Books:

• I do like a cheesy horror movie now and then, and Hammer Films certainly did excellent work in that area. There is a new book about the studio and its work, The Hammer Vault: Treasures from the Archives of Hammer Films. The book is mentioned and some items are highlighted in this post from IO9.
• Chains and Chocolate sounds like the kind of book to read and share with The Better Half sometime. Anyhow, the review did make it sound pretty good. Via Bibrary Book Lust blog. It is an e-book novella though, so given e-books are not a priority for me, it may take a while.
• This book was interesting find for me. Before I saw Scalzi’s blog post on the author, I found out about the book at the local Barnes and Noble. My daughter picked it up while we were browsing the science fiction and fantasy section (which is not quite as much science fiction as it should or could be, but that is a separate rant). Anyhow, while I was looking over a different title, she picks this book up, tells me, “Dad, you have to read this.” I look it over, and I see it is what appears to be a fairy tale retelling or remake. I tell my daughter, “I don’t usually read fairy tale retellings and such.” Daughter insists, “dad, you have to read this.” Again, I say no, and she says, “just look at it,” handing it to me. So, I look at it. I read over the blurb and the back cover. What do you know? I end up telling her, “you know what. It looks like I may have to read it. I am adding it to my reading list.” I know she added it to her reading list too as she was jotting down the details on her phone for later. The book is Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and it is a retelling of the Cinderella story, except Cinderella is a cyborg. It’s a bit more than that, but that should give you a brief idea. John Scalzi highlighted the author in  his blog recently here.
• A Case for Suitable Treatment reviews volume 16 of Higurashi (link to WorldCat author list). This is a series I want to start exploring at some point.
• My Favourite Books reviews Sarah Cawkwell’s The Gildar Rift. The novel is part of the Space Marines Battles series (Warhammer 40k).  The reviewer suggests that we “imagine the possibilities offered by the idea of Space Marine Pirates, particularly when they’re a band of chaos worshipping superhumans led by an even larger, wholly psychopathic specimen who’s crazier than a bag of possessed possums.” They also review a novel from the Horus Heresy series: Gav Thorpe’s Deliverance Lost.  And keeping the Warhammer 40K theme, they also offer a review of the short story anthology Sabbat Worlds by Dan Abnett, a collection of short stories that takes place in the setting of Gaunt’s Ghosts. The tales of the Tanith First and Only regiment come highly recommended, so I may have to pick this anthology up. For me, often a short story or two from a particular setting is a nice way to sample a series that could lead to reading any novels in a series.
• The Manga Critic reviews  the book Yakuza Moon: The True Story of a Gangster’s Daughter. The book is a graphic adaptation of a biography of a Yakuza daughter.
• Lambda Literary reviews the dark fantasy short fiction collection Hellebore & Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic.
• The Intoxicated Zodiac blog pointed to the book American Cocktail by Sheri Giblin. I always like a good book about cocktails and making them, so I will have to take a look.
• This book just sounds like it could be fun. Via Blogging for a Good Book, the book is The Gallery of Regrettable Food. The book is described as a collection of ” the most badly-conceived and poorly-photographed dishes of the 1940s-1960s served up with all of the mockery and occasional stunned silence they deserve.”

Lists and bibliographies:

• This is not really books, but it is still reading. Nerve magazine has put out their list of their favorite articles of 2011. Just more good stuff to read for the leisure moments that seem to be few and far between.
• HBS Working Knowledge blog also has its list of popular articles of 2011. The stuff on leadership often interests me, so I hope to get to read these at some point.
• Here is a list of “10 Great Books to Help You Think, Create, and Communicate Better in 2012.” The one on visual meetings interests me. Via Presentation Zen blog.
• The Papeles Perdidos blog, published by the Spanish newspaper, El Pais, has put out their list of 25 best books for 2011. Note that the article is in Spanish. A hat tip to Literary Saloon. The list has a blend of titles in Spanish and titles translated into Spanish.
• This is not so much for me, as I do not read a lot of classics, but I am jotting it down for future reference. Plus some folks out there may find this list useful. Via Free Technology for Teachers blog, here is a list of “11 Places to Find Free eBooks for Yourself and Your Students.”
• Via beSpacific, links to DOD Reading Lists.

Anyhow, just some random thoughts.

