Saturday Miscellany — 2/23/19

Busy week around here — heading into the last week of Fahrenbruary and have a few really good books left to talk about. But man, I need to read out of the genre. Still, here are the 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:

• AAP Reports E-Books Sales Fall, Audiobooks Rise — not news to anyone, really (at least anyone who cares about book sales), but worth a glance. 3 years of double-digit growth for Audiobooks? That’s impressive.
• With ‘The Border,’ Don Winslow closes modern literature’s most important crime saga
• ‘The Border’ is Don Winslow’s final chapter in a chilling, timely and seminal drug war trilogy — “The central question of crime fiction is how do you live decently in an indecent world” is a great line. (shocking, I know, that Winslow has great lines)
• See the Cover for Lee Child’s Next Jack Reacher Novel
• Michael Connelly’s Next Harry Bosch Novel Announced (with Details)
• Thrillers and Humor? — Lee Goldberg, who knows a thing or two about both topics (and merging them) — talks at The Poisoned Pen
• Clues That You Are the Unorthodox Detective in a Murder Mystery — I enjoyed this a bit more than I should’ve
• The 23 most unforgettable last sentences in fiction — Opening lines get all the attention, but a good last line? Priceless (but hard to talk about often without ruining a moment for a reader)

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• Seraphina’s Lament by Sarah Chorn — A beautiful and brutal fantasy about a world dying while ruled by a Stalin-esque figure. I had a few things to say about it earlier this week.
• Immoral Code by Lillian Clark — High Schoolers plan a heist to send a friend to college. I enjoyed it, if you’d care to read more about that.
• Batman: The Court of Owls by Greg Cox — I haven’t read one of these new Batman novels, but have read some good things about them — this one in particular. I’ve always enjoyed the Court of Owls stories, I need to get on to these, tout de suite.
• Hunting LeRoux: The Inside Story of the DEA Takedown of a Criminal Genius and His Empire by Elaine Shannon — a non-fiction account that’s getting praise from the writer of Black Hawk Down, Don Winslow and Dennis Lehane. Reading the description sounds like an overblown crime novel, but knowing it’s not, you may not sleep well after reading this. Go click the link on this one.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to deborahkehoe and kelleysdiy for following the blog this week.