Jules Jones's Blog, page 24
January 11, 2015
booklog 2015 - 2) Gemma Halliday - Spying in High Heels
Chicklit mystery set in Los Angeles. Maddie Springer is a young fashion designer who tries to track down her lawyer boyfriend when he goes missing, and finds herself in the middle of embezzlement and murder. I nearly stopped reading on the first page, wherein Maddie describes her behaviour on the freeway when she's late for a meeting with her boyfriend. Almost causing an accident by cutting into lanes and doing her make-up in the mirror at high speed was presumably supposed to make her look adorably ditzy, but I simply found it loathsome. I did keep reading, but it coloured my view of the character for the rest of the book.
It's an odd one for me. The mystery plot was enjoyable if predictable, and there were things I liked a lot, with some good supporting characters; but it was hard work getting to the end and if it had been a paper edition I would have probably been high-speed skim-reading. No more than a two star for me and I'm not inclined to try anything else by this author, even if I can see why other people were bowled over by it.
Kobo
Amazon UK
Amazon US
ARe
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/286848.html, where it has received
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It's an odd one for me. The mystery plot was enjoyable if predictable, and there were things I liked a lot, with some good supporting characters; but it was hard work getting to the end and if it had been a paper edition I would have probably been high-speed skim-reading. No more than a two star for me and I'm not inclined to try anything else by this author, even if I can see why other people were bowled over by it.
Kobo
Amazon UK
Amazon US
ARe
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January 10, 2015
The obligatory awards eligibility post
Obligatory, because it winds up those who think that it's infra dig for the wimminz, the queer, the other Others, to point out that they too wrote $STUFF that is eligible for awards. If you're scratching your head and wondering "What is Jules ranting about now?", be grateful. Also, you're probably one of the people I know from romance fandom rather than science fiction fandom.
So, $STUFF I had published in 2014. Pretty thin pickings, and none of it from the sf&f side. One novel and two short stories.
Nice Tie - contemporary erotic romance novel, m/m, published by Loose Id. Word count 42k.
Any Port In a Storm - contemporary erotica short story, m/m/m, published in the Mammoth Book of Urban Erotic Confessions, editor Barbara Cardy, publisher Constable & Robinson. Word count 5k. Officially erotica, but it has an HEA and I'd happily lay claim to it being erotic romance.
Bread and Butter Pudding - contemporary erotic romance short story, m/m, published in the anthology Not Quite Shakespeare, editors Sue Brown and Ann Regan, publisher Dreamspinner Press. 3,600 words.
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So, $STUFF I had published in 2014. Pretty thin pickings, and none of it from the sf&f side. One novel and two short stories.
Nice Tie - contemporary erotic romance novel, m/m, published by Loose Id. Word count 42k.
Any Port In a Storm - contemporary erotica short story, m/m/m, published in the Mammoth Book of Urban Erotic Confessions, editor Barbara Cardy, publisher Constable & Robinson. Word count 5k. Officially erotica, but it has an HEA and I'd happily lay claim to it being erotic romance.
Bread and Butter Pudding - contemporary erotic romance short story, m/m, published in the anthology Not Quite Shakespeare, editors Sue Brown and Ann Regan, publisher Dreamspinner Press. 3,600 words.
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book log 2015 - 1) Ben Goldacre - Bad Pharma
I was a bit pathetic at book logging last year, wasn't I? Doubtless I shall be again this year, but I'm going to try to do slightly better and at least get to the end of January before it all goes horribly wrong...
Ben Goldacre is a very angry man, with good reason. In this book he lays out how the pharmaceutical industry has distorted drug research in pursuit of profit, sometimes intentionally, sometimes entirely without malice but with equally devastating effects for patient welfare. This matters because patients are prescribed less effective drugs, or drugs which are outright harmful, at huge financial expense to those paying for the drugs. This isn't a conspiracy theory book; Goldacre is quite clear that many valuable drugs have come out of the industry, and that most of the people who work in it want to make better drugs. He sets out in detail how and why bias is introduced into both research and prescribing practices, putting it in layman's terms but linking to the research papers and court documents that back up what he's saying. He also addresses the failings of the current regulatory system, and proposes ways to improve things -- pointing out that unless real controls with serious financial penalties are put in place, even those companies which genuinely want to reform will be under commercial pressure to continue with bad practice in a race to the bottom.
It's a dense and at times exhausting read. But Goldacre has done a decent job of making the issue accessible to a wide audience with a direct interest, from patients to practising doctors and academics. You can skim a lot of the book to get the general gist, or you can read it in details without following the links, or you can dig into research material he drew on and has laid out in meticulous footnotes and citations. He concludes the original edition with practical suggestions about what individual people can do to improve things, often simply by asking questions.
I read the second edition, which has a "what happened next" chapter about the reaction to the first edition. As he had predicted, there was a backlash in an attempt to discredit him -- but there was also a lot of covert feedback from industry personnel acknowledging the problems and considering how to improve things. While there's always a "the lurkers support me in email" issue with uncredited sources, he does also offer some examples of companies which have publicly moved to improve transparency.
