On Today’s Bookshelf (XII)

I can’t keep away from books, which is probably why I retired from my life as a lawyer and became an editor. Once books and reading get hold of you, they never let go — somewhat like that alien being in the latest science fiction thriller. It has been quite a while since the last On Today’s Bookshelf (March 2012), so here are a few of the hundreds of books and ebooks I have acquired since then –

Hardcovers –

• Fairness and Freedom: A History of Two Open Societies: New Zealand and the United States by David Hackett Fischer
• Princeps by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
• The Story of Ain’t by David Skinner
• Heaven on Earth by Sadakat Kadri
• Henry Ford’s War on Jews by Victoria Saker Woeste
• On Politics: A History of Political Thought by Alan Ryan (2 vols)
• When General Grant Expelled the Jews by Jonathan Sarna
• The Atheist’s Bible by Georges Minois
• Comprehensive History of the Jews of Iran by Habib Levi
• The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal

eBooks –

• The Witness Quartet: Silent Witness, Privileged Witness, Expert Witness, Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster
• Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard
• The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham
• The Devil’s Cradle by Sylvia Nobel
• Night Swim by Jessica Keener
• Leaving Before It’s Over by Jean Reynolds Page
• El Gavilon by Craig McDonald
• Cooking the Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun
• The Savior of Turk by Ron D. Smith
• To Serve the High King by Fran LaPlaca
• The Death of Kings by Marcus Pailing
• Paradise Burning by Blair Bancroft
• Daisy’s War by Shayne Parkinson
• Cephrael’s Hand by Melissa McPhail
• Song of Dragons: The Complete Trilogy by Daniel Arenson
• The Phoenix Conspiracy by Richard Sanders
• Circles of Light (6 vols) by E.M. Sinclair
• Whispers of a Legend by Carrie James Haynes
• The Other Worlds by M.L. Greye
• Anca’s Story by Saffina Desforges
• Blaze of Glory by Sheryl Nantus
• Blue Murder by Emma Jameson

Many of the books and ebooks in the above lists I have yet to read. The lists are not recommendations, just a compilation of books and ebooks I have bought (or received as gifts) in the past few months. It is not a complete list. I’m sorry to write that my appetite for books grows much faster than my ability to read the books.

I looked at my to-be-read pile of books and discovered that I have more than 2,500 books waiting for my attention. (At the time of On Today’s Bookshelf (XI), my TBR was approaching 500 books, of which about 70 were hardcovers. I wish I could say I made a serious dent in that TBR pile before going on a shopping spree, but I didn’t.) Fortunately, most of the books are ebooks, so they take up little physical space.

One part of my problem as regards hardcover books is that most of the hardcover books in my TBR pile (and in the list above) lead me to buy other books. I will read an interesting point in a book, look at the note to the point, and decide I need to buy a copy of the book cited by the author in support of the interesting point.

A second part of my hardcover problem is that I have a long-term subscription to The New York Review of Books, each issue of which I faithfully read — both articles/reviews and the advertisements — which leads me to buy even more hardcover books.

Then I run into the problem of favorite authors coming out with new books, some of whom are very prolific, publishing a couple of new hardcovers every year.

At least when I retire, which is likely to be years from now, I won’t wonder what I’ll be doing. I’ll be attacking my ever-increasing TBR.

On Today’s Bookshelf (XI)

It has been a long time — 5 months – since the last On Today’s Bookshelf post, so I thought I’d share with you some of the hardcover and ebook purchases I have made since Bookshelf X. As usual, the list below is not comprehensive. Rather it is a partial listing of the purchases I have made, especially of ebooks.

My current to-be-read ebook pile has grown to more than 500 ebooks. My hardcover TBR pile now bulges at near 70 books. I am trying to figure out how to stop buying and to read faster, but books are my addiction. If I don’t buy the book that interests me when I encounter it, I am unlikely to ever buy the book, so I buy — and the TBR grows. I’m doubtful I’ll ever get to read all of the books I buy even when I retire, but that doesn’t dissuade me. It is just another of life’s challenges.

