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Tag: Jim C. Hines

February 2025 Books and Reading Notes

2025-03-012025-02-28 John Winkelman

At long last, over two months since I cracked it open, I finally finished Doctor Zhivago. It was a long read – mostly beautiful, occasionally frustrating, and above all definitely worth the effort.

Now I am reading short fiction, to help reset my brain. Currently I am working my way through The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966, which, in addition to being full of superb short prose and poetry, is an interesting time-capsule of the state of literature almost seventy years ago.

Acquisitions

The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste Speculative Science Fiction

  1. R.T. Samuel, Rakesh K., Rashmi R.D. (editors), The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF (Blaft Publications)

Reading List

Doctor Zhivago, by Boris Pasternak

Books

  1. Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago [2025.02.14]

Short Prose

  1. Jim C. Hines, “Kitemaster” (Patreon post) [2025.02.11]
  2. Samuel Beckett, “Dante and the Lobster”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.14]
  3. Jack Kerouac, “October in the Railroad Earth”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.14]
  4. Patsy Southgate, “A Very Important Lady”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.16] – [Note: I could find almost no information at all on Patsy Southgate online. Anything I found was as a side note to other writers and creative types. The two obituaries I could find, from 1998, were behind paywalls. Perhaps I will gather some sources and put together a Wikipedia page.]
  5. Kameron Hurley, “At the Crossroads of Many Futures” (Patreon post) [2025.02.16]
  6. Tobias S. Buckell, “The Last Cathedral of Earth, In Flight” (Patreon post) [2025.02.17]
  7. Alexander Trocchi, “From Cain’s Book“, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.18]
  8. John Rechy, “From City of Night“, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.18]
  9. William Eastlake, “Portrait of an Artist with Twenty-Six Horses”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.18]
  10. Carlos Fuentes (Lysander Kemp, translator), “The Life Line”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.21]
  11. Juan Rulfo (Lysander Kemp, translator), “From Pedro Páramo“, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.22]
  12. Octavio Paz, “Todos Santos, Día de Muertos”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.24]
  13. Henry Miller, “Defense of the Freedom to Read”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.24]
  14. William Eastlake, “Three Heroes and a Clown”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.25]
  15. Terry Southern, “Red-Dirt Marihuana”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.25]
  16. William S. Burroughs, “Deposition: Testimony Concerning a Sickness”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.26]
  17. Eugène Ionesco, “Foursome”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.26]
  18. Martin Williams, “Charlie Parker: The Burden of Innovation”, The Evergreen Review Reader, 1957 – 1966 [2025.02.28]
Posted in Book ListTagged Boris Pasternak, Evergreen Review, Jack Kerouac, Jim C. Hines, Kameron Hurley, Patsy Southgate, Samuel Beckett comment on February 2025 Books and Reading Notes

May 2024 Books and Reading Notes

2024-06-012024-12-03 John Winkelman

May was a pretty good month for reading. I had some down time and managed to fill it with books, like I did regularly when I was much younger.

Acquisitions

New books arrived in May 2024

  1. Eva Baltasar (Julia Sanches, translator), Mammoth (And Other Stories) [2024.05.07] – This is the most recent addition to my collection from my subscription to And Other Stories.
  2. Vanessa Angélica Villareal, Magical Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders [2024.05.18] – This was an impulse buy I made after seeing the title mentioned favorably by Jeff VanderMeer on one social media account or another.
  3. Zig Zag Claybourne, Breath, Warmth, & Dream (Obsidian Sky Books) [2024.05.20] – This was a Kickstarter reward from a recently-completed campaign. I met Zig Zag at ConFusion, back in, I think, 2016. He is a superb writer and overall a most excellent human being.
  4. Dinara Mirtalipova, Russian Tales: Traditional Stories of Quests and Enchantments [2024.05.28] – This was a birthday gift from my partner. It is gorgeous!

