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:
Long Live Dolly Parton, Giver of Books—There’ve been so many tributes to Parton this week, many talking about this aspect of her legacy and work, but this is one of the few that focus on it. (incidentally, I cannot tell you how bothered I am that it’s not available in Idaho)
The Most Famous “Odyssey” Translation Is Inaccurate: On the shortcomings of Emily Wilson’s translation—I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I thought this was interesting. Even if you don’t want to get into “things Wilson got wrong” of it all, the discussion of translation is well worth the read
Million selling Crime Author M. W. Craven on the Story Behind the First Official Poe & Tilly Merch—in case anyone was wanting to buy me a gift
Narratess Indie August Sale—Narratess’ back batch o’ temptation is back with a lot to browse. (it’s also a great reminder for me to look back on my past purchases from the sale next time I’m making a TBR)
A Local’s Guide to Gaining Five Pounds Eating and Drinking at Worldcon 2026—MD Presley’s piece is a fun read, even if you’re not heading to Worldcon or the Anaheim area. (it’d do some damage to my shirt size if I were)
Book’d Out is 16!—no small achievement.
Interviews as a Reader—from Armed with a Book
Interview with the Legendary Margaret Weis—over at the epicenter of Dragonlance fandom, Witty and Sarcastic Book Club.
Why I Re-Read Books—from Bookstooge’s Reviews on the Road
Monthly Manga Mania Featuring Firsty Duelist: Akira Failing in Love by Shinta Harekawa—Firsty wades into the world of Rom-Com!
A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Christians Reading ClassicsCrossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, with Matt Stewart—If I keep hearing Stewart talk about Stegner, I just might read him one day. As Stewart’s an elder in my church, there’s a good chance I’ll get the opportunity. It should be an interesting conversation for people who don’t know him, too.
My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
If Cumbria was a week-old slice of bread, Carlisle would be the big green splat of mould in the middle. The kind that made you question the whole loaf. The antibiotic breakthrough waiting to happen. Surrounding the big green stinky splat would be the lesser moulds. The spores, the bluey-green spots with white edges. Some the size of pinheads, others the size of mouse turds. You wouldn’t throw away the loaf because of the mouse-turd spores, but you’d definitely pick them off. You might sniff the slice and say, ‘Maybe we should toast this?’
—The Killer’s Mark by M.W. Craven
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Trampling in the Land of Woe by William Galaini
Debt to Pay by Reed Farrel Coleman
An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson
I mentioned the releases of The Barista’s Guide To Espionage by Dave Sinclair and Repo Madness by W. Bruce Cameron
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Any More Questions for the Corpse? by Jack Unthank—”When a young necromancer investigates a string of deaths in the hidden magical capital of England, the dead come back to haunt him—in more ways than one.”
The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan by M.H. Foster—”The Demon Overlord retires to farm turnips in peace, only to find life in a small village far more chaotic than he ever could have anticipated in this laugh-out-loud debut cozy fantasy with teeth.”
source: Because All the Books
shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
Thanks for the acknowledgment 🙂