Saturday Miscellany—6/27/20

How is it the end of June already? Seriously…something’s just not right about that. Not much to blather about this week, so let’s just cut to the links!

that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
I’ve been seeing a lot about some Goodreads alternatives lately, The Story Graph—”A site for readers to track their reading and find books that perfectly suit their mood.” It’s in beta now, I’ve seen screenshots of some of their graphs, and it looks appealing. Giving it a shot. Any of you try it?
The other I’ve seen noise for is BookSloth—”Our mission is to help readers discover their perfect book with our personalized recommendations app.” I’m not so hot on the app part, as you all know, I tend to go on a bit when I talk about a book, and the two just don’t mix. Still, giving it a whirl.
12 SF must reads for grimdark fans—This is a pretty cool list, I’m not sure The Diamond Age is all that grimdark-ish, but it’s something that more people need to read.
“I decided just to write stories”: Rex Stout on his Mystery Fiction—this is a very nice post about Stout moving from “literary fiction” to Mystery–where he found success. (I’ve tried his pre-mystery stuff, and wow did he make the right move). There’s a nice thread about the continued snobbery he encountered throughout his career and how he responded to it. Even for non-Stout readers, this is a good read for people fed up with
Are We Only Capable of Writing Liars?: An author reflects on an attempt to write a truthful narrator.
The Evolution—and the Future—of the Private Eye: Cheryl A. Head on the authors and books ushering PI fiction into the 21st century.—I’m a sucker for a good P.I. novel, and I could live off of this list for a month or two (and am tempted to)
The Great Fantasy Debate: Which Game of Thrones House Would You Marry Into? with authors Jim Butcher and Tochi Onyebuchi
When your job is book blogging but your community wants you to take on every single thing not book blogging—Bookish Enby takes a bold stance (largely one I share, but don’t feel the same impetus to advertise)
How to write a book review in 30 minutes—if only it were that easy. I’m actually envious.
If I Was…—Bookaholic Bex answers several creative “What If” questions
Recommending Books Based on Spam Comments—great concept
Why I read—This is a good post. I think I would share a lot of these reasons, if I examined the idea. Maybe I should (although it’s also tantamount to asking “why I breathe”)

I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome toCathy746books, Kiara McCabe, educater34 MSc, NickMay and NewDogNewTricks for following the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?