Reading List

Books I read in May 2024

Books

  1. Ian Monk and Daniel Levin Becker (editors), All that is Evident is Suspect: Readings from the Oulipo 1963 – 2018 [2024.05.08]
  2. Daniel Suarez, Kill Decision (e-book, re-read) [2024.05.10]
  3. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic [2024.05.13]
  4. João Gilberto Noll (Adam Morris, translator), Atlantic Hotel [2024.05.16]
  5. Sarah Hans, An Ideal Vessel [2024.05.18]
  6. César Aira, The Proof [2024.05.20]
  7. Corey Robin, The Reactionary Mind [2024.5.28]
  8. Glen Cook, The Black Company (e-book, re-read) [2024.05.31]

Short Prose

  1. Oskar Pastior, “Rules of the Game”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.01]
  2. Hervé Le Tellier, “A Few Musketeers”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.02]
  3. Pierre Rosenstiehl, “Frieze of the Paris Métro”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.02]
  4. Jacques Jouet, “Poem of the Paris Métro”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.02]
  5. Harry Mathews, “Sainte Catherina”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.02]
  6. Jacques Jouet, “The Republic of Beau-Locks”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.03]
  7. Ian Monk, “We Did Everything”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.03]
  8. François Caradec, “On the End of Time”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.03]
  9. Paul Fournel, “Novels”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.03]
  10. Anne F. Garréta, “N-evol”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.04]
  11. Olivier Salon, “Invisible Cities: Lille”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.04]
  12. Jacques Roubaud, “Arrangements”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.04]
  13. Frédéric Forte, “99 Preparatory Notes to 99 Preparatory Notes”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.04]
  14. Pablo Martín Sánchez, “Metric Poetry”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.05]
  15. Étienne Lécroart, “Eodermdromes”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.05]
  16. Harry Mathews, “Narrative Sestinas”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.05]
  17. Étienne Lécroart, “Counting On You”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.05]
  18. Hervé Le Tellier, “Liquid Tales”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.05]
  19. Bernard Cerquiglini, “A Very Busy Year”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.05]
  20. Olivier Salon, “Shark Poem”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.06]
  21. Ross Chambers, “Brief Encounter”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.06]
  22. Daniel Levin Becker, “Writer’s Block”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.06]
  23. Jacques Roubaud, “⊂”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.06]
  24. Marcel Bénabou, “Our Beautiful Zeroine”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.06]
  25. Paul Fournel, “The Beautiful Appetite”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.06]
  26. Valérie Beaudouin, “Northern Line”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.07]
  27. Michèle Audin, “Caroline, October 21, 1935”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.07]
  28. E. Berti & P. Martin Sánchez, “Microfictions”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.07]
  29. Daniel Levin Becker, “Epithalamia”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.07]
  30. Frédéric Forte, “The Pitch-Drop Experiment”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.07]
  31. Clémentine Mélois, “Louise”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.07]
  32. Michèle Audin, “No One Remembers”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.08]
  33. Ian Monk, “Return(s)”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.08]
  34. Eduardo Berti, “An Ideal Presence”, All that is Evident is Suspect [2024.05.08]
  35. Jim C. Hines, “Daddy’s Little Girl”, Patreon [2024.05.29]
  36. Jim C. Hines, “Gift of the Kites”, Patreon [2024.05.29]
Posted in Book ListTagged And Other Stories, César Aira, Corey Robin, Daniel Levin Becker, Daniel Suarez, Dinara Mirtalipova, Eva Baltasar, Glen Cook, Ian Monk, Jim C. Hines, João Gilberto Noll, Julia Sanches, McSweeney's, Oulipo, Sarah Hans, SIlvia Moreno-Garcia, Vanessa Angélica Villareal, ZIg Zag Claybourne comment on May 2024 Books and Reading Notes

March 2024 Books and Reading Notes

2024-04-012024-06-17 John Winkelman

After reading one gigantic book (Demons, Dostoevsky), and well over a dozen shorter books and journals, I have settled into a more sedate reading pace, with a few novels and nonfiction titles for this month. Feels like I have found my reading groove after a chaotic reading start to the reading year. Also, reading would be a good adjective modifier, like “fucking” or “smurfing.”

Acquisitions

Books acquired in March 2024.

