How has your week been? What have you been reading? I . Now on started and stopped a few books this week – such is the curse of a mood reader. Finally I started reading Blood Orange, Harriet Tyce and that held my interest. I’m in the middle of it now and it’s quite juicy. Now, on to the 10+ things I bookmarked this week.
one+ The Wordy Habit Best Book Recommendations has a list with quite the variety of genres. I don’t think I could ever put together such a list – it would be miles long! Any books on the list you’ve read? I did love The Legend series, Marie Lu and Vera Wong’s
two+ I recently started using NetGalley (again) to request “Advanced Reader Copies” of books (ARCs). I’m trying to practice restraint and not request too many, so I’ll be able to make the time to read everything I get approved for. If you want to (or do) use them, here are The Different Ways to Access Books on NetGalley.
three+ This roundup on What Books Are Being Called the Best of the Year….So Far lists the books that are most common on all the lists – James, Percival Everett on 7 of the 10 lists. And Audible Best Listens of 2024 (So Far) has the audiobooks.
four+ Reese’s Book Club has been in the news quite a bit lately with news that Reese’s Book Club Partners with Apple Books for Audiobooks and Reese’s YA Book Club picks are back as she teams up with her nieces.
five+ Do you have books on your shelves that you’re embarrassed you love, or have problematic titles, or otherwise problematic – i.e. Ugly, Essential Books? In my shelves, one of these has a title so upsetting I covered its spine with duct tape and wrote my own instead (see below). The best are as ugly as they are essential. These ‘nasties’ of a bookshelf remain because they are for us and (usually) nobody else.
six+I enjoyed reading Talking Books With a 96-Year-Old Reader … “I always have at all ages and still do go on “reading binges” of a particular genre–mythology, mystery, western, biography, etc.” Same.
seven+ The winners of the 2023 Nebula Awards Winners have been announced. The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera, won for Best Novel. I read all the nominees for Best Novella and liked Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher, the best … but Linghun, Ai Jiang took home the prize.
eight+ Father’s Day is this weekend, and here are some Books for Every Dad: A Father’s Day Reading List, plus WILDSAM’s Editor-in-Chief on Eight Books Perfect for the Dads.
nine+ Off the books – what have you been watching lately? I Re-watched Sherlock Holmes (Netflix). I absolutely love Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock – he was absolutely brilliant. “The quirky spin on Conan Doyle’s iconic sleuth pitches him as a “high-functioning sociopath” in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who’s introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.”
nine+ George R.R. Martin (author of Game of Throne series in case you didn’t know) wrote recently on his blog about The Adaptation Tango. He’s not a fan of most of the book to screen adaptations – but he had high praise for Shogun. Have you seen it? I haven’t yet.
In case you missed it, on the blog this week we posted 3 “Better Than the Book” Audiobook Recommendations.
Cheers to the weekend and week ahead!
