Goodreads is a website where you can review books that you have read and you can also put books on a to-read list. The website will suggest books to read based on the list of the books that you have read, are reading, and want to read. The best part of the website for me is the groups. You can join groups that are based on the type of books that you like. Each group has a discussion page covering many topics, polls used to determine a book of the month, and a book of the month for the group to read and comment upon.
Summary
I update my reading progress daily on Goodreads, but there are tasks that I also do once a week or once a month. I check on new topics, vote in polls, and comment on the book of the month. Using Goodreads has changed how and what I read. My goal for this year is to read 24 novels. I have read 12 novels in less than 6 months so far.
Here are some statistics. The best that I can remember, I read 9 books in 2015. I would read maybe 20 pages a day at lunch five days a week. Five of those books were rereading the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. I wanted to reread them anticipating the next book’s release. I’m still waiting for book six. In the first six months of 2016, I read six books. So, 2015 was 0.75 books a month and the first half of 2016 was 1 book per month. I discovered Goodreads and I started to enter my books into the system in June 2016. From July 2016 to June 2017 I have read 29 books, which is 2.4 books per month. That is a significant increase. I have 613 books on my read list, which translates to about 12 books per year for my lifetime.
How Goodreads changed my reading habits.
Two things changed in June of 2016. I started reading 30 pages every day, making it a point to complete the reading every day. The other thing that changed my habits was setting a goal. I planned to read two books per month in 2017. My to-read list went over 100 books. There are some great books on that list. At 24 books per year, that list will take me four years to complete. Seeing the list focused me on what I wanted to read. I’m glad that I have put in the time to use Goodreads to help me in my search for books. Participating in group reads of books on my list has increased my enjoyment of the books that I have read. Using Goodreads has changed my reading habits.
This is a link to my review of The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which is a fun quickly-paced science fiction/fantasy adventure story. It has the lost world theme and an interesting method of alternative evolution included in this world. It is just the perfect story for that pre-teen boy to read.
Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, Book #3 of The Expanse Series
Introduction
In Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, The proto-molecule has created a ring just outside of the orbit of Uranus, which functions as a gate. What lies through this gate prompts wild speculation from every faction in the solar system. Jim Holden and his crew get mixed up right in the middle of it again. Ships from Earth, Mars, and the Belt converge on the gate and decide to hazard what lies beyond. They must balance the needs of humanity and the warring factions of Earth, Mars, and the Belt to succeed or be destroyed by the proto-molecule.
Summary
Jim Holden is back as a narrator for this novel, but the other three narrators from Caliban’s War (Book #2) sit this one out. Carlos “Bull” c de Baca is the security chief of the OPA (Belter) ship Behemoth, which was formally called the Nauvoo. Annuska “Anna” Volovodov is a Methodist priest from Europa who has taken passage on the Earth ship Thomas Prince and she represents the pacifist side of the system. Melba, who has gained employment as an electrochemical technician on the Belter Ship Cerisier, has a secret dark past and seeks revenge upon Jim Holden. All four narrators have different agendas but must find common ground to succeed against the powers that are on the other side of the gate.
Recommendation
Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey is a great novel. The author has taken new viewpoint characters into a self-contained narrative. It is an interesting choice and consistent with the novel series. The Bull and Anna characters are not as strong or compelling as Bobbie and Avasarala from Caliban’s War, but they had their moments. I think the real miss here is the potential of the Melba character. She faced a mental battle with her hidden, secret, true identity. It felt like she was having a split personality break and I think it would have been more interesting if the author had explored this break more. The ending sets up more intrigue which I will be looking forward to experiencing in the next book, Cibola Burn.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Abaddon’s Gate by James S.A. Corey.
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, book #1 of The Expanse, is a space opera set in a near future when the solar system is settled. Jim Holden becomes the captain of the Rocinante and Detective Miller is on a missing person case. Their paths cross and the fate of the solar system lies in their hands. This is a link to my review.
Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey is book #2 of the Expanse, Jim Holden goes to Ganymede to investigate unusual occurrences. We meet new characters and learn about what happened to Julie Mao. This is a link to my review.
The Books of the South by Glen Cook, Tales of the Black Company.
Omnibus edition including Book #4 Shadow Games, #5 Dreams of Steel, and #3.5 The Silver Spike of the Tales of the Black Company Series.
Introduction
After the White Rose, book three of the Tales of the Black Company, the Black Company has been reduced to a handful of members. They decide to break into three groups. Darling and Silent head east, Raven and Case stay in the town of Oar in the Barrowlands, and the rest of the Company heads south. Lady has lost her sorcerous powers and joins the Black Company with Croaker as the leader. This collection has two novels and one shorter work.