  1. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic [2024.03.13] – Purchased from Books and Mortar bookstore in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
  2. Jason McBride, Eat Your Mind: The Radical Life and Work of Kathy Acker [2024.03.23] – Ordered and purchased from Books and Mortar bookstore.
  3. Edward W. Said, Orientalism [2024.03.23] – Ordered and purchased from Books and Mortar bookstore.
  4. Nikole Hannah-Jones (creator), The 1619 Project [2024.03.23] – Purchased at Harmony Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Books and Mortar had a popup sale of banned books in the bar, and this one caught my eye. It had been on my radar for a while, and this seemed like a good opportunity to add it to the library.

Reading List

Book Read in March 2024

Books and Journals

  1. R.F. Kuang, Babel [2024.03.11]
  2. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment [2024.03.16]
  3. Kai Ashante Wilson, The Devil in America [2024.03.17]
  4. Jazmina Barrera (Christina MacSweeney, translator), Linea Nigra [2024.03.18]
  5. Bjørn Rasmussen (Martin Aitken, translator), The Skin is the Elastic Covering That Encases the Entire Body [2024.03.20]
  6. Herman Melville, Bartleby [2024.03.23]
  7. William Meikle, The Plasm [2024.03.24]
  8. Wolfgang Hilbig, The Females [2024.03.26]
  9. Jung Young Moon (Jung Yewon, translator), Seven Samurai Swept Away in a River [2024.03.29]

Short Prose

  1. Herman Melville, “Bartleby”, Bartleby [2024.03.23]
  2. Herman Melville, “The Lightning-Rod Man”, Bartleby [2024.03.23]
  3. Jim C. Hines, “In the Line of Duty”, Patreon post [2024.03.31]
Posted in Book ListTagged Bjørn Rasmussen, Edward W. Said, Herman Melville, Jason McBride, Jazmina Barrera, Jim C. Hines, Jung Yewon, Jung Young Moon, Kai Ashante Wilson, Kathy Acker, Martin Aitken, Nikole Hannah-Jones, R.F. Kuang, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, SIlvia Moreno-Garcia, William Meikle, Wolfgang Hilbig comment on March 2024 Books and Reading Notes

February 2024 Books and Reading Notes

2024-03-012024-03-01 John Winkelman

Now that I am no longer trapped under a volume of Dostoevsky I can resume my normal reading pace. In February I completed 16 books and journals. Sure, that sounds like a lot, but I purposefully picked the shorted unread books on my bookshelves. The combined word-count of these 16 books is probably less than a third of what I read in Dostoevsky’s Demons, which took almost two months to finish. And a lot of that was not because of the length of the book, but because it was Dostoevsky, and 1,000 words of Dostoevsky is, like, at least 1,500 words of anyone else.

A lot of these shorter works are graphic novels, or works in translations from works-in-translation publishers like Deep Vellum, And Other Stories, Open Letter Books, and Two Lines Press.

Acquisitions

Reading material acquired in the month of February 2024

  1. Andrzej Tichý (Nichola Smalley, translator), Purity (And Other Stories) [2024.02.24] – The newest arrival from my subscription to And Other Stories.

Reading List

The books I read in February 2024

Books

  1. Wolfgang Hilbig (Isabel Fargo Cole, translator), The Tidings of the Trees [2024.02.01] – Well written and well-translated, but just couldn’t get into this one. Fortunately I have more Hilbig in my library so I can give him another chance.
  2. Saladin Ahmed and Dave Acosta, Dragon [2024.02.01] – Fantastically written and beautifully-illustrated graphic novel. I will now need to seek out more of Ahmed’s comic writings.
  3. Elizabeth A. Trembley, Look Again: A Memoir [2024.02.01] – An amazing memoir about how the stories we tell ourselves (and about ourselves) change over time, and with the telling.
  4. Duanwad Pimwana (Mui Poopoksakul, translator), Bright [2024.02.05]
  5. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #41 [2024.02.08]
  6. Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages, Wakulla Springs [2024.02.10]
  7. Chris Abani, The Face: Cartography of the Void [2024.02.10]
  8. Ruth Ozeki, The Face: A Time Code [2024.02.11]
  9. Tash Aw, The Face: Strangers on a Pier [2024.02.11]
  10. Oleg Sentsov (Uilleam Blacker, translator), Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.12]
  11. Maurice Broaddus, Buffalo Soldiers [2024.02.15] – Excellent novella in the steampunk tradition. Truly enjoyable reading experience. My only complaint is that this wasn’t a full-size novel.
  12. Anne Garréta (Emma Ramadan, translator), Not One Day [2024.02.17]
  13. Kim Sagwa (Sunhee Jeong, translator), b, Book, and Me [2024.02.21]
  14. Fouad Laroui (Emma Ramadan, translator), The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.25]
  15. Carmen Boullosa (Peter Bush, translator), Before [2024.02.26]
  16. Valérie Mréjen (Katie Shireen Assef, translator), Black Forest [2024.02.27]

