Tag: WWW Wednesday Page 3 of 31

Part of being AFK last week meant that there was no WWW Wednesday, and I’m sure you all missed it. I heard the wails, “What’s HC reading??” Sorry about that. It must’ve been hard on you all. Never fear, it’s back.

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 Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai	Friends with Words: Adventures in Languageland by Martha Barnette

I needed a work translated into X languages for a reading challenge, and didn’t want to rely on Backman (although I have a handful of his to catch up on), so I thought I’d give this Japanese work a shot.

Barnette’s subtitle sold me–I honestly have no idea what I’m getting into.

What did you recently finish reading?

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury	The Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home by Stephen Starring Grant

This book by Bradbury was not my cup of tea, but…man, I’m glad I read it. I’m not sure that makes sense, but it’s true.

I figured The Mailman would be a breezy, fun listen. And it was–but it also had a lot of good things to say and think about beyond the mail service (but honestly, even that was inspiring). I did not expect what it delivered. (pun unintended, but warmly embraced)

The books I would’ve talked about last week, if I’d been around:

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi	The Grimdwarf: Cursed by JCM Berne
Rightous Trash by Nick Kolakowski	Bounty Inc. by Adam Holcombe

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Epic of Marindel: Chosen by Nathan Keys	Son of a Liche by J. Zachary Pike, read by Doug Tisdale, Jr.

I bought the first volume of Keys’ Fantasy trilogy in Spring of 2024, and I’m tired of running into him without having read it. I know I’ll see him early next month, so I want to be sure to have this finished by then, if only for the guilt. But also, I’ve been curious about it for a year and a half.

I’m looking forward to stepping back into The Dark Profit trilogy, it’s a fun kind of Fantasy.

What have you been reading lately? (after you wake Green Day, obviously)

I’ve got nothing to use as an intro today…so let’s just get into it, okay?

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?

Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule	The Silver State by Gabriel Urza	On Again, Awkward Again by Erin Entrada Kelly & Kwame Mbalia, read by Jennifer Aquino & James Fouhey

The first half of Robert E. Lee and Me is a maddening combination of mind-numbing repetition and horrific history. I’m not really enjoying the process of reading (I’m pretty sure that you’re not supposed to), but I’m very glad I finally got this to the top of my TBR.

At the same time, I do need something else to break up the reading, so I’m going to start The Silver State this afternoon. It’s been awhile since I did a legal thriller.

I just started On Again, Awkward Again…or am about to when this posts, so I don’t know what to say. The title and then the cover caught my attention…and it looked cute enough. So I took a chance.

What did you recently finish reading?

Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King, illustrated by Maurice Sendak	Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

This was a gentle reworking of the classic story, with some repurposed art by Sendak–which King used to help in his retelling. I don’t know that it’s an instant classic, but it was fun (and I look forward to sharing that with the grandcritters when they get a bit older)

I think I enjoyed Proven Guilty this time through than I’m used to. Which is saying something.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Gnomes of Lychford by Paul Cornell	The Edge of the Crazies by Jamie Harrison, read by Justin Price

Like I said Saturday, I thought the Lychford series had already ended…oops. Glad to be proven wrong, if only for 160 pages

I saw something about the newest book in Harrison’s series a few months ago, and it look good. Finally got my hands on a copy of the first in the series to check it out.

What have you been enjoying lately?

It’s been a strange few weeks here–some adjustments with the Day Job (aka “The Thing that Pays for This”), including a much shorter commute–I’ve lost at least 5 hours for audiobooks a week. That’s going to come back to bite me. But I think I can cope with that. Now I’ve just got to get back to my regular posting schedule (or find a new one). In the meantime…

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?

Babel by R. F Kuang	Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano, read by Angela Dawe

I’m only 1/5 into Babel, but I’m not totally sold on it yet. The world is fascinating. The magic system is something I want to learn so much more about. Some of the characters are promising–and there are a few that I truly hope get their comeuppance (but fear this novel is set up to let them get away with it). But I’m not really connecting with the book–and I should be by now.

