Tag: Top Ten Tuesday Page 1 of 3

"This isn’t London. The rules are different up here…"

All Detective Sergeant Peter Grant wanted was a nice holiday up in Scotland.

He'll need one once this is over...

Sea: check.
Sand: some.
Sun: sort of - but that's not the only thing in the sky...

I’ve really enjoyed this post-Faceless Man era of the Rivers of London series, am more than eager to see what’s next.

From “brainrot” memes and incel slang to the trend of adding  “-core” to different influencer aesthetics, the internet has ushered in an unprecedented linguistic upheaval. We’re entering an entirely new era of etymology, heralded by the invisible forces driving social media algorithms. Thankfully, Algospeak is here to explain. As a professional linguist, Adam Aleksic understands the gravity of language and the way we use it: he knows the ways it has morphed and changed, how it reflects society, and how, in its everyday usage, we carry centuries of human history on our tongues. As a social media influencer, Aleksic is also intimately familiar with the internet’s reach and how social media impacts the way we engage with one another. New slang emerges and goes viral overnight. Accents are shaped or erased on YouTube. Grammatical rules, loopholes, and patterns surface and transform language as we know it. Our interactions, social norms, and habits—both online and in person—shift into something completely different.

As Aleksic uses original surveys, data, and internet archival research to usher us through this new linguistic landscape, he also illuminates how communication is changing in both familiar and unexpected ways. From our use of emojis to sentence structure to the ways younger generations talk about sex and death (see unalive in English and desvivirse in Spanish), we are in a brand-new world, one shaped by algorithms and technology. Algospeak is an energetic, astonishing journey into language, the internet, and what this intersection means for all of us.

Love this dude’s videos, eager to see what he does in longer than 2 minute segments (although it will be odd to not get things thrown at me in his rapid-fire style).

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate.

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

I don’t think I’d heard of this book until last week when I asked what the August SF Book Club read was going to be. Hopefully it lives up to the intriguing concept.

A helicopter driving a controversial round-up of wild horses suddenly crashes and the pilot is found to have been shot. Then the person coordinating the round-up for the Bureau of Land Management is savagely murdered, buried up to her neck and then trampled to death by the very same wild horses. And there's no lack of suspects—with the wild horse advocacy group having sworn to protect the horse At Any Cost! Now the state and federal agencies are showing up looking for answers or at least a scapegoat.

Sheriff Porter Beck has had better days.

Porter Beck's new girlfriend, Detective Charlie Blue Horse, arrives to help with the investigation, which leads them to Canadian Lithium mining operation near the round-up area that sets off Beck's mental alarm bells. Brinley, Beck's sister, is leading a group of troubled kids in a wilderness program, when one of them, Rafa, bolts one night. When Brinley catches up to him, they're just outside the mine—in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

With his personal life in turmoil, too many suspects and too many secrets, the feds pushing for a quick resolution, and his impetuous (if skilled) sister in the mix, one wrong step could be deadly for Porter Beck.

Borgos and Porter Beck were in this spot last year, too. I’m utterly fine with both of them showing up here for the foreseeable future, too.

It’s the season
for treason…

The king of Yusan must die.

The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the god king Joon.

He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.

And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness—from the hired hit man seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.

They can agree on murder.

They can agree on treachery.

But for these five killers—each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal—it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.

Let the best liar win.

The manager at Shared Stories sold me on this book last year, but I didn’t have the time to get to it. But, he picked it for July’s Fantasy Book Club read. So I “have” to make time. Yay! Also, the Deluxe Edition Hardcover is one of the prettier books on my shelves. It’s not that important, but man, it looks nice.

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.

Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?

Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

I saw all the hubbub about this when it came out, but didn’t follow-up on it, as good as it seemed. Well, the SF Book Club is addressing my oversight.

Welcome back to Assassins Anonymous, the only twelve-step group where joining can be deadly.

When Astrid, known in her assassin days as Azrael, stopped showing up to Assassins Anonymous, the group assumed her past had caught up with her. Only her sponsor Mark, formerly the deadliest killer in the world, holds out hope that she’s okay. Then, during a meeting, the group gets a sign, or rather, a pizza delivery. Is there another psychopath out there who actually likes olives on their pizza, or is Astrid trying to send Mark a message?

