Saturday Miscellany—2/14/26

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:
Farewell, Pocket Books—I’ve linked to several things about this in the last few months (well, maybe a handful). I rather appreciated this short video.
Dorothy Parker: Sharp-Witted Writer, Bitter Professor—I didn’t know this about Parker.
Scammers’ Delight: Christopher Farnsworth on Living in the Golden Age of Grift—Yes, this is mostly an advertisement for Farnsworth’s new novel (see below), but even without that, it’s a good read. And you can see why people like Farnsworth, Spencer Quinn, and Jesse Q. Sutanto write about bringing these kind of crooks down.
It’s Time to Get Loud About the Books You Love—If you’re going to limit yourself to reading one thing I link to this week, this is the one.
Death Show Colossus: A Fantasy Cyberpunk Deluxe Edition Kickstarter—this looks like a great read, and you can get a very pretty copy of it on the cheaper side while helping some indie artists.
Books That Take Place in Bookstores or Libraries—a handy-dandy list.
Books with Relationships for People who Don’t Love Love: 2026 Edition—I’d forgot that Witty & Sarcastic Book Club did this every year. Shame on me. I enjoy seeing the picks (this year, I’m feeling clever: I’ve read one, own one, and have had another on my “to get” list for ages).
Similarly, Noelle Holten has a couple of Anti-Valentine’s Day Book Recs
If, however, you’re in the mood to celebrate the day, you might appreciate this collection of valentines to print for your special someone (or to at least forward the images to them)
The Manhattan Beach Library has a great game for bored librarians to play

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“Death may be the price of warriors, but grief is the price of the ones they leave behind.”—Banners of Wrath by Michael Michel

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
The Batgirl of Burnside by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart & Babs Tarr
The Highly Capable by Jayme Beddingfield (I feel pretty bad that I forgot about this book entirely until I read this post today)
Guardians by Josi Russell
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
And I mentioned the releases of: Morning Star by Pierce Brown; Dead Is Better by Jo Perry; Atlanta Burns: The Hunt by Chuck Wendig; As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Banners of Wrath by Michael Michel—the third book in this saga is really pushing these cultures to the brink of destruction. I’m not so sure that there’s a way for this series to resolve in anything but chaos. I think I’m okay with that as long as the writing stays this compelling. (and if I’m wrong, all the better)
Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson—”An ordinary man discovers a hidden world of supernatural creatures—and an unexpected home—in this enchanting contemporary fantasy debut.” I tried to talk about what a cool read this is recently.
Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot by Christopher Farnsworth—”Police Chief Jesse Stone finds himself in the crosshairs of a rich hedge fund manager dead set on making Paradise Jesse’s personal hell.” I’m appreciating Farnsworth’s approach to Jesse, coupled with the piece linked above, I’m eager to dive in sometime next week.
Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman—”A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel.” This is not the jokey-Dinniman that others have described to me. This is like Suzanne Collins mixed with Scalzi’s more serious side. I’m almost half-way through this audiobook, and it’s captivating and gut-punching.