Category: Saturday Miscellany Page 1 of 35

Okay…I didn’t do a lot of reading once I got back home (and most of what I read had someting to do with Tuesday’s events), reentering my life has been trickier than leaving it. But, I do have a couple of good reads to pass along.

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 Olfactory History of Book Collecting—an excerpt from From Sniff: A History of Smells by Will Tullett that should resonate with readers
Why Are Fantasy And Sci-Fi So Often Grouped Together? And Should They Be?—I ran out of time to contribute to this Fantasy with Friends, Peat Long’s contribution is better than what I would’ve come up with, anyway—with similar results.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Twisted Passages Bruce Borgos (THE RIDDLE MAKER)

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
I’m weak from blood loss, exhausted by literally fighting for my life, and relieved now that the two immediate threats to my friends and neighbors seem to be averted. I should be sleeping like a baby.

Come to think of it, babies are terrible sleepers.

The problem is that I’m sleeping like a real baby when I ought to be sleeping soundly, like a metaphorical baby.
—Prey of Angels by JCM Berne

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Mutation by Nerys Wheatley
Max Hamby and the Blood Diamond by Kathy Cyr—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
The Operator by Kim Harrison
And I talked about the releases of: strong>Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter ; The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornel; Shadowed Souls by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes; and Burke’s Last Witness by CJ Dunford

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi—A small town has to deal with monsters of multiple types in this strange Scalzi novel. I wrote about it a little recently
Elf Unwrapped: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Christmas Classic by Andy Richter with Aaron Karo—”In this laugh-out-loud oral history, comedian and costar Andy Richter goes on a mission to find out by reconnecting with the very people who brought this magical vision to life. Through exclusive interviews, hilarious anecdotes, and heartfelt reflections with key players… Andy ultimately unwraps the story of how a quirky holiday film about a human raised by elves became such an enduring cultural phenomenon.”. I gushed some about it here
Saved by the Spell by Tanya Huff—”At the High School for Magical Arts, the teachers are dismayed at the rise of a Hero…because it means a Villain isn’t far behind… Funny, irreverent, and absolutely charming, this cozy fantasy is a gleeful romp through fantasy school tropes—from the other side of the desk. “
Orbital Bombardment Victory Road by Wil McCarthy—”A road trip AFTER the end of the world!…From the Stormlands to the halls of Gem City, and from sea to shining sea, the apocalypse has never been so sweet.” Click the link to read the rest, if only to see why I couldn’t get it into a sentence or two.
Read Your Color: Discover Your Reading Type and Build a Life-Changing Love of Books by Steven J. Reese—This seems questionable, but I’m super curious: “Get more out of reading with this radical guide to shelf-improvement, which reveals your core preferences and helps you choose books based on why you read, not what you’ve read before. Includes the viral Read Your Color quiz taken by more than two million people!”

Image source: Penguin Random House on Facebook

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 Daunting Art of Selling Fewer Books: How CEO James Daunt Is Turning Barnes & Noble into a Serendipity Engine
The Financial Recklessness of Books—a handy graphic from East Village Bookshop, next time you feel the need to defend your hobby
Apateon Press Launches Republishing Program—we need more of this, just wish it was tied to a different distributor (or several)
The Limits of Rationality: On Gulliver’s Travels at 300—at LitHub, “Ed Simon Considers What Jonathan Swift’s Novel Can Reveal About Our World Today”
An Arthurian conversation—Speculative Insight picks the brains of Lev Grossman, Lavie Tidhar, Nicola Griffith, and Alix E Harrow. I need to chew on this.
“I Play the Field; I Read Around.”: The Great Circle Author on Her Omnivorous Habits, E-Reader Renaissance, and Unending Search for “The One.”
Do You Distinguish Between “Best” and “Favorite” Books? …Or are the two lists indistinguishable in your mind?—James Davis Nicoll offers different examples than I would, but other than that…yes, this.
Thirteen for Halloween: Mr Hyde, the Monster Repression Made—multiple sources have pointed me to this one this week. Well worth it.
On why we write stories, and while we should reject gen-AI while we still can…
Read Once & Done vs. Re-reading Favourites
10 Greatest Hard Sci-Fi Novels Of The Last 10 Years, Ranked—your results may vary, but there’s some good TBR fodder here
Murder, Magic & Mayhem: 6 Books You NEED on Your TBR!—from the Crime Book Junkie.
The spirits, entities, and supernatural folk of The Fontayne Company—A.J. Calvin gives a little preview of her next duology. Color me intrigued.
I don’t usually post review posts here (maybe I should), but this one just sounds so good, I had to share: The spirits, entities, and supernatural folk of The Fontayne Company
Monthly Manga Mania Featuring Firsty Duelist: COSMOS by Ryuhei Tamura—Firsty’s one-sentence summary sells me.
5 More Bookish Pet Peeves—a follow-up to the video I shared last week

