Saturday Miscellany—3/23/24

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:
Why Ban Books When You Can Ban Book Awards?: Suburban Illinois District Cancels Caudill Awards—The Caudill Awards of all things?
A Letter to the Editors of Literary Magazines—I’ve seen variations of this idea before, it never fails to make me smile. Here, a writer offers some critiques of the rejection letters she’s received.
Reimagining Nonfiction—a local library here will be closed for two days (shudder) to reorganize their Adult Nonfiction section, getting rid of Dewey Decimal. On the one hand, I like the concept. But it feels sacrilegious to monkey with Dewey Decimals, right?
Speaking of the Nampa Public Library, their Treasure Valley Book Fair is just around the corner! There are some familiar names on their list, but many that aren’t. I’m looking forward to meeting some new people—and hopefully featuring some of them soon.
The Weirdness of Ambrose Bierce: From “Owl Creek Bridge” to Horror and Satire—I’m always happy to read about Ambrose Bierce, and this is a good piece on him. It’s also a good reminder that I should open the new copy of The Devil’s Dictionary that I recently picked up.
P.L.’s TOP 25 INDIE SFF AUTHORS—P.L. Stuart, who knows a thing or two about Indie SFF, lists his top 25.
Books I’ve Read With Animals In The Title—a good list (and a good list idea for those who need one)
Tough Questions with A Literary Escape—W&S Bookclub puts a favorite under the harsh lights.
My Wife Reacts to My Favorite Books—author Dave Lawson gives his wife’s impressions of some covers. Fun idea.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans Interview: Translations with Nevena Andrić—questions I’ve always wanted to ask a translator

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
None. It was an entirely dead week here except for a Monday Miscellany because my schedule was just that messed up. I did note the release of Night Broken by Patricia Briggs, and a couple of news-y or silly items that are pretty much dead links now. Fun week around here, eh?

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Girl in the Dark by Zoë Sharp—Blake & Bryon team up again to look into the murder of someone who saved Blake’s life.
A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian—this release snuck up on me, I should’ve been waiting for it instead of hearing about it days later. Tempest Raj suspects that her family’s business is being framed, and it’s up to her to beat the killer at their own game.
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale—based on the title, this is a book I will obviously keep from my wife. Based on the description, this sounds like a dark comedy with a lot of heart.
Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh—Swapping murders for revenge, in a straight-out-of-Hitchcock move, but with a Cavanagh twist. I’m far behind on my Cavanagh reading, this looks like it might be enough to force me to catch up.
The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic by Daniel de Visé—a look at the Ackroyd and Belushi from childhood, to SNL, to the creation of the band and then the beloved movie. How can I resist this? Why would I try?

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