The Irresponsible Reader

Okay…I didn’t do a lot of reading once I got back home (and most of what I read had someting to do with Tuesday’s events), reentering my life has been trickier than leaving it. But, I do have a couple of good reads to pass along.

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:
The Olfactory History of Book Collecting—an excerpt from From Sniff: A History of Smells by Will Tullett that should resonate with readers
Why Are Fantasy And Sci-Fi So Often Grouped Together? And Should They Be?—I ran out of time to contribute to this Fantasy with Friends, Peat Long’s contribution is better than what I would’ve come up with, anyway—with similar results.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Twisted Passages Bruce Borgos (THE RIDDLE MAKER)

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
I’m weak from blood loss, exhausted by literally fighting for my life, and relieved now that the two immediate threats to my friends and neighbors seem to be averted. I should be sleeping like a baby.

Come to think of it, babies are terrible sleepers.

The problem is that I’m sleeping like a real baby when I ought to be sleeping soundly, like a metaphorical baby.
—Prey of Angels by JCM Berne

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Mutation by Nerys Wheatley
Max Hamby and the Blood Diamond by Kathy Cyr—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
The Operator by Kim Harrison
And I talked about the releases of: strong>Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter ; The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornel; Shadowed Souls by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes; and Burke’s Last Witness by CJ Dunford

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi—A small town has to deal with monsters of multiple types in this strange Scalzi novel. I wrote about it a little recently
Elf Unwrapped: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Christmas Classic by Andy Richter with Aaron Karo—”In this laugh-out-loud oral history, comedian and costar Andy Richter goes on a mission to find out by reconnecting with the very people who brought this magical vision to life. Through exclusive interviews, hilarious anecdotes, and heartfelt reflections with key players… Andy ultimately unwraps the story of how a quirky holiday film about a human raised by elves became such an enduring cultural phenomenon.”. I gushed some about it here
Saved by the Spell by Tanya Huff—”At the High School for Magical Arts, the teachers are dismayed at the rise of a Hero…because it means a Villain isn’t far behind… Funny, irreverent, and absolutely charming, this cozy fantasy is a gleeful romp through fantasy school tropes—from the other side of the desk. “
Orbital Bombardment Victory Road by Wil McCarthy—”A road trip AFTER the end of the world!…From the Stormlands to the halls of Gem City, and from sea to shining sea, the apocalypse has never been so sweet.” Click the link to read the rest, if only to see why I couldn’t get it into a sentence or two.
Read Your Color: Discover Your Reading Type and Build a Life-Changing Love of Books by Steven J. Reese—This seems questionable, but I’m super curious: “Get more out of reading with this radical guide to shelf-improvement, which reveals your core preferences and helps you choose books based on why you read, not what you’ve read before. Includes the viral Read Your Color quiz taken by more than two million people!”

Image source: Penguin Random House on Facebook