I’ve spent the last couple of books thinking that my time with Finlay and Vero has to be drawing to a close–but so far, I’m enjoying this ride a little more than I have been. Which is good enough to keep going for now.

What did you recently finish reading?

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire	Locks & Keys edited by Alex Scheuermann	The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold by Ally Carter, read by Andrew Eiden & Emily Ellet

After Earth-shattering (and Earth-remaking) events over the last three books, it was good to see Toby dealing with some minor life-and-death stakes again. Er, wait…something’s not right about that sentence. Anyway, a very pregnant Toby is a lot of fun for her fans to encounter.

Locks & Keys was a very strong short story collection–I should have something more to say about it soon.

I didn’t not think Carter’s sequel was near as fun or clever as The Blonde Identity was–but it did the job.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule	Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

I’m sure Ty Seidule’s book is going to make me uncomfortable more than once. I’m looking forward to that.

Time for another Dresden Files audiobook. Proven Guilty adds one of my favorite characters in the series (well, re-introduces her and brings her to the forefront she deserves). Should be fun.

How’s September treating you? Reading anything good?

With August winding down, I’m scurrying to finish some books by Saturday. I probably won’t get all of my 20 Books of Summer done, but I’m going to be close. And…eh. I’ve read so many good things that I really don’t care. For example:

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?

Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation by Jim O’Heir	Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride by Will Leitch, read by Chris Andrew Ciulla

Jim O’Heir’s book about the making of Parks & Rec starts off strong and will probably keep going that way. It feels as comfy as the show. And after some of the stuff I’ve read lately, I could use that.

By the time this posts, I’ll have barely scratched the surface of Will Leitch’s newest. But the mix of sentiment and humor seems like a good time, I’m finding out if I’m right as you read these words.

What did you recently finish reading?

Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson	The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen, translated by Lisa Hartford, read by Erik Davies

Gibson’s book is as weird and good as I expected it to be. I’ll try to come up with a better take on it than that, but it’ll do for now. (yes, it took me a long time to finish it, but that’s because I interrupted reading it for Ryka Aoki’s beautiful Light From Uncommon Stars for book club on Monday)

I don’t know that I’ll come back for more of Dept. Q’s mysteries (in print, anyway). But I just might–if only to see how it works without me constantly comparing it to the adaptation. It was a good read, maybe too long. But a solid read.

What do you think you’ll read next? (and I’m stressing the “think” more than usual here)

The Lords of the West End by Peter Blaisdell	Dead Beat by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

I don’t remember much about The Lords of the West End. All I remember is that this post from Witty and Sarcastic Book Club led me to buy it.

Dead Beat was my entry point into The Dresden Files. Can’t wait to revisit such a dear friend (even if it’s a really messed up book).

Are you getting in some good reading this long weekend (in the US, anyway)? Or do you have another way to spend the last gasps of Summer?

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?

Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson	The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson, read by Eric Burgher

I’m finally dipping into Gibson’s first book. This is a dark and messed-up world. Really enjoying it so far.

So far, The Dragon and the George is doing a lot of things right. It’s doing a lot of things so-so as well. Still, it’s plenty of fun.

What did you recently finish reading?

Leveled Up Love by Leveled Up Love by Tao Wong & A. G. Marshall	Blood Rites by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

Wong & Marshall’s SF/LitRPG/Rom-Com mashup was feel-good fun.

I don’t know that Blood Rites ranks up with Butcher’s best, but the high points of this are so high, I just don’t care.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki	The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen, translated by Lisa Hartford, read by Erik Davies

Aoki’s book seems to be quite the genre mashup, looking forward to seeing how/if it works.

Netflix’s Dept. Q got me interested in the source material, The Keeper of Lost Causes. Time for some Nordic Noir.

Are you working through anything good?