Short Prose

  1. Rachel Ayers, “Magicians & Grotesques”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #41 [2024.02.07]
  2. Nicole Kimberling, “Quarantine Pantry Challenge”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #41 [2024.02.07]
  3. Holly Tamsin, “Fogdog Films”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #41 [2024.02.08]
  4. David Fawkes, “Letterghost”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #41 [2024.02.08]
  5. Oleg Sentsov, “Autobiography (In Literary Form)”, Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.11]
  6. Oleg Sentsov, “Dog”, Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.11]
  7. Oleg Sentsov, “Childhood”, Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.11]
  8. Oleg Sentsov, “Hospital”, Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.12]
  9. Oleg Sentsov, “School”, Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.12]
  10. Oleg Sentsov, “Testament”, Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.12]
  11. Oleg Sentsov, “Grandma”, Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.12]
  12. Oleg Sentsov, “The Makars”, Life Went On Anyway [2024.02.12]
  13. Jim C. Hines, “The Blue Corpse Corps” (Patreon subscriber story) [2024.12.15]
  14. Fouad Laroui, “The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.21]
  15. Fouad Laroui, “Dislocation”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.22]
  16. Fouad Laroui, “Born Nowhere”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.22]
  17. Fouad Laroui, “Khouribga, or the Laws of the Universe”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.25]
  18. Fouad Laroui, “What’s Not Said in Brussels”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.25]
  19. Fouad Laroui, “Bennani’s Bodyguard”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.25]
  20. Fouad Laroui, “The Invention of Dry Swimming”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.25]
  21. Fouad Laroui, “Fifteen Minutes as Philosophers”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.25]
  22. Fouad Laroui, “The Night Before”, The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers [2024.02.25]
Posted in Book ListTagged Andrzej Tichý, Andy Duncan, Anne Garreta, Carmen Boullosa, Chris Abani, Duanwad Pimwana, Elizabeth A. Trembley, Ellen Klages, Fouad Laroui, Jim C. Hines, Kim Sagwa, Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, Maurice Broaddus, Oleg Sentsov, Ruth Ozeki, Saladin Ahmed, Tash Aw, Valerie Mrejen, Wolfgang Hilbig comment on February 2024 Books and Reading Notes

January 2024 Books and Reading Notes

2024-02-012024-02-01 John Winkelman

After almost two months, I finally finished Demons, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Wow, was that a slog. A good slog, but a slog nonetheless. Now on to fifteen or twenty shorter, easier reads before attempting something arduous.

Almost all of the books I acquired in January were purchased at, or in anticipation of, ConFusion 2024.

