Category: Saturday Miscellany Page 3 of 26

Wow, I’m running behind today.
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:
Why you should buy physical copies of your favorite books—Odd territory (if you ask me) for Popular Science, but hey…
Florida’s Commissioner of Education thinks Jane Austen was an American.—one of those stories that short circuits the brain as you read it. To be fair, we all make mistakes like this from time to time, and it feels mean to draw attention to it. But when I do something like this, I don’t have a staff checking over my material or posting it. Surely, someone could’ve caught this.
At My High School, the Library Is for Everything but Books: The administration has rebranded our library as a communal space for doing almost everything except reading.
Why don’t straight men read novels?—beyond the headline which threatened to tell me things about myself that were news to me, there’s some good stuff in this piece.
Defining Grimdark Fantasy and SF: Moving to an Inclusive Future
Free George R. R. Martin from The Winds of Winter—there’s something to this, a lot to it, really.
Maximize Your Reading Budget: 5 Tips for Free Reading—none of these include piracy, which is nice
Speak your damn mind – or why you should write opinionated book reviews
Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week 2024 wraps up today (frequent visitors to this site may not have realized it was going on this week, oops). If you, like me, are really behind on the posts—what better time to catch up?
“Toss a Coin To Your Bard” by Bjørn Larssen—One of my favorite pieces from the week was this guest post on Sue’s Musings.
Tough Questions Featuring Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann—Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann felt the pressure in the latest of Witty & Sarcastic Book Clubs’ series
After Narnia: Books That Will Remind You of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles (your results may vary)
Blogiversary #7—Reading Ladies Book Club turned the big 0-7 yesterday!
The Problem of the Unpunished Protagonist—as you read this post, you’re going to start compling your own list of this type of protagonist

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta—a fantastic stand-alone thriller by Koryta
The Rise & Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman—”a lovely little book I can’t really talk about without over explaining”
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith—Cormoron Strike’s second outing
And I mentioned the release of two installments in favorite series: Hounded by David Rosenfeldt and The Forsaken by Ace Atkins

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham—Detective Miller is back, and might have just been given the leverage he needs over his wife’s suspected killer. But of course, it’s not that easy, especially once you “Sprinkle in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder, and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg.”
Domestication by Shannon Knight—anything I say about this book without reading it will be wrong. But for a creepy-looking time, this will fit the bill.
The Recruiter by Gregg Podolski—”When bad guys need good help, they call Rick Carter.” After spending a decade helping Europe’s worst criminals get things done, Carter has to play the hero to save his family.
The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu—The author of Moxie makes her adult fiction debut with a look behind the scenes at a Texas High School.

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:
How Much Time Do Americans Spend Reading Per Day?—Let’s start on a depressing note, shall we?
“This Generation’s Homer”: How Penguin Has Changed Marvel Comics
I couldn’t put a boring book down. Now I take pleasure in saying enough is enough—an argument for DNFing
100 of the Greatest Posters of Celebrities Urging You to Read—Is some of the snark too heavy (and forced)? Yes. Otherwise this is fun to read. Even better, just look at the posters and enjoy the nostalgia.
What Happens After the World Gets Saved?—yes, it’d be good to have more books like this (and Templeton gives some good books to start with if you want to read this type)
How NOT to market your self published book… from a book reviewer.—yes
How Did You Get Into Reading?—who doesn’t like a good reader origin story?
Let’s Talk About Book Genres | Are There 5 or 5,000 Different Genres?
FBC’s Critically Underrated Reads—Fantasy Book Critic created a new section on their site “for standalone titles & series. We love these books & believe that they don’t get the exposure & fanfare they should.” So many good looking things here. Some of which I’ve read (and am glad to see here), some I’ve meant to (and appreciate the reminder), and some new temptations…
7 Unconventional Magic Systems—I have nothing but love for the conventional systems, but stepping outside the norm is fodder for fun, too.
On Fantasy, Its Racist Roots, and Transformation
Amazon Prime Day Has Become Too Commercialized by Maggie Phenicie—it’s a little late, but too good to pass up. “When I think about Amazon Prime Day, it saddens me to see how the holiday has become so cheapened. It’s all about getting the best deals, and no one stops to think about the true reason for the season: absolutely destroying independent bookstores.”

