Tag: WWW Wednesday Page 1 of 34

My already too-stacked “To Write About” pile is getting out of control thanks to this time being locked away from the world. But I’m not complaining. (I’ll save that until I get home and start yelling at myself)

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

My Friends by Fredrik Backman	Elf Unwrapped: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Christmas Classic by Andy Richter with Aaron Karo

I’m used to Backman waiting until we’re well into a book before he decides to break your heart. But no, this appears to be 400 pages of it–with the expected laughs and heart-warming bits thrown in along the way. This book is going to leave me a wreck.

I needed Richter’s book to break this up a bit. And it’s working.

What did you recently finish reading?

Castaway Cays: Curse of the Sea Serpent by Amy Maren Rice	Eating Salad Drunk: Haikus for the Burnout Age by Comedy Greats edited by Gabe Henry
Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland	Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi
A Casebook of Crime by John & Andrew McAleer	Jester by Tim Carter
Upscaled by Joseph John Lee

Castaway Cays was as silly and sweet as I expected.

I talked about Eating Salad Drunk a bit last week–a very nice collection.

Four Ruined Realms really shows off Corland’s ability to keep the pace going, it’s almost impossible to put down.

I heard Scalzi read the prologue to Monsters of Ohio last year, the novel was nothing–I mean, nothing–like anything I imagined coming from that. I had a blast with it, and definitely want to do a re-read.

Carter’s Jester was just as entertaining as I’d hoped it would be. Ditto for Upscaled (although I really wish I owned the sequel right about now).

What do you think you’ll read next?

Whispers of the Storm by Z.B. Steele	Defy the Dark: 12 Fantasy Stories of Resilience edited by M.D. Presley

I’ve been putting Steele’s book for far too long, might as well take advantage of all this time I have to get to it.

I’m also in the mood for some short stories, so I’ll weave this collection into my reading, too. The lineup of authors is very promising.

How’s your reading going lately?

So, my son’s recovery is going well. Which is good–but it also means that we’re hanging out in a hotel room a lot. So he’s playing video games or napping, and I’m reading (or napping). This is resulting in me finishing several books so far–with another couple of weeks to go.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

Castaway Cays: Curse of the Sea Serpent by Amy Maren Rice	Eating Salad Drunk: Haikus for the Burnout Age by Comedy Greats edited by Gabe Henry

I remember enjoying Amy Maren Rice’s world, but stepping back into it reminded me why I did. I’m having a lot of fun with this sequel.

Henry’s collection is like those old joke books I read as a kid, with just a layer of art to it so it feels appropriate for an adult to read.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Key to a Killer by Olivia Blacke	The Confederacy Myth: How an Insurrection of Slaveholders Tried to Destroy the United States by Connor Williams
Runaway Lyrics by C.O. Bonham	Unpredictable Magic by Faith Hunter
The Young Necromancer’s Guide to Ghosts by Vanessa Ricci-Thode	Anabel’s Lion by Tony Baker
Shield of The Mothership by JCM Berne	Paperboy by Callum McSorley

I should’ve had a post up about The Key to a Killer today, but I got lazy. It’s a very satisfying conclusion to the mystery (and, I presume, the series).

I talked some about The Confederacy Myth yesterday. It’s one of my favorites of the year.

Runaway Lyrics isn’t much of what I expected (not that I was sure what to expect). A magic system based on music (among other systems in the world) is pretty interesting. A nice Fantasy with a splash of Steampunk.

Unpredictable Magic is Urban Fantasy with a splash of SF. I’m hoping this is the first in a nice series.

Ricci-Thode’s book was fun and makes me want to read other books in the series it’s set in (which have nothing to do with this book).

I’m not sure what I was expecting from Anabel’s Lion–but it wasn’t anything like what Baker delivered. It was nice, just not what I expected.

Shield of the Mothership was the best Hybrid Helix book I’ve read since the previous one. That’s supposed to be a joke, but it’s true, too. Heckuva read.

