Three things make a list, right?
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:
The Rise of Nobledark Fantasy and What It Says About Us Right Now—Please, oh please, let this subgenre blossom.
The Book News Isn’t All Bad—Molly Templeton points out the good news under the bad headlines
In the same vein, Bookish Diversions: Anything Better than a Bookshop?
My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
”…the entire building burst into flames. It was not a gradual combustion. One second, the building was a normal not-on-fire warehouse. Then it was all fire, as if it were the head of a match that had been struck.”—Soul Fraud by Andrew Givler
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Once a Crooked Man by David McCallum
Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire
And I mentioned the release of Strike by Delilah S. Dawson.
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn—”Chet the dog is less than enthusiastic about the Little Detective Agency’s next case. Chet and his human partner, PI Bernie Little, have been hired to find a missing person—only the missing person is a cat. Miss Kitty, an internet sensation, has disappeared, and Chet and Bernie have been hired to find her before her many followers realize something is wrong.” I enjoyed talking about it recently.
Electric City Switches by M.D. Presley—Corbin has his hands full trying to track down a thief, keep her safe from bounty hunters and her (estranged) family, while his mentor is confined to their hotel. I tried to talk coherently about it yesterday.
Paranormal Payback edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes—A solid collection of Urban Fantasy revenge tales. I wrote something about it earlier in the week–and forgot to mention that the last story is a must read for the names of the two protagonists alone! (the rest of the story was pretty good, but I want an explanation of the names)
First Mage on the Moon by Cameron Johnston—An “innovative space fantasy, where wizards race to be the first on the moon – also known as the land of the gods.”
Go Gentle by Maria Semple—I don’t know what it’s about (honest!), all I need to read is “Maria Semple.”
Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell—”[A] breathtakingly honest novel about a woman who lost everything — and isn’t sure she wants it back.”
The Signal Beneath the Sand by Hank Garner—I’ve spent so much time listening to Garner talking to authors of every stripe, I’m eager to see what he can do. Also, who doesn’t like a first contact SF adventure?
Spies and Other Gods by James Wolff—A “darkly funny”, possibly Mick Herron-esque, “cat-and-mouse spy thriller, an anonymous whistleblower sends British Intelligence into a frenzy, threatening to reveal secrets that could bring the establishment to its knees.”
Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse, translated by Florian Duijsens—”In this zen and zany crime debut, a shady lawyer transforms his life through mindfulness—and uses his newfound techniques to kill his way to the top.” Oh, and it’s apparently on Netflix.
Read Irresponsibly, but please Comment Responsibly