We got a lot of snow dumped on us yesterday—this weekend could possibly bring more snow to the area than we’ve seen in four years (and I really don’t want to talk about what happened then). I slept through most of it, and then was distracted by work for the rest. But this morning, I can watch it fall through the window I’m sitting across from. It’s oddly relaxing. I’m not the kind of guy who sits and watches anything outside my window, but today it’s working for me.

Until, that is, I have to let a dog out. Then the snow will be the source of a wet, furry, mess. I’d better stock up on the relaxation while I can, right?

Anyway…
Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet 19 Tips For Reading More This Year—This is far different (and yet not) from the typical posts like this I share, it’s built from reader feedback about how the Pandemic/Lockdows/etc have changed reading habits.
bullet Indie Bookstores Embrace E-Commerce… and It Pays Off
bullet Lecter’s Fangs: Why the Ending of ‘Hannibal’ is a Secret Masterpiece—Friend of the Blog, Nick Kolakowski, attempts to defend and laud (fairly successfully, I begrudgling admit) the ending of Hannibal. He very well may be right. He probably is. I still don’t like it.
bullet ‘I think I’ve written more Sherlock Holmes than even Conan Doyle’: the ongoing fight to reimagine Holmes—I’ll confess to not reading all of Doyle’s Holmes (have owned a complete set since junior high), have never read one by anyone else. I’m fascinated by all the variety. Am I missing out on some good ones?
bullet How a Former LAPD Detective Became the ‘Godfather’ to L.A. Crime Writers—I love reading things like this
bullet One Word Book Reviews: Because I’m Lazy Like That—Given the graphics involved, I’m not sure “lazy” is the right word. I love this idea. And clearly, could never pull it off.

A Book-ish Related Podcast Episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet Author Stories Podcast Episode 1051: Mike Chen Returns With We Could Be Heroes—Garner and Chen talk about the new book, which is good. The highlight for me was the discussion of Chen’s pandemic book being released a few weeks before the world went upside down last year, and his thoughts about the COVID-inspired books coming in a few years.

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Dreyer’s English (Adapted for Young Readers): Good Advice for Good Writing by Benjamin Dreyer—I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on this one since I heard about it. I loved the “adult” version and want to see how he translates that into advice for kids (also, I can see this being easier to pass on to non-language nerd friends/family who need the help)