Meanwhile, Astrid wakes up in the cell of a black site prison, on a remote island. A doctor subjects her to mysterious experiments, plumbing the depths of her memory and looking for a vital clue from her past. She’ll do anything to escape, except…killing anyone. Hmm. Turns out it’s not easy to blow this joint without blowing anything, or anyone up.

Assassins Anonymous was a great spin on the ex-Hit Man story. To say I’m eager to dive in to the sequel would be an understatement.

An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days following civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

It is fifteen years after a flu pandemic wiped out most of the world's population. Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony, a small troupe moving over the gutted landscape, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. But when they arrive in the outpost of St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave. Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the disaster brought everyone here, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty, telling a story about the relationships that sustain us.

This is a title I’ve heard, but I couldn’t tell you more than at about it until I picked up the copy for the book club this month. It looks pretty cool. And, it gets me one closer for one of my Book Challenges for the year. Win win.

Mrs. Plansky is fresh off of winning a thrilling senior tennis championship with her doubles partner, Kev Dinardo, and is gearing up to celebrate with him on his yacht. That is, until the yacht is destroyed in a fire. Kev claims the fire was caused by a lightning strike, pure bad luck, but there's one small problem—Mrs. Plansky didn't see any lightning.

Already certain there's more going on than she's being told, Mrs. Plansky's curiosity turns to concern when Kev goes missing. Her suspicion gets the better of her and leads her to break into his house, only to find it ransacked.

But Kev isn't the only person Mrs. Plansky has to worry about. A conversation with her dad reveals that not long ago, he'd introduced Kev to Jack, Mrs. Plansky's wayward tennis pro son. And now, her dad—distracted by arrangements for his upcoming wedding—either can't remember or has no interest in divulging any details.

Worse? Now Jack has gone missing, too.

Does the world need a second book about Mrs. Plansky? Not really. Do I care? Not a little bit. Bring it on.

Andy Carpenter has spent the three years since graduating law school working as a prosecutor in Paterson. But having seen how the system never looks out for the little guy, he leaves to start his own practice as a defense attorney. His office might be a little bit of a dump, but he's excited to make a change.

Andy goes to the shelter to adopt a dog, where he meets his beloved golden retriever, Tara, for the first time and feels an immediate connection. The shelter is crowded and Tara's been sharing space with a dog named Sunny; Andy hates to break them up and so asks to take Sunny, too, but since there's a pending criminal case involving the owner, he'll need to get written permission for temporary possession.

Andy discovers that Sunny's owner, Frank Tierney, has been arrested for the murder of his ex-boss. But he takes an immediate liking to Frank and his clear dedication to his dog, and ends up with his first case along with the two dogs.

This prequel to the long-running and perennially popular Andy Carpenter mysteries is a gift for fans and a terrific entry-point for newcomers.

An Andy Carpenter prequel? I did not see that one coming. Color me curious.

Chet is half of the duo that makes up Little Investigations–he’s the brawn, while Bernie Little is the brains. And the driver. And he does anything that requires an opposable thumb or talking. Chet? He’s about the action.

Chet also handles the books’ narration—his loyalty to and love of Bernie shines forth throughout. Slim-Jims, riding shotgun in Bernie’s series of Porsche convertibles, and Charlie (Bernie’s son) are close. His love of taking down perps comes in a third, but boy, does he relish it. You just can’t not grin while reading Chet’s narration.

image taken from the cover of Heart of Barkness and the Tor/Forge blog post Behind the Scenes: The Making of the Heart of Barkness Cover!

The rather unimaginatively named Dog is Walt Longmire’s steadfast companion. He’s a mix of several breeds—and possibly a small bear. He’s there when Walt (or someone else) needs him. Dog can intimidate a suspect—or someone antagonistic to Walt—very easily. Even more than the rather intimidating Henry Standing Bear.

