Saturday Miscellany—4/15/23

I didn’t set out to share a bunch of recommendation lists this week, but, it ended up that way (and I axed a couple before publishing). Actually, I’m a little surprised to see that I have much to share. I spent most of my blog-hopping/social media/reading time this week doing things with people—a strange occurrence for this introverted homebody (all pleasant, don’t get me wrong–just strange).

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:
Bristol library exhibition of forgotten items left in books—I always enjoy these stories about odd things found in library books. (also, wow, is the BBC more comfortable with silence than US news. There’s no way that a US newscast wouldn’t impose a voiceover on those shots).
How Bookshop.org Survives—and Thrives—in Amazon’s World—(and yes, I would’ve shared this story even if I hadn’t recently been transitioned over to Bookshop.org for my purchase links)
Are these the most influential novelists of 2023?—LitHub’s Emily Temple trimmed TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023 down to the bookish people.
Judy Blume forever: the writer who dares to tell girls the plain truth—a nice piece about her on the eve of the long-awaited adaptation of her classic novel
Behind the Scenes of Barack Obama’s Reading Lists: Does the president really read all those books? The answer might surprise you.—huh. With lists like his (which are always interesting to peruse, even if they don’t move me to read anything) being so influential, it’s nice to get a behind-the-scenes glance.
How Ian Fleming Wrote Casino Royale and Changed Spy Fiction Forever
Don Winslow recommends 6 novels that have informed his craft
The 15 Best Modern Sci-Fi Authors Who Are Writing Today
What Characters Peat Likes
ARC Book Review Etiquette
Discussion: Star ratings need not be part of reviews
Revisiting my old blog posts—I don’t know that I’d have the guts to do this
Not So Gentle Giants: A Ramble on Big Men in early Epic Fantasy—a fun little ramble
Real Funny Books – Random Titles—some people would move on and try to forget these titles. Other people make lists with them.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Blood Runs Cold by Neil Lancaster—The newest DS Max Craigie promises to be disturbing as it focuses on human trafficking victims being re-abducted. It took me months to get to the last Max Craigie–I’m hoping my priorities are in better shape now.

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Damien de Soto, who followed the blog this week. I hope you enjoy the content and keep coming back.