Showing posts with label books received. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books received. Show all posts

Monday, July 01, 2013

Update

As promised, it's been a while since my last post. Of course a little while ago I did say I was going to stick with shorter, mini-reviews and then I went and posted a 2000+ word review of The Wheel of Time series. Oh well, don't get used to it. I hope to post one or two mini-reviews this week. If I don't get to them now, it'll be quite a while. Starting next week I'll be travelling almost full time for the next month. It'll be exhausting enough that I don't expect to get too much reading done (except perhaps on airplanes) and certainly not any blogging.
 
Below is a picture of books I've received in the last couple of months. It's a lot and there's even more considering a bunch of ebooks I've gotten. Conspicuously absent is one of the most anticipated books of this year that it seems that every other blogger already has and is reading (or spent all of last weekend reading). No worries - I'll get a copy soon and then I'll read it and promptly not review it for a long time (just like every other book I read these days).
 
Books Received: May 4 - July 1, 2013
 

Saturday, May 04, 2013

Update

So, I only managed 1 post in April. Hopefully May will be better, though life is just crazy. Work is as busy as ever, which is a good thing, though it doesn't leave much time for blogging. I'll probably do some travelling for work in the next few months which could cut things back even more. And the usual personal/family challenges have kept me away as well. But I do hope to get more than 1 post in May. In the very least I'll do a post for book that I'm being published in because I do like talking about myself.  I've got 3 reviews partially written and hopefully one or two of them will be posted this week.
 
Anyway, below are the books I've received in the last couple of months.

Books Received: February 27 - May 3, 2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Usual Update

Wow, it's been weeks since my last post. I suppose that's mostly the result of how crazy busy I've been, but then I'm always crazy busy. I've been doing some travel for work and I've got some more travel coming. Then Spring Break for the kids. Then...who knows, I just hope it's good news rather than bad. And I hope congress pulls their heads out of their asses and does their job so my wife doesn't go on furlough. But I digress.
 
Things will continue to be quite around here. I still owe reviews on The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) and Someplace to be Flying by Charles de Lint (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) . And now I'm reading The Folly of the World by Jesse Bullington (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon)  - this one is so far not what I expected. I think that's a good thing, as it's my first Bullington book, the style is a bit different from the typical SFF novel. Certainly night and day compared to the book I read immediately before by de Lint.
 
Anyway, I may find time this week to wrap up a review and I may not. Time will tell and the next book review will be written and posted when it's ready. I've long ago gotten past the need to post as regularly as 'they' say I should.
 
I'll leave with the books I've received over the last month or so. As usual, it doesn't count the electronic copies I've gotten, which are near as many (with a few duplicates). Ciao!

Books Received: January 24 - February 26, 2013

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

A Few Odds and Ends

This post is going to be all over the place. An update of what I'm up to, a few links of potential interest, and the usual photo of books I've received. So, let's get to it.
 
  •  And I'm behind on reviews again, which is a surpise to know one who actually reads this blog. I owe my review for Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) soon, though he's getting so much press from pretty much every other blogger that I may make it pretty brief. I also need to write a review for The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) , which I liked a lot.
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  • I just finished up The Six-Gun Tarot by R.S. Belcher (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) which was honestly a rather pleasant surprise. This may be the next review I write just so that it gets some press it deserves - it was released on Tuesday the 22nd. But until then, I'll throw out a couple of links - a guest post by Belcher and a interview with Belcher.
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  • Today Brandon Sanderson did a Tor Chat over on Twitter, mostly about A Memory of Light and The Wheel of Time (the transcript is here). Of course I asked a few questions and he answered a couple, but the most interesting to me was that he revealed the identity of the point of view for the deleted chapter that will be published as a short story in the forethcoming Unfettered anthology (details here). That point of view is Bao the Wyld - those who have read A Memory of Light know the other name we know him as. I'm excited! (my review of A Memory of Light, a spoiler reaction, and an interview with Brandon about it) Edit: below is the quote from the TorChat:
“River of Souls,” the forthcoming Wheel of Time short story featured in Unfettered is a collection of scenes that illustrate Demandred/Bao the Wyld’s story leading up to A Memory of Light.