So here are the books and ebooks for today’s bookshelf –

Hardcovers –

• The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt (also bought ebook)
• Saladin by Anne-Marie Eddé
• Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation: Constitutional Conflict in the American Civil War by Mark E. Neely
• Nazis on the Run: How Hitler’s Henchmen Fled Justice by Gerald Steinacher
• The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
• The Death Marches by Daniel Blatman
• The Heavens are Empty by Avrom BenDavid-Val
• The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe (2 vols) by Gershon David Hundert
• Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
• Roger Williams and the Creation of the Soul of America by John M. Barry
• City of Dragons by Robin Hobb
• Heinrich Himmler by Peter Longerich
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
• A Rising Thunder by David Weber (also bought ebook)

eBooks –

• Wrath: A Novel of Kentucky by Howard McEwen
• The God’s Wife by Lynn Voedisch
• The Deputy by Victor Gischler
• The Color of Freedom by Michelle Isenhoff
• Sherlock Holmes Omnibus by Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Engines of Dawn by Paul Cook
• Second Star by Dana Stabenow
• Penumbra by Carolyn Haines
• Nefertiti by Nick Drake
• Mussolini’s Rome by Borden Painter
• The Liberation of Alice Love by Abby McDonald
• A Desert Called Peace by Tom Kratman
• Gunwitch: A Tale of the King’s Coven by David Michael
• Do No Evil: An Artemis Agency Novel by Ashley Goltermann
• The Girl Born of Smoke by Jessica Billings
• Nightbird’s Reign by Holly Taylor
• Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
• Birchwood by Roger Taylor
• A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber
• The Girl Who Tweaked Two Lion’s Tails by Pierre Van Rooyen
• Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp
• Deadly Sanctuary by Sylvia Nobel
• Black Out by John Lawton
• Oppression by Jessica Therrien
• Hose Monkey by Tony Spinosa
• Healer by Linda Windsor
• Eden by Keary Taylor
• The Black Knight by S.C. Allen
• New Religion: Rys Rising Book III by Tracy Falbe
• The Pawn by Steven James
• Den of Thieves by David Chandler
• The Unwelcome Warlock by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn
• I Dreamt I was in Heaven: The Rampage of the Rufus Buck Gang by Leonce Gaiter
• The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Murder Over Easy by Marshall Cook

Most of the books and ebooks in the above lists I have yet to read. The lists are not recommendations, just a compilation of books and ebooks I have bought in the past few months.

Most of the hardcovers are nonfiction and nearly all of the ebooks are fiction. Hardcovers go into my permanent library collection. Some day, my children will have to figure out what to do with them. With the advent of ebooks, I have come to the conclusion that collecting a print library of books is really a way of getting even with one’s children for all the heartache they caused. Now they will have the headache of dealing with hundreds, if not thousands, of pbooks. A little bit of afterlife revenge .

In reality, I like hardcovers because I grew up with them as the way to conduct research. I still prefer a print dictionary over an online dictionary; I like to see what comes before and after an entry. Besides, there is something aesthetically pleasing about some hardcover layouts, something that makes the eye want to look at the page. Someday that will also be true of ebooks, but not yet.

Are you stockpiling books and ebooks? Are there books and ebooks you would recommend?

On Today’s Bookshelf (X)

My to-be-read pile keeps getting higher and higher. Fortunately, ebooks don’t take up much in the way of physical space or I would be in trouble. I must have a backlog of close to 500 ebooks waiting to be read.

I’m beginning to think that being a booklover is more akin to an illness than to anything else. The ease with which we can accumulate and store ebooks — and that so many of us are unable to resist adding to our ebook collection — should create a new psychological disorder along the lines of hoarding. I’m not sure what to name it, but now is the time to start thinking of names so perhaps I can get bragging rights when the American Psychological Association finally recognizes my named disorder.

Anyway, it’s time to list the new acquisitions. As usual I begin with hardcovers.

Hardcovers –

• 1948: Harry Truman’s Improbable Victory by David Pietrusza
• The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election by Zachary Karabell
• The Annotated Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll
• The Decline and Fall of the British Empire 1781-1997 by Piers Brendon
• Emancipation: How Liberating Europe’s Jews from the Ghetto Led to Revolution and Renaissance by Michael Goldfarb

eBooks (a partial list of recent acquisitions) –

• Show No Mercy: A Michael Dodge Thriller by Brian Drake
• Mist Warriors by Rebecca Shelley
• The Chicago Druid and the Ugly Princess by Thomas Kennedy
• Hunting the Wolfpack by Michael McQuade
• Starseeker by Stephen Shypitka
• Openers by Michael E. Benson
• Dark Moon Rising by B.K. Reeves
• Dead is Dead by James Gabriel
• Vindicator by Denney Clements
• Untouchable by Scott O’Connor
• The Girl Born of Smoke by Jessica Billings
• Shadow Touch by Erin Kellison
• Ransome’s Honor by Kaye Dacus
• Night Bird’s Reign by Holly Taylor
• Legwork: A Casey Jones Mystery by Katy Munger
• Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
• Birchwood by Robert Taylor
• Deadworld by J.N. Duncan
• The Girl Who Tweaked Two Lions’ Tails by Pierre Van Rooyen
• Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp
• Deadly Sanctuary by Sylvia Nobel
• Until Proven Guilty by J.A. Nance
• Rys Rising by Tracy Falbe
• The Society of Dirty Hearts by Ben Cheetham