Acquisitions

new Books and Reading Material in the Month of January, 2024

  1. David Estes and Dyrk Ashton, Kraken Rider Z (Wraithmarked Creative) [2024.01.03] – I have been a fan of Dyrk Ashton’s work for several years. We are Convention friends, and he is a Righteous Dude.
  2. Jean Davis, Frayed (self-published) [2024.01.19] – purchased from Davis at ConFusion 2024.
  3. Michael J. DeLuca, Night Roll (Stelliform Press) [2024.01.20] – Purchased from Reckoning Press at ConFusion 2024.
  4. Reckoning: Creativity and Coronavirus (Reckoning Press) [2024.01.20] – Purchased from Reckoning Press at ConFusion 2024.
  5. Reckoning #6 [2024.01.20] – Purchased from Reckoning Press at ConFusion 2024.
  6. Reckoning #7 [2024.01.20] – Purchased from Reckoning Press at ConFusion 2024.
  7. Zack Be (editor), Inner Workings: A Calendar of Fools Anthology (Calendar of Fools, LLC) [2024.01.20] – Purchased from Storm Humbert during a group signing at ConFusion 2024.
  8. Tamsyn Muir, Nona the Ninth [2024.01.21] – Purchased at ConFusion 2024.
  9. Lesley Connor and Jason Sizemore (editors), Robotic Ambitions (Apex Book Company) [2024.01.21] – Reward for a Kickstarter campaign run by Apex.

Reading List

Books I read in January 2024

Books

  1. Fyodor Dostoevsky (Larissa Volokhonsky and Richard Pevear, translators), Demons [2024.01.26]
  2. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2023.01.29]
  3. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2023.01.30]

Short Prose

  1. Jim C. Hines, “The Girls From the Hood” (Patreon post) [2024.01.15]
  2. Rosamund Lannin, “The Lake House”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.26]
  3. Jim C. Hines, “Coyote Cave” (Patreon post) [2024.01.28]
  4. Eliza Langhans, “A Giants’ Heart”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.28]
  5. D. A. Xiaolin Spires, “Fresh and Imminent Taste of Cucumbers”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.28]
  6. Anthony Ha, “Late Train”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.28]
  7. Chloe N. Clark, “Jumpers”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.28]
  8. Nicole Kimberling, “Sugar-Salt Time: A Love Story”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.28]
  9. Felix Kent, “Dynastic Arrangements of the Habsburgs, Washakie Branch”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.28]
  10. Eric Darby, “The Parking Witch”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.29]
  11. Gavin J. Grant, “Possum, Not Playing”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.29]
  12. Jordan Taylor, “Strange Engines”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.29]
  13. Audrey R. Hollis, “How to Be Afraid”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #39 [2024.01.29]
  14. Frances Rowat, “Ink, and Breath, and Spring”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.29]
  15. Fred Nadis, “The Giant Jew”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.29]
  16. Amber Burke, “In Pictures”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.29]
  17. T.S. McAdams, “Duck Circles”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.29]
  18. Margo Lanagan, “More Information to Help You Get to Rookwood”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.30]
  19. Mary Cool, “The Fruit That Bears the Flowers”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.30]
  20. Lisa Martin, “Seat Belt On, Falling”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.30]
  21. Jeff Benz, “The Stone People”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.30]
  22. Nicole Kimberling, “We Should See Less of Each Other”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.30]
  23. Michael Byers, “Sibling Rivalry”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40 [2024.01.30]
Posted in Book ListTagged Apex Book Company, ConFusion, ConFusion 2024, David Estes, Dyrk Ashton, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Jean Davis, Jim C. Hines, Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, Michael J. DeLuca, Reckoning, Storm Michael Humbert, Tamsyn Muir, Wraithmarked Creative comment on January 2024 Books and Reading Notes

November 2023 Books and Reading Notes

2023-12-012023-12-01 John Winkelman

New books for the month of November 2023

Not much reading this month, as National Novel Writing Month took all of my time and brain space. I started reading Pachinko, but only made it through a couple of hundred pages before the end of the month. And next month is Dostoevsky December, so I will be burying myself in a work of classic Russian literature.

I picked up some new reading material in November, thanks to a visit to the 2023 Grand Rapids ComicCon, and also to Jason of Lakeshore Literary for his gift of the most recent issues of The Lakeshore Review.