  • Along those lines, Jason over at Dragonmount has been good to me over the years with throwing a lot of traffic my way. So, I'll potentially throw some back at him - he's doing a Kickstarter for fantasy movie he's producing - it just needs the final touches at this point and the goal has just about been met. Consider giving it some support.
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  • The rebooted Amazing Stories is live now. I'll actually be contributing periodically.
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  • I've been fan of the Wheel of Time audiobooks for a while now - I use them as re-reads for the series and it's a great way to pass the time during my weekly 2.5-hour commute that I do for work. The folks over at Macmillan audio gave me a sample of Chapter 3 of A Memory of Light - check it out.
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  • And finally, below is the photo of books I've received in the last month or so.
     
Books Received: December 24, 2012 - January 23, 2013

Monday, December 24, 2012

A Few Odds and Ends of Christmas Cheer

So, my last post was back in November and at that time I was predicting a review in about a week. Well, that obviously didn’t happen. There are reasons of course, there are always reasons. I could blame it on the near constant sickness in the house for several weeks and my total lack of sleep during that time. I could also blame it on crazy work scheduled before the holidays begin. As well as the onslaught of our usual December visitors. And each is certainly true. Though the most true reason is that I received my copy of A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) and it consumed me during my sickness-weakened state. I still managed to read all 900+ pages of it in a week, but it took a lot out of me doing so. I’ve been waiting for this book since I first picked up The Eye of the World (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) back in 1994 and I must say that it ended well and appropriately. I’m still digesting that and I have numerous posts that I’ll write about A Memory of Light and The Wheel of Time, but not until January 8 and later.
 
Anyway, here are a few odds and ends to show that I’m still alive.
 
 
  • Amazing Stories is getting a reboot and is going live soon. There will be a bunch of different contributors, ranging from well-known authors to bloggers who never seen to get much attention (I’m referring to myself, though my involvement won’t be huge – just an occasional post). The press release is below.
 
 
The latest round of books received:
 
Books Received: November 26 - December 23, 2012
 
 
I should probably figure out a way to list books I get digitally since I’m getting quite a few that way these days. But don’t expect it soon.
 
 
Amazing Stories Press Release:
 
Amazing Stories, the world's first science fiction magazine, opens for Beta Testing of Phase 1 on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013.
Fifty+ Writers Sign On to provide genre-related content! 
Experimenter Publishing Company
Hillsboro, NH
December 20, 2012
On Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013, I will be joined by more than 50 other writers from around the blogosphere to help launch the Beta Test of Phase 1 of the return of Amazing Stories.
Amazing Stories was the world's first science fiction magazine.  Published by Hugo Gernsback, the Father of Science Fiction, the magazine created the genre's first home and was instrumental in helping to establish science fiction fandom the fandom from which all other fandoms have evolved.
The magazine itself ceased publication in 2005; in 2008 the new publisher, Steve Davidson, discovered that the trademarks had lapsed and applied for them.  The marks were finally granted in 2011.
Phase 1 introduces the social networking aspects of the site and the Blog Team, more than 50 authors, artists, collectors, editors, pod casters, designers and bloggers who will address 14 different subjects on a regular basis SF, Fantasy & Horror literature, anime, gaming, film, television, the visual arts, audio works, the pulps, comics, fandom, science and publishing. 
Those wishing to participate in the Beta Test should request an invite by emailing the publisher, Steve Davidson.
 
 
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Books Received and Update

So, I hope that everyone had a nice holiday weekend last week (at those of you who had holidays last week). It was good for me, though it's always hectic with the kids home. As I alluded to in this post (read it anyway, it's always good to give a little - or a lot) last week, life has been crazy lately, so posting has been sparse (though not much moreso than usual). However, I have had a bit more reading time come up, so I've managed to read quite a few. I need to write reviews for Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon), Zoo City by Laurne Buekes (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon), and Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon). Of Blood and Honey was probably the best book I've read in 2012, so I expect it'll be a very positive review (I have a draft started so I hope to have a review posted this week), my thoughts on Zoo City were surprisingly mixed, but overall positive, and Fortress Frontier continues the excellence of Control Point (My Review, Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) - I'm not sure if I'll post a review of Fortress Frontier until January.
 