Paperboy shows that Squeaky Clean was no fluke, imagine Fargo told with a Glaswegian accent, and you’re halfway there. McSorley is so good.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland

I’ll probably (finally) get around to the second in Corland’s trilogy next. We’ll see, like I said last week, I’m running purely on mood right now, so it’s hard to predict.

What’s reading like for you all right now?

Okay, it’s the end of September and I’m still working on some of my “Summer 2026” reads. Uh-oh.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

Fallen Star by Lee Goldberg	The Confederacy Myth: How an Insurrection of Slaveholders Tried to Destroy the United States by Connor Williams	The Jungle of Carabanana by Kate McKinnon, read by Kate McKinnon & Emily Lynne

Fallen Star isn’t the best Eve Ronin novel, but it’s plenty of fun with some good twists.

So, I get done despairing for our future with Empire of AI, only to turn to despairing for our past with The Confederacy Myth. I’ve got to find a different kind of non-fiction to work through.

Okay, the third volume of The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science series is just as loony as its predecessors. The trilogy might end up in my all-time Children’s Fiction list (too soon to tell, I need to experience it another time or two)

What did you recently finish reading?

Waiting for LeClerc by Vern Smith	Morfran, Dark Lord Reformed by S.B. West, read by Fred Berman

Smith’s latest was great (as I said last week).

West’s novel was entertaining enough–a very cozy vibe, but with enough violence and nation-conquering to keep it out of that category. But Berman’s narration sealed it for me. Just knocked it out of the park.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Bark Humbug by David Rosenfelt	The Legend of Uh by Aaron N. Hall

It’s too early in the year for a Christmas-themed book for my taste. But Rosenfelt will help me get over that.

I’ve been wanting to try The Legend of Uh for quite a while–nice of my library to grab the audiobook so I can.

How’re you wrapping up the month?

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler	Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao	I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends by Jessica Tarlov

Oh, my…Dawn is so good. I’m less than 50 pages from the end, and I have so many conflicting thoughts about the characters and events. These aliens are…freakishly alien. I’m going to be chewing on this for a long time.

Hao’s book is hard to grapple with–the amounts of money, computer power, and corporate moves are hard to take in. And the ethics behind everything? Boy howdy…

Tarlov’s book is okay. It’s what I should’ve expected, but not really what I was hoping it would be. I’ll explain more when I’m finished.

What did you recently finish reading?

A Divided Duty by Seanan McGuire	Dragonfired by J. Zachary Pike, read by Doug Tisdale Jr.

I was hoping to have a post about A Divided Duty up today, but I needed more energy before tackling it. Short version: I loved it.

Dragonfried was hilarious and moving, when it wasn’t barely interesting. I’ll try to explain more on that soon–but that’s basically how I’ve reacted to all three books in Pike’s series.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick	The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon, read by Jennifer Jill Araya

I’m trying to purge my mind of every memory of Ridley Scott’s film (which is difficult)–or at least to shove them into a corner where I can ignore them, before I jump into this book.

I know I said Dixon’s novel was going to be my next one last week–but I wanted a quick Non-Fiction hit after some longer Fantasy audiobooks. I’ll dive in tomorrow.

What books are on your nightstand/side table/desk now?

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

A Divided Duty by Seanan McGuire	Dragonfired by J. Zachary Pike, read by Doug Tisdale Jr.

I’m less than 10% into the Toby Daye ARC, and am thoroughly enjoying Toby and Tybalt as parents of a screaming baby. I do wonder how they’ll balance that with saving the day.

Pike’s third Dark Profit book is laying the groundwork for something fun, but I haven’t really gotten into this one yet.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai	Dead Inside by Noelle Holten, read by Rachael Beresford

I was so much more impressed with the writing in The Cat Who Saved the Library than its predecessor, but I enjoyed the whimsy of The Cat Who Saved Books a bit more (there was still plenty in this one). So, so good.