As is usual with the ebooks, the purchase price of nearly all of the ebooks was “free.” With all of the free ebooks that are available, including from traditional publishers, I am beginning to wonder if there is really a future for the larger corporate publishers. I am accumulating so many freebies that I never have to buy a high-priced Agency 6 book to have something to read — even if 85% of the freebies turn out to be not readable at all.

For the big publishing houses, this should be worrisome. Alas, I do not think it even registers with them — if it does, it isn’t reflected in the pricing of Agency 6 ebooks.

On Today’s Bookshelf (IX)

It seems as if it was only yesterday (it was a month ago) when I published On Today’s Bookshelf (VIII), but there has been no stopping my book acquisitions. My recent acquisitions include:

Hardcover —

• Roosevelt’s Purge: How FDR Fought to Change the Democratic Party by Susan Dunn
• The African American Experience During World War II by Neil A. Wynn
• Freedom Flyers: The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II by J. Todd Moye
• Family of Freedom: Presidents and African Americans in the White House by Kenneth T. Walsh
• Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage by Douglas Waller
• The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang by John Ayto and John Simpson
• Religious Orgy in Tennessee: A Reporter’s Account of the Scopes Monkey Trial by H.L. Mencken (this is a paperback reprint of Mencken’s newspaper reports)
• Hitler and America by Klaus P. Fischer

Several of the hardcover books I bought at Author’s Day, which was held at the FDR Library on June 18, 2011. The authors were invited by the Library to give a speech or reading and then autograph their books. The capstone event was a conversation between the historians Michael Beschloss and James MacGregor Burns.

ebooks –

• In Her Name: Empire; Confederation; Final Battle; First Contact; and Legend of the Sword by Michael R. Hicks (see my review of this series: On Books: In Her Name)
• Demon Lord by T.C. Southwell
• Through a Dark Mist by Marsha Canham
• Sacred Secrets, A Jacoby Ives Mystery by Linda S. Prather
• Murder on the Mind by L.L Bartlett
• Driftnet and Deadly Code by Lin Anderson
• Stumbling Forward by Christopher Truscott
• A Death in Beverly Hills by David Grace
• Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meirer
• Blood Count and Londongrad by Reggie Nadelson
• Durell’s Insurrection by Rodney Mountain
• Impeding Justice by Mel Comley
• Maid for Mayhem by Bridget Allison
• Pilate’s Cross by J. Alexander
• The American Language by H.L. Mencken
• The Blue Light Project by Timothy Taylor
• Who Killed Emmett Till by Susan Klopfer
• Dying for Justice, Passions of the Dead, Secrets to Die For, and Thrilled to Death by L.J. Sellers (These are books 2 to 5 in the Detective Jackson Series; the first book, The Sex Club, was listed in an early On Today’s Bookshelf — see below)
• Enemies and Playmates by Darcia Helle
• Henrietta the Dragon Slayer by Beth Barany
• Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster
• Oathen by Jasmine Giacomio
• The Last Aliyah by Chris Hambleton
• Too Near the Edge by Lynn Osterkamp

Most of the ebooks were gotten free, either that being the author-set price or as a result of an author promotion using a coupon code. After reading Michael Hick’s In Her Name: Empire, I decided I liked the book well enough to purchase the other 4 available volumes of the series — Confederation, Final Battle, First Contact, and Legend of the Sword (see my review of this series: On Books: In Her Name). I purchased Christopher Truscott’s Stumbling Forward on a recommendation from author Vicki Tyley, whose books I have reviewed previously (see On Books: Murder Down Under).

L.J. Seller’s Detective Jackson Series is an excellent mystery series. When I have finished reading the recently acquired books 2 to 5, I plan to review them. However, for anyone who is looking for a 5-star mystery series, this series fits the need. Currently, the author is offering the books at a discounted price of 99¢ each (be sure to scroll down the page to the discounted price); the normal price is $3.19 each. If you like mysteries/police procedurals, you won’t go wrong buying them before I review them.