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner—a novel that also fell down
Shield and Crocus by Michael R. Underwood—need more fantasy like this in my life
Shattered by Kevin Hearne—the seventh in the Iron Druid Chronicles wasn’t my favorite, but it had some great moments
I noted the publication of Half a King by Joe Abercrombie, Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell, MindWar by Andrew Klavan, and The Outsorcerer’s Apprentice (and haven’t read any of these somehow)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos—more excitement in the Nevada high desert with Porter Beck. I talked about it recently, and am getting impatient for the third book (to be released next year, so I’m trying to fix that)
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman—trying to recapture the magic of Camelot after Arthur’s death. I really, really wish I’d planned my summer reading better so I could dive in now.
The Bang-Bang Sisters by Rio Youers—a pulpy thriller about a touring rock band who happen to be vigilantes when they’re not on-stage. Right there, that’s enough to get me to read. But throw in a vengeful mobster pitting them against each other, and you’ve added an extra layer of fun.
Bottled Secrets of Rosewood by Mary Kendall—contemporary Southern Gothis Thriller, what there doesn’t entice?

I don’t know everything that’s going on during Self-Published Author Appreciation Week (July 21st-27th), but from what I’ve seen/heard from Witty & Sarcastic Book Club and Sue Bavey–and what I’ve got in store–you’re going to want to make some room on your TBRs, folks. Mine has already grown just in preparation.

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:
Where Is All the Sad Boy Literature?—”‘Sad girl lit’ is everywhere, but young men are glaringly absent from the contemporary canon of popular authors writing about sex and intimacy. Could that be about to change?”
How to pick the perfect book to read on a plane—There’s some really solid advice here (I hate flying enough that I only focus on the first one, but well-adjusted readers might appreciate the rest)
The Second Coming of the Sports Novel—never been a sportsball kind of guy, but a good sports novel has always clicked with me.
History’s Footnotes—in case you were interested in the practice…(really a lot more interesting than you’d think at first blush)
The Rise of Cozy Fantasy
Die Laughing: Humor in Serial Killer Novels
IF JACK REACHER COULD SING trailer—a trailer for the upcoming documentary for the Jack Reacher-inspired album from a couple of years ago. Really looking forward to this.
American dream turns to nightmare in new, Springdale-set crime thrillertitle—a quick interview with Eli Cranor about his new book.
Open Book: Justin Taylor—I don’t think I’d heard of Justin Taylor or his latest book before, but after stumbling across this interview, I’m anticipating getting to know the both of them
Lev Grossman Takes His Time—I’d been eager to get my hands on Grossman’s take on Arthur already, but this profile has amped that eagerness up.
M.W. Craven gives a brief account of his recent brush with AI-generated fiction
If you haven’t seen it this week, there’s some new (renewed) discourse on indie publishing numbers. Some people—like Michael Roberti, Krystle Matar and C.M. Caplan—have been sharing their numbers to show. Check— out the replies and others doing that, too. Some fascinating reading.
One more dip back into the morass of Twitter where, Marie Sinadjan kicked off a thread of books with original songs/soundtracks
Are you reading right?
Summer’s One Must Read Book 2024—Carol, from Reading Ladies, has come up with a great list of Summer Reading recommendations from 20 bloggers (19 of them are worth listening to, and the other accidentally had a good recommendation)
Guest Book Review from a Teen Reader: Hamlet—I always enjoy reading this particular Teen Reader’s take on his reading. This time, he’s got a great post on a play you just might have heard of.
Bookshop.org’s Social Media poster (who is the best (only?) reason to check Threads) had a great Movie Pitch for a You’ve Got Mail remake. I’d chip for the Kickstarter…

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross
Skin Game by Jim Butcher—the opening paragraph contains the phrase, “You’ve got about a year ’til Peace Talks comes out.” Excuse me while I go laugh myself into unconsciousness for a minute…
The Martian by Andy Weir—talking about The Martian and Skin Game in the same week? I was having fun…
I also mentioned the releases of Tail of Vengeance by Spencer Quinn, The Competition by Marcia Clark, and Landline by Rainbow Rowell

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Itching Against Ignorance by E.N. Crane—Cyn and Winnie are back for more madcap mystery fun in their 8th novel. (I’m only 6 behind!)
All This and More by Peng Shepherd—there’s sort of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure vibe to this novel about a Reality Show Contestant who gets to use Quantum Technology to rewrite her life’s mistakes. This is going to be a good one