Dog’s also good at comforting and giving affection to humans, too. Like all good dogs. While no one on this list is going to pass up any form of treat—Dog’s stomach seems to be made of sterner stuff than most.

image taken from a recent Facebook post by Johnson, the dog is his old dog, Max, the inspiration for Dog. He apparently plays a big role in the new Walt Longmire book that releases today!

Edgar is Washington Poe’s Springer Spaniel, who serves as comic relief and as an alarm system for Poe. He probably wouldn’t be much of a defender, if it came down to it (no offense, buddy), but he’s alert for anyone approaching Poe’s rather remote croft. Not that Poe needs a defender, he just needs the alert to get ready for trouble.

Edgar doesn’t get enough screen time, but he lights up the page when he does.

image taken from The English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association's website.

Maggie served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before an IED in Afghanistan killed her handler. This left Maggie with severe PTSD and a second chance at work with the LAPD. It didn’t seem to be going too well for her until she was assigned a partner who was also suffering PTSD after the death of his partner. The two understood each other and helped each other start to recover.

Since then, the pair has made a great team for the LAPD—and even helped out Elvis Cole once. Crais has his hands full with Cole and Pike, but I’d jump on a new Scott and Maggie book so fast that it’d make my head spin.

image taken from the website for Project Paws Alive (a group you might considering donating to)

Mouse is a good dog. Everybody says so. He’s Harry Dresden’s friend, and he’s the protector of Harry’s daughter, Maggie. He’s a Temple Dog, a Foo dog—who pretty much chose to be with Dresden and trained himself by watching Harry.

He’s without doubt the most powerful dog (physically, mentally, and magically) on this list—he will also melt your heart (all of them will, though). If I were ranking these in order of preference, he’d probably be at the top of the list (by a nose). Since his first appearance in Blood Rites, his presence in the series grows and grows (as does audience appreciation for him)—he’s even handled the narration for a couple of short stories.

image taken from Tyler Walpole's page—a print that will soon be hanging on my wall.

I can’t say much about Nobby. I don’t care that the book was published 75 years ago—I’m not going to spoil anything. I can say that he belonged to Mrs. Barry Rackham, after having been given to her by her cousin, Calvin Leeds, who raises and trains them. I can also say that he’s pivotal to the plot.

image taken from the Doberman Pinscher Club of America's website

Oberon is the Irish Wolfhound companion of The Iron Druid (aka Siodhachan O Suileabhain, Atticus O’Sullivan, Connor Molloy). He’s a lover of sausage (and other meat products), a lover of bathtime (especially if it involves stories being told to him), and a fierce fighter. He’s solved some murder mysteries, met gods and goddesses, along with all sorts of supernatural animals. He also knows English—and can communicate telepathically in it to Atticus and anyone else Atticus links him to. With the assistance of Atticus, he’s written “The Book of Five Meats” (a cookbook) and “The Dead Flea Scrolls” (the foundational text of Poochism, a religion for dogs).

Oberon, unlike all of these critters, loves popular culture, movies, and whatnot. He’s funny (even when unintentional) and has a huge heart. There might be times when you’re not so sure how interested you are in his human companions and friends in the books he appears in—but you’ll stick with them for Oberon. I really wish I’d given myself more time to write this post; Oberon deserves a few more paragraphs.

image taken from Kevin Hearne's blog post Oberon's Holiday Special

Named and modeled after Parker’s own German Shorthaired Pointer, Pearl came into the series rather late, but quickly became an ever-present fixture (until her death, and replacement with another German Shorthaired Pointer named Pearl, and then another). Spenser and Susan shared custody of the dog.

Pearl has rarely had an impact on the plot of a novel (although she did contribute in Pastime pretty significantly). Largely, she functions as something for Susan and Spenser to talk about rather than their relationship or Spenser’s case—but she still brightens up any scene she’s in.

image taken from the an author photo on the ofifical Robert B. Parker website

Rose is a very different kind of character than the rest of the dogs on this list in several ways—most definitively in that she’s dead. After a hard life of neglect and abuse, Rose has become a ghostly companion to another ghost. Charlie spends his life looking into murders and other crimes associated with people who were important to him while he was living (including his own murder), and Rose silently accompanies him.