Acquisitions

  1. Jean Davis, Chain of Grey (self-published) [2023.11.03] – Purchased from the author at the 2023 Grand Rapids ComicCon
  2. Jean Davis, Bound in Blue (self-published) [2023.11.03] – Purchased from the author at the 2023 Grand Rapids ComicCon
  3. Nina Varela, Crier’s War [2023.11.05] – Purchased from the author at the 2023 Grand Rapids ComicCon
  4. The Lakeshore Review #3 [2023.11.11] – Received as a gift from the publisher
  5. The Lakeshore Review #4 [2023.11.11] – Received as a gift from the publisher

Reading List

Short Prose

  1. Jim C. Hines, “Mightier than the Sword” (Patreon) [2023.11.16]
Posted in Book ListTagged Jean Davis, Jim C. Hines, Lakeshore Literary, Nina Varela comment on November 2023 Books and Reading Notes

October 2023 Books and Reading Notes

2023-11-022024-03-11 John Winkelman

October was an excellent month for books, thanks primarily to me having a couple of weeks off from work to rest and recover and read and visit bookstores. I didn’t read as much as I would have liked, due to overall burnout, but again, what my reading list lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality.

Acquisitions

Books acquired in the month of October 2023

  1. Jean Daive (Rosmarie Waldrop, translator), Under the Dome: Walks with Paul Celan (City Lights Books) [2023.10.03] – Purchased at The Book Nook& Java Shop in Montague, Michigan. This was a spur-of-the-moment purchase. I saw the City Lights logo and pulled the book down, opened it to a random couple of pages, and immediately became obsessed. It’s not often that I read a book in the same month that I purchase it.
  2. Elmore Leonard, When the Women Come Out to Dance [2023.10.06] – Purchased at Argos Books and Comics in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I recently read Get Shorty, because the movie version is one of my all-time favorites. This collection contains the short story “Fire in the Hole,” which is the basis for the TV series Justified, which is very good.
  3. R.F. Kuang, Babel [2023.10.06] – Purchased at Books & Mortar Bookstore in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I read Kuang’s Yellowface a few weeks back and quite enjoyed it. This one has been on my TBR list for some time, so I when I saw it at Books & Mortar, I grabbed a copy.
  4. Jim C. Hines, Amelia Sand and the Silver Queens (self-published) – This is the reward for Hines’ latest Kickstarter.
  5. Antonio Machado (Stanley Appelbaum, translator), Fields of Castile/Campos de Castilla [2023.10.15] – Purchased from Books and Mortar Bookstore in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A few months ago, after looking up interviews with Cormac McCarthy, YouTube began suggesting clips from a movie called The Counsellor. I had never heard of it, but it looked intriguing. The first clip I watched was from the end of the movie, and consisted of a conversation between Michael Fassbender and Rubén Blades. It was a powerful scene and the poetry of Machado figured prominently. I watched a few more scenes from the movie, enough to realize that (a) I really need to see it, and (b) I need to be in the right frame of mind because it is VERY dark. So I have not yet seen the movie but I do have some Machado to read in the meantime.
  6. Paul Celan (John Felstiner, translator), Selected Poems and Prose of Paul Celan [2023.10.15] – Purchased from Books and Mortar Bookstore in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I ordered this after reading about fifty pages of Under the Dome. I knew Celan’s name, but nothing more. I am very much looking forward to reading this one.
  7. Jean Daive (Norma Cole, translator), A Woman With Several Lives (La Presse) [2023.10.23] – Purchased from Books and Mortar Bookstore in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Also purchased after reading a few dozen pages of Under the Dome. Also looking forward to reading it.
  8. Marosia Castaldi (Jamie Richards, translator), The Hunger of Women (And Other Stories) [2023.10.27] – From my subscription to And Other Stories.
  9. Michele Mari (Brian Robert Moore, translator), Verdigris (And Other Stories) [2023.10.27] – From my subscription to And Other Stories.
  10. Lutz Seiler (Martyn Crucefix, translator), In Case of Loss (And Other Stories) [2023.10.27] – From my subscription to And Other Stories.