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“I had nothing left but promises of “I’ll do better down the road”. Which, of course I wouldn’t, but at least I had the foresight to lie to myself. “—Whispers of the Storm by Z.B. Steele

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Time Siege by Wesley Chu
Blackbeard’s Daughter by Diana Strenka
Beyond the Gray Leaf by Dustin Renwick
Calvin by Martine Leavitt
Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter
Good Behavior by Blake Crouch
Scattered Screams by C. A. Huggins
The Farthest City by Daniel P. Swenson
And I mentioned the release of The Terranauts by T.C. Boyle

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Hollow by Michael Connelly—Bosch looks into a case from his own past. This looks great!
Boundless: 17 Stories Starring Disabled Kids edited by Marieke Nijkamp—”A middle-grade short story anthology featuring disabled kids, written by disabled writers”
This Is a Door by Daniel Nayeri—”A young boy, a mouse, and a dog set out to find their purpose in this fairy tale adventure told in an innovative visual format that offers a one-of-a-kind reading experience.”
We Thought They’d Never Leave: Musings on Food and Family by Tony Shalhoub with Josie Adams

(I don’t know the source of it, just got it in a text yesterday from my last supervisor asking, “this you?”)

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:
Is a Bad Jane Austen Adaptation a Victimless Crime?—Some really good thoughts on adaptations in general here
Are We in a Reading Monoculture?—seems to be hot article this week.
The 2026 Shamus Award Winners—a couple of favorites got some laurels this week—including well-deserved award for friend of the blog, Nick Kolakowski
A World That Feels Lived In 500 Years From Now: An interview with Thomas Trang about the Asteroid Savage trilogy of novels—a trilogy I will definately try to finish this year (book was was great!)
SPFBO Finalist Sale 2026—50+ ebooks from award-nominated authors on sale for $2.99 or less, throug the 26th.
Is Everyone Reading the Same Thing? (And Is That Even New?)—Briana at Pages Unbound finds the Elle article above less than convincing.
Why Adults Love Young Adult Fiction—yeah, this is a year-and-a-half old, but I just came across it. (somehow, I don’t remember where)
7 Bookish Pet Peeves

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“It’s the job of fourteen-year-olds not to be great at things, the only expectation they have to live up to is to be morons, they’re put on this earth so their moms and dads will support the headache-pill industry. It really, really isn’t the job of fourteen-year-olds to be geniuses.”—My Friends by Fredrik Bachman

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
John Bunyan and the Grace of Fearing God by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley
Operation Cure Boredom by Dan Martin
Elphie Goes Trick or Treating by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron
This Damned Band by Paul Cornell and Tony Parker
Madam Tulip and the Knave of Hearts by David Ahern
Raining Embers by Jessica Dall
Before the Fall (Audiobook) by Noah Hawley, Robert Petkoff