Family and the need to do things to “make money” to “pay bills” like my webhost and “buy books,” really limited what I could do today. But hey, I got this up.

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?

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi	Blood Rites by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters

I’m probably going to finish Scalzi’s latest tonight–it’s delightfully weird and plenty of fun. Not his best, but it’s good enough.

Blood Rites has a lot of cringe-y moments. More than I remember. But…some fantastic lines, and a story that makes up for the winces.

What did you recently finish reading?

(I was really hoping this wasn’t just going to be a rehash of last week’s “What do you think you’ll read next?”)

Mississippi Blue 42 by Eli Cranor	This Dog Will Change Your Life by Elias Weiss Friedman

I’m very curious about how Cranor builds on this book for a series–but hey, I like Special Agent Rae Johnson that there’s no doubt that I’m back.

Was The Dogist’s book a little much sometimes? Yes. But it was sweet and full doggie goodness.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Crew by Sadir S. Samir	The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson, read by Eric Burgher

I’ve heard nothing but good (if not great) things about The Crew, and I’m glad I finally get to dive in. If only so my friends who are harassing me for not getting to it yet have to quiet down.

While browsing at the library, this title jumped out at me. The premise looked promising, hope it was a worthwhile gamble.

Are you reading anything good?

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 Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman	The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

For the sake of time, I’m trying something different and jumping back and forth between audio and paperback. I don’t know that it’s something I’ll do in the future, but it’s working pretty well. Doesn’t hurt that this is such a great read.

What did you recently finish reading?

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett	I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre, read by Faith Clark & Cary Hite

I can’t believe I was ever a doubter in Pratchett. Men at Arms was a great read.

I Think I’m in Love with an Alien is very much an odd choice for me, but I’ve enjoyed Aguirre in the past (in different genres) and I thought the premise was cute. The execution was, too. Very cute, very fun, spicier than I prefer–but the result was heartwarming.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Mississippi Blue 42 by Eli Cranor	This Dog Will Change Your Life by Elias Weiss Friedman

Cranor kicks off a series with this book, which is one of the 2025 releases I’ve been most looking forward to.

Title alone sells Friedman’s book for me. The thesis sounds pretty good, too.

Who’s read any of these? You reading anything good?

I’m on a streak of really good reads lately–which is great, except it makes it hard to put them down to tend to things like a blog about books.

Woe is me, indeed. ‘Tis a hard knock life, ya’ll. So here’s a quick look at what’s keeping me from writing as much as I feel I should be in this little thing we like to call WWW Wednesday.

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?

Lirael by Garth Nix	Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words by John McWhorter

Lirael is great sequel (through 3/4 or so, anyway)–not repeating the beats of the first book, but building on the first book and by addressing one of the elements mentioned by never explored.

I’m in the middle of one of those moments where 360 Libby holds became available within 4 days of each other. Which is annoying when it comes to books I had plans to listen to, but great because I’ve been wanting to listen to McWhorter read this book since I heard about it. Someone remind me when I’m panicking about my Dresden Files progress in November that I said this, okay?

What did you recently finish reading?

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper	The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, read by Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler & Various

I’m telling you now, if we talk at all for the next 6 months and you’re into Crime Fiction–I’m going to talk too much about Everybody Knows without trying to say a word. I am so angry with myself for putting off reading this as long as I did (but since I just finished it, I’m feeling pretty magnanimous toward myself, too). It’s just devastatingly good–I feel like I’m close to overhyping it. But…I’ve read it, it’s hard to properly hype.

I absolutely get the hoopla over The Correspondent as much as I don’t share it. I enjoyed the book, just not as much as everyone else I’ve encountered. It was a solid, slow-burn of a read (or listen). Some good heart-tugging moments, some genuine smiles, too.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Guard in the Garden by Z S Diamanti	The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie, read by Lisa Flanagan

From the first tweet I saw from Diamanti describing this cozy fantasy about an injured Dwarf warrior having to adjust to civilian life, I knew I had to read it. Now I get to. Really looking forward to this (and I still need something to help me recover from Harper’s book–Nix is a good step down from the intensity, but some cozy goodness will really help).