Bad Pharma is an angry but rational examination of a real problem that affects millions of people, including almost anyone reading this review. It's a worthwhile read, even if it makes for uncomfortable reading for patients, doctors and companies alike.
Kobo
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/286384.html, where it has received
comments.
Ben Goldacre is a very angry man, with good reason. In this book he lays out how the pharmaceutical industry has distorted drug research in pursuit of profit, sometimes intentionally, sometimes entirely without malice but with equally devastating effects for patient welfare. This matters because patients are prescribed less effective drugs, or drugs which are outright harmful, at huge financial expense to those paying for the drugs. This isn't a conspiracy theory book; Goldacre is quite clear that many valuable drugs have come out of the industry, and that most of the people who work in it want to make better drugs. He sets out in detail how and why bias is introduced into both research and prescribing practices, putting it in layman's terms but linking to the research papers and court documents that back up what he's saying. He also addresses the failings of the current regulatory system, and proposes ways to improve things -- pointing out that unless real controls with serious financial penalties are put in place, even those companies which genuinely want to reform will be under commercial pressure to continue with bad practice in a race to the bottom.
It's a dense and at times exhausting read. But Goldacre has done a decent job of making the issue accessible to a wide audience with a direct interest, from patients to practising doctors and academics. You can skim a lot of the book to get the general gist, or you can read it in details without following the links, or you can dig into research material he drew on and has laid out in meticulous footnotes and citations. He concludes the original edition with practical suggestions about what individual people can do to improve things, often simply by asking questions.
I read the second edition, which has a "what happened next" chapter about the reaction to the first edition. As he had predicted, there was a backlash in an attempt to discredit him -- but there was also a lot of covert feedback from industry personnel acknowledging the problems and considering how to improve things. While there's always a "the lurkers support me in email" issue with uncredited sources, he does also offer some examples of companies which have publicly moved to improve transparency.
Bad Pharma is an angry but rational examination of a real problem that affects millions of people, including almost anyone reading this review. It's a worthwhile read, even if it makes for uncomfortable reading for patients, doctors and companies alike.
Kobo
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/286384.html, where it has received
comments.
December 26, 2014
SF Gateway Christmas Sale
Having remembered to go and check, yes, the SF Gateway is also having a sale. Lots of classic sf in ebook form from those lovely people at Gollancz. More info at their blog:
http://blog.sfgateway.com/index.php/the-sf-gateway-xmas-sale-is-here/
Books. You know you want them.
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http://blog.sfgateway.com/index.php/the-sf-gateway-xmas-sale-is-here/
Books. You know you want them.
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Book View Cafe Christmas sale
And just as I was thinking that I hadn't seen anything about Book View Cafe having a sale, guess what drops into my inbox.... 50% off a selection of books from Dec 26 through to Jan1. :-) Obviously I have some conflict of interest here, since several of my friends are members of the Book View Cafe, but I've been very impressed over the years with the Cafe's output. The discount is automatically applied at the checkout.
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/category/bvc-sale/
Stuff I've already read and enjoyed:
The Wisteria Tearoom romantic mysteries
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/a-fatal-twist-of-lemon/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/a-sprig-of-blossomed-thorn/
plus the new one which I haven't read but has just gone in my shopping basket
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/an-aria-of-omens/
Misc historical romance
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/althea/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/danse-de-la-folie/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/my-dear-jenny/
Fantasy
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/lhind-the-thief/
Just go and buy this if you like urban fantasy, okay? Chaz Brenchley's Northern Lights duology is stunning.
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/dead-of-light/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/light-errant/
Steampunk Jeeves and Wooster pastiche
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/what-ho-automaton/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/reggiecide/
And another "latest in a series I already read"
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/the-aunt-paradox/
I know I've missed some while skimming.
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http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/category/bvc-sale/
Stuff I've already read and enjoyed:
The Wisteria Tearoom romantic mysteries
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/a-fatal-twist-of-lemon/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/a-sprig-of-blossomed-thorn/
plus the new one which I haven't read but has just gone in my shopping basket
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/an-aria-of-omens/
Misc historical romance
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/althea/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/danse-de-la-folie/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/my-dear-jenny/
Fantasy
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/lhind-the-thief/
Just go and buy this if you like urban fantasy, okay? Chaz Brenchley's Northern Lights duology is stunning.
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/dead-of-light/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/light-errant/
Steampunk Jeeves and Wooster pastiche
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/what-ho-automaton/
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/reggiecide/
And another "latest in a series I already read"
http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/book/the-aunt-paradox/
I know I've missed some while skimming.
Mirror of http://julesjones.dreamwidth.org/285834.html, where it has received
comments.
Loose Id Boxing Day sale
Why yes, I *am* going through my email backlog... Here is a message from our sponsors about a one day sale. It covers Loose Id's entire catalogue, and you may find a selection of my delightful romances at my Loose Id author page.