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Key to a Killer by Olivia Blacke—”A woman and her ghost roommate investigate their most personal case yet.” I talked about is recently.
Mortality Gauntlet by JCM Berne—It’s Rohan vs. Hyperion again, will it be the last time? Find out in the ninth of the series.
Split Screen by Lee Goldberg—”When Erin Casey, the actress who plays LASD detective Eve Ronin on TV, is gunned down after a ride-along, the intended target is obvious: the real Eve. What isn’t obvious is why.”
The Christmas Carol Killer by Chris Frost—”It’s December and Durham is bustling with shoppers and visitors, as carollers fill the air with festive cheer – until a chilling murder shatters the peace. Retired teacher Alistair Morley is found dead, sheet music crammed down his throat, while The Coventry Carol plays in the background. DI Tom Stonem is called and soon thrust into a sinister investigation that reveals Morley was formerly choirmaster at the now-closed St. Bartholomew’s Academy.”
Letters to Our Sons collected by Stephen Graham with Orly Klein—”Featuring letters from Olympian Tom Daley, actors Javier Bardem and Riz Ahmed, and documentarian Louis Theroux, as well as other fathers from all walks of life, this raw collection of advice, anecdotes, regrets, and joys, offers a powerful and inspiring look at father-son relationships and the true value of healthy masculinity.”
Goblin Market by A. J. Hackwith—”A goblin changeling caught between the human and fey worlds must find a way to save her home in this warm and heartfelt fantasy.”
Devil’s Advocate: The Anti-Divine Comedy by Amanda DeWitt—”The Devil went down to Georgia—and started a media conglomerate. Ada Faust’s dad isn’t just kind of an asshole, he’s the Devil himself, and he’s been bringing about the end of days for millennia. But even the Devil must adapt to thrive, and nothing will look better for the bottom line than if oil-executive-turned-politician Nelson Campbell wins the US Presidency. In fact, the world will get so apocalyptically bad that the Devil can retire and appoint one of his heirs to take over as Antichrist.”
Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter by J. S. Barnes—This is either a gread idea or one of the worst of the year, “Seven years have passed since the events of A Christmas Carol, seven years since the night when Ebenezer Scrooge took to a life of philanthropy and kindness. But there is another side to Scrooge. Those afflicted by spirits and hauntings know of him as a man who can help rid them of the unquiet dead. Alongside his trusted companion and friend, Captain Ambrose, Scrooge faces off against malevolent poltergeists and supernatural wickedness.”

image source: @PRHSciFiFantasy on Twitter

Even years-long streaks can be broken. Time to start a new one 🙂

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye the last couple of weeks. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
‘Radical Street Librarian’ Quits Her Job, Then Transforms a Trolley into Mobile Library to Provide Free Books for Hundreds of Kids—I want to be her when I grow up
The Death of the Bookshop wasn’t Caused by Amazon Alone
The Wild Robot Author Peter Brown on What Makes a Great Read-Aloud Book—I haven’t read Brown (yet), but I want to now
Do You Need to Be Surprised?—As is so often the case, Templeton says what I wish I could’ve found the words for
Instant Gratification and Great Literature Do Not Mix- Ways in Which Modern Writing Styles Ruin the Art of Storytelling—The Orangutan Librarian opines
Will Depicting Life’s Struggles Too Realistically in YA Demoralize Teen Readers?—Most of the YA that I read doesn’t qualify for this, but I have read enough for Krysta’s thoughts to really resonate
Do Authors Deserve a Second Chance?—I was enjoying this video by Niko’sBookReviews, and made mental notes about mentioning my Pratchett experience when linked to it here–and then he talked about his almost identical experience. Which sort of felt like plagiarism (if you toss out logic). Anyway…good stuff.
The Indie Author Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror New Release List: October 2026—A.J. Calvin’s monthly shopping list for the indie fan
My Favorite Dragonlance Quotes—Witty & Sarcastic Book Club provides another nudge to get me to dive back into this world
Things Readers Will Never Understand About Being an 80s/90s Bookworm—yup

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
The Anks Kumar Podcast #01 – Vernon Smith—a great convo with Smith about Waiting for LeCler and so much more.
Rule Breakers of Fantasy Fiction with DB Rook—Phil Parker chats with Rook—who is always worth a listen

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
They had reason to be in a good mood: the van had been found… A dog walker stumbled across it. (Praise and hallelujah to the weather-hardened dog walkers of the world! Sniffer-outers of dead bodies and dumped evidence. They’d put more criminals behind bars than Taggart and Rebus combined.) —Paperboy by Callum McSorley

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
NYPD Red 2 (Audiobook) by James Patterson, Marshall Karp, Edoardo Ballerini, Jay Snyder
The Dispatcher (Audiobook) by John Scalzi, Zachary Quinto
The House of Secrets (Audiobook) by Brad Meltzer, Tod Goldberg, Scott Brick, January LaVoy
I Was a Bitch by Emily Ruben
Venators: Through the Arch by Devri Walls
Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection by Michael R. Underwood—incidentally, it was the only new release I mentioned that week. The fact that there’s no Season Two still eats at me (that’s not on Underwood, but the lack of audience). But Season One is good enough to relish and read now.
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

