Mr. Burke's Reading List

The usual dislainer: Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page. The Arcanist is a magazine that prints flash-fiction (roughly 1,000 words, I believe). They publish one story a week, so you can imagine the competition for that one slot. The magazine also runs flash fiction contests, which the winner gets paid and gets published, along with the runners-up. Disclosure: I have submitted a few times, but I have not been published by them. My rejections have been generic and usually happen with 1-2 months. I have not submitted to any of their contests because they have an entry fee, a small one, but a fee nonetheless. I'd rather take my chances on the slush pile. Recently, the magazine sent an email about the latest collection of stories it had for sale. It also had stories from previous years available for free. Another disclosure: probably 5-10 o...

Miracle of Deck 34 and Other Yuletide Tales by Kaki Olsen and Scott Ashby (2021) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) Last year and this year, I participated in a Santa Book Exchange, where someone buys a copy of my book, and I buy a copy of someone else's book. It's all done mostly randomly. Last year, I included my "In A Flash 2020" in the fantasy category, so this year, I picked science fiction, since the book is roughly half of each. The book I had to buy was Miracle of Deck 34 and Other Yuletide Tales , which worked out well for my December Christmas reading. It doesn't appear to be on Good Reads, so I may have to add it. However, I don't want to be the first one to rate it. There are 24 stories (which, I admit, I didn't notice at first because I didn't read the blurb). This means that I cou...

The Witch of the North Pole by Eden Snow (2017) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) Looking for books to get me into a Christmas mood, I went looking for free Christmas-themed ebooks (that weren't "bodice-rippers"). There seem to be plenty of "cozy" mysteries with witches, elves or whichever. The funny thing is from the thumbnail, I thought she was sitting on a chimney, not a bag of toys. Also, I didn't realize right away that the author's name was "Eden Snow" -- I thought it was a subtitle for the book! The book is also listed as Cinnamon Mercy Claus 1 . The main character doesn't like to be called Cinnamon, because she used to be teased that it was a spice name. Mercy was somehow better. Mercy, a strong, indepedent woman, who works in an office with lots of spreadsheets but little ...

Beyond the Waterfall Door: Stories from the High Hills by Brenda Cooper (2015) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) I got this one in an eSpec Books Kickstarter campaign. It's been in the electronic TBR pile for a while. Previously, according to a quick blog search, I've read Brenda Cooper's novel Post and two short stories, "The Street of All Designs" and "Trainer of Whales". (Both short stories were bonus stories from other kickstarters.) This book is a collection of six short stories, most of which were previously published. There were (according to the intro) some modifications for the sake of the narrative. It still felt a little disjointed. The first story opens with a boy named Jack who lives in the High Hills, which is a world similar to ours, but it has magic and is less advanced techno...

The Literary Handyman: More Tips from the Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail (2021) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) Why would a published author need more tips on writing? Honestly, I don't remember if I got this one free in a Kickstarter campaign, or if I bought it extra. But the advice is worth the price. Disclaimer: Danielle Ackley-McPhail is the editor of my book In A Flash 2020 and is the publisher of eSpec Books , which published my book. Amsuing anecdote: This past weekend, I was at Philcon in Cherry Hill, NJ (across the river from Philadelphia). I did show her that I was reading her book. It had been in my kindle app for a while. While I was there, I mentioned a story of mine that a mutual acquaitance had read as the assistant editor of a magazine. She sent me an email saying she liked it and was passing it ...

Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant (2011) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) I wish I'd written this one up sooner, but I hadn't written earlier books yet. Also, I hadn't thought at the time that I might want to write something about the individual stories. There was a call for story proposals for an upcoming steampunk anthology which will be published for an upcoming Steampunk convention. It will be handled by eSpec Book , which has published stories that I've written. I would've liked to have proposed a story. However, to be honest, I don't know much about Steampunk. I know the gears and the clockwork stuff and the flying ships and the steam and goggles and stuff, but not what actually makes a Steampunk story. So I went looking for an...

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (2016) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This was a Book Club selection. it was also a it of an odyssey in finding a copy of the book. The novel has been made into a movie, so copies are hard to come by. I was told by two libraries that the estimated wait time would to 10-12 weeks for a copy . As a result, I started to use the Internet Archive, which had a copy, but I was only able to borrow it for one hour at a time, until a 14-day copy became available. Adding to the insanity, the Internet Archive is, naturally on the Internet. I couldn't download anything to read on the subway. As a result, before getting on the train, I needed to buffer the next dozen pages or so to read until I got somewhere I could buffer more. And I couldn't launch any other apps that might've c...

The Dream Peddler by Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) (2007) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This was a Book Club selection. I had never heard of it before, despite the 20-year later commentary added to this version. Honestly, I couldn't tell you which author name was on the cover. It was Jason Pargin on the Good Reads page. Apparently, it was a movie, too. The fact that this started as a web serial in 2001 was interesting, and also explained the choppy nature of it (even if he did go back and edit it). Back in 2001, something like this was possible. It would be like the folks who pioneered self-publishing for a living on Amazon or who do serials now on their new service. It's something that I would've loved to have done had I had the time and the discipline to keep writing. Granted, I probably would've been lost ...