I’d forgotten the details of the murder cases in Holten’s book–but remembered the personal life stuff. So it was fun to revisit this, still, a lot of the “personal life” material was so much worse than the murder cases.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler	The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon, read by Jennifer Jill Araya

I’m eager to start Dawn, but a little worried that Butler’s going to treat my emotions like a heavy bag in the gym.

I don’t see how I’m not going to enjoy The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances and really hope Dixon doesn’t let me down.

How have your recent reads been treating you?

I had three other posts almost ready for today, but a non-blog project took more of my time than I expected, so this was all I could finish.

I know–gasp!–I do things that aren’t for this?

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss	He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon, read by Heath Miller

I’ve read some great things this year, some books that could likely become favorites after a re-read or two (and I’m planning on those). But I don’t know if anything has touched the levels of enjoyment and contentment that I’ve felt revisiting The Name of the Wind. I’ll probably finish it this evening, and I regret it.

He Who Fights with Monsters is entertaining and engaging, and I don’t plan on DNFing it (although being told by someone that the book gets really good right before the end isn’t unwelcome news). At this time, I can’t see myself spending another 12 books in this world or with this protagonist.

What did you recently finish reading?

Fool by K.R. Lockhaven	Gods & Comics by Kat Cho, read by Greta Jung

One of the things that didn’t get finished today was my post about Fool, but it’ll be very favorable. Come back for it.

Cho’s book was fun. I’m not sure I have much more to say about it than that.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore	Dead Inside by Noelle Holten, read by Rachael Beresford

A little scary, a little silly…Moore’s book looks like a good palate cleanser after a couple of more serious Fantasy novels in a row.

Holten’s first novel really disturbed me, so it makes sense that I’ve kept kicking the audiobook down the road instead of listening to it. But, I’m getting annoyed with myself for that, so here goes.

How’re you doing? What’s your reading like?

I saw something distubing on Facebook yesterday, and just have to share it with you at this point:

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

Fool by K.R. Lockhaven	Gods & Comics by Kat Cho, read by Greta Jung

Fool is such a change of pace for Lockhaven–not that I had a problem with his old pace, but this should get him on more radars than he has been previously.

Gods & Comics is just entertaining enough to keep going. Not much more–but things could change.

What did you recently finish reading?

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler	The Politician by Tim Sullivan, read by Finlay Robertson

I had no idea how Wexler was going to pull off the conclusion to this duology. But he picked the absolute right way to do it–this was just so much fun.

The Politician was just wonderful–I guessed the killer correctly early on (but had the motive wrong), but I was gripped throughout and the twists really did get me tangled up.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss	He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon, read by Heath Miller

I’m really eager to get back into this one. I’m very glad I was given an excuse.

I’ve thought about trying He Who Fights… off and on for quite some time, but I didn’t want to get into LitRPG, and then Dinnimin showed me I was thinking hollowly there. And then someone I know recommended this book, so…

How’s September starting for you? Are you one of those who tries to match the mood of their reading with the season?

I don’t have much to say, really. But it’s National Dog Day (as I posted about earlier), so why I don’t I share a picture of the girls that steal my spot on the bed, demand more than their share of my food, drive me nuts by barking at nothing, and generally make my life better every day.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

The Killer’s Mark by M.W. Craven	Parks and Rec: The Underdog TV Show That Lit’rally Inspired a Vision for a Better America by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong	The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, read by Mark Bramhall

There’s knowing before you start that you’re almost certainly going to love a new M.W. Craven book. Then there’s actdually getting to experience it. The latter is far, far better. I considered not going back to work tomorrow after starting The Killer’s Mark at lunch.

Am enjoying Armstrong’s look at Parks and Recreation, and the antepenultimate chapter (that I read last night) is better than the previous chapters combined.

Oh, I’m liking Hartnett’s latest far more than I expected to. I’m not that far off from the landing, and she seems to be sticking it. Bramhall’s narration is top-notch, too.

What did you recently finish reading?

Wool by Hugh Howey	Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto, read by Eunice Wong

Wool was everything you want in a dystopian novel. I’m not sure I was in the right mood for a dystopian novel, however.