For those interested, Smashwords is having a major sale, their July Summer/Winter Sale, with authors offering their books at discount s of 25% to 100%. The sale runs through July 31, 2011. It is a good time to buy indie books and get introduced to some new authors.

On Today’s Bookshelf (VIII)

It seems as if it was only yesterday when I published On Today’s Bookshelf (VII), but there has been no stopping my book acquisitions. My recent acquisitions include:

Hardcover —

• Moral Combat: Good and Evil in World War II by Michael Burleigh
• Hearts Touched by Fire: The Best of Battles and Leaders of the Civil War edited by Harold Holzer
• Death and a Maiden: Infanticide and the Tragical History of Grethe Schmidt by William David Myers
• Eichmann’s Jews by Doron Rabinovici (preorder)

Hardcover (Preorder) —

• Scholar: A Novel in the Imager Portfolio by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. (fiction)
• A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (fiction)

eBooks (Nonfiction)

• Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister

eBooks (Fiction)

• Shtetl Days by Harry Turtledove (short story)
• The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
• The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet: A Novel by David Mitchell
• Bad Faith by Mike O’Connor
• Jack’s School of Shines by Jack Sorenson
• Secrets of the Tudor Court by D.L. Bogdan
• The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith
• Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
• The Meteoric Rise of Simon Burchwood by Scott Semegran
• Still Life with Murder by P.B. Ryan
• Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
• Clever is as Clever Does,  The West Wind Blows, Careful What You Wish For, and The Clever Detective by Linsey Lanier (4 individual books)
• Fair Price by Laura Lond
• The Taking of FLOTUS by Clayton Spann
• The Blood-stained Belt by Brian H. Jones
• The Dogs of Rome by Conor Fitzgerald
• Soldier of God by David Hagberg
• The Lost Fleet Series: Victorious, Relentless, Valiant, Courageous, Dauntless, and Dreadnaught by Jack Campbell (7 individual books)
• Work of Art, Bethel Merriday, World So Wide, The Prodigal Parents, Kingsblood Royal, Gideon Planish, Dodsworth, and Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis (8 individual books)
• A Vote of Confidence by Robin Lee Hatcher
• Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason
• Torch, Driftnet, and Deadly Code by Lin Anderson (3 individual books)

As you can see, the TBR (To Be Read) pile keeps growing. Worth noting, however, is that at least 20 of the listed ebooks were gotten free, either via discount coupon or because the author set the price at free. Needless to say, all of the hardcover books required payment. Finally, the list of ebooks is incomplete. It is just a sampling of the ebooks I have “purchased” in recent months, with 90% of them being free.

I admit that owning an ereader has seriously affected my reading habits. I am reading more than ever before (and I always was a voracious reader) and in a greater variety of genres. Before my ereader days, I generally read nonfiction and then the genre of the year (i.e., serially — I would read mysteries for a couple of years then switch to fantasy for a while, and then move to another genre, but each genre was exclusive). Since acquiring my first ereader 3.5 years ago, I now read multiple genres concurrently. I like to read several books simultaneously, so now I may read a mystery, a fantasy, and something in nonfiction concurrently. But whereas previously the genres I read were few, I now am reading in many more genres, including historical fiction, historical romance, science fiction, “chick lit,” classics, and so on.

Every time I look at my TBR pile, I think that I need to take a vacation from acquiring new ebooks, but I have found that impossible — too many are being produced that have enticing descriptions. Hopefully, when I retire, I will be able to get through the TBR pile more quickly.

On Today’s Bookshelf (VII)

Adding to my TBR (to-be-read) pile seems to be a neverending process. Since the last On Today’s Bookshelf (VI), I have added the following books:

Hardcover –

• The Death Marches: The Final Phase of Nazi Genocide by Daniel Blatman
• The Eichmann Trial by Deborah E. Lipstadt
• Bismarck: A Life by Jonathan Steinberg
• Fugitive Justice: Runaways, Rescuers, and Slavery on Trial by Steven Lubet
• William Bouguereau (2 vols.) by Damien Bartoli and Frederick C. Ross
• Blackveil by Kristen Britain

