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The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis: His First Apologetic Work is a Mixed Bag - The Irresponsible Reader
The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis DETAILS: Publisher: HarperOne Publication Date: April 28, 2015 Format: Paperback Length: 159 pg. Read Date: January 5-12, 2025 His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible. You may attribute miracles to Him, but not nonsense. This is no
Saturday Miscellany—2/1/25 - The Irresponsible Reader
Yeah, this is on the late side. Sorry about that. It's been one of those days full of fun busy-ness. BTW, I don't think I officially mentioned it (I did hint at it inGrandpappy’s Corner: I Am a Big Brother by Caroline Jayne Church: A Sweet Instructional/Motivational Guide ), but as of Tuesday, I have
I’m Reading Every Day in February for the American Cancer Society—My Official Launch Post - The Irresponsible Reader
No one is a fan of cancer. I daresay there's no one ambivalent toward it.* We've all had our lives, the lives of family, friends, acquaintances, coworkers, and even pets devastated by it in one form or another. Fighting cancer, researching better ways to fight it, preventing it--all are laudatory ends. So, I participated in
GUEST POST: Upon Further Review . . . by Robert Germaux - The Irresponsible Reader
Last week when I posted about Robert B. Parker's Hot Property by Mike Lupica, I quipped "Robert Germaux to demur in the comment section (or in a Guest Post if he has a lot to get off of his chest)." The novelist/essayist took me up on that with this post—he made a couple of points
WWW Wednesday—January 29, 2025 - The Irresponsible Reader
It's entirely possible that by the time this posts, every bit of this will be out of date--but the way this week is going, I can also see me repeating this entire post next week. This grandpappy isn't complaining at all, but books are being shoved to the side more often than I'm used to.
REPOST: Lessons From Lucy by Dave Barry: America’s Funniest Human Tries to Learn a Few New Tricks from an Old Dog - The Irresponsible Reader
I remember reading this in July 2018, thinking that Barry was preparing to say goodby to Lucy. I mention this only because he only said goodbye to her this week. Color me flummoxed. But also, how could I not dust this post off in her memory? Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old,
Grandpappy’s Corner: I Am a Big Brother by Caroline Jayne Church: A Sweet Instructional/Motivational Guide - The Irresponsible Reader
I Am a Big Brother by Caroline Jayne Church DETAILS: Publisher: Cartwheel Books Publication Date: January 27, 2015 Format: Hardover Length: 24 pg. Read Date: January 27, 2025 What's I Am a Big Brother About? This book begins with the lines Our new baby arrived today. I'm a big brother now, horray! Our narrator used
Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 authors I want to try in 2025 - The Irresponsible Reader
This week's topic is, "Top 5 authors I want to try in 2025 Who are some new authors that you want to read from in 2025?" Which works well as a companion piece to New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024 from earlier. It's sort of future-casting half of next year's post. One hopes. There are
Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024 - The Irresponsible Reader
The topic for this week's Top Ten Tuesdays is the Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024 I've done this (or something similar) the last few years (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023), and have come to look forward to it. It's one more chance to talk about people I quite enjoy talking about. Hopefully, these
MUSIC MONDAY: “Zombie” (Acoustic Version) by The Cranberries - The Irresponsible Reader
Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then. This came up on some sort of shuffle this weekend, I don't think I'd ever heard this version before. Which is a crying shame, this is excellent.
Pigeon-Blood Red (Audiobook) Ed Duncan, read by Dave Keyser: No Muss, No Fuss, Just a Solid Thriller - The Irresponsible Reader
Be sure to come back in a couple of hours to read a Q&A with the author, Ed Duncan. Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan, read by Dave Keyser DETAILS: Series: Pigeon-Blood Red, Book 1 Publisher: Next Chapter Audio LTD Publication Date: September 2, 2022 Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hr., 59 min. Read Date: October
A Few Quick Questions With…Ed Duncan - The Irresponsible Reader
Earlier this morning, I gave my take on Ed Duncan's Pigeon-Blood Red (and it occurs to me that I didn't explain that interesting title choice--one more reason for you to listen to/read it). Now I get to share a quick Q&A that Duncan was kind enough to make time for. I hope you enjoy this
Broken Bonds by Amy Mantravadi: 16th Century Figures Come to Life in This Novel - The Irresponsible Reader
Broken Bonds by Amy Mantravadi DETAILS: Publisher: 1517 Publishing Publication Date: November 26, 2024 Format: Paperback Length: 300 pg. Read Date: December 15-22, 2024 What's Broken Bonds About? This is a work of historical fiction focusing on April 1524-January 1525, at what will prove to be a significant period in the German Reformation. The narrative
Saturday Miscellany—1/25/25 - The Irresponsible Reader
Robert Burns was born on this date in 1759 and there are celebrations of this throughout the world tonight--I'v never been to one but have been wanting to since the 90s (social anxiety, the gift that keeps on giving). At the very least, find some time tonight yourself to read "A Red, Red Rose,", "To
REPOSTING JUST ‘CUZ: Deep Dark Night by Steph Broadribb: High Stakes Danger for Lori Anderson in the Windy City - The Irresponsible Reader
Deep Dark Night by Steph Broadribb Series: Lori Anderson, #4 Kindle Edition, 320 pg. Orenda Books, 2020 Read: January 16-17, 2020 Grab a Steph Broadribb book from your local indie bookstore! I’ve always felt an element of fear about the jobs I do. In the right dosage it can help you. It gets your adrenaline
WWW Wednesday—January 22, 2025 - The Irresponsible Reader
So, this is the Winteriest week we've had here this Winter, and all I want to do is huddle down with a book and a gallon of tea. How about you? Hopefully, it's a bit more comforatble (although a quick glance at the news suggests that it isn't). Now let's get on to the WWWing.
