Tag: Saturday Miscellany Page 22 of 62

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.

Another week where I didn’t spend much time online (and then when I did, I was reading things I don’t talk about here). This may be a shorter collection, but I think it’s a really good one.

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:
Get reading: this is how books can impact your mental health—if you’re reading this post, you likely know this/live this, but it’s always good to have the reminder.
American Literature is a History of the Nation’s Libraries: Ilan Stavans on One of Democracy’s Bedrock Institutions—This one really resonated with me.
When the Novel Was Dangerous
If I Don’t Remember What I Read, Did I Really Read It At All?—Templeton asks an important question
My Worst Books of All Time (books I hate so much they make me feel like I’ve reached rock bottom)—an interesting list, and (as usual with The Orangutan Librarian) now I can’t stop thinking about what books would make mine.
Fantasy Focus: Romantic Fantasy—Witty and Sarcastic Book Club follows up their series on comedic fantasy with a series of posts on Romantic Fantasy

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Blood Tide by Neil Lancaster—When the first book came out, I called the series Your New Favorite Police Procedural, this is the second book and it’s better than that one. I spent a little time talking about it last week.
Man Down by Mark Pepper—An Everyman struggles to keep his family out of danger, and things go horribly, horribly wrong at every turn. I blogged about this the other day.
The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay—a SF Heist novel that looks like a lotta fun

Today was one of those days where I realized, “I really didn’t spend that much time online this week, did I?” I’m not sure what I did instead (work, read, spent time and attention on those people/dogs in my house, I guess). So, this is on the briefer end, hope you still find something worth the pageview 🙂

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:
Support for book bans spreads across Tampa Bay
Amateur sleuths help solve 160-year mystery by decoding Charles Dickens letter—apparently, Dickens had an idiosyncratic shorthand code that it took a crowd-sourced effort to decode.
Are Screens Robbing Us of Our Capacity for Deep Reading?—Like most things Hari writes, I appreciate reading it, even if I wonder about his conclusions/theses. And worry that I’m wrong-headed in quibbling with him. This is worth a read, if only for the final paragraph.
The Power of Music in Fiction: A Reading List—Haven’t—probably won’t—read any of these books, but this is a fun list to read and then come up with your own list along these lines.
9 Fantasy Books from the 1980s You Might Not Have Heard Of—I’ve only read (and reread and re-reread and re-reread) one off of this list, but looked at/considered buying most of the others. You?
A Comparison of Goodreads vs. The StoryGraph—good breakdown
A Sobering (but not suprising) Twitter Thread About Audible’s Royalty practices
A Fantasy Blogger’s Guide to the Trees of Europe—Alex asks, “How often have you read a book that mentions a specific species of tree, or even a whole forest, and you breeze on past, vaguely picturing a bit of greenery as you go?” Every single time. And that’s not going to change, despite Alex’s very impressive post. But it should.
On Redemption Arcs—I’ve been toying with my own thing about Redemption Arcs—approaching it from a different perspective entirely, I should add—but I’m rethinking/reframing it after this post. Thoughts, they were provoked by Peat.

Things I learned from reading this week (that I can’t imagine finding a use for):
Before filming To Have and Have Not, Howard Hawks had Lauren Bacall to see a vocal coach, transforming her high-pitched, nasal voice into the low, husky voice we all know. That boggles my mind–like the first time you hear Stephanie Beatriz out of character as Rosa Diaz, but more extreme. Source: The Goodbye Coast by Joe Ide

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
All At Sea by Chris McDonald—in the 6th Stonebridge Mystery, Colin and Adam find plenty of trouble on a cruise to Italy. I talked about it yesterday.