Hardcover — Preorder

• The Language Wars: A History of Proper English by Henry Hitchings
• Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore
• How Firm a Foundation by David Weber
• The War That Came Early: The Big Switch by Harry Turtledove

eBooks — Nonfiction

• Germs, Genes, & Civilization: How Epidemics Shaped Who We Are Today by David Clark
• A Philosophical Dictionary (6 volumes) by Voltaire
• Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister
• Hitler’s Pre-emptive War: The Battle for Norway 1940 by Henrik Lunde
• Honor Killing: Race, Rape, and Clarence Darrow’s Spectacular Last Case by David E. Stannard

eBooks — Fiction

• In Fire Forged: Worlds of Honor V edited by David Weber
• Mrs. Quigley’s Kidnapping by Jean Sheldon
• Deadly Withdrawal: An Aggie Underhill Mystery by Michelle Hollstein
• The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
• The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
• Letters from Earth by Mark Twain
• Paid in Blood by Mel Odom
• Warriors of the Cross by T.R. Graves
• Stars Rain Down by Chris Randolph
• Blue by Lou Aronica
• Life Blood by Thomas Hoover
• Syndrome by Thomas Hoover
• You Can’t Stop Me by Max Allan Collins
• Protector (Jane Perry Series #1) by Laurel Dewey
• Medical Error by Richard Mabry
• Sword Lord by Robert Leader
• The Labyrinth by Kenneth McDonald
• Arm of the Stone by Victoria Strauss
• Redcoat by David Crookes
• The Shepherd by Ethan Cross
• The Twentyfirsters by Kekoa Lake
• Rogue Forces by Dale Brown

Of the above listed books, I have read, and thus removed from the TBR pile, The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, Blackveil by Kristen Britain, and Honor Killing: Race, Rape, and Clarence Darrow’s Spectacular Last Case by David E. Stannard. All three are excellent; I plan to do a review of Honor Killing as I think it is a particularly worthy book, even though the publisher did a terrible job creating an ebook version (words were dropped and too many sentences begin with “I” when it should be “It” or something else that begins with an “I”).

If you are reading or have read a particularly interesting book that you think others might enjoy, why not add a comment to this article and let us know. It is only by sharing our reading lists that we can broaden our exposure to worthwhile reads among the nearly 1 million books published each year, especially among the self-published/indie books.

On Today’s Bookshelf (VI)

My bookshelves are groaning under the weight of my to-be-read acquisitions. Fortunately, ebooks don’t weigh much.

My newest hardcover acquisitions include:

• Behind the Dream by Clarence B. Jones (story behind Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech)
• How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish
• Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788 by Pauline Maier

My ebook acquisitions include (an asterisk [*] following a book title indicates that I have completed reading the listed book):

Fiction

• Olivia’s Kiss* by Catherine Durkin Robinson (see my review of this book: On Books: Olivia’s Kiss)
• The Hunger Games Trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay* by Suzanne Collins (good series but not outstanding, although its appeal to young adult readers is evident)
• Lady from the Jade Mountain by Jonathan Saville
• The Man with the Iron-On Badge* by Lee Goldberg (excellent police-procedural-type story; well worth reading)
• An Agent of the King by Nigel Slater
• Faithful Warrior* by Basil Sands (not particularly well-written or interesting)
• The First Betrayal by Patricia Bray
• The complete Lord Vorkosigan* Series by Lois McMaster Bujold (an excellent and highly recommended series)
• The complete Vatta’s War* Series by Elizabeth Moon Bujold (it, too, is excellent and highly recommended)
• The complete Heris Serrano Series by Elizabeth Moon
• The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
• New York: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd
• Carved in Bone* by Jefferson Bass (an excellent murder mystery)
• Daughters* by Consuelo Saah Baehr (well-written and interesting story of multiple generations of Arab daughters; similar to the outstanding Shayne Parkinson Promises to Keep quartet reviewed in On Books: Promises to Keep are Promises Kept)
• Starlighter by Bryan Davis
• A Plunder by Pilgrims by Jack Nolte
• The Sword Lord by Robert Leader
• Justice is Served by D.P. Clark
• Champion of the Rose by Andrea Höst
• The Borgias by Alexandre Dumas
• Ameriqaeda* by Markus Kane (a well-written thriller that imagines home grown terrorism in America)

Nonfiction

• Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch (I bought this in hardcover but it still sits in my TBR pile, so I decided to buy the ebook version as well in hopes of getting to it sooner; the result is that I have finally started this long tome)
• Honor Killing: Race, Rape, and Clarence Darrow’s Spectacular Last Case by David E. Stannard
• A Magnificient Catastrophe* by Edward J. Larson (see my review of this book: On Books: A Magnificient Catastrophe)

