Saturday Miscellany—4/20/24

The worst day of the year to work in an Adolescent Drug Rehab facility is April 20. It’s been years since I left and I still tense up with I write the date.

I had so many plans this week for the blog, and I don’t think I accomplished any of them (but boy, oh, boy do I have several drafts in some stage of incompletion). I have a Tour Stop on Monday for a strong read. Let’s hope I can put something together for that at least. Stay tuned.

I can tell you that May is going to be a great month around here, thanks to some very generous authors, bloggers, etc. (see this post for details). Hopefully, I can keep things interesting enough until then.

In the meantime, here’s a quick Saturday Miscellany.

Oh, wait…one more thing: Jo Linsdell is trying to start up a new Weekend Link Up Party. Drop by, leave a link, and follow a few.

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:
Who doesn’t look to Forbes magazine for their literary news? They recently released their list of The 30 Greatest Book Series Of All Time—(it’s actually a pretty good list) “rankings are based on specific factors, including critical acclaim, commercial success, mass appeal, and cultural impact among readers of all ages over the years.” The box set they use for the Narnia image is the one I grew up with.
In honor of the 637th Anniversary of The Canterbury Tales on Wednesday (who knew?), Lit Hub asks: What if Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales came out today?
On Writing a Book When The World is On Fire: Sara Koffi on turning to thrillers when justice is missing.
“Bad” Books, and the Readers That Love Them
On Narrative Weight and Moral Arguments
A Guide to Blog Commenting —A good post on the subtle art of blog commenting from Jo Lindsdell (for people who aren’t trolls or spammers). I’m pretty sure I should’ve read until the end of this one before I left a comment on her latest post. Oops. Will try to do better!
Addictive tropes in books — Found Family—a good look at Found Families
Why is Sherlock Holmes so Popular? It’s Elementary (Updated)—from Witty & Sarcastic Bookclub
Love And The Male Redemption Arc: A Ramble Through Fantasy Literature—on a week where I struggle to finish anything, Peat Long puts up a post as good as this one and the one about Moral Arguments (above). Show off.
What to expect from Wyrd & Wonder
The Joy of Book Blogging from an Introvert’s Perspective—I can identify with a lot of this (shock!)
Yeah, it’s a little mean—and maybe even a little lazy—but you’re going to chuckle if you click this link for at least a moment
A cute little song with a message that needs to be heard

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman—I dunno what this is about, I stopped reading at “Abbi Waxman.” Seriously, it’s about an antisocial scientist dealing with the media spotlight, family drama, and possible romance. I’m certain Waxman can do a lot with those elements.
Bad Actors by Mark Pepper—the taxi driver you do not want to cross is back in action in L.A. of all places. Not surprisingly, it appears that he brought his personal brand of chaos with him. I cannot wait to get to this.
Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz—Horowitz and Hawthorne are back in action.