Saturday Miscellany—9/21/24

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:
Banned Books Week is next week. Commemorate this as you are wont. The theme is Freed Between the Lines
College Students Not Reading Is an Issue, So Teachers Are Adjusting How Classes Look—A little more on the distressing development (also, I want shelves like the one on the right of the photo at the top of the page)
Smaller, shorter books aren’t the only way to make publishing more climate friendly.—I’m not so sure about the “smaller, shorter” part, but the rest makes sense.
The Women Are There: Re-imagining Classic Adventure Novels—I had a very similar experience with the Illustrated Classics, so I started off hooked by the article. I like where Post took it, too.
‘I wanted to write a suburban Reacher’: Richard Osman talks to Lee Child about class, success and the secret to great crime writing—a fun piece. Also, I feel bad that I didn’t realize that’s what Bogdan was
Good-Looking Ugly: Cover reveal and a conversation with Rob D. Smith—Mt. TBR grew a bit after reading this
The A to Z of British (and Irish) Mythological Creatures
A Fun Thread started by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club about first lines and what they can accomplish

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Barbican Station Gary Oldman on SLOW HORSES Season 4—I haven’t listened yet, but that has to be good. Also, congrats Jeff on a major upgrade in guests!! (nothing against most of your typical guests, but c’mon…)

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Not much, actually, I spent a lot of time reading and not a lot of time writing. But I managed to post about:
Doctor Who: Silhouette by Justin Richards
Sunset Express by Robert Crais
And the releases of: Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato; The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey; Black Water by Faith Hunter; and Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by David Barnett

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg—the second novel in the Sharpe & Walker series looks great. Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone showing up is a fun bonus
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman—Osman steps away from our friends in Coopers Chase to introduce us to a mostly-retired PI and his daughter-in-law who has taken over the business.
Hampton Heights: One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Dan Kois—”On a cold winter’s evening in 1987, six middle-school paperboys wander an unfamiliar Milwaukee neighborhood, selling newspaper subscriptions, fueled by their manager Kevin’s promises of cash bonuses and dinner at Burger King. But the freaks come out at night in Hampton Heights. Sent out into the neighborhood in pairs, the boys will encounter a host of primordial monsters–and triumph over them.”
Lines Crossed by Ian Robinson—The exciting third novel in the Sam Batford series is re-released by the good people at The Book Folks. You can read what I had to say about its previous incarnation here.