The Dream Peddler by Martine Fournier Watson (2019) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This was a Book Club selection, and it put me in a bit of a quandry. There was no ebook available at either library. I eventually was able to get a print edition. I kept putting off reading it for odd reasons. Starting new books is always a little on the difficult side for me, but lately print is worse. I can't adjust the font size any more. (Actually, i've made my ereader font smaller because I thought it was too large!) Adding to this, I read on the subway in the morning, but I usually have a coffee in one hand, so holding a book can be difficult. Coming home the trains are crowded, so standing and trying to read a paperback is even more ridiculous. And reading a paperback by lamplight in bed only gets me so far (maybe a page or two) un...

Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey (2013) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) As previously noted: I watched the first season of The Expanse when it first aired on Syfy . I have to admit, I was somewhat lost and couldn't follow a lot of lost was going on. I couldn't even understand some of what was being said. Had I thought about it, I might've deleted the timer I had set for the series. However, I forgot to, so it taped the second season, which I watched and enjoyed more. I can now confirm that the third season aired on Syfy before it moved to Amazon, as I remember these episodes. Comparing the book to the show: the first season of the show did not cover the entire first book. However, it did include characters from the second book, in particular, every character on Earth. The first half of the second season, whic...

Puzzled by P.J. Nichols (2018) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This was a freebie in a Book Bub mailing list that I read with an eye on if it might interest my nephew. I think not, but he was his own tastes. It's a middle-grade book, filled with puzzles and Nichols will at times stop and ask the reader if they've worked out the solution before he reveals it. The conceit of the book is that Peter has a talent for solving puzzles. He's approached by an older man (I read this two months ago, I don't remember the particulars, which kind of defeats the purpose of this blog) who has him solve a few riddles. The man has an ulterior motive. It turns out that there's an alien living among us and that alien can control the weather and create tornados that wreak distruction. But the alien would rather solve puzzles. ...

My Hero Academia Volume 31, by Kōhei Horikoshi (2017-2019) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This is the most recent issue available, and it merits a separate entry even if it was only 40 minutes of reading. I'll have a separate entry for the spinoff My Hero Academia: Vigilantes , which I'm also up to date on. This book came as a little bit of a surprise. I put a hold on it at the library a while back and suddenly there it was. The series has gotten a bit dark, with its emphasis on the League of Villains and the Paranormal Liberation Front. but now we discover Dabi's true secret, and the revenge that he's been waiting for. No spoiler, but it's dark, and it concerns the new Number 1 Hero. Despite being on the cover, Izuku Midoriya (Deku) has little to do since he's in the hospital from his bat...

Caliban's Way by James S. A. Corey (2011) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) As previously noted: I watched the first season of The Expanse when it first aired on Syfy . I have to admit, I was somewhat lost and couldn't follow a lot of lost was going on. I couldn't even understand some of what was being said. Had I thought about it, I might've deleted the timer I had set for the series. However, I forgot to, so it taped the second season, which I watched and enjoyed more. I think a third season aired on Syfy before it moved to Amazon. Comparing the book to the show: the first season of the show did not cover the entire first book. However, it did include characters from the second book, in particular, every character on Earth. The first half of the second season, which I recently rewatched, introduces a couple of B...

When You Had Power (Nothing Is Promised #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn (2020) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) I write. I don't sell a lot of stories but I write as many as I can. When I look at the markets open to me, a couple of trends show. First, lots of people like horror. Unfortunately, I'm not really one of them. Second, there are emerging genres out there that don't havea lot of content in them. The ones that piqued my interest (or at least got my attention) are solarpunk , hopepunk and lunarpunk . I'm not exactly sure what these are, or how the first two differ from the other. I get that "solarpunk" is supposed to be the antithesis of the popular "grimdark" future stories. The idea is that the world can have a bright future, if we work together and work with the Earth instead of against it. Th...

This blog got away from me toward the end of the summer. I was reading quite a few things, trying to get through all of them, and not making headway anywhere. That's not entirely true. Those Exapnse books are huge and take some time. I've finished 3 of them now. I've also taken a couple other books from the library, one nonfiction and one an anthology, and I keep going back to them and then putting them aside after a while. However, I intend to finish both of them. Likewise, I've started other things that were on my phone mostly because they were there. Since I plan to finish these and not abandon them, there won't be entries until I'm done. That is all for now, except that I hope to start making entries in the next couple days.

ANALOG PLUS 50: Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, July 1972 Update the photo July is late which just about guarantees that August will be last. Too many things going on and too many things to read. And, of course, silly as it sounds, I want to get my daily Kindle app reading streak going, and .PDF files don't count toward the daily reading goal. The July issue of Analog will be reviewed as I read it and get back to this page. That means a lot of what you see hear will be from last month's review until at I get to the point where I've updated the entire thing. For anyone finding these reviews, my purpose is two-fold: enjoying some "classic" sci-fi, and looking for stories that I think could be adapted for TV broadcast since so much of what shows up on anthology shows is rough to awful. Additional Note: I do NOT work in television. I just watch it. In this issue: The Editorial: "The Mystic West". Fifty years ago, a war betwee...