As you can see just by the length of the lists, in the past couple of months I have been more involved in reading fiction than nonfiction, and definitely more involved in ebook reading than print book reading. (Many of the fiction ebooks are available for free or for nominal cost at Smashwords. If you are willing to give indie authors a chance, you can obtain myriad ebooks, ranging in quality from poor to outstanding, with most falling in the good to above average range, for $2.99 or less — all the way down to free — at places like Smashwords, Feedbooks, and Manybooks.)

Although I have been trending toward reading more ebooks than pbooks, the trend really accelerated with the purchase of my new Sony 950 in late October. Reading on the device is so pleasurable, that I almost hate to pickup a hardcover book.

My browsing habits have also changed. In previous months and years, you could almost set your watch by my at-least-once-weekly habit of going to my local bookstore and browsing the new nonfiction releases and buying several books. Except to buy a new opera, I haven’t been to the local bookstore in a couple of months.

A recent New York Times article discussed the impact ereading devices are having on children. Apparently, the devices were high on the holiday wishlists of many children and for those who received one, has changed their leisure habits. One 11-year-old girl featured in the article has spent significantly more time reading and less time on the computer or watching TV since receiving an ereader for the holiday.

Although I rarely watched TV before getting my first ereader (a Sony 505), my habits, as I have noted in various articles on this blog, also changed. I began reading more fiction and more books overall. This change has been reinforced with the acquisition of my Sony 950.

Perhaps as these ereaders gain traction among the very young, reading will have a renaissance, something that would definitely be worthwhile.

On Today’s Bookshelf (V)

As always, I find it difficult to to keep away from books, and my to-be-read (TBR) pile keeps growing. I wonder if I’ll ever really get to read all of these books that I’m buying. I regularly think I should swear off buying any more books until I make a dent in my TBR pile, but every time I mention that idea to my wife, she simply smiles and shakes her head knowingly.

Below are the newest additions to my TBR pile. Past additions can be found in these articles: On Today’s Bookshelf, On Today’s Bookshelf (II), On Today’s Bookshelf (III), and On Today’s Bookshelf (IV).

Hardcover — Nonfiction

• Ancient Americas: The Great Civilisations by Nicholas J. Saunders
• Flight from the Reich: Refugee Jews, 1933–1946 by Deborah Dwork and Robert Jan Van Pelt 
• Shostakovitch: His Life and Music by Brian Morton
• Eleanor Roosevelt 1884-1933, Volume One by Blanche Wiesen Cook
• Eleanor Roosevelt 1933-1938, Volume Two by Blanche Wiesen Cook
• Palestine Betrayed by Efraim Karsh
• The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War by Donald Stoker

 – Fiction

• The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman

• Bearers of the Black Staff (Legends of Shannara Series #1) by Terry Brooks

eBooks (all fiction):

• The Book of Deacon by Joseph Lallo
• Slaves to the Empowered by Jeremiah Cain
• The Gateway: Harbinger of Doom by Glenn Thater
• An Old-fashioned Folk Tale by Valmore Daniels
• Eye of the Beholder by Ruth Ann Nordin
• Miss Anna’s Frigate by Jens Kuhn
• The Book of Adam: The Autobiography of the First Human Clone by Robert Hopper
• The Kinshield Legacy by K.C. May

On Order (all hardcover):

– Fiction

• Empress of Eternity by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
• Out of the Dark by David Weber
• Antiphon by Ken Scholes

– Nonfiction

• Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 by Mark Twain, edited by Harriet Elinor Smith, Victor Fischer, Michael B. Frank, Benjamin Griffin
• Decision Points by George W. Bush

As I expected, my reading of nonfiction has slowed considerably this summer. It is a combination of much too much work and too little free time. It also doesn’t help that when the weather is nice, I like to lie in the hammock and read, something my Sony 505 is perfect for. But that will change. I find that as the weather gets cooler and then colder, I tend to read more and I am determined to get through at least a portion of my TBR pile before the change back to warmer weather in the spring.

It also doesn’t help that time now that I would spend reading I’m spending preparing for my presentation at the upcoming “Finding Your Niche/Expanding Your Horizons” conference (see A Gathering of Freelance Editorial Professionals for some details). If you haven’t already preregistered, you can save some money by doing so before September 1. The conference will be a great place to meet colleagues and to learn new tips and tricks to make your professional life easier and more fruitful.

