Books, Tunes, and Memes–What Else Could You Possibly Want? (Weekend Coffee Share #22, What’s on Your Bookshelf #2)
Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer and What’s on Your Bookshelf, hosted by Retirement Reflections. Let’s get these link parties started! First up:
Writing News
- I applied to the Author Mentor Match contest, which is similar to Pitch Wars. It would be wonderful to have a published author as a mentor. And now I’m back to refreshing my GMail every 1.3 seconds. Send help.
- I’m taking the Your First Five Pages: Reader Glue class from Lawson Writing Academy. So far, it’s been great! With help from the instructor and my classmates, I’ve reworked the first two pages of the novel I plan to query, and they’re much stronger. Just for fun, here’s the first paragraph:
The Pine Cone Motel in Ponderosa, Arizona, conjured images of Norman Bates slipping in for a little shower action. But after driving two thousand miles in three days, fictional serial killers with mommy issues weren’t at the top of my worry list. What was at the top of that list? Finding a home, a refuge, a sanctuary. Oh, yeah—and staying alive.
Opening of Vanishing, Inc., my novel in progress
Other News
As we used to say in the 80s: psych! There isn’t any other news. This week has been pretty routine. I kid you not, the most exciting thing I did all week was attend my first in-person work meeting with more than 2 people since March 2020. And the most bizarre thing about it was that it was exciting. And it felt amazing. A work meeting, exciting and amazing? No, I’m not high, just starved for in-person human interaction. Apparently the pandemic has broken my brain.
Books
What’s a morning coffee chat without books? Today’s the first What’s on Your Bookshelf link party since last year, so I’ll share my favorite reads from 2021. First, Goodreads has a fun feature called My Year in Books. If you haven’t tried it yet, check it out. Here’s mine.
I read 66 books in 2021, less than usual because I spent way too much time on my phone, but I still managed to read quite a few books I really enjoyed. Here are all my 5-star reads for the year:
Fiction
- Buried – Jeffery Deaver. One of Deaver’s twisty short stories.
- A Textbook Case – Jeffery Deaver. A Lincoln Rhyme short. I love, love, love Deaver’s short stories!
- The Burning Wire – Jeffery Deaver. Why yes, I did read a lot of Deaver last year. This one’s a Lincoln Rhyme novel.
- The Cutting Edge – Jeffery Deaver. Another Lincoln Rhyme novel I loved.
- Nocturne: And Other Unabridged Twisted Stories – (you guessed it) Jeffery Deaver. I swear I read fiction by people other than Deaver.
- More Twisted: Collected Stories Vol. II – Jeffery Deaver.
- Devil to Pay –
Not Jeffery Deaver Jeaniene Frost. I’m a sucker for Frost’s vampire romances–they’re so much fun! And I liked this short story even better than her novels. - The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood. Not sure how I got to be [redacted] years old without reading this classic, but here we are. It’s as wonderful as everyone says. I confess I hadn’t read a literary novel in a long time, and I came away in awe of how riveting the book was, even when very little actual action was happening. I was also impressed with how Atwood handles such disturbing subject matter without being traumatizingly graphic.
- Fatal Intent – Tammy Euliano. I couldn’t put this one down. Euliano blends medical thriller with cozy mystery in a way that’s absolutely compelling. Read it.
- Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories – Agatha Christie. I found a tattered paperback copy of this book in a Little Free Library. I missed out on Agatha Christie when I was young, a major gap in my literary education that I’m working on filling.
Nonfiction – Writing
- 5 Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing – C.S. Lakin, et. al. Great advice and examples to help writers avoid common mistakes.
- Mastering Book Hooks for Authors: How to Capture Reader Attention and Book Sales in 30 Words or Less – Rob Eagar. I found this book while looking for advice on crafting a 1-sentence pitch, because an agent I was planning to query required one. Super helpful resource.
- How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author – Janet Evanovich, Ina Yalof. I learned a little about writing here, but mostly I was entertained and intrigued about how one of the biggest names in fiction practices her craft.
Nonfiction – Everything Else
- Atomic Habits – James Clear. I’ve been meaning to read this one for ages and finally did. Highly recommended if you want to form new, positive habits.
- Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine – Damon Tweedy. Wonderful memoir told through a lens of deep compassion and difficult experience.
- The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Great Vegetables – Lorene Edwards Forkner. Just what the title says it is–with lovely photos and solid, practical advice for newbies. I reviewed this one for Library Journal.
- You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism – Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. Amber Ruffin is a writer for Late Night With Seth Myers, and Lacey is her sister. I listened to the audiobook, read by Ruffin. It’s both appalling and, dare I say it, entertaining (because Ruffin is freakin’ funny, even when she’s talking about racism). Fellow white folks, give it a read and learn a little about what it’s like to be a Black woman in the USA.
- Authorized: Love and Romance – Faith Salie. This one isn’t technically a book–it’s an Audible original series that feels like a podcast–but it’s in Audible and on Goodreads, so it counts. Salie talks with some of the biggest names in romance writing, and it’s wonderful.
- Dave Barry’s Funniest Stuff – Dave Barry. I’ve been a Dave Barry fangirl since the first time I read him, which was probably when I was in college. I only wish I could be as funny as he is.
- Confessions of an Investigative Reporter – Matthew Schwartz. I picked this one up at a book signing (which I wrote about in Weekend Coffee Share #6) and *loved* it. Schwartz is a former investigative reporter for several local TV stations, including one in Tucson, and damn, the man has stories.
What I’m Reading Now
- Murder-Go-Round: Thirteen at Dinner, The A.B.C. Murders, Funerals are Fatal – Agatha Christie.
- Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories – Mary Higgins Clark. A collection of Clark’s short stories from the 1970s.
- The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health With Feminism and Facts – Dr. Jennifer Gunter. I *love* Dr. Gunter! Her Twitter feed is a must-read, and though I’m only about 2 chapters in, this book is fabulous.
Tunes
I’ve shared music a few times as part of my Weekend Coffee Share posts, which seems appropriate, because if we were having coffee in person, sooner or later the conversation would probably turn to music. So I think I’ll make it a regular feature of these posts.
A week or so ago, Eric Alper asked a wonderful question on Twitter: What’s the most profoundly beautiful piece of music you have ever listened to? I highly recommend browsing the responses for some great listening across a bunch of genres. A few people posted a performance I’d never seen: Queen with Adam Lambert performing “Who Wants to Live Forever,” at the Isle of Wight Festival the day after the Pulse Nightclub shooting. It’s an incredible performance, and the emotion in his voice when he dedicates the song to the victims is gutting. Give it a watch/listen.
Apparently I’ve been living under a rock, because this is the first time I’ve heard Adam Lambert with Queen. No one can replace Freddie, but Lambert has one hell of a voice. If, like me, you love Queen and want to hear more with Lambert, here’s a full 2-hour concert from Rock in Rio 2015:
And since we’re talking about Queen, let’s do a little pre-meme-ing (which is a little like pregaming but without the alcohol, i.e., nothing like pregaming).
And now it’s time for…
The Funnies
This week’s theme here at Meme Central is immature humor. If you have to ask why, you must be new here.
This one is also pretty accurate:
I’m a 12-year-old boy trapped in a middle-aged librarian’s body. Send help.
Dad jokes
Because no one does childish humor like dads.
And finally, not a dad joke but a good note to end on:
And… that’s a wrap for this week. Now go do something immature this weekend–and tell me about it in the comments.
34 Comments
Jeanne
Your book list has quite a few titles I want to look into – especially the writing books.
Janet Alcorn
There are some good ones there!
joylenebutler
Your reading list is impressive, Janet. Makes me want to keep track of what I’ve read for a year. Love the funnies.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks! I do the Goodreads Reading Challenge every year, and it’s always fun to look back at the end of the year at what I read.
Sue from Women Living Well After 50
Hi Janet, thanks for sharing your book list and I look forward to reading your post on the What’s On Your Bookshelf? Link Party. We saw Queen in Australia about 4 years ago with Adam Lambert and I was pleasantly surprised. It is always difficult to take over from someone who was iconic but I think he did a fabulous job. Enjoy your weekend. #weekendcoffeeshare
Janet Alcorn
I’m jealous—I’ve never seen them live. Definitely a bucket list item for me.
Jo
Can I just say I love Dad jokes??? Love that first paragraph… Thanks for inking up with WOYB – I love how it shows the wide breadth of what people are reading.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks! And yeah, it’s fascinating to see what people are reading. I always come away with a few titles to add to my (already enormous) TBR pile.
Gary A Wilson
Hi Janet. I always pick up a few “should-dos” from your posts, but they always end with things that crack me up so much that I forget what I was suppose to start doing. . .
= nice balance. 😉
Janet Alcorn
Ha! Gotta put the funnies at the end, so people will at least scroll through the rest.
rawsonjl
What a great list of books! So glad your work meeting was amazing.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks! My reading tastes are all over the place–and I like it that way.
Debbie
Fabulous list of books and an even greater collection of memes/funnies/dad jokes Janet 🙂 I have only read A Handmaid’s Tale in recent years too, and agree with your thoughts. Thanks for joining us for our #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge
Janet Alcorn
My pleasure! I can talk about books forever.
Debbie
You’re in good company there Janet 🙂
E.W. Bennefeld
I very much enjoyed Adam Lambert’s singing. Thanks for the reminder of his work.
Retirement Reflections
Hi, Janet – Thank you for joining us at #WOYBS. I loved your mixture of books, memes, writing news, and other fun stuff. I especially liked the ’12-year old boy’ line. Thank you for the evening chuckles!
Janet Alcorn
So glad I could give you a laugh! And the 12-year-old boy line is pretty true, for good or ill.
Writing Sparkle
Your First Five Pages: Reader Glue class and Author Mentor Match sound interesting. I am participating in the Inkers Mini Con this weekend. So far there has been a lot of wonderful information.
Thanks for the virtual coffee. Have a great weekend.
Janet Alcorn
I haven’t heard of Inkers–will have to check it out. Hope you’re having a great weekend too!
Writing Sparkle
This is the link: https://www.inkerscon.com/
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!
Inspiring Max
Love the password changing joke. Clever.
Janet Alcorn
Yep. Kind of a groaner, but funny.
Scribble and Scran
Love your posts. Always come away with a smile and the odd thing to look out for.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks so much. My biggest goal is to bring a little entertainment to the world, so your comment makes me really happy.
Deborah Drucker
Your book snippet was intriguing. Some funny jokes.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!
Natalie
Thank you, Janet, for your coffee share, list of books and Dad jokes. Have a great weekend!
Janet Alcorn
Thanks!
leannelc
Hi Janet – loved all the memes and the music – my husband and I are both Queen fans and it was interesting listening to a different front man – he does a good job though.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks for stopping by! He really does do a good job—really powerful voice!
Sue from Women Living Well After 50
Hi Janet thanks for joining our What’s On Your Bookshelf? Link Party. My husband is a Jeffrey Deaver fan so I’ll pass on your list to him. I’m also about to start Atomic Habits. Loved your memes as well. I look forward to you joining us next month and until then happy reading and writing!
Janet Alcorn
Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words!