The Last 3 Weeks’ New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Confederacy Myth: How an Insurrection of Slaveholders Tried to Destroy the United States by Connor Williams—A (brief) history that I’m recommeding like crazy. As you can see here
Bark Humbug by David Rosenfelt—a little bit of the holidays, a lot of a twisted criminal case. It’s not often that a 34th book in a series will make a reader sit up and say, “what?” I talked about it here earlier.
The Thrice-Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman—”Professional thief and inveterate trickster Kinch Na Shannack has always enjoyed a good book. But now his life, and the future of all of Manreach, depends on deciphering a very bad book indeed; a stolen, sentient tome that tries to kill him every time he opens it—and often when it’s closed.” Okay, all I needed was “Kinch Na Shannack” to want to read this. But a sentient, murderous book?? Please, please, take my money.
Truth to Power by S.A. Cosby—Cosby writing Luke Cage? This Marvel Crime series keeps getting better.
Dome by D.L. Orton—This will likely only make sense to people who’ve read the first two, so consider this an advertisement. “Parallel lives. Worlds apart. One time loop tearing itself apart. Every rescue rewrites the future, and every life saved leaves someone else to pay the price.”
And Then There is the Bard by D W Walters—
“A party of heroes,
who are far from zeroes.
Quests to slay a dragon,
so join the bandwagon.
But with such high stakes,
do they have what it takes?”
The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson—”A sweeping, magical ode to community and the stories we leave behind, The Memory of Borrowed Books follows one librarian who discovers a hidden room of unfinished memories–and must find the one that can save her beloved library from closing forever.”

source: @bibliolifestyle on Instagram
After talking about my reading progress for the year here and on Social Media for the last week or so, this seemed like a good reminder.

It’s still Saturday in the Mountain Daylight Saving Zone…

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:
Which Big Fall Book Should You Read?—a handy, dandy flowchart
One Staff Member, One Budget, One Community: How Rural Libraries Really Build Diverse Collections—by The Association for Rural & Small Libraries Staff and Members
The 6 Best Crime Books Released Since 2010, Ranked
There’s too much violence in fantasy.—something to chew on
Grand Theft Automaton: Ur A Slave 4 Me—Cat Valente has a nice rant on AI
On the Difficulties of Bookish Influencers Becoming Authors
Michael Vadney has a list of D&D books “for the next time your adventuring party gets wiped out by the most powerful boss in all of TTRPGs: Scheduling.”
Behind the Book: When One Story Becomes Four with Patricia Furstenberg—the latest in Gina Rae Mitchell’s series
Details to Add Realism in Fantasy—I didn’t have time (or ideas) enough for this week’s Fantasy with Friends, but this post and the other participants’, are worth your time.
Florence: Captivating Characters of September 2026—another good one from Reading Ladies Book Club

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans Fool by K.R. Lockhaven—Fiction Fans follow up their chat last week with Lockhaven by discussing the book in question. Some really good stuff here (especially in teh spoiler section)

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“They’d been in there. They were fast, obviously, and the room was in chaos. Papers were strewn across the floor. His desk chair was upended, and it seemed like half of the books on the shelves had been pulled down and now lay like dead birds, their wings open among the other debris on the floor.”— The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glen Dixon

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Ascent by M. T. Miller
Catch & Neutralize by Chris Grams
The Heart of Henry Quantum by Pepper Harding
Biblical Authority after Babel by Kevin J. Vanhoozer
As Wings Unfurl by Arthur M. Doweyko
Children of the Different by S.C. Flynn
And I mentioned the releases of: Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d by Alan Bradley; The Family Plot by Cherie Priest; and Hungry Heart by Jennifer Weiner

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by soandso—A tale of assistants, sidekicks, and familiars trying to get a little respect (and preventing the world from ending). This was a lot of fun and just sweet enough, which I tried to convey earlier this week.
Actually, Nevermind by Taylor Tomlinson—”As she approaches thirty-four—the same age her mother, Angela, was at her death—Tomlinson grapples with fear and ambition, identity and doubt, and all the ways her mind has changed since the day her mom died.”
Die Famous by Michael Koryta—”follows a remarkable family as they race toward an impossible reunion–and asks us to consider where our own loyalties lie when ambition, devotion, and truth mean something different to each person telling the story.”

