Saturday Miscellany — 5/25/19

Happy Towel Day! (in case you missed my earlier posts — yup, three posts on a Saturday this one and this other one). Hope you had fun — the hoopy froods at Re-Pop Gifts in Boise made a nice fuss over the day, and gave out Tea Towels (I now have 2 towels ready to go for next year) — if you’re in the Boise area, you really need to check this store out.

It really doesn’t feel like I spent enough time at my computer this week — as is reflected in my book posts for the week. So when I opened my list o’ links last night to start reviewing them for this post, I was really surprised — I didn’t think I’d taken the time to save anything. I ended up not using everything I considered! It may be hard to believe I didn’t actually end up using everything from CrimeReads that I thought about — only so they don’t sue me. Also, I’m sure to have a little bit of something for next week (which I anticipate will be really slow).

By the way, am I the only one not ready for May to be this over yet?

Enough blathering on, 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:

• How to Read More Books Without Stalling Out — If you’re reading this post, this isn’t a LifeHack for you — but maybe for someone you know.
• Lunacy: how science fiction is powering the new moon rush
• Writers blocked: Even fantasy fiction is now offensive — this piece from The Spectator is worth a couple of reads — even if you think it’s overblown (something tells me she’s underselling it).
• Sacred Trash: How to Dismantle a Library
• Raymond Chandler’s Grudge Against British Mysteries, Reconsidered — blah
• Interview with a Bookstore: MysteryPeople — Good interview about a bookstore I will likely never visit (geography), but wish I could. I really like the line about Craig Johnson.
• The Books That Made Me – Part 1 — Derek Farrell pens a great tribute to The Three Investigators. While I pointed out my indebtedness to Encyclopedia Brown recently, there’s a sense in which he was only a gateway to The Three Investigators. Every time I think of about the series, which isn’t enough, I can see it’s shadow on my current reading/taste. I should re-read them…but I’m not sure I want to risk tarnishing the memory.
• What Makes A Great Book? — Devouring Books posted this thought provoking post recently. I wish I had time to really interact with it and/or do my own along these lines, I think it’d be profitable.
• 140 Literary Dog Names For The Very Best Bookish Dogs — I hope it’s years before I need a list like this, but this is handy.
• How (not) to write a book review- for dummies! — Good advice from the Orangutan Librarian

This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
• Pimp My Airship by Maurice Broaddus — if people had a hard time with Cherie Priest’s steampunk setting, imagine how they’ll feel about Broaddus’ Indianapolis. Looks good — see Paul’s Picks post about it for more.
• Deception Cove by Owen Laukkanen — The first non-Stevens and Windemere book from Laukkanen was probably not my thing, but was likely really good. This, on the other hand, is totally my bag — an ex-con, a Marine Vet with PTSD, and a corrupt sheriff fighting over a dog.
• Starship Repo by Patrick S. Tomlinson — swashbuckling SF adventure, heavy on the humor. Looks so good, I just put the first in the series on hold at the library.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to TheReadingNook (I use that theme for a different blog myself — her version looks better), Tony Self and Somik Bndopadhyay for following the blog this week.