Sutanto’s latest has all the heart and verve you expect. Some good laughs, too.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler	The Politician by Tim Sullivan, read by Finlay Robertson

I’ll be closing out my 20 Books of Summer and the Dark Lord Davi duology with my next read. Looking forward to both.

It’s time for the next DS Cross novel, and I’m eager for that, too.

We’re in the last stretch of August. How’s your month’s reading been?

There’s no movement at all on the audiobook’s listed last week and today. Which irks me a litte bit–for no clear reason. Hopefully that’s taken care of by the 26th.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

The Last Rift Dragon by Shami Stovall	Parks and Rec: The Underdog TV Show That Lit’rally Inspired a Vision for a Better America by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong	The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman, read by Jeff Hays

Without realizing it, I tore through the first 52% of The Last Rift Dragon yesterday. I’m more than eager to see what’s next, I’m already hoping for a sequel, and I’m not sure I want the book to end as quickly as I think it will.

I’m having fun with Armstrong’s book, but oddly enough, I think I chuckled more reading What’s Next. Still, it’s a strong book.

I’ll likely finish the third Dungeon Crawler Carl book today–some of what Dinniman has done in this book…wow. And a lot of what Hays has done…wow again.

What did you recently finish reading?

Cold Iron Task by James J. Butcher	Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman, read by Alana Kerr Collins, Gary Furlong & Siobhan Waring

Good gravy, how’re things getting worse for our protagonists in each book of the series. Can’t they get a win sometime?

I’m taking so long with The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook is still the most recent audiobook I finished.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Wool by Hugh Howey	Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto, read by Eunice Wong

I know very little about Wool–it’s some sort of runaway dystopian hit that started off life as a self-published work and then got picked up by a traditional publisher. Between the title Wool and the fact that AppleTV’s adaptation is called Silo I halfway assume there’s some sort of agricultural bent to it. But I’m pretty sure that’s a mistake on my part

As I said above, the newest Sutanto is still next. I don’t have a lot of time to get through it before it’s due, so hopefully work cooperates with me.

How’s your reading going?

Another week, another WWW Wednesday. The end of my 20 Books is in sight–and thankfully, I’m having a blast with them. (we’ll see about the rest of my summer hopefuls next).

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto	Magic & Mystery Collection	The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman, read by Jeff Hays

I just started Dial A for Aunties at lunch today, and am laughing already. I don’t know where this is going to go, but it’s going to be ridiculously fun.

I should be finishing the Magic & Mystery collection tonight, and I’ve been very satisfied with it.

I’ve listened to 13 minutes of the third Dungeon Crawler Carl book, and am very annoyed that I’ve been in an all-day meeting today, and will be in it all day tomorrow (unless people get really quiet, really fast). So it’ll be Friday before I can make real progress in it. I’m kicking myself for those 13 minutes…I should’ve known better.

What did you recently finish reading?

Crownfall by Michael Vadney	Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman, read by Alana Kerr Collins, Gary Furlong & Siobhan Waring

Crownfall was almost as good as I’d hoped it’d be–and the last 100-150 pages are just fantastic.

It turns out that Good Eggs had been on my Goodreads “Want to Read” list for a while, so my picking it up last week wasn’t the fluke I thought it was. It was a good novel, not one that blew me away, but one I’ll recommend.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Cold Iron Task by James J. Butcher	Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto, read by Eunice Wong

Last year, when Cold Iron Task came out, I was so behind with ARCs and Tour reading that I loaned it to a friend immediately so it wouldn’t be around to tempt me. Then when I got it back, I was still so occupied by other things that I set it aside and never got back to it. That ends this week–and hopefully I don’t repeat this cycle next month when the fourth book in the series releases 🙂

Am I possibly overdoing the Sutanto? Yes. But when a Libby hold comes in, you jump on it. Hopefully this protagonist is different enough from Meddelin that I don’t OD.

Do you have anything good cooking?