock in a bidet company.
Another Pandemic Surprise: A Mini Indie Bookstore Boom—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
PW’s best books of 2021—Is it really time to start these already???
Serial Thinking—I would not have put First Things on my list of places to look for solid takes on the Chet & Bernie books, but John Wilson delivers that, a thoughtful take on “genre” vs. “literary” fiction, and thoughts on the making of serialized fiction—in one short piece.
Goodbye To Goodreads—I absolutely get why authors would abandon the site–outside of opportunities to market themselves anyway. But how many times does it have to be said? Reviews–especially amateur ones–are for readers, not writers. (there are plenty of other reasons to avoid Goodreads, and I’m not trying to defend the site, this just seems silly)
Audiobook History, or: Why Audiobooks Matter!
8 Things to Do While Listening to Audiobooks—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
A Thank You to The Write Reads Gang—one of those posts that can’t be said often enough.
Do you use bookmarks? I do, just not actual ones. Here are some weird/random things I (and my daughter) use!—there are some very odd things in this list (can’t imagine some are that good for the binding, either)
Books to Video Games—I’m not a gamer, but a couple of my kids are, but I thought this was interesting. While I’ve seen (and purchased as gifts) several books adapted from games, I can only think of a couple of books that have been adapted to games–The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Below the Root (oh, and the obligatory Sherlock Holmes/Nancy Drew—every medium has to have them). The age of both of those games suggests how much of a gamer I am.
Why I’m Keeping My Book Blog
Common Problems Book Bloggers Have and How To Solve Them—good advice
5 Things I Look for Before Following a Book Blog
Don’t be a Stranger: How to Make Connections in the Book Blogging Community
To All The Books I Didn’t Buy,—loved this.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
It’s a Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn—The first (novel-length) holiday Chet and Bernie book is a great bit of fun. I enthused about it recently.
Best in Snow by David Rosenfelt—Andy’s dog, Tara, literally digs up a new case for him in this holiday themed novel. I talked about it a little a couple of weeks ago
title by soandso—The eBook release of the Audible Original. Shining Smith #2 features a road trip, a handful of battle scenes and some surprising character developments. I had a little to say about it earlier this week.
The Last Time She Died by Zoë Sharp—first in a new series has a heckuva hook. Not one I can do justice to in a sentence or so, better just click the link.
Dust & Grim by Chuck Wendig—half of the reason I’m interested in this book is to see how Wendig can write for MG audience. The other half is that it takes place in a monster mortuary—which just sounds fun.

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

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Obituary: Gary Paulsen—I didn’t read as much of Paulsen growing up as I could’ve (looking over his bibliography, even then it would’ve been a monumental task), and haven’t read him since. Still, sad to see a giant go.
The 20-page rule: how much time should you give a devastatingly boring book?—One notorious response to this got Twitter all excited this week. I wish I’d heard Billingham’s original remarks–I’ve heard him on several podcasts in the last couple of years and it’d have been really entertaining. I’m not in 100% agreement with him, but sure can’t say he’s wrong.
Advanced Book Search—a fun little poem paying tribute to local bookstores (Hat tip: Raven Crime Reads).
Filling Your Bookshelf With Joy—one reader’s tips on selecting the books to display
Embracing the DNF: 3 Reasons It’s Okay to Read Something Else—FanFiAddict’s David S. might have the most succinct post on this topic.
Is a Balanced Reading Life Important?—I’ve never considered this question

Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Under the Radar SFF Podcast—Blaise Ancona launched this podcast this week, focusing on works that are ” lost, forgotten, or need a bigger audience.” I’ve listened to 2 of the episodes so far. I think this is one to keep an eye on.

That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon (apparently this is actors turned writers week):
Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner—”A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events”. It’s a fun, self-deprecating, comic crime novel. I talked more about it last week.
Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You by Misha Collins—Honestly, I probably wouldn’t bother with this given my general apathy toward poetry, but my daughter is his number 1 fan (well, she’s tied with roughly 1 million people for that title), so I kinda have to.

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to doggydogguy and Shannon K Sexton who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!