I don’t remember putting the novel about Babs Dionne’s death on my holds list, but the description sure sounds like something I’d like. Thanks, past me!

How are you closing out July? Hopefully with something cold to drink and a stack of good books.

Let’s take a quick break from Appreciating Self-Published Authors to take a quick look at some authors who definitely aren’t self-published (you’d think I’d plan things better for this week, right?)

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?

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone	Rift in the Soul by Faith Hunter, read by Khristine Hvam

Epistolary romance + SF adventure (and I’m guessing some time travel) + dynamite prose. I really don’t know much about This Is How You Lose the Time War beyond that. Oh, and it’s the Book Club pick for this month. So, I guess we’ll see what I’m in for.

I’d planned on listening to the (too soon, but also probably timed-just-right) end of the Souldwood series last month, but a rush library holds came through, so it got pushed back. I should be finishing this today, which will allow me to tackle the next batch of library holds that have come through. It’s like Libby does this to me on purpose.

What did you recently finish reading?

Samurai! by Saburo Sakai with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito	Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic	The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon, read by Kate McKinnon & Emily Lynne

Samurai! was a great look at the War in the Pacific from the other side.

I learned a lot from Algospeak, now I just have to figure how to talk about it–and what to do with this knowledge.

Kate McKinnon’s narration is the only thing zanier and more brilliant than the text of this book that I can think of lately. This was a delightful read that I’ve been recommending like crazy.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper	The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, read by Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler & Various

I’ve been intending to read Harper’s latest since it was released in ’23. A Hollywood fixer trying to solve her boss’ murder. Sounds pretty cool. Coming from Harper? It’s practically guaranteed to be more than that.

A list of narrators that long “& Various”? That seems like a lot. The owner of Shared Stories recommended this to me, will be giving it a shot.

What are you reading this week? Bonus points if it’s self-published.

Who’s got time for an introduction? Not this guy! Let’s dive right into this week’s WWW Wednesday!

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?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovitch	Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic	Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, read by Jefferson White

Almost the entire cast of The Rivers of London series goes on holiday to Scotland (and to look into a strange cat), and at the rate things are going, ol’ Peter is going to find himself banned. There are just so many good things to mention here I could get carried away in this paragraph.

I didn’t mean to start Algospeak Saturday, I was just making sure that it’d loaded onto my e-reader, and before I knew it, I was at 16%. (is there a link between that and the lack of new material on Sunday? Well, yes). It’s utterly fascinating.

I’m remembering why I (like so many people) got really into The Hunger Games back before the movies. Collins is not messing around in this prequel. Allyson, I was with you on this one–but caved to peer pressure, and I think I’m going to be glad about it (but not sure I’d tell you to to give it a shot…yet).

What did you recently finish reading?

A Tail of Mystery by Paul Regnier	Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, read by Chris Devon, Emana Rachelle, Charlie Albers, Eve Passeltiner, Zura Johnson, Cary Hite & Gail Shalan

Paul Regnier’s cozy-adjacent mystery is just fun. Silly, but fun. I’ll be back for more soon.

I’m still deciding what I think about Of Monsters and Mainframes–cool concept, some good characters, and overall an enjoyable story, although a lot of the plotting/pacing annoyed me. The narrators did not do this book any favors–in fact, I think they hurt it. Still, you might want to give it a shot.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Samurai! by Saburo Sakai with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito	The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon, read by Kate McKinnon & Emily Lynne

I’ve said that I was going to read Samurai! more than once over the past couple of years. But I’m pretty sure it’s going to stick this time.

I’m going to need something light and fluffy after Sunrise on the Reaping (if not sooner), and McKinnon’s MG fantasy should fit the bill. Celeste pushed me to it.

What are you using (along with your A/C) to help you ignore the July heat?