Saturday Miscellany—8/26/23

It’s been another quieter-than-expected week here on the blog—I’m hoping to crank out a few posts today so I can jump into next week with a few things scheduled. The big problem is committing to one idea lately, I keep writing a sentence or two on one post before thinking of something I need for another…so I have many, many fragments scattered around my hard drive. My daughter keeps trying to tell me that I have undiagnosed ADD, and with weeks like the last couple, I’m tempted to agree. But I digress.

This is a slimmer miscellany than I anticipated, but some great reads—and the first new release that I talk about literally has me dancing in my seat as I think about it. Yes, I did spend time on websites that aren’t part of Lit Hub this week (as hard as it may be to believe—I actually cut links to that site for this week’s list).

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:
Library kids will save the world…one book, one day at a time… together—his tweet might be too optimistic of a take, but the attached video is sure to make you smile. The feel-good link of the week.
The Land of Lost Things—John Connolly wrote a nice little post about the importance of booksellers
On the Bad Binary of “Good” and “Bad” Literature: Josh Cook on Taking Back the Idea of “Good Taste” from Cultural Authoritarians
How Much Does It Cost to Open a Bookstore?

I'm going to break in with a quick word of warning: some of the subject matter in the next few links is going to be difficult for people who are known for saying "It's not hoarding if it's books" or something like that. Trust me, these are worth a read. Or skip to the Velma link if you're wary. I'm not sure why so many people are talking about this lately...

Moving books is a big pain. Here’s how to make it easier.“The most efficient ways to pack them, how to ensure they aren’t damaged — and tips for easing the pain of culling your collection”
On the Difficulty of Getting Rid of Books: “I don’t get rid of them, per se; rather, I set them afloat, in search of new homes.”title
Get Rid of Your Books: Couldn’t you use a little extra space?
The Ritual of Rearranging Your Books
The Greatest Velmas of History and Fiction—”Velma may be the modern model of a particular ideal, but it’s an ideal that’s existed since a nearsighted Australopithecus shone a torch into the back of her cave to logically prove that the Ghost Mammoth was just Ogg with a blanket over his head.” Here’s a look at some of the best from history, film/TV, and books.
Bringing Comic Books to Life With Comic Book Printing—I can’t help but think that I should’ve known all this, but I didn’t—The Coffee Addicted Writer talks about the various techniques of putting comics in our hands.
The Borders of Speculative Fiction—It’s been far too long since I’ve had some Peat Long thoughts on genre to share. Glad to see him musing again.
There Are Too Many Books!—it’s a provocative title, to be sure. And I get where Krysta’s coming from, but…really? Too Many?
Speaking of too many…Narratess Indie August Sale is a giant list of temptation. Over 300 Indie Titles for dirt cheap (or free), including several that I’ve blogged about or featured here and/or just wanted to read.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
42: The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams edited by Kevin Jon Davies—I’m not just excited because it feels like it’s been a decade since I Kickstarted this and it’s finally on its way to me. But Davies, a collaborator with Adams has gone through boxes and boxes of archival material to bring readers some of the best things from Adams we’ve never seen before.
Fadeaway Joe by Hugh Lessing—almost every sentence in this book’s description checks a box for me, I’m not going to mangle it by trying to summarize it in a sentence or two. Just click the link.
The Art of Libromancy: On Selling Books and Reading Books in the Twenty-First Century by Josh Cook—I was interested in this even before I read Cook’s piece on taste above. Now, I’m really intrigued. What a great title, too.
What Would Velma Do?: Life Lessons from the Brains (and Heart) of Mystery, Inc. by Shaenon K. Garrity—after reading the excerpt about Velmas, I had to find the book. It looks like fun. “A clever illustrated ode to the breakout star of Scooby-Doo, exploring the life lessons this iconic nerd girl teaches us and why we should all aim to be the Velma of our friend group.”