On Today’s Bookshelf (IV)

After my recent post about too many books in my to-be-read (TBR) pile, one would think that I would wise up and simply stop adding to the TBR pile. Alas, books are an addiction for me. I truly believe that every book I obtain I will read in the not-too-distant future, but the rational part of my me knows better.

So, I’ve decided to base my acquisitions on a new rationale: I will be going into semiretirement when I’m 70, which isn’t that far away, and my income will decrease while my time available for pleasure reading will increase. A decreased income will mean less money available to purchase books, so I best build up my collection of reading materials now. Increased time for reading means I will get through more books more rapidly. Seems like a good rationale to me .

No matter how I cut it, however, I love to read. I read all day for work (after all, it would be tough to edit a manuscript without reading it), and when the workday is done, I like to read for pleasure. I don’t watch TV, the kids have moved out, and there is only so much time I am able to spend puttering around the house. So my escapism is books.

Since my last On Today’s Bookshelf (III), I have added these hardcover books to my TBR pile:

• Henry Clay: The Essential American by David S. Heidler and Jeanne Heidler
• Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America by Jack Rakove
• Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England by Anthony Julius
• Betsy Ross and the Making of America by Marla R. Miller
• Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion, and the Scandal of the Century by Ruth Harris
• A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad by Robert S. Wistrich
• American Insurgents, American Patriots: The Revolution of the People by T. H. Breen
• Imager’s Intrigue: The Third Book of the Imager Portfolio by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

In addition, I have added the following ebooks to my TBR pile on my Sony Reader:

• Brechalon by Wesley Allison
• A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
• Amsterdam 2012 by Ruth Francisco
• Last Legend of Earth by A.A. Attanasio
• The Quest for Nobility by Debra L. Martin
• Amber Magic by B.V. Larson
• Fall of Thanes and Bloodheir by Brian Ruckley
• Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone
• Merlin’s Daughters by Meredith Rae Morgan
• Miss Anna’s Frigate by Jens Kuhn
• The Orffyreus Wheel by David Niall Wilson
• Truitt’s Fix by Rex Evans Wood

I believe I have said this before, but perhaps not. One advantage to my ebook reading device (i.e., my Sony Reader) is that I tend to read both more books and more quickly on it. I have yet to understand why this phenomenon is true, but other ebookers have told me that they, too, experience the same phenomenon. Many ebookers have also said that where they bought 1 or 2 books a month when they were reading print books, that number has tripled and quadrupled with ebooks — and the ebooks are getting read, not just piling up! Consequently, I expect I’ll be able to get through many more of the ebooks — that is, once my wife returns my Sony Reader to me (assuming she does; she has fallen in love with it) – than I will of the hardcovers.

Of the hardcovers in the above list, the only one I have managed to get through is Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England by Anthony Julius. It is an interesting history of antisemitism and well worth reading if you have any interest in the subject matter. I will warn you, however, that I found it to be a bit dry of a read. It was quite detailed and focused, although long (approximately 850 pages) but in comparison to A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad by Robert S. Wistrich, which is sitting on my bookshelf, a short read (A Lethal Obsession comes in at approximately 1200 pages). Julius’ book was reviewed in the New York Times earlier this year by Harold Bloom. Subsequently, Edward Rothstein did a comparative review of the Julius and Wistrich books in the New York Times.

Currently, I’ve turned my attention to American history and am reading Henry Clay: The Essential American by David S. Heidler and Jeanne Heidler. I find this to be a well-written book about a fascinating American. One tidbit that I learned: The reason why the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is so powerful is that Henry Clay, upon ascendancy to the position, found himself frustrated by how powerless he was as speaker and decided to change things. His innovations changed the speaker’s position from essentially a parliamentarian’s role to the powerhouse it is today. If you like biography, I’d recommend this book, even though I am only about a third of the way through it at the time of this writing.

As I have noted before, free time may be more precious in the summer months when the outdoors beckon, but there is nothing like a good book to stimulate the mind — and a good ebook reader on which to read.

