Saturday Miscellany—5/24/25

Before I get into things today, I’m curious–does anyone have a good recommendation for a bookmark app? I use Pocket to store the ideas for this post (and some other things, too). It was announced it’s going away recently, and I’m looking for a replacement.

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:
It May Be Too Late for Rural Libraries to Weather the IMLS Storm
Can indie novels save our minds? A renaissance takes brave authors—There’s a snobbishness/elitism/pretentiousness to this piece that grates my teeth. But if you can put up with it, there’s something worth reading, too.
How to Make a Living as a Writer
Forget chatbots: research suggests reading can help combat loneliness and boost the brain
When memories from fiction become part of who you are
14 Million Books Later, Jim Butcher Thinks His Wizard Detective Needs a Hug—my read of the week
Magic Doesn’t Have to Make Sense: In praise of fantasy that embraces rebellious, lawless, and delightfully un-rulebound magic.
Gods of Disasters and Wish Givers—another week, another great guest post from Shannon Knight
In Challenging Times, I Turn to Cozy Reads
Book Recommendations From My Dog—who could possibly be a more trustworthy source of recommendations? (also, the World’s Worst Book post linked to in the first sentence is almost as good a read)
Benefits of Book Club
When Fantasy Meets Mystery: Fantasy-mysteries that Everyone Should Read
@shinjutnt.bsky.social‬/Adam Rowan posted about a great word we all need to add to our working vocabularies—particularly in bookstores

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
SFF Addicts Ep. 155 Evan Leikam talks Anji Kills A King, Crappy Jobs, Video Games & More—While I’m not allowing myself to put Leikam’s novel on my TBR right now (I need to make progress on things before I allow myself to do that sort of thing), this was a fun episode (and I might have added a book to a certain list in light pencil).

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
“Concussion Cover-Up” & “NSA Priest” by Carac Allison—I periodically check to see if he’s done anything else, would really like to read more from Allison
Kickback by Ace Atkins
The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry
Woof by Spencer Quinn
And I mentioned the release of Kickback by Ace Atkins; Uprooted by Naomi Novik; Seveneves by Neal Stephenson; and Boo by Neil Smith

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Kaua’i Storm by Tori Eldridge—is a thriller with a lot of heart. “Returning to Kaua’i, park ranger Makalani finds her family divided and their way of life at risk in this rich and emotional adventure.” The culture of Kaua’i is brought to life here.
Nightshade by Michael Connelly—Oh, phew, Connelly has a new series. He really needed another. Didn’t stop me from buying this debut about a LASD Detective on Catalina Island.
Food Person by Adam Roberts—”a delectable comedy of manners about cooking, ambition, and friendship set in the food world as a young and socially awkward writer takes a job ghostwriting the cookbook for a famous (and famously chaotic) Hollywood starlet.”
An Ethical Guide to Murde by Jenny Morris—”Thea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from one person to another–something she finds out the hard way when her best friend, Ruth, suffers a fatal head injury on a night out. Desperate to save her, Thea accidentally kills the man responsible and lets his life flow directly into Ruth…How can she really know who deserves to live and die, and can she figure out her own rules before Ruth’s borrowed time runs out? “

(original tweet)