Anyway, the holiday is over and now I've got to play a ton of catch-up at work. So, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up my reading pace. And I'm still unsure of what to read next - I have lots of good options.
 
Anyway, on to the books I've received in the last few weeks.

Books Received: November 3 - 25, 2012

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Books Received and an Update

So, life is particularly busy and I'm not sure how much I'll post in the next month or so. Probably the same amount as I have been lately. I did manage to get out two reviews last week which was nice. I still need a review for Trapped by Kevin Hearne (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon). I'm currently reading and really enjoying Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon). The stuff that Night Shade Books is publishing these days is very impressive - or at least it aligns well with what I want to read now. More news to come later. Anyway, on to the books I've received in the last month or so...
 
Books Received: September 8 - October 16, 2012
 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Books Received Plus Update

So, here is the now standard 'I'm not dead yet' post where I talk about how busy I am, travel, life, yada, yada, yada... Anyway, hopefully I'll find some time to write reviews for The Winds of Khalakovo by Bradley Beaulieu (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) and Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon). Maybe one in the next week or so. I'm currently reading (and really enjoying) Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon). I'm travelling to Oakland for several days at the end of the week, so I'll probably be even more quiet than usual. Anyway...

Books Received: June 18 - July 17, 2012

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Books Received and an Update

More travel scheduled for this week - 4 days in Montana doing a site visit. I've not been to Montana before, so this should be nice. I'll probably get caught up on reading, but I don't expect to post much here. Hopefully I'll find some time soon to write up a review for The Winds of Khalakovo by Bradley P. Beaulieu (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) and I should finish up Sharps by K.J. Parker (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) on the trip.

Anyway...

Books Received: June 2 - 17, 2012

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Books Received and Update

So, life and work are pounding me pretty hard and not looking to let up. So, that means content will be slow, though I'm on the verge of review purge. I hope to get my review of Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) up today. I've got part of a review written for Blade of Tyshalle by Matthew Woodring Stover (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) and I just finished Tricked by Kevin Hearne (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) and will write-up a mini-review for it soonish. I have big plans for reviewing the massive anthology The Weird edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) that I hope to begin soon. I'm going to break it up into distinct time periods (most have historically based cutoff points) to allow me to tackle it in a reasonable fashion. So I anticipate about 13 seperate reviews for the entire anthology over the course of a year or two. I'm looking forward to it.

You may have noticed that in my book links I've added Amazon and dropped Powell's Books. As far as I can tell, no one ever clicks on the Powell's links, so I'm not going to waste me time anymore. I still don't like Amazon and many of their business practices, but it's tough to argue against the convinience they provide customers. Also, since they now own The Book Depository, that's not a true alternative. Barnes & Noble for some unfathonable reason still makes it impossibly difficult for a blogger like me to set up affiliate links, so until they get their heads out of their backside I can't offer that as an alternative to Amazon. I still prefer and strongly suggest that you utilize Indiebound - especially now that DRM is dying a slow death and ebooks are easier than ever from independent sellers.

Anyway, on to books I've received.

Books Received: April 17 - May 8, 2012

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Books Received: Nov. 30 - January 17

It's been a while since I've posted one of these, so here the some books I've received lately. Hopefully I'll get another review written after this big deadline at work passes. No promises.


Books Received: November 30, 2011 - January 17, 2012

Friday, November 04, 2011

Books Received: September 28 - November 4

It's been a while since I had a crazy schedule with work, volunteer duties, organizing a conference and then my daughter going to the hospital for a few days (150 miles from where we live). Things are beginning to approach normal (well as normal as normal is anymore), but I'll still be just as busy (if not more) for the foreseeable future.


Books Received: September 28 - November 4, 2011


Thursday, September 01, 2011

Books Received and an Update

Update first - actual interesting content will continue to be sparse around here for quite a while. Life has me as busy as ever and with the AZ Diamondbacks in a penant race, my reading time is as short as ever. I'll also be travelling for half the month of September (4 days in San Diego and 9 days in Alaska). So, be patient and I'll see if I can come up with anything of actual interest. Anyway, now to the books received since August 12th.

Books Received: August 13 - September 1, 2011

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