At the same time, Rose both communicates in a way that dog owners will appreciate and will take action on her own to push the investigation forward/direct Charlie. It’s hard to explain.

Nevertheless, when I think of notable dog characters, there’s no way that Rose doesn’t leap to mind.

image taken from a cover of Dead is Better

In real life, Tara was the dog that changed Rosenfelt’s life and inspired him and his wife to begin their shelter for elderly dogs.

In fiction, Tara is Andy Carpenter’s dog and constant companion—the one he turns to for advice and to talk through his cases with. Granted, she doesn’t give him good (or any) feedback, but she can always be trusted to listen to him on their walks. She also inspired Andy to open his dog rescue.

image taken from the cover of Lessons from Tara by David Rosenfelt.

War has come to the supernatural world, and Amari’s two worst enemies are leading the charge.

Elaine Harlowe has manipulated her way into becoming prime minister, using her mind control ability to force the Bureau to take up her vicious grudge against magiciankind. Meanwhile, Dylan Van Helsing, the newly crowned leader of the League of Magicians—and Amari’s former partner—is after a destructive new power that would not only ensure the magicians’ victory . . . it would make him invincible.

With neither the Bureau nor the League safe for Amari, and her newly returned brother, Quinton, determined to keep her out of the fray, she and her friends decide to find a way to end the war on their own.

So when they learn that the only way to stop Dylan is to find powerful magical inventions known as Wonders, they go after them. But wielding these items comes at a terrible cost, and Amari will have to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice . . . because the Despicable Wonders will demand everything.

There’s a lot for Alston to accomplish in this third volume—I’m looking forward to seeing if he can pull it off.

Addison McKellar isn’t clueless—she knows she and her husband Dean don’t have the perfect marriage—but she’s still shocked when he completely vanishes from her life. At first Addison is annoyed, but as days stretch into a week and she’s repeatedly stonewalled by Dean’s friends and associates, her frustration turns into genuine alarm. When even the police seem dismissive of her concerns, Addison turns to her father’s old friend, legendary Memphis PI Porter Hayes.

Porter and Addison begin to dig deeper into Dean’s affairs and quickly discover that he was never the hardworking business owner and family man he pretended to be. As they piece together the connections between a hook-handed mercenary, one of Elvis’s former leading ladies, and a man posing as an FBI agent, it becomes clear that Dean was deeply enmeshed in a high-stakes web of international intrigue, and Porter and Addison aren’t the only ones looking for him.

Dean angered some very dangerous people before he disappeared—people who have already killed to get what they want—and they won’t hesitate to come after his family to even the score.

Been a long time since I read an Atkins novel that wasn’t featuring Spenser or Quinn Colson, it’ll be a good change of pace.

In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.

My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It’s a hard job, and it doesn’t leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.

But I’m not alone anymore.

Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother’s issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world. . . .

It’s been two years since we’ve got the chance to check in on Mercy and the rest, that’s too long.

This has nothing to do with the last one…no werewolves or fae or anything. Just Sheriff Porter Beck back for his second novel.

Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, doing the same lawman's job his father once did now that he's returned home after decades away. With his twelve person department, they cover a large area that is usually very quiet, but not of late. One childhood friend is the latest to succumb to a new wave of particularly strong illegal opioids, another childhood friend—now an enormously successful rancher—is targeted by a military drone, hacked and commandeered by an unknown source. The hacker is apparently local—local enough to call out Beck by name—and that means they are Beck's problem.

Beck's investigation leads him to Mercy Vaughn, the one known hacker in the area. The problem is that she's a teenager, locked up with no computer access at the secure juvenile detention center. But there's something Mercy that doesn't sit quite right with Beck. But when Mercy disappears, Beck understands that she's in danger and time is running out for all of them.

Gabriela Menchaca and Edwin Saucedo are hardworking, undocumented employees at the Detmer Foods chicken plant in Springdale, Arkansas, just a stone’s throw from the trailer park where they’ve lived together for seven years. While dealing with personal tragedies of their own, the young couple endures the brutal, dehumanizing conditions at the plant in exchange for barebones pay.

