Happy Book Lover’s Day, everyone!
Got a short list this week–I don’t know if I’m just missing posts (very likely), or if everyone’s got the August blahs (even liklier), or a societal collapse ennui (incredibly understandable)–but I did find a few things that I wanted to be sure to share.
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:
Jane Austen was a satirist – why isn’t she treated like one?—This is a great question. Maybe if I’m prodded into re-reading her, I’ll focus on that part. (and it would take something like John Cena shouting in my ear while shoving the collected works into my chest to prod enough). Would love to read comments by Austen-appreciators about this piece
What happens when Stephen King and Maurice Sendak join forces? Joe Hill has some thoughts.—I’ve had this book on my radar, and was already planning on actually purchasing a Stephen King book (something I haven’t done since the 90s!), but I enjoyed this video enough to save it for today. Also, Mina Moo Bozic’s comment should make you smile.
“Reading,” a Poem by Emily Skillings
A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald feat. Krystle Matar—”Your hosts are joined by Krystle Matar to discuss The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They wonder why no one talks about Gatsby being a crime lord, throw around wild F. Scott conspiracy theories, and rank the characters from least shitty to most shitty. (It’s all of them. They’re all the most shitty)” I haven’t had a chance to listen to this yet, but I’m looking forward to it, I just have to make the time. Although, “no one” talking about Gatsby being a crime lord is a bit of an exaggeration. It’s not terribly suprising that podcast hosts that focus on SF/F don’t read Crime Reads (or similar places) regularly, as shown in one example or two regularly.
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe—One of the best Tufa novels (which is saying something)
Thank You, Goodnight by Andy Abramowitz—another absolute banger of a novel
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
I mentioned the release of a handful of books: Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn; Veiled by Benedict Jacka; Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat by Anastacia Marx de Salcedo — This book looks great, but man…I tell you, I’m not sure I want to learn what she has to say.; School for Sidekicks by Kelly McCullough; Con Academy by Joe Schreiber; Whirligig by Magnus Macintyre; and A Better Way to Die: The Collected Short Stories by Paul Cornell
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Bones & Betrayals: Silence of the Dead by by Andi Ewington/Erica Marks—a buddy PI novel in a fantasy world. Worked for me on several levels, it’s one of those books I’m telling everyone about—along the lines I did here
Mississippi Blue 42 by Eli Cranor—this is a “series debut starring a rookie FBI agent who finds herself caught in the tangled web of a college football empire—and the bloody greed that fuels it.” I’m halfway through this now…and I’m vaguley annoyed I have to do anything else until I’m done.
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz—1. Fantastic cover. 2. “You don’t have to eat food to know the way to a city’s heart is through its stomach. So when a group of deactivated robots come back online in an abandoned ghost kitchen, they decide to make their own way doing what they know: making food—the tastiest hand-pulled noodles around—for the humans of San Francisco, who are recovering from a devastating war.” Then there’s some sort of pushback. Mike Finn argues against this being classified as “cozy” and makes me more interested than I already was.
That Christmas and Other Stories by Richard Curtis (yes, that Richard Curtis), Rebecca Cobb (Illustrator)—I really enjoyed the movie based on these stories and was curious what they looked like in their original form–now I can (but I’ll probably wait until December to do more than skim it).
Read Irresponsibly, but please Comment Responsibly