On Today’s Bookshelf (III)

As always, I keep expanding my to-be-read pile. Since my last report, I have added several books, including these hardcover books:

• The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education by Diane Ravitch
• Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaind MacCulloch
• The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought by Eric Nelson
• Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam by Fred M. Donner
• Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. The Supreme Court by Jeff Shesol
• Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England by Anthony Julius
• Secret of the Dragon (Dragonships of Vindras Series) by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
• The Shadow of Saganami (Disciples of Honor Series #2) by David Weber
• A Mighty Fortress (Safehold Series #4) by David Weber

David Weber is one of my favorite scifi/fantasy authors and so when I get a new book from him, I drop all else to read. Weber continues to entertain me and I enjoyed both of the books in the above list.

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman used to be favorite authors in that same genre, but their last two books have ended that relationship, particularly the one listed above — that one, I couldn’t even finish, I found it dull and boring.

The remaining 6 books are nonfiction (you probably guessed that from the titles) and just recently arrived. I haven’t broken any of them open yet, as I’m still reading through earlier purchases (hardcover novels tend to get read immediately because they are quick reads for me; nonfiction takes longer, especially if the author has a lot of footnotes, as I often get sidetracked checking out books cited to see if I want to purchase them for my library).

I recently finished reading For the Soul of France: Culture Wars in the Age of Dreyfus by Frederick Brown (see On Today’s Bookshelf (II)). I have a particular interest in the Dreyfus Affair. I admit, however, that For the Soul of France was not a particularly engaging book — I struggled to get through it. Another book that was on my first bookshelf that I struggled to read is Remembering Survival: Inside a Nazi Slave-Labor Camp by Christopher R. Browning. The writing style simply didn’t resonate with me. I should have known that I would find the book difficult because I also had difficulty getting through his book The Origins of the Final Solution: The Evolution of Nazi Jewish Policy, September 1939-March 1942. It isn’t that the books are poorly researched — they’re not; they are well researched. It is simply the style of writing that I found difficult.

I am currently reading A Savage Conflict: The Decisive Role of Guerillas in the American Civil War by Daniel E. Sutherland, which is a well-written and interesting book from my first On Today’s Bookshelf list. I plan on reviewing the book in the future, but for anyone interested in the Civil War, here’s an advance thumbs up recommendation.

But, as I’m sure you may know, I also read a lot of ebooks. Up to this point, all of the books I have cited in the On Today’s Bookshelf articles have been hardcover pbooks I have added to my collection. Beginning with today’s article, I will also mention some of the ebooks I have purchased.

eBooks for me are a different being altogether. Rarely will I buy a nonfiction ebook. The few I have bought have been problematic, including foot-/endnote links that don’t work, not-well-reproduced illustrations and figures, and the like. Consequently, nearly all of my ebook purchases are fiction. Unfortunately for you, my taste in fiction runs in cycles (cycles that last many years) and the current cycle is science fiction/fantasy. Someday it will switch to mystery or action or some other genre (alas, never romance or vampires for those who like those genres).

In addition, because the traditional publishers tend to cripple their ebooks by overpricing them, I often buy from unknown authors, many of whom have provided me with hours of enjoyment, others of whom either bored me or annoyed me with poor everything (spelling, grammar, character development, plot, etc.).

Rather than give you a list of what I’m waiting to read, I’ll give you a list of a few titles or series that I have already read and that I enjoyed. None of these are great literature — all are good reads and inexpensive. All are available without DRM and in multiple formats from either Fictionwise or Smashwords.

• The Chronicles of the Necromancer (a 4-book series) by Gail Z. Martin
• The Asphodel Cycle (a 4-book series) by Celina Summers
• Lord of Wind and Fire (a 3-book series) by Elaine Corvidae
• To Find a Wonder by Jennifer Carson
• The Lords of Dus (a 4-book series) by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• The Demonstone Chronicles (a 7-book series) by Richard S. Tuttle
• The Sword of Heavens (a 7-book series) by Richard S. Tuttle
• Forgotten Legacy (an 8-book series) by Richard S. Tuttle
• The Targa Trilogy (a 3-book series) by Richard S. Tuttle
• Promises to Keep (trilogy plus sequel) by Shayne Parkinson

The last listed series by Shayne Parkinson is neither scifi nor fantasy — it is the story of a New Zealand family in the 1880-1910 era. It will be the subject of a separate review. It is not normally a genre I would read, but this is one of the best written series of books in fiction I have read in several years. I highly recommend it. It is available at Smashwords and is comprised of these 4 books: Sentence of Marriage, Mud and Gold, Settling the Account, and A Second Chance.

With summer coming, reading time may become more precious, but there is nothing like a good book to stimulate the mind.