Books:

• Melissa Donovan at Writing Forward recommends this book for a little writing inspiration: The Pocket Muse.
• Via Letters & Journals magazine, a review of Writing Personal Notes & Letters by Jennifer Williams. I will admit that, aside from sending out Christmas cards, a birthday card here or there, and a rare thank-you note, I have not written much personal correspondence. I do find the art of letter writing to be fascinating, and it is something I do miss. I also think it is a skill that people do need to have not just for keeping in touch but as an issue of good manners. One should know how to write a thank-you note, a condolence note, etc. In the end, there are some things one should know how to write with pen and paper.
• Likely Stories briefly reviews a book out of the television show Archer. Personally, I am not a fan of the show, but the book is a bit of a humor novelty, so that is enough for me to be curious and add it to my reading list. Though I may not get to it right away. The book is How to Archer, the Ultimate Guide to Espionage and Style and Women and Also Cocktails Ever Written (record to publisher since there is no complete WorldCat record just yet).
• I do not usually read books based on video games, but once in a while I may make an exception. The last book I read based on a video or computer game was Blood Ravens: The Dawn of War Omnibus, though I read that one more because it was a Warhammer 40,000 book than because it was based on a computer game. That was a book I enjoyed, in large measure because, as it turns out, the Space Marines Blood Ravens Chapter is made up of scholars, and their librarians are awesome.  Guys Lit Wire review a book based on the Guild Wars video game, a game I am not too familiar with. However, the review sounds interesting enough to make me curious about the book. The book is Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon.
• Via PhiloBiblos, a small review of the book The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic and How it Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World.
• I am not a big YA reader, but once in a while a novel that is classified as a YA book catches my eye. The reason I tend to stay away from the genre is that, to be honest, I really don’t care much about teenagers and their issues when it comes to my reading. However, if a book promises an interesting premise, I may take a chance. This book reviewed at Guys Lit Wire sounds promising enough. The book is The Inquisitor’s Apprentice, and it is a novel that takes place in an alternate New York City where magic is a reality.
• I am not a big fan of the zombie genre. To be honest, I think it is starting to get saturated, and I am not particularly interested in yet another zombie apocalypse tale. However, the premise of this book– a vampire that wakes up during a zombie apocalypse– does sound interesting enough I would willing to take a chance on one more zombie tale. I just hope it lives up to expectations. The book is Chuck Wendig’s Double Dead. It is discussed over at My Favourite Books.
• Katherine Dacey, The Manga Critic, reviews the first volume and the second volume of Drops of God. She compares these books to works like Oishinbo, which I have read and enjoyed. The books provide a glimpse into the world of wine, which is an added incentive for a wine drinker like me.
• Books about books and reading are a favorite genre for me. PhiloBiblos reviews the book Books: A Living History.
• Seattle Tammy, writing at the blog Jesus’ General, points to the book Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. The premise of this book is pretty simple, or seems simple: what things you should cook from scratch and what you should buy.
• Here are a couple of books about cocktails and drinks, via Liquor Snob. First, they look at the book The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion. Yes, it is a book of cocktail recipes, but the idea is to match the right drink to the right occasion. Next, they look at a book that is mainly a history but has a few other interesting things. The book is Bitters: A Spirited Look at a Classic Cure-All.
• Website for Forgotten Bookmarks, one of my favorites, now has a book out: Forgotten Bookmarks: a Bookseller’s Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages.

Lists and bibliographies:

• Via The Prosen People, a small list of books on “Yiddish, Mitzvahs, and Cooking.”
• The Dirty Librarian’s book list for November 2011 has some book titles I would be interested in reading, especially the graphic novels.
• The Arabic Literature (in English) blog offers some reading material on Palestine that U.S. presidential hopefuls should probably read to better understand the region and the issues. This may be a good list for just anyone interested on the topic.
• List of winners for the Rainbow Awards for LGBT fiction and nonfiction at Elisa’s blog. A hat tip to BiBrary Book Lust.

Now, I would also add another Chilean wine, a brand simply known as Gato Negro (Black Cat, which was the red wine) and Gato Blanco (yes, White Cat, and it would be their white wine). Pity you can’t get these in the States.

Ask me anything

P.S. What do you know? The wine still exists. See here. Though I wonder if it is as good as those vintages I remember from back in the day.