I’m Reading Every Day in February for the American Cancer Society - The Irresponsible Reader
No one is a fan of cancer. I daresay there's no one ambivalent toward it.* We've all had our lives, the lives of family, friends, acquaintances, coworkers, and even pets devastated by it in one form or another. Fighting cancer, researching better ways to fight it, preventing it--all are laudatory ends. So, I participated in
The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller: A Football Book for Non-Sports Fans - The Irresponsible Reader
The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller DETAILS: Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group Publication Date: August 6, 2024 Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hrs., 35 min. Read Date: January 9-10, 2024 How Does The Publisher Describe The Boys of Riverside? In November 2021, an
BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Fallen Knight by Ceril N. Domace - The Irresponsible Reader
I'm happy to welcome The Write Reads Blog Tour for Ceril N. Domace's soon-to-be-released Fallen Knight. After checking out this Spotlight, you should go to https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours feed to see all the great things that are going to be said about the book over the next week. Book Details: Title: Fallen Knight by Ceril N. Domace
2025 Plans and Challenges - The Irresponsible Reader
Finally it's time to stop looking at 2024 (as fun as I hope that is's been) and to start focusing on 2025. Too many of my goals and the challenges I set for myself for 2024 were not accomplished. I'm okay with that, actually, because they served their purpose anyway, and/or weren't that big of
Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 books I will definitely* read in 2025 - The Irresponsible Reader
This week's topic is, "Top 5 books I will definitely* read in 2025. An oldie, but a goodie! And one I can’t wait to see whether I will (or won’t) read these books in 2024… Same disclosure every year: you won’t be subjected to punishment (from me) if you don’t read these. But what are
Robert B. Parker’s Hot Property by Mike Lupica: Even Tough-As-Nails Attorneys are Mortal - The Irresponsible Reader
This has taken me far too long to get to. But I'm here now. Robert B. Parker's Hot Property by Mike Lupica DETAILS: Series: Spenser, #51 Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Publication Date: November 26, 2024 Format: Hardcover Length: 334 pg. Read Date: December 3-4, 2024 She closed her eyes again and was still, and I
Institutes of Elenctic Theology Vol. 3: Eighteenth through Twentieth Topics by Francis Turretin: A Master Class on Theology and Methodology Concludes - The Irresponsible Reader
Yes, this is largely just a reworking of my post about Vols. 1 and 2. It's not like I'm going to have a lot of different things to say about this, so why torture myself by trying? Still, it's different enough to justify my time. Hopefully yours, too. Institutes of Elenctic Theology Vol. 3: Eighteenth
Saturday Miscellany—1/18/25 - The Irresponsible Reader
Odds 'n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You've probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case: Please Don’t Idolize Me (or Anyone, Really)—Sadly, this post from last August by John Scalzi is freshly relevant this week. And, no, I will not be talking more about it. I hope.