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:
Every Novel Is Boring—Until It Isn’t—Really liked this essay
Brandon Sanderson Defends George R.R. Martin, Wouldn’t Finish ASOIAF
Misunderstanding the Genius of Jules Verne — And Why It Matters to Science Fiction
AnnaBookBel comes of age!—Anabel hits a great milestone!
ScifiMonth 2026—is coming in November—check out the announcement posts from There’s Always Room for One More, Dear Geek Place, A Dance with Books, and Bookforager—and be sure to stop by for the fun in a month and a half

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans Bonus Author Interview: Fool by K.R. Lockhaven—a nice chat with Lockhaven about his new book

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“It doesn’t even matter what the General says in his speeches. Those who have abandoned their own truths just stop thinking altogether. They sink into a childlike delusion that some great general oozing with confidence will solve everything for them. There’s nothing more comfortable than dozing off without a care in the world in the back seat of a car being driven by your father. They don’t even consider that there will come a time when they’ll have to take the wheel themselves. Many adults, no matter how old they get, remain children at heart.”—The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Audiobook) by Alan Bradley, Jayne Entwistle
Bloom County Episode XI: A New Hope by Berkeley Breathed
The Corruption of Chastity by Frank Westworth
Shadowed by Karen E. Olson
The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
And I mentioned the releases of: Robert B. Parker’s Debt to Pay by Reed Farrel Coleman; An Obvious Face by Craig Johnson; and The Littlest Bigfoot by Jennifer Weiner

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Fool by K. R. Lockhaven—A group of revolutionaries kidnapps the son of the King’s Fool to force him to uncover the King’s biggest secrets. You don’t want to miss this one–as I said here, and am pretty sure I expressed when I chatted with Lockhaven recently.
We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman—This promises to be fun. “At sunrise, high in the Italian hills, a body is found on the steps of a beautiful private villa. On the body is a threatening note, signed by a mystery man. Back at We Solve Murders HQ, Amy, Rosie, and Steve leap at the chance to take on their first proper case. So what if their new client seems to have his own reasons for avoiding the police? All they need to do is uncover who left the note, and then find them. Simple.”
War by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano—”A powerfully moving graphic novel that explores the affects of war on children.”
Never Say Die by Ke Huy Quan—”In this stunning and compulsively readable memoir, the Oscar-winning star of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Goonies, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, Ke Huy Quan, tells the story of his journey from Vietnamese refugee to 80s child star to the most inspiring comeback in Hollywood history.”
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel—”a breathtaking novel of doubles, shadow worlds, and fractured timelines as a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, and a woman—a gunrunner, an art collector, an operative of the State—searches for answers.”
I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends by Jessica Tarlov—”The outspoken liberal voice on the Fox News show The Five shows us how to stay true to our values, find common ground, and communicate with confidence when engaging across political and social divides.”

source: Bookstr on Facebook

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:
What Do Booksellers Make Of “The End Of Reading”?—Defector’s piece is a good counter-point to all the doomsaying about the state of reading.
In Praise of “Wordy, Old Prose.” (Or, F*ck Your AI Reading Buddy)—from LitHub
Is There a Wrong Way To Chase Your Dreams? Some Thoughts Post WorldCon.—Micaiah Johnson has some things to say, this is written for up-and-coming authors, but I think it applies to a lot of spaces.
How to Be the Most Annoying Person at Worldcon, 2026 Edition—John Scalzi has some similar ideas
https://peterhartog.com/2026/09/05/where-the-deuce-have-you-been/—Peter Hartog/Peter David gives an update about his writing, and shares an incredibly relatable tale of heartbreak along the way.
The Indie Author Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror New Release List: September 2026—A.J. Calvin’s latest list of new Indie titles

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
The Granite Moth by Erica Wright
Timothy Other: The Boy Who Climbed Marzipan Mountain by L. Sydney Abel
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by David Rosenfelt—I didn’t realize that Rosenfelt had been doing Christmas novels this long!
Outfoxed by David Rosenfelt
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
And I mentioned the releases of: The Kingdom of Speech by Tom Wolfe; Curioddity by Paul Jenkins; and The Key to the Coward’s Spell by Alex Bledsoe

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Unbearable by A. Lee Martinez—It’s been too long since Martinez put out a new book, I really didn’t care what it was about, it was going on my list. But then I read: “Ortiz is a man without grand ambition or talent. He survives by being mildly useful and eminently disposable, destined to end up in a shallow grave. But on the day he’s digging that grave, he discovers a magic sword. Not just any magic sword, but the magic sword: A weapon that keeps away the apocalypse in the form of an all-devouring dragon.” Now I care about what it’s about.

image source: @Reading_Addicts on Twitter

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

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:
Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI?
Tracking the Tide of Language Change—I’m not sure I completely follow this (need more detail), but this is pretty cool. Part 1 of the interview with Bryan A. Garner, Are You an Informed Prescriptivist? is also worth the time.
“POP!” It’s the funniest crime novel of the year. And maybe the most bitter.—Nick Kolakowski gives a one paragraph review that concinves me to pick up the book and then posts an interview with the author, Angel Luis Colón, that solidifies that idea.
Standup Comedian imagines a conversation between William Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy.
Indie Features: Science Fiction—Cozy with Books kicks off new series of posts.
Omaha Public Library’s Museum of Forgotten Bookmarks is just great.
Nearby Garden City library brings you a Private tour of Garden City Public Library with James Patterson!

