Spelling the Month in Books: January

Spelling the Month in Books: January
I saw a few people doing this over the last year or two and thought it seemed fun. It also felt like a good way to highlight and talk a little bit about books I haven’t talked about in a while, or at all. I’m going to try to mostly talk about books I haven’t blogged about here, just to keep things interesting (for me and you–how many of you really need to hear me saying something glowing about Robert B. Parker? again, etc.).

I intended on getting this done earlier in the month but I spent too much time fiddling with the look. Now that I’ve settled on one, I should be able to get this going earlier in the month for the rest of the year.

	Juliet, Naked Nick Hornby’s novel about a reclusive musician is tough to summarize briefly. Duncan’s a superfan of Tucker Crowe, a pop star turned recluse. Anne breaks up with him because…well, there’s a lot there. Along the way, she becomes online friends with Tucker, and eventually, that relationship grows. Maybe somewhere in all that are new lives and second chances for all involved. Or something like that. It’s been a decade, my memory’s a bit fuzzy.
	After the Golden Age Carrie Vaughn’s tribute to Golden Age super-heroes was a great ride. Celia West is the non-powered daughter of two of the greatest heroes ever, she did all she could to stay away from that world after she grew up. Now, events are dragging her back into that world, despite all her efforts. Ten years ago, I thought it was the best thing Vaughn had written. It’s still at least in the Top 3.
	Needle Song Russell Day’s first novel about Doc Slidesmith is one I’ve talked a lot about, but it’s been a while, so I’m allowing it. Also, of the novels on this list it’s by far my favorite. The language just grabbed me, the characters were fantastic, and the story was almost as good–overall, it was a devilishly good book. (here’s my original post about it)
	Uprooted Naomi Novik’s novel took my breath away. Just that simple–it’s a revisited folk tale, and it’s something special. I didn’t know what to say back in 2015, not sure I do now.
	The Automatic Detective A. Lee Martinez’s novel is a mash-up of SF and hard-boiled detective tales. Mac Megatron is a robot who has turned away from his intended purpose and is trying to make his way as a P.I. I remember having a hard time taking in all the weirdness that Martinez brought to the table, but once I did, I had a blast with it. I’ve since gone on to read all of his novels, and can’t wait for the next.
	Riding the Rap This is the second of Elmore Leonard’s books to feature Rylan Givens. As I recall, it gets vaguely adapted in season 1 of Justified. I remember very little about this book, but remember really enjoying it. Hard not to think reading a Leonard book was a good use of time.
	Year Zero Rob Reid’s hilarious story about First Contact and Copyright law. No, really. The rest of the universe has become addicted to Earth’s pop music and owes us enough money that they’re about to become bankrupt. Wiping out the Earth’s populace would be a whole lot cheaper. Can this lawyer save us all?