Category: What I am Reading

  • In Which the Author Stops Apologizing/What I am Reading

    One of the things I have found about writing a blog that you update frequently is that certain themes emerge whether or not you want to. For a while, I struggled with my role with the blog, eventually deciding “gee, I’m a critic”. I’ve played with the notion of “status vs. contract” novel, and described…

  • “The Deep”/A Difficult Subject/”Moby Dick”/Storygraph/What I am Reading

    *This entry will contain some discussion of sexual abuse; if that’s something you don’t wish to read about, or are not in a place to deal with, I’m going to encourage you not to engage with it. You can scroll down to the first set of *** to skip that part, or not read at…

  • Winner/”The Deep”/What Actually Frightens

    Well, that was a bit bleaker than I had anticipated, but the winner is, ironically, “You Can’t Win”, so that is next on the list. While I was waiting, I started Nick Cutter’s “The Deep”. I read “The Troop” and “Little Heaven” a bit ago; and I remember the gross killer tapeworms of “The Troop”…

  • A Lull/”The Phantom Tollbooth”/What I am Reading

    Not a whole lot of reading going on this week. My band played its first two shows, so there was a lot of practicing and moving gear and drinking beers. I did a quick re-read of “The Phantom Tollbooth”, a book I first read as a child, which I think helped me develop what some…

  • “Cunning Folk”/What is Scary/”Moby Dick”/What I am Reading

    We all have our prejudices, I suppose. I really dislike things written in the present tense, for the most part. It’s fine to add a little spice or create a sense of urgency. For an entire book, it can be a little difficult for me to take. I find it oddly distracting. I finished “Cunning…

  • “Moby Dick” and adaptations/What I am reading, what I have finished

    I’ve finally been well enough to do a little reading, which has been nice. I asked the good folks on Reddit for a fast moving horror novel to get me into the groove, and they obliged with a book called “Ghoul” which I will likely write about as soon as later this week. I’ve been…

  • Obligations/What I am Reading/White Whale

    As will sometimes happen, life has caught up with me a little, and illness and obligations mean this week’s “long entry” is delayed a bit. I’m working on one about the novel “Blindsight”, which I recommend for sci-fi nerds in particular, and other folk in general— you can read it for free here.  Kindle tells…

  • Submissions/What I am Reading

    I got a couple of requests from folk to look at/write about something for The Lithole a bit ago. I’m generally surprised, as the blog is fairly new, and far from famous. I’m not against considering submissions, but there are a few things to keep in mind: 1) It should be literary in nature. A…

  • “A Descent into the Maelström”/What I am reading

    I read “A Descent into the Maelström” this week in addition to finishing “Vamphiri!” and working on a couple other things that I’ll mention below. It’s a story about a whirlpool, and the narrator’s failure to die in it after figuring out that the larger an object, the faster it gets sucked down, so he…

  • Seldom Asked Questions/What I am Reading/Vampires

    A few questions I have gotten from all 15 or so of you who read this blog: “What’s the process for writing an entry?”: I read a thing, and take notes on it. I use a kindle for most of my reading, and take notes on a ‘remarkable’ tablet. This gadget nonsense is an affliction…