At Wit's End by Erma Bombeck (1965) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This was a paperback that I had for a very long time and which became my in-pool reading book. That is, a book, should it happen to fall in, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Obviously, this is not something I could do with loaners or books that I'd prefer to hold onto. I used the Good Reads image because it matches the edition I have. It's old, although not 1965-old. Actually, I was surprised that the book itself dated to 1964. I know Bombeck was a pioneer and that my parents and older siblings read her newspaper columns, but I didn't think she'd started back then. Given the idyllic family life that she takes to task, I should've realized it. Where this book came from, I couldn't possibly remember. Likely a used book store, o...

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (2011) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) I watched the first season of The Expanse when it first aired on Syfy . I have to admit, I was somewhat lost and couldn't follow a lot of lost was going on. I couldn't even understand some of what was being said. Had I thought about it, I might've deleted the timer I had set for the series. However, I forgot to, so it taped the second season, which I watched and enjoyed more. I think a third season aired on Syfy before it moved to Amazon. I considered suggesting the first book recently for my book club. I rejected the idea for two reasons: first, since it's been around for a decade, anyone with an interest might've already read it. Second, the length of it -- if I didn't like it, I'd have to slog through 400+ pages before our ...

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This was a Book Club selection, and it was one of my choices. I was asked to pick three books that I wanted to read. I selected the first of the Murderbot series, and "The Three-Body Problem", both of which I've had in my kindle for quite a while. I considered a few other books but all were well over 400 pages. I didn't want to obligate myself to something that I'd have to slog through. For this reason, I didn't select the first book in The Expanse series (which I've since read on my own). I perused Good Reads for suggestions. Neil Gaiman had quite a few books listed, so I decided to go with one I hadn't heard of, and hoped that the others hadn't either. Less of a chance that they'd already read it. The Graveyard ...

Exactly How I Promote and Sell Books A 30 Minute Read (Kathy's Practically Perfect Plan Book 6) by Kathy Dee (2021) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This was a freebie, probably from r/FreeEBOOKS, so she didn't make money from me selling this book. Kathy Dee has a series of 15-minute reads, but this one, she says, has so much material in it, it's more of a 30-minute read. And it was. Note: I read this a month ago and just didn't get around to posting about it. In truth, I wanted to wait until I finished the next book because I didn't want this to be the top post on my blog for more than 1 day. There's should good information in here if I want to self-publish books, particularly if I want to use Kindle Unlimited to get more eyes on my pages. Let's face it, at this point, I'm not going to sell books ...

ANALOG PLUS 50: Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, June 1972 Update the photo June came and went along with the last of the school year and an exess of overtime grading Regents exams. As a result, I fell behind on this blog and have felt too tired to catch up with it along with my math blog. Life happens. I'm back. For now. I'll still be reading even if I'm not posting about it. I don't want to neglect this blog for 4 years, like I did once before. The June issue of Analog has a noveltte by Joe Haldeman, which was the only name I recognized aside from the serial by Harry Harrison. I'll read that one separately. For anyone finding these reviews, my purpose is two-fold: enjoying some "classic" sci-fi, and looking for stories that I think could be adapted for TV broadcast since so much of what shows up on anthology shows is rough to awful. Additional Note: I do NOT work in television. I just watch it. In this issue: The Editor...

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (2022) (Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.) This was a book club selection and was a little difficult to get a copy of. There was a long wait at two libraries from the ebook, the print edition and the audio (which I really didn't want because I figured it'd be abridged). I also didn't realize that it was published in 2022, so of course it was difficult to get a copy of. Additionally, it was a selection for a celebrity book club. (I was told it was one of the Bush daughters, but I didn't verify this.) As a writer, I see that a lot of magazines publish "literary fiction", which I'm at a loss to explain just what that is. This book is listed as literary fiction. So now I know. It's boring and depressing, even when it has elements of science fiction. Those e...

ANALOG PLUS 50: Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, May 1972 Update the photo The may issue of Analog has stories by Clifford D. Simak and Isaac Asimov, as well as the continuation of the serial by Harry Harrison. For anyone finding these reviews, my purpose is two-fold: enjoying some "classic" sci-fi, and looking for stories that I think could be adapted for TV broadcast since so much of what shows up on anthology shows is rough to awful. Additional Note: I do NOT work in television. I just watch it. In this issue: The Editorial: "Life Cycles". There are complex carbon molecules in interstellar space. Not life, not even pre-life, but the building blocks for life. Short Novel: "Solo Kill", by S. Kye Boult. with an illustration by Leo Summers showing a winged creature with a beak, carapace, and taloned feet is on the ground in the foreground. There's a small plane flying over some high mountains on the left p...