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

Today’s post feels a bit further over on the miscellany spectrum than others. And I can never decide if that’s a good or a bad thing. I think I prefer the more scattershot lists. Prefer it or not, it’s what I have today. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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:
Has Literature Ever Changed the Course of History?
I assume many of you, like me, have been seeing plenty of chatter about book lengths recently. I thought John Scalzi’s reply on a reddit thread pretty useful
8 Unique Libraries in the United States—poor use of “unique” and lack of links/pictures aside, this is an interesting look at some notable U.S. libraries
Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too! An Interview with Peat Long
The Gaiman Guide—a handy-dandy guide to Gaiman for those looking for a way into his oeuvre
How Non-Librarians Imagine a Librarian’s Typical Workday—This isn’t really how it is?
How Lee Child’s Killing Floor Was Transformed Into “Reacher”—Child’s biographer takes a look at the first season
Tips for Writing a Good Book Review—Some handy tips/reminders from NetGalley’s blog
What Should I Write About?—A question most bloggers have asked themselves.
Why Should You Reread Books?—a few thoughts from Ramona Mead.
What really happens after rom coms…—Just in time for Valentine’s Day

Things I learned from reading this week (that I can’t imagine finding a use for):
The first recorded use of “easy peasy lemon squeezy” was from 1983. How is that possible? Doesn’t that seem generations late? (from Jumping Sharks and Dropping Mics by Gareth Carrol)

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

I watched the first two episodes of Reacher yesterday—they weren’t perfect, but they were fun. Also, they used a song by Naked Blue’s album in the second episode, which almost makes up for not using one of their songs as the theme. I probably would’ve inadvertently binged the whole thing, but I have things to do today.

But you didn’t come here for that (maybe in a week or two, I will talk at length about it), you came here for this:

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:
Print Sales Likely to Fall in 2022—The reasoning behind the prediction makes it seem less glum than the headline, but still…
The Inside Story of the Banning of “Maus.” It’s Dumber Than You Think.: I read the minutes of the McMinn County, Tennessee, school board so you don’t have to.—there’s nothing to make this less glum
Or this: Book Bans Are Targeting the History of Oppression
How To Get Teenagers To Read Important Books—Whatever issues I may have with the author (and there are plenty), this was a fun read. Probably optimistic, but I’ll take it.
Growing Up Surrounded by Books Could Have Powerful, Lasting Effect on the Mind: A new study suggests that exposure to large home libraries may have a long-term impact on proficiency in three key areas—I keep telling my kids they were lucky to be raised by me…
Synthetic Voices Want to Take Over Audiobooks—this could really be a dystopic list this week…
Here’s something fun: Sleuth Youths: Enduring lessons from three great junior detectives of literature
Fantasy Focus: Comedic Fantasy- Featuring Claire Buss—there was one in this series yet to post when I pointed to the rest last week, might as well get this one in, too
Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too! An Interview With H.C. Newton—This will not be the best entry in this series on Lockhaven’s blog, but it’s near and dear to my heart.
Alternatives to Goodreads: TheStoryGraph
Reading Tastes Evolve
Part of your evolution may be seen in your take on this: Books Set in the Pandemic- yay or nay?!—I’ve heard authors opine on writing one, but little about readers wanting them. What do you think?
You Don’t Have To Finish That Book You Aren’t Enjoying
Anatomy of a Reading Slump—been a while since I’ve been in one, but there’s little worse (for a reader, that is—there are plenty of things objectively worse)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams—Every time I’ve listened to a podcast episode about this book, I’ve been annoyed/irritated/cheesed off by some/much of the discussion (well, except the Waterstones episode about the making of it)—and I usually end up talking back to the episode, frequently quoting the book to refute it. I clearly need a different hobby. But Lilly and Sara avoided that, and provided an interesting take on the book.

Things I learned from reading this week (that I can’t imagine finding a use for):
The world’s first ATM was installed in 1967 in London. The US would get one two years later. I was under the impression those came around 15 or so years later.
Source: Go Back to Where You Came From by Wajahat Ali (verified because it made me curious)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Goodbye Coast by Joe Ide—Ide reimagines Philip Marlowe in a contemporary LA. Color me curious.
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano—Finlay has to keep her husband alive, keep her shenanigans out of sight from the hunky detective, and finish her next book. Should be fun.
The Employees by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken—The novel “chronicles the fate of the Six-Thousand Ship. The human and humanoid crew members complain about their daily tasks in a series of staff reports and memos. When the ship takes on a number of strange objects from the planet New Discovery, the crew becomes strangely and deeply attached to them, even as tensions boil toward mutiny, especially among the humanoids.”

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