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“None of this made sense, but we were alive, for now at least, and we had each other, and that was something.”—The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
One of the Few by Jason B. Ladd
Chasing Freedom by Marina Fontaine
The Phantom Tollbooth (Audiobook) by Norton Juster, Norman Dietz
Hammered (Audiobook) by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels
And I mentioned the releases of: Rise the Dark by Michael Koryta; Dead to Rites by Ari Marmell; The Eternity Fund by Liz Monument; and Invasive by Chuck Wendig

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Pop! by Angel Luis Colón—”a deliciously dark and funny organized crime thriller for every assistant who’s wished they could take out their incompetent boss”

image source: @becs_a_bookworm on Instagram

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:
Rakuten Kobo Returns to U.S. Retail as Sales Double —worth the read even if you don’t care about Kobo just for the commentary on e-book sales.
Ebooks are coming to Libro—the audiobook store that supports local bookstores is adding eBooks to the app next year.
How Readers Find Books—a new project from Debbie Ridpath Ohi to help with new ways to discover books. Readers of this post may want to look into contributing
Interview With an Author: Lee Goldberg—from the LA Public Library
Perhaps We Could Find Some New Book Topics to Argue About—Molly Templeton calls for finding new evergreen topics to argue about. (while giving her $.02 about some of the current crop)

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“If I am wrong about this, then there is no sense in listening to anything else I might say, because it would reflect a misunderstanding so profound as to necessitate my retirement from sharing my thoughts with other people.”—The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious by Scott Lynch

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
The Purloined Poodle by Kevin Hearne
Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
And I mentioned the releases of: How to Party With an Infant by Kaui Hart Hemmings; Nevernight by Jay Kristoff; and Killer Instincts by Linden Chase

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Killer’s Mark by M.W. Craven—not in the US, we have to wait for October (or cough be willing pay a lot for interational shipping cough), but I’m still counting it. “When a teenage girl walks into their office, looking for the mother she long believed to be dead, they agree to take the case. As Poe and Tilly investigate the girl’s claims, they find themselves drawn into a murky world of trafficking, pornography and prostitution.”
Killing A Perfect Beast by Thomas Trang—Trang wraps up this summer’s trilogy about crime and politics mixing on Mars.
The Tailor by Tim Sullivan—DC Cross’ 8th adventure puts him into “the world of spies and state secrets.” I have a few to go before I get to this, but I’m looking forward to it
Under the Falls by Richard Russo—”at once a propulsive thriller, a gut-wrenching portrait of a tight-knit rural community undone by the sins of its past, and an unflinchingly honest depiction of how porous the line between right and wrong, good versus evil, can become.” Honestly, of all the books that didn’t need a sequel, Empire Falls is near the top of my list. But I’m not sure I can resist the pull.
The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan—”A young girl is left to die in a wizard’s dungeon but finds a new home with the monsters around her in this humorous and heartfelt standalone epic fantasy.” Since I read Witty & Sarcastic Book Club’s review in June, I’ve been jonesing for this release.
Don’t Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne—”A laugh-out-loud mystery following the indomitable hot mess Mo Ellery, whose job as a school crossing guard pulls her into an unhinged murder investigation.”
You’ll Love It Here by Natalie Sue—”One day is all it takes for Mona’s life to implode. After years of climbing at her marketing firm, she was supposed to be getting promoted and finally moving out of her crumbling apartment building. Instead, she’s jobless, aimless, and still stuck in a space barely big enough for a yoga mat. Then her eccentric landlady takes a tumble and asks Mona to step in as the building’s reluctant super. The deal is simple: help prep the place for sale, and she can secure the upgrade she’s been chasing. But that’s easier said than done when the neighbors treat ‘boundaries’ as optional.”
The Wandering Inn by pirateaba—The indie book makes it’s trad debut, it’s the first volume in a LitRPG “a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn. She’s an [Innkeeper].”

image source: The Goodwill Librarian