In 2024…My Life in Books - The Irresponsible Reader
When I saw this over on Book'd Out, I remember my daughter Carleigh and I having a lot of fun doing the 2023 version. So I tried it, and it turns out that it was fun because my daughter is good at thinking like this. So, I sent her the categories and a list of
WWW Wednesday—January 15, 2025 - The Irresponsible Reader
It's the middle of the week, pretty much the middle of the month, and I'm feeling fair-to-middling. Which all works out nicely. Let's commemorate this synchronicity by going through this week's WWW Wednesday, shall we? This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of
HC Chats with Witty & Sarcastic Book Club about 2024/2025 - The Irresponsible Reader
I'm very pleased to welcome Jodie from Witty & Sarcastic Book Club to talk about what happened on our blogs last year, the books that stood out to us, as well as some hopes and goals for 2025--and very vague reading plans. We ramble a bit about some other things, too. I hope you enjoy
PUB DAY REPOST: The Big Empty by Robert Crais: The Muffins Rode Shotgun - The Irresponsible Reader
The post title there really has little to do with the book, but I loved the line so much, I had to use it. The Big Empty by Robert Crais DETAILS: Series: Elvis Cole, #19 Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Publication Date: January 14, 2025 Format: eARC Length: 384 pg. Read Date: December 18-20, 2024 What's
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay: Vigilante Power Coupling - The Irresponsible Reader
A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay DETAILS: Publisher: Bantam Publication Date: January 14, 2025 Format: eARC Length: 352 pg. Read Date: December 23-26, 2024 What's A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage About? I had a long and drawn-out version of this planned, but I scrapped it when I realized it would be
MUSIC MONDAY: “We Happy Don’t Worry” by American Authors - The Irresponsible Reader
Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then. This weekend turned into one of those, so this is going to have to settle for the post for today (hopefully not tomorrow, too)
Glorifying and Enjoying God by William Boekestein, Jonathan Landry Cruse, Andrew J. Miller: Heartfelt Application of the Classic Tool - The Irresponsible Reader
Glorifying and Enjoying God: 52 Devotions Through the Westminster Shorter Catechism by William Boekestein, Jonathan Landry Cruse, Andrew J. Miller DETAILS: Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books Publication Date: October 16, 2023 Format: Hardcover Length: 229 pg. Read Date: January 7-December 29, 2024 What's Glorifying and Enjoying God About? This is a devotional, as promised in the
Saturday Miscellany—1/11/25 - The Irresponsible Reader
Odds 'n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You've probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case: Can You Guess the Book Titles from These Emojis? Test your knowledge of classic novels and contemporary bestsellers —Let's start off the week with something silly. It's also proof that I cannot
My Favorite Crime/Mystery/Detective/Thriller Fiction of 2024 - The Irresponsible Reader
Finally, we're at the end of my 2024 wrap-up. Thanks for sticking with me for so long! (assuming you have). I read /0 books I put in the category of "Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller" last year (and there are a couple of multi-genre novels that could beef that number up a bit), 33% of my reading
A Few Thoughts on The Bang-Bang Sisters (Audiobook) by Rio Youers, read by Kristen Sieh: Rock and Roll! - The Irresponsible Reader
The Bang-Bang Sisters by Rio Youers, Kristen Sieh (Narrator) DETAILS: Publisher: HarperAudio Publication Date: July 16, 2024 Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 15 hrs. 23 min. Read Date: January 3-8, 2025 What's The Bang-Bang Sisters About? I'm not even going to try to pretend to be able to summarize this, so I'm going to copy and
My Favorite Non-Crime Fiction of 2024 - The Irresponsible Reader
Back when I started this site, I knew the content would be largely "genre"-oriented. I'd have wagered the content would be roughly 1/3 Mystery/Detective fiction, 1/3 Urban Fantasy, and slightly less than 1/3 SFF, with "non-genre" fiction, humor, and non-fiction being enough to make my one-thirds just an approximation (honestly, if you asked me what
My Favorite Non-Fiction Books of 2024 - The Irresponsible Reader
My 2024 Wrap-up continues and now we're on to the Non-Fiction list. While I liked a number of works that didn't make this list, I felt strange calling them a "favorite." So, we have 9 instead of the nigh-obligatory 10. These are the ones that stuck with me through the year; the ones I cited
WWW Wednesday—January 8, 2025 - The Irresponsible Reader
After a two-week break, we're back to WWWing on Wednesdays. This is basically a recap of my year thus far. This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl. The Three Ws are: What are you currently
My Favorite Audiobooks of 2024 - The Irresponsible Reader
I'm about 30 hours behind with this 2024 wrap-up. Hopefully, I can pick up the pace so we can move on to 2025 soon. But for now, let's talk about my favorite Audiobooks. How do I keep this from being just a rehash of my other year-end lists? By focusing on the audiobook experience over
PUB DAY REPOST: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire: Water Loves Falling - The Irresponsible Reader
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire DETAILS: Series: Wayward Children, #10 Publisher: Tordotcom Publication Date: January 7, 2025 Format: eARC Length: 160 pgs. Read Date: December 16-18, 2024 What's Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear About? One of the advantages (and, to be fair, aggravating parts) of this series is that each