Each story is narrated by a different person. Shadow Games is narrated by Croaker and tells of the events of the Black Company as it heads south. Lady is the narrator of Dreams of Steel, which follows the events after Shadow Games and sets up the story for the rest of the novels. The Silver Spike is narrated by Case and tells what happens in the Barrowlands after the Black Company heads south.
Summary
The Black Company has been called the last of the free companies of Khatovar, so Croaker heads toward the legendary city of Khatovar and wants to discover the roots of the Black Company. The Annals of the Black Company state that the Black Company came from the south, but the earliest volumes which detail the Black Company’s origins have been lost. Croaker’s group travel south of Beryl and they arrive at Gle-Xle where they meet allies. They head down the river from Gea-Xle and end up in the large city of Taglios. Taglios is at war with the Shadowmasters, who rule the area south of Taglios.
Croaker can only get to Khatovar by going through the Shadowmaster’s lands, so he signs a contract with the rulers of Taglios to gather an army and defeat the Shadowmasters. The Shadowmasters have powers that are like Lady’s former group of sorcerers called The Ones Who Were Taken. This is a formidable task. Meanwhile, Case and Raven have learned of magic brewing in the Barrowlands and decide to catch up to the Black Company and ask for help.
Recommendation
The three books in this collection all have a different feel. Shadow Games follows Croaker and is similar in tone to the first three books. It comes to a reasonable thematic ending. Dreams of Steel is also called the Book of Lady. It is interesting to see her side of the story. The problem with the book is that it doesn’t reach a conclusion. Several story threads are started but are left loose for the next volumes of the series. The Silver Spike feels unnecessary. The events do not impact the main story. It comes to an ending and it seems like that is all there is for that story. I wonder what the point of this story is.
The writing is excellent, especially the parts that the narrators told in the first person. The third person stories were not as successful. The Shadowmasters and the group from Taglios did not interest me. I did not care if they succeeded or failed. I wanted to get back to the chapters with Croaker and Lady. There was enough here for me to recommend this collection and to look forward to reading the next four novels which are grouped as the Books of the Glittering Stone.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Books of the South by Glen Cook.
Witch Post: Which Websites Do I Frequent Weekly? There are six websites that I frequent weekly. I detail why I have picked these six and what information I am looking for on each site.
Goodreads is a website where you can review books that you have read and you can also put books on a to-read list. The website will suggest books to read based on the list of the books that you have read, are reading, and want to read. The best part of the website for me is the groups. You can join groups that are based on the type of books that you like. Each group has a discussion page covering many topics, polls used to determine a book of the month, and a book of the month for the group to read and comment upon.
I update my reading progress daily on Goodreads, but there are tasks that I also do once a week or once a month. I check on new topics, vote in polls, and comment on the book of the month. Using Goodreads has changed how and what I read. My goal for this year is to read 24 novels. I have read 12 novels in less than 6 months so far.
Race for the Iron Throne is Steven Attewell’s website devoted to his commentary of George R. R, Martin’s Game of Thrones including all media sources. The main topic and longest-running series of articles are a chapter by chapter analysis of each chapter of the Song of Ice and Fire books. The articles are posted approximately once per week. The current chapter was posted on May 30, 2017, on Jon II of A Storm of Swords (Book Three).
Each article covers the political analysis, what-ifs, historical analysis, and comparisons from book to show. This series inspired me to re-read the series. Reading the articles increased my enjoyment of the novels. At the author’s current pace, his reviews may get to A Dream of Spring (Book Seven) before Martin completes it. Other current articles are a weekly tumbler roundup of his comments on tumbler, Politics of the Seven Kingdoms with a series on each kingdom (The Reach is the current Kingdom), and links to podcasts as a guest on other websites.
The makers of Extra History post a weekly video of about ten minutes once a week. The videos are animated and present history in a fun and educational format. The topics cover all types of world history before about 1950. I enjoy watching their series about historical topics that I know little about. Each series are about five videos long, but they also make shorter series about subjects covering less material. I know that I will always be entertained and enlightened.
There have been 157 videos posted so far. The current series completed was about the Articles of Confederation. Other recent topics were on Hunting the Bismark, Ned Kelly, Catherine the Great, and Simon Bolivar. I enjoy Roman history the most and what got me into this series was the first series posted, Rome in the Punic Wars. My favorite series are The Punic Wars, Justinian, The Brothers Gracchi, and the First Crusade.
K. M. Weiland is an author of historical speculative fiction and writing craft. She posts bi-weekly on topics of interest to beginning writers. Her website is informative, interesting, and helpful. I like her positive attitude and her mission to help writers become authors. She writes like she’s your best friend just trying to help you out. Recent posts were titled 5 ways to write a perfect first draft (or nearly), 5 misconceptions about writing that I used to believe, and how to take advantage of your 4 most important characters. I recommend this site for any budding writers out there.
