Saturday Miscellany – 5/30/15

This has been a fairly quiet week here, I know… it’s the kid’s first week out of school, and we’re all adjusting to new schedules at Irresponsible HQ — time for reading and writing were down considerably. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I’ll get in a new stride.

Still, there’s a little to share this week, I found a few odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

• Judy Blume’s New Book Might Also Be Her Last — Haven’t read Blume since I read the last of the Fudge novels to my kids, and am in no rush to change that. Still, the idea of her not writing? Just seems wrong.
• Technology Of Books Has Changed, But Bookstores Are Hanging In There — NPR offers a rare (but growing more common) optimistic look at the state of Indie Bookstores
• Lovereading.co.uk and Google Maps Mash-Up
• Some Good Reads for Summer — Rick Riordan put out another one of his recommended reads lists — this one for children’s books for this summer.
• Interview With Author Alex Bledsoe — Steven Stack, a playwright (I guess), interviews Bledsoe on the release of Long Black Curl
• Speaking of interviews, Gerald So (who knows a thing or two about Spenser) posted An Interview with Ace Atkins for Crime Spree Magazine. Good stuff.
• Seven Literary Quotations We Suggest You Memorize — a handy list from B&N Reads

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe — very excited to get to this one, the third Tufa novel. There’s something special to these books that I can’t quite put my finger on, but I honestly don’t care if I identify what makes them work the way they do as long as I get to see it.
• I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest — not that it’s easy to pigeon-hole Priest’s work, but if you could — I don’t think this would fit in it, which really makes me look forward to it. Looks like a lot of fun, too, which doesn’t hurt. Here’s a note Priest wrote about the book.
• The Last Drive and Other Stories by Rex Stout — some of Stout’s early work — including the story that grew up into Fer-de-Lance.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to soireadthisbooktoday for following the blog this week.