Saturday Miscellany – 4/9/16

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

• Beverly Cleary’s Birthday Party of the Century — yeah, already talked about the event in this space, but this is big enough to warrant another article (at least one) — this is about her publisher gearing up to celebrate it. Kate DiCamillo writing a The Mouse and the Motorcycle introduction? Sounds perfect.
• J.K. Rowling’s chair sells for $394K — You have got to be kidding me. . .
• The Case for Very Short Novels — I’d never heard of Cynan Jones, but I like what he has to say here.
• This week, Harry Connolly wrapped up his Kickstarter campaign with the update, The Greatest (Final-est) Update of All!, which included word of a new Twenty Palaces novella. Oh yeah! (read that in the Kool-Aid Man’s voice)
• Friend of the blog, S.C. Flynn, was featured in this week’s Mind Meld from SF Signal: Books We Want to Re-Read Like it Was the First Time — which would be worth reading even without Flynn’s contribution, but it’s better with it.
• Songs by Metallica Inspired by Literature — I pretty much included this one for my son’s sake, but I did enjoy it.
• 7 Different Kinds of Readers: A Parks and Rec Edition — I like to think I’m a Leslie Knope (or, better a Joan Callamezzo), but I’m probably just a Ben Wyatt.

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• Burned by Benedict Jacka — Alex Verus #7 finds Alex sentenced to death? Something tells me he finds away to stop that, but it won’t be easy . . .
• Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire — the buzz around this one is practically deafening, it’s sitting just a few inches way and I really want to open it up. Actually, so is Burned. The temptation is strong here.
• Waylaid by Kim Harrison — I blogged about this yesterday, you might want to check it out.
• There Will Always Be a Max by Michael R. Underwood — a new Genrenauts story set in the Post-Apocalyptic region of of Action world.
• Shadow Rites by Faith Hunter — Jane Yellowrock #10

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