Writing Excuses is a weekly fifteen-minute podcast. Their tagline is fifteen minutes long because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart. The podcast is in its twelfth season and is hosted by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Taylor, and Dan Wells. They also have co-hosts and guests as well. Each podcast has a theme about a specific aspect of writing. Recent podcast topics were on Creating Great Outlines; Proposals, Pitches, and Queries; and Retrofitting structure into a First Draft. The podcast is always engaging, informative, and interesting. I began listening to this podcast because Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors and I wanted to hear what he had to say. I am glad that I did and remain a fan of this podcast.
Doux Reviews is a website that reviews mainly sci-fi and horror TV shows. It was created by Billie Doux and features many reviewers. There are thousands of reviews on the site. I started reading this site as I was watching Lost. The reviewer helped me understand that complicated show. I have also read the reviews as I watched the shows for Breaking Bad, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, Firefly, Rome, Sherlock, Person of Interest, and Orphan Black. I would also like to use the site when I watch The 100 and Westworld.
Conclusion
Witch Post: Which Websites Do I Frequent Weekly? I frequent these six websites every week looking for information about writing, reading, and watching Science Fiction and Fantasy. I hope to continue to frequent them for years to come.
This is a link to my review of The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which is a fun quickly-paced science fiction/fantasy adventure story. It has the lost world theme and an interesting method of alternative evolution included in this world. It is just the perfect story for that pre-teen boy to read.
This is my review of Somethin’ for Nuthin’ by MT Bass
Introduction
One day in 1976 after they fail their Intro to Philosophy midterm, The Ohio State University students Albert and Waxy have a supposedly great drunken idea of running off to Alaska and making their fortune working on the trans-Alaskan pipeline. They are a couple of endearing wisecracking knuckleheads who soon get over their heads when they arrive in Anchorage Alaska after a cross country trip in their self-titled Blue Bus. Albert is the good looking rich kid who always succeeds at getting what he wants and Waxy is his farm boy sidekick.
They get jobs at a bar called Fenway Park West which is owned by Beantown Bob, Albert as the bartender and Waxy as the dishwasher. Albert begins an ill-advised affair with Bob’s girlfriend CiCi. They get involved with Jimmi the Pilot’s drug smuggling operation and their problems escalate. He is a former Vietnam War Navy pilot. They hear about a wrecked airplane holding millions of dollars and search for it based on a clue from Moe the Eskimo, the cook at the bar. Albert and Waxy must find a way to keep their boss happy, help Jimmi escape his Mexican drug cartel suppliers, and find a fortune all while trying to purchase illegal Union cards so that they can work on the pipeline.
Summary
The tension of the story is ramped up as it continues onto the climax. Albert gets a job on the pipeline using a stolen work permit. He is one step away from being found out. Jimmi the Pilot takes Waxy on his drug runs to the pipeline. They get on the wrong side of the drug cartel and are in danger of being killed. Beantown Bob sinks all the rest of his money into the search for a downed Army payroll plane. If they don’t find the plane, then he will be financially ruined. They will all be ruined if they don’t find the money; including Waxy’s girlfriend waitress Emma, Albert’s secret girlfriend singer CiCi, and CiCi’s brother and bandmate Dylan. They need to find that plane on Bahammy Mammy Glacier before winter comes to Alaska when no one will be flying.
Recommendation
I liked the set up of this novel. The author creates many interesting characters that all have compelling motivations. The dialogue feels real for these characters. The setting is different and interesting. What keeps this from being a great novel is that Albert and Waxy do not grow emotionally from their adventures and there is a less than satisfactory ending. The first scene of the novel occurs just before the last scene of the novel. The last scene resolves as the reader might expect it to resolve.
There is an epilogue that feels tacked on and raises more questions than it answers. I wish that Albert and Waxy had learned from their adventures so that I would have enjoyed this novel more. I’m glad I met Albert, Waxy, and their companions for this fun page-turning historical adventure.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Somethin’ for Nuthin’ by MT Bass.
Attended the Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff Game against Boston on 05-23-17
Writing Goals for June 2017
Continue to work on An Assassin in New Marl City. I want to expand the novel from 20 chapters to 36 chapters (100000 words total). Complete Chapter 4 and write chapter 11 of the novel this month.
Edit Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of An Assassin in New Marl City.
Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, Time Traveller One, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Submit 4 Humors and Grognard to other short fiction magazines.
Planned Events for June 2017
Purchase an e-book cover for An Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Put the first ten chapters of An Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program Scrivener.
Work on completing a Query letter to use to find an agent for An Assassin in New Marl.