As is typical of a holiday week, this is a short post. Less to distract you from your Saturday reading, 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:
This is Why Book Marketing Doesn’t Work
‘Really I just want to stay home and make art about my dog’: An interview with Sara Varon—I’m pretty sure I’ve never run across Varon before, but this interview makes me interested in checking out her stuff.
7 Thrillers With Shocking Twists
10 Must-Read Authors for Fans of First-Person Adult Urban Fantasy—This is a very narrow category…but can’t argue with most of this picks.
Tough Questions with Left on the Shelf—the latest in the Tough Questions series

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week? (not much, really)
Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto by Matt Kibbe
I noted the release of Premonitions by Jamie Schultz and Artful by Peter David

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Broiler by Eli Cranor—I dunno…it’s by Cranor, isn’t that enough? It’s about revenge, power, economic disparity in the most American of places—a chicken processing plant.
Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt—Marcus asks Andy for a favor and gets him to represent a suspected mass-shooter. I really enjoyed this one, as I said recently.
Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel by Lisa Jewell—Jessica Jones travels to England to investigate some teens who are too-perfect. It’s hard to explain in a phrase or two…but these are creepy kids and something has to be making them that way.
Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski—the new edition of this explosive thriller
The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song—a new retelling of the story of Mulan.
Junkyard Roadhouse by Faith Hunter—Shining Smith is neck-deep in trouble—that’s nothing new, sure, but it’s a different kind of trouble.

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:
Kinky Friedman, Alt-Country Musician and Celebrated Humorist, Dies at 79—from his mysteries to his music and beyond, Friedman was a unique voice (that should’ve been heard by more)
How the ‘Owner’s Guide’ Became a Rare Book
How to Tell a Great Campfire Story
The Literary Power of Hobbits: How JRR Tolkien Shaped Modern Fantasy
Rob Hart on ‘Assassins Anonymous’ and the Dark Appeal of the Assassin Genre—Nick Kolakowski chats with Hart about his latest book, the genre, and the sequel (squee!!!!)
The Joy of Reading Books You Don’t Entirely Understand: It really should be acceptable and normal to say “I don’t entirely understand what I just read, but I loved it.”—There’s a few books I’ve read in the last few years that fall under this category. Glad to see I’m not alone (and I know that I really should read more things like this, but do enjoy the comfort of understanding things)
Traditional publishing vs. Self-publishing: Should There Be A Conflict?—I haven’t finished this yet, but there’s some good stuff to chew on in this conversation
2000th Post and 6 Years Blogiversary Q&A—Sifa Elizabeth Reads celebrates two landmarks with a Q&A (and some decent advice)
Bookmark Chat: Organization
Idle Thoughts on Fantasy Stereotypes: The Big Man—a good follow up to the Idle Thoughts on The Mentor

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Little Tiny Teeth by Aaron Elkins—Gideon Oliver and John Lau enjoy an Amazon River cruise (until the obligatory dead body shows up)
The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy—the second in this very fun MG Fantasy series
Dead Connection by Alafair Burke—I remember really liking this first Ellie Hatcher book (and, sadly, almost nothing else about it).
I also noted the release of The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Don’t Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins—”A Memphis woman hires a PI to find her missing husband, only to discover that he is involved in a dangerous web of international intrigue–and she and her children are now at risk.” I think the promo line, “S.A. Cosby meets Don Winslow,” is a bit odd (kinda seems like using too many words to say “Ace Atkins”), but eh…it is catchy.
The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman—Galva’s backstory in “set during the war-torn, goblin-infested years just before The Blacktongue Thief.” The prequel nature of this really doesn’t intereste me. But I do like the concept, I really enjoyed my first exposure to Buehlman early this year, and that podcast I featured last week did pique my curiouslty. Which is me using too many words to explain why I’ll be listening to this soon (probably explaining to myself more than anyone…)
Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell—”An aimless young woman starts writing to an accused serial killer while he awaits trial and then, once he’s acquitted, decides to move in with him and take the investigation into her own hands.” If this wasn’t described as a black comedy, I’d stay far away from it (while understanding why others race to it). But I gotta admit, I’m intrigued…