Reading List

Books I read in the month of October 2023

Books

  1. Shawn Speakman, The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey [2023.10.02]
  2. Olga Tokarczuk (Antonia Lloyd-Jones, translator), Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead [2023.10.17]
  3. Jean Daive (Rosmarie Waldrop, translator), Under the Dome: Walks with Paul Celan [2023.10.18]
  4. Ai Jiang and Christi Nogle (editors), Wilted Pages: An Anthology of Dark Academia [2023.10.26]

Short Prose

  1. Jennifer Fliss, “Ijo de Ken Sos Tu?”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.18]
  2. Simo Srinivas, “The Girls of St. X”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.19]
  3. Jo Kaplan, “Humanities 215”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.19]
  4. Amber Chen, “Hugging the Buddha’s Feet”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.21]
  5. Cyrus Amelia Fisher, “In Vast and Fecund Reaches We Will Meet Again”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.21]
  6. John Langan, “Applicatio”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.21]
  7. Steve Rasnic Tem, “Higher Powers”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.22]
  8. Michael A. Reed, “Twisted Tongues”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.22]
  9. Brian Evenson, “The Allard Residency”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.23]
  10. Hussani Abdulrahim, “The Library Virus”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.23]
  11. R.B. Lemberg, “The Occupation of the Migratory Library of Oanno”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.24]
  12. Gabino Iglesias, “Tiny Hearts in the Dark”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.24]
  13. Ana Hurtado, “Parásito”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.24]
  14. Suzan Palumbo, “The Davinci Chip”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.25]
  15. Ayida Shonibar, “An Inordinate Amount of Interest”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.25]
  16. Premee Mohamed, “Preservation of an Intact Specimen”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.25]
  17. Octavia Cade, “Those Shining Things Are Out of Reach”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.25]
  18. Marisca Pichette, “Her Finished Wings”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.26]
  19. R.J. Joseph, “Those Who Teach Pay Knowledge Forward”, Wilted Pages [2023.10.26]
Posted in Book ListTagged Ai Jiang, And Other Stories, Antonio Machado, Argos Books and Comics, Books and Mortar, Christi Nogle, Jean Daive, Jim C. Hines, Lutz Seiler, Marosia Castaldi, Michele Mari, Olga Tokarczuk, Paul Celan, R.F. Kuang, Shawn Speakman, The Book Nook 1 Comment on October 2023 Books and Reading Notes

January 2023 Books and Reading Notes

2023-02-022023-02-02 John Winkelman

Starting in 2023 I am combining my annual book acquisition list and my monthly readings lists into a single monthly post. Ideally my rate of reading will be greater than my rate of book acquisition. This month, however, I went to ConFusion, and while I did not grab as many books as I usually do, I still picked up four new titles.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions for the month of January 2023

  1. Hieu Minh Nguyen, Not Here (Coffee House Press) [2023.01.08] – I picked up Not Here on a whim, during a visit to Books & Mortar.
  2. Adrain Collins and Mike Myers (editors), The King Must Fall (Grimdark Magazine) [2023.01.10] – This is from a Kickstarter.
  3. Sheree Renée Thomas (editor), Sorghum and Spear (Outland Entertainment) [2023.01.12] – This is from a Kickstarter
  4. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #46 [2023.01.16] – Published by the excellent Small Beer Press.
  5. Catherine Stein, Eden’s Voice (self-published) [2023.01.21] – Acquired from the author at ConFusion 2023
  6. Catherine Stein, The Courtesan and Mr. Hyde (self-published) [2023.01.21] – Acquired from the author at ConFusion 2023
  7. Rami Ungar, The Pure World Comes (self-published) [2023.01.21] – Acquired from the author at ConFusion 2023
  8. Todd Sanders (editor), The Librarian (Air and Nothingness Press) [2023.01.21] – Acquired from one of the authors, Storm Michael Humbert, at ConFusion 2023.
  9. Shalash the Iraqi (Luke Leafgren, translator), Shalash the Iraqi (And Other Stories) [2023.01.24] – This is an arrival from my subscription to And Other Stories
  10. Johanna Hedva, Your Love Is Not Good (And Other Stories) [2023.01.24] – This is from my subscription to the catalog of And Other Stories.