Are you exhausted from Christmas? Sick to death of carols? Wishing people had shopped off your wishlists instead of QVC and SkyMall?
Customer service that's intimately familiar with the books you're purchasing.Customer service that's intimately familiar with the devices you're reading on.Customer service that's friendly and knowledgeable and able to provide recommendations.25% off every book, every purchase, including previously discounted titles.A great customer rewards program: earn Idcents with each purchase, when you leave reviews, or share books using the 'share this' feature on the product pages, and use them to buy more great books. No separate sign-up required. Our VIP Club : get 15% off every book you purchase from us in 2015, for $29.99, and if you become a member before January 1, get $10.00 worth of Idcents free!Shopping Loose Id puts more money in authors' pockets, and less in Big Business's. That means they can afford to stay home and write more books! Give yourself the gift of pleasure. Shop Loose Id's annual
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Are you exhausted from Christmas? Sick to death of carols? Wishing people had shopped off your wishlists instead of QVC and SkyMall?
Loose Id has exactly what you're looking for: a no-crowds, no-hassle, shop in your pajamas 25% off sale.
Customer service that's intimately familiar with the books you're purchasing.Customer service that's intimately familiar with the devices you're reading on.Customer service that's friendly and knowledgeable and able to provide recommendations.25% off every book, every purchase, including previously discounted titles.A great customer rewards program: earn Idcents with each purchase, when you leave reviews, or share books using the 'share this' feature on the product pages, and use them to buy more great books. No separate sign-up required. Our VIP Club : get 15% off every book you purchase from us in 2015, for $29.99, and if you become a member before January 1, get $10.00 worth of Idcents free!Shopping Loose Id puts more money in authors' pockets, and less in Big Business's. That means they can afford to stay home and write more books! Give yourself the gift of pleasure. Shop Loose Id's annual
What I Really Wanted for Christmas Sale
December 26, from midnight PST to midnight PST.
(At least) 25% off all currently available books. No coupons, no exceptions.
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Free book heads-up: Carolyn Jewel - Scandal
Gacked from BookBub: Carolyn Jewel's historical m/f romance Scandal is free until Jan 1. I read this during my binge on Regency romance earlier this year, and enjoyed it -- it's not going to be to everyone's taste, but I think worth grabbing as a freebie to see if you like Jewel's writing style.
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Kobo
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Amazon UK
Amazon US
Kobo
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book log: David Boyle - Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma
This new biography of Turing is short, the length of a long article or essay rather than a full book. If you want a detailed exploration of the life and work of Turing, you'll have to look elsewhere, but this is a good overview that's well worth reading. It's well balanced on coverage of his personal life, his work at Bletchley Park, and his academic work, tying them altogether so you can see how one element affects the others. It also brings the story up to date as I write this, having been prompted by the campaign for a posthumous pardon, and there's some interesting material about that which won't be in the older biographies.
It's well written and edited, solidly grounded in known facts but enhanced by the author's clearly marked interpretation of some of those facts to make it more than a dry recital, and I found it a very enjoyable read. If you're looking for something a little more in-depth than the online articles without diving into the full length works, this is an excellent introduction to Turing. I think it will also serve well as a synopsis volume for those who want an outline in addition to the full length studies.
The Kindle Single is currently priced at 99p, and excellent value for money at that price, even if a significant chunk of the stated page count is a preview of another book by the author. It's also available in a paper edition, although I'm not convinced that most readers would find it value for money unless they're die-hard completists, unable to use Kindle format ebooks, or looking for a gift for a Turing fan. There's also an audiobook version.
Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma (Kindle Single) at Amazon UK
Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma (Kindle Single) at Amazon US
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It's well written and edited, solidly grounded in known facts but enhanced by the author's clearly marked interpretation of some of those facts to make it more than a dry recital, and I found it a very enjoyable read. If you're looking for something a little more in-depth than the online articles without diving into the full length works, this is an excellent introduction to Turing. I think it will also serve well as a synopsis volume for those who want an outline in addition to the full length studies.
The Kindle Single is currently priced at 99p, and excellent value for money at that price, even if a significant chunk of the stated page count is a preview of another book by the author. It's also available in a paper edition, although I'm not convinced that most readers would find it value for money unless they're die-hard completists, unable to use Kindle format ebooks, or looking for a gift for a Turing fan. There's also an audiobook version.
Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma (Kindle Single) at Amazon UK
Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma (Kindle Single) at Amazon US
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Goodreads thinks I read four books this year
Which tells you how good I've been at keeping up to date on my book log... I really need to spend some time over the break to at least list the books what I have read, even if I'm not going to manage comments on most of them. Alas, I forgot to pack my ergonomic keyboard, so not a huge amount of typing is going to get done before I get home. The new computer's keyboard is nowhere near as good a temporary stopgap as the ThinkPad's was, and I really need to find out how to temporarily turn off the touchpad.
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December 25, 2014
Merry Christmas
May it be a safe and happy one.
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