Category: Reading & Books

  • There is No Simple Pleasure Quite So Sweet as the Anticipation of a New Book

    23 Sep 2013 » 1 min read about Reading & Books

    [T]omorrrow, Stephen King’s second new book of 2013 arrives. Doctor Sleep is a sequel to The Shining and I am really looking forward to it. I thought his book from earlier this year, Joyland, was excellent and I’ve been looking forward to Doctor Sleep since it was first announced. The little feeling of butterflies I get in anticipation of a new…

  • Stuff I am Reading

    07 Sep 2013 » 1 min read about Reading & Books

    [B]ecause I have nothing else to post about this morning, here is some of what I am currently reading, or will be reading in the very near future. Salinger by David Shields and Shane Salerno Transcendence by James Gunn The Best of Connie Willis by Connie Willis The Very Best of Barry N. Malzberg by Barry N.…

  • A Reading Changeup: W. P. Kinsella and the Baseball Story

    19 Aug 2013 » 2 min read about Reading & Books

    [I] have been reading a lot of Stephen King lately, and I’m ready for something else. Don’t take this as me getting tired of King. I’ve grown to love his style and the depth of his story telling expertise. But pushing through nearly all of the Dark Tower series has me ready for a change.…

  • Beyond the Sun Available as an E-book Through Baen

    13 Aug 2013 » 1 min read about Reading & Books, Writing & Publishing

    [F]or my friends who prefer e-books over paper, the new anthology, Beyond the Sun, in which my story “Flipping the Switch” appears, is now available in e-book format over at Baen Books. If you were holding out for an e-book edition, the wait is over. Of course, the book is also available in tradition paper from the…

  • Finished Reading Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series*

    08 Aug 2013 » 1 min read about Reading & Books

    [L]ast night, shortly before midnight, I finished reading book 7 of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, The Dark Tower. My mind was kind of blown away by the ending. I can see why Stephen King considered this his magnum opus, and while I enjoyed it, I don’t think it was his best work. I still think It is…

  • Books I Read in June (So Far)

    27 Jun 2013 » 1 min read about Reading & Books

    [J]une was a record-setting month for me as far as reading goes. As of this moment, I have read 10 books this month, which beats my previous record of 9 books set back in March. This record goes back all the way to when I first started keeping my list in 1996. Once again, it…

  • Book on My Spring/Summer Reading List

    30 May 2013 » 2 min read about Reading & Books

    [S]ome of the books that are on my spring/summer reading list. They are listed in no particularl order: Dracula by Bram Stoker (currently reading) Joyland by Stephen King The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson The Gunslinger1 by Stephen King The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman Ghost Story by…

  • Stephen King and Doctor Who

    19 May 2013 » 2 min read about Reading & Books

    [I] am currently re-reading Stephen King’s The Shining1 in preparation for the sequel, Doctor Sleep, scheduled for release in the fall. Earlier this morning, I came to the scene where Jack Torrence goes out to trim the topiary and gets a little surprise, with those animals turning from cute little hedges into menacing creatures bent on his…

  • Books Received, 5/18/2013

    18 May 2013 » 1 min read about Reading & Books

    [N]ot one, not two, but three books arrived in the mail today, courtesy of TOR. Two appear to be urban fantasy and one is science fiction. Tarnished by Rhiannon Held (TOR), publication date: May 21, 2013. The Planet Thieves by Dan Krokos (Starscape/TOR Teen), publication date: May 21, 2013. Blood and Bone by Ian C. Esslemont (TOR),…

  • My Trends in Reading Media Format

    17 May 2013 » 2 min read about Reading & Books

    [Y]esterday, I got to thinking about how much I’ve taken to the audiobook format. I’ve transformed from someone who was once certain the format would never work for him, to a huge consumer of audiobooks. The clear advantage–the realization that I could read more in the same amount of time–was a big motivator. But I’ve also come…

  • I Review The Human Division by John Scalzi at InterGalactic Medicine Show

    16 May 2013 » 1 min read about Reading & Books

    [M]y latest book review column is now online at InterGalactic Medicine Show. In this month’s column, I review John Scalzi‘s wonderful new novel, The Human Division. I also review a new piece of nonfiction about a science fiction pioneer. The Man from Mars by Fred Nadis is a fascinating biography of Ray Palmer. You can read both reviews over…

  • Books Received, 5/6/2013

    06 May 2013 » 1 min read about Reading & Books

    [I] forgot to record the fact that I received Mending the Moon by Susan Palwick (TOR) last Thursday or Friday. According to the accompanying press release, the book comes out on May 14.