Saturday Miscellany—6/6/26

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:
Lee Goldberg has a new book out this week, naturally, he’s doing a lot of press and whatnot. Lee Goldberg’s favorite books that find the humor that makes us human —isn’t part of the press for the new book, but I hadn’t seen it before and really appreciated it.
Building a whodunit from the ground up: Lee Goldberg on his new series starter, ‘Murder by Design’—Is part of that PR.
Book Reviews Vs. Book Reactions and Reviewers’ (Lack of?) Confidence
Behind the Book: Rübezahl by M. Laszlo | Story Inspirations—this is so cool. I hope Gina posts several of these.
Time to start making YA for teens again—novel concept.
A Murder Most Fungal playlist—Adrian Gibson has curated a playlist for his upcoming novel. I remember when many authors did this, and am glad some continue. I’m on track 4 of 23 and know 2 things: I would not have found any of this music myself, and it seems perfect for that world.
It’s time for AJ Calvin’s The Indie Author Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror New Release List: June 2026
@AlexAndBooks_—makes me feel so much better about the number of unread books I have.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
High Stakes Ep 36 – Lee Goldberg on MURDER BY DESIGN & Splitting His Time Between Television and Novel Writing

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“She really didn’t understand people at all, they were so weird. Dealing with them was like being slapped in the face over and over.”—The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Condominium by Daniel Falatko—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
The CleanSweep Conspiracy by Chuck Waldron
No Problem, Mr. Walt by Walt Hackman—a nice book by a very nice man
A Change of Heart by Mark Benjamin
I mentioned the releases of: The Cupid Reconciliation by Michael R. Underwood; We’re All Damaged by Matthew Norman; The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman; and Death by Cliché by Bob Defendi

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg—first in a new series: “Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible. Enter Wally Nash: a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.”
Castaway Cays: Curse of the Sea Serpent by Amy Maren Rice—The second Fuzziwigs MG adventure, “Aliens are running amok in the backwoods of Idaho, Grandpa Slater is trapped in another dimension, and the crazed sea serpent of Castaway Cays-Dragula the Dreaded-has stolen something the Slater family desperately needs.” I’m looking forward to this!
Assassin in the Alehouse by Z.S. Diamanti—”Embark on a cozy fantasy tale of found family and quiet mysteries. A quaint quest to find the place that feels like home and the ones who make it so. A journey filled with self-discovery and new romance. From cloaks and daggers to mugs and flagons …” Sign me up!

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