Because I had such a crazy weird hectic 2024, I got behind in posting—and even writing up—my recommended reading lists. I finally jumped ahead and posted October’s earlier this month. I’m nearly done with November’s. But I still needed to catch up on all the good things I read over the summer. I don’t remember […]
Continue ReadingI got a lot less reading done in September. School started, and we were reading a play a week. I had some other projects to finish as well, which required reading. Plus we actually had some theater to attend, and the Las Vegas Aces were in the playoffs (and I had playoff tickets for the […]
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Every year, we buy the Pearls Before Swine daily calendar. When we started into 2022’s daily calendar, I hesitated. Stephen Pastis had written all of the comics in 2020, and he was commenting on the then-current events. I told Dean that I did not want to relive 2020. Dean told me I didn’t have to […]
Continue ReadingWell, May was super busy, with finals and a workshop that I was teaching and the Licensing Expo. I got behind writing up the recommended reading, and then I got sick in the first part of June, so I couldn’t finish this. I did manage to read a startling amount, though, considering I was also […]
Continue ReadingI’ve been line editing various editing projects, which are in their final stages, so my reading time is limited. I had a weird experience, though. I read a book that I hoped would get me into a new series, and a week later, I couldn’t remember what I had read. In fact, I was wondering […]
Continue ReadingI assigned 100 Years of The Best American Short Stories for the Short Story Workshop in April. I don’t recommend the book, although I have several stories on the list from it. The book has some lovely features, including a history of the Best American Short Story volumes. Those of you who persist in thinking […]
Continue ReadingI usually spend November reading some of my favorite bestsellers. They all come out with new books during this month or during October. I read the first from one of my very favorites. Now, he’s one of the best writers we have, if not the best, and the book was great by most people’s standards. […]
Continue ReadingI feel like I’ve been on a particularly grueling business trip, and am slowly recalibrating back into my office. I worked very hard in the front part of April as I prepared for the science fiction writing workshop I ran here on the Oregon Coast. Then the workshop happened. Lots of great discussions, great questions, […]
Continue ReadingFirst, apologies for the fact that the font changes sizes below. I have no idea why or how to fix it. I tried a bit, but life is too short. It’s a function of me writing different paragraphs at different times, importing links from other places. Sorry… April was a fascinating reading month for me. […]
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The traditional publishers are screaming about Amazon. I’ve learned over the years that when someone screams about something, they’re doing so because they feel some kind of pressure, some kind of pinch.
How could traditional publishers be feeling a pinch from Amazon? After all, in the United States, Amazon is selling more books than any other retailer. Why would that hurt traditional publishers? Is it hurting traditional publishers?
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