Reading List

Books and Journals I read in January 2023

Books and Journals

  1. Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.02]
  2. Poetry [2023.01.03]
  3. Nicole Sealey, Ordinary Beast [2023.01.04]
  4. Kathe Koja, Velocities [2023.01.12]
  5. Ananda Devi (Jeffery Zuckerman, translator), Eve Out of Her Ruins [2023.01.15]
  6. Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel (Jethro Soutar, translator), The Gurugu Pledge [2023.01.23]
  7. Ho Sok Fong (Natascha Bruce, translator), Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.31]

Short Prose

  1. Sarena Ulibarri, “The Spiral Ranch”, Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.01]
  2. Terra LeMay, “Glass Roses”, Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.01]
  3. Barbara Barnett, “Z-Spot”, Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.01]
  4. Steven Brust and Skyler White, “Smith’s Point”, Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.02]
  5. Kathe Koja, “At Eventide”, Velocities [2023.01.05]
  6. Kathe Koja, “Baby”, Velocities [2023.01.06]
  7. Kathe Koja, “Velocity”, Velocities [2023.01.06]
  8. Kathe Koja, “Clubs”, Velocities [2023.01.08]
  9. Kathe Koja, “Urb Civ”, Velocities [2023.01.08]
  10. Kathe Koja, “Fireflies”, Velocities [2023.01.09]
  11. Kathe Koja, “Coyote Pass”, Velocities [2023.01.09]
  12. Kathe Koja, “Road Trip”, Velocities [2023.01.10]
  13. Kathe Koja, “Toujours”, Velocities [2023.01.10]
  14. Kathe Koja, “Far and Wee”, Velocities [2023.01.11]
  15. Kathe Koja, “The Marble Lily”, Velocities [2023.01.11]
  16. Kathe Koja, “La Reine D’Enfer”, Velocities [2023.01.12]
  17. Jim C. Hines, “144th Contact” (Patreon story) [2023.01.12]
  18. Kathe Koja, “Pas De Deux”, Velocities [2023.01.12]
  19. Ho Sok Fong, “The Wall”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.25]
  20. Ho Sok Fong, “Radio Drama”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.26]
  21. Ho Sok Fong, “Lake Like a Mirror”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.28]
  22. Ho Sok Fong, “The Chest”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.29]
  23. Ho Sok Fong, “Summer Tornado”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.29]
  24. Ho Sok Fong, “Aminah”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.29]
  25. Ho Sok Fong, “Wind through the Pineapple Leaves, through the Frangipani”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.29]
  26. Ho Sok Fong, “October”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.30]
  27. Ho Sok Fong, “March in a Small Town”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.31]
Posted in Literary MattersTagged Ananda Devi, Catherine Stein, Dreamforge, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Ho Sok Fong, Jim C. Hines, Juan Tomas Avila Laurel, Kathe Koja, Kickstarter, Nicole Sealey, Rami Ungar, Storm Michael Humbert, translation comment on January 2023 Books and Reading Notes

November 2022 Reading List

2022-12-012022-11-27 John Winkelman

Books I read in November 2022

I didn’t read much this month, mostly due to spending all of my spare moments writing for NaNoWriMo. But what I did read was pretty good.

  1. K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro [2022.11.06]
  2. Jim C. Hines, Terminal Peace [2022.11.19]
  3. Duncan Hannah, Twentieth-Century Boy [2022.11.26]
Posted in Book ListTagged Duncan Hannah, Jim C. Hines, K.S. Villoso, reading comment on November 2022 Reading List

Whole Lotta Writing Going On

2022-11-202022-11-20 John Winkelman

Pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm

Brief update this week, on account of I have a very full plate.

No new book arrived this week, so here is a photo of the bird feeder outside my dining room window, before half again that much snow was added to the pile. It’s been a wacky couple of days here, weather-wise.

In reading news, I just finished Jim C. Hines’ Terminal Peace, and it is really good! A fine conclusion to a fun trilogy.

In writing news, I am fast approaching 50,000 words in my NaNoWriMo 2022 story Cacophonous. I expect to “win” before Thanksgiving, and possibly finish the draft by the beginning of December. And writing at this pace is turning my brain to mush.

Posted in Literary MattersTagged Jim C. Hines, NaNoWriMo, reading, writing comment on Whole Lotta Writing Going On

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