When the plant manager, Luke Jackson, fires Edwin to set an example for the rest of the workers—and to show the higherups that he’s ready for a major promotion—Edwin is determined to get revenge on Luke and his wife, Mimi, a new mother who stays at home with her six-month-old son. Edwin’s impulsive action sets in motion a devastating chain of events that illuminates the deeply entrenched power dynamics between those who revel at the top and those who toil at the bottom.

It’s back to Arkansas for more noir from Cranor.

“Relish the day. If you’re not in awe, you’re just not paying attention.”

She hadn’t even been in the crowded pound a week, but she’d already developed a nickname, “Knucklehead.” As a puppy she destroyed property and precious clothes; as an adult she injured her owner, ruined romances… and changed the world-views of those around her.

Have you ever watched an animal and wondered how it thinks, how it sees the world, how it views you? And have you ever wondered what wisdom you might learn if you could see things as that animal does?

This unique book is many things: an amusing and moving memoir about a memorable dog, a poetic ode to a human-animal connection, and a serious philosophical, psychological, and spiritual inquiry into the lessons a man gleaned from the simple-minded brilliance of a teacher, a lover, a liver of life to the fullest… a Knucklehead.

There has never before been a book like “The Teachings of Shirelle.” Take a walk with this pooch, and you might never look at life, love, or yourself the same again.

The ancient forest realm of Sunweald is bordered on two sides by far mightier nations – a precarious situation. At its centre, the Sunweald Palace is home to the Lord Regent and the heir to the throne, together with numerous precious and powerful artefacts. The Palace is protected by the realm’s elite Shields, dedicated to guarding the royal line against all foes.

A group of vicious brigands called the Wildwood Reivers have been stealing arcane artefacts and smuggling them across the borders, out of Sunweald. And the objects they most desire are stored in the mystical Wyrm Vault, hidden away deep in the bones of the earth, within the walls of the Palace itself.

As political and religious tensions mount, Sunweald’s druids prepare to enact rituals for the Summer Solstice – but the Wildwood Reivers and their treacherous allies have other plans. It falls to Briar, the commander of the Shields, to defend the ancient corridors and secret tunnels of the Palace. The odds may be against her, but she’ll see every enemy head adorning a spike or she’ll die trying…

The tagline for this is what caught my attention, “A gender-flipped Die Hard set in a mysterious castle…” the rest of the description was just gravy

Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction" (Boston Globe) and his human partner PI Bernie Little are on to a new case, and this time they're entangled in a web of crime unlike anything they've ever seen before.

Their elderly next door neighbor, Mr. Parsons, thought he was doing the right thing by loaning his ne'er do well son, Billy, some money to help get himself settled. But soon, Mr. Parsons discovers that his entire life savings is gone. A run-of-the-mill scam? Bernie isn’t so sure that the case is that simple, but it's Chet who senses what they're really up against.

Only Billy knows the truth, but he's disappeared. Can Chet and Bernie track him down before it's too late? Someone else is also in the hunt, an enemy with a mysterious, cutting-edge power who will test Chet and Bernie to their limit—or maybe beyond. Even poker, not the kind of game they're good at, plays a role.

It’s Chet and Bernie…’nuff said.

Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter has run the Tara Foundation—the dog rescue organization named after his beloved golden retriever—for years. It's always been his calling, even as Andy's pulled into representing clients in court. His investigator, Marcus Clark, has been at Andy's side for a long time. Even though they've known each other for years, Marcus keeps his personal life a mystery.

So it’s a shock when Marcus arrives at the Tara Foundation with two strangers in tow. Turns out Marcus takes disadvantaged young men under his wing, gets them jobs, a place to live, and a chance at a different life. And they want a dog. Andy’s specialty. One of the young men, Nick Williams, instantly falls in love with one of the dogs, Daisy.

When there’s a mass shooting at Nick’s work, leaving six dead, all signs point to Nick. Marcus, who's never asked Andy for anything, asks Andy for help. Despite Nick's troubled background, Andy trusts his friend and takes the case.

A Marcus-centric (at least at the beginning) Andy Carpenter book? Yes, please.

Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.

This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side.

The title’s enough to make you think about picking this up, right? Or is that just me? The blurb makes me want to take it home.