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:
Tom Gauld on the human-AI collaborative novel Robot Apocalypse 2030—let’s start off this week with a quick Gauld cartoon, shall we?
94-Year-Old Grandmother Kept Meticulous Book Log for 80 Years—I’m both impressed and jealous
An Update About Disappointing Things, and Things That Did Not Disappoint—Harry Connolly’s latest update
Do You Love YA Paranormal Books, too?
Four Books That Are Gateways to Science Fiction Sub-Genres—Beth Tabler surveys the sub-genres: Cyberpunk, Science Fiction Humor, Hard Science Fiction, and Space Opera; and gives some great recommendations
When Is An Author “Milking” Their World?
Idle Thoughts on Fantasy Archetypes: The Mentor

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
SFF Addicts Ep. 109: Christopher Buehlman talks The Daughter’s War, Atmosphere, Voice & More—a great convo

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Severed Streets by Paul Cornell—the 2nd of the Shadow Police Novels (if only there were several more)
I talked about the release of Shattered by Kevin Hearne, All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner, Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich, and Heirs of Grace by Tim Pratt.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs—Mercy, Adam, and Mercy’s brother are in Montana hopefully not destroying the world.
The Last Decade of Cinema 25 Films from the Nineties by Scott Ryan—Ryan writes about 25 of the most iconic films of the 90s.

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:
Book Banners Ban a Book About Book Banning: Would you believe a school library system would go so far as to ban a book about book banning just because it mentions banned books?—I listened to this audiobook a couple of years back, it boggles my mind that this is controversial.
Thoughts on the 25th Anniversary of ‘Hannibal’—Nick Kolakowski looks back on the book that broke my burgeoning Thomas Harris addiction
Apostrophe’s Dream—Just what do those special characters get up to in a Moveable type drawer?
The Worst Dads in All of Literature: An Incomplete List —skip the Abraham entry, the rest of the post is pretty fun.
Ink & Imagination: Celebrating Ballpoint Pens With Words and Wonder—fountain pens get all the attention, but give me a good ballpoint any day.
These gifts are the way to a book-lovers heart
The Chocolate Lady asks: Do you ever want to go back and review books you read before you started blogging?
Fiction & Mythology—How Many Types of Vampires are There?—Over on Summon Fantasy, Anca Antoci surveys vampires
It’s okay to like grimdark or “I am a Nineties Edgelord”
Lev Parikian has the kind of book buying discipline that I can only aspire to.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Tea, Tonic, and Toxin Episode 58: Archie Goodwin is Awesome—(a great episode title), Part 2 of the conversation with Ira Matestky, focused on The League of Frightened Men.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Hot Lead, Cold Iron by Ari Marmell—I’m still annoyed with myself that I didn’t stick with this series
Marked Man by William Lashner—a pretty good legal thriller, IIRC
The Intern’s Handbook by Shane Kuhn—I enjoyed this book so much, I really wish Kuhn had found his audience.
I mentioned the publication of two books I rather enjoyed and one I completely forgot about (probably because I didn’t get around to reading it): Shield and Crocus by Michael R. Underwood, California Bones by Greg Van Eekhout, and The Rise & Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart—an assassin who got out is being pulled back in. I had a blast with it, as I tried to convey
Moonbound by Robin Sloan—Sloan gets strange in this Fantasy novel pretending to be Sci Fi (or is it the other way around)? I liked it, but didn’t totally get it
Dad Camp by Evan S. Porter—”A heartwarming novel about a loving dad who drags his eleven-year-old daughter to ‘father-daughter week’ at a remote summer camp—their last chance to bond before he loses her to teenage girlhood entirely.”

I’m still trying to figure out my energy levels and how to manage them during my recovery, so I slept through most of my typical social media hours this week (and more of my reading/blogging hours than I’m comfortable with). This resulted in a skimpy list this week. But the show must go on, I hear. (and what I do list is worth your time, I think)

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:
It’s Time We Added Full Credit Pages to Books: Maris Kreizman on the Importance of Acknowledging the Labor That Goes in a Single Title—I’d be down for that.
Five Years On: Reflecting on Dead Inside—Noelle Holten looks back on her debut’s anniversary. (it was such a good read, if you haven’t tried it yet, you really should)
Disabled and Neurodivergent Books out in 2024—a handy list for those who’d be interested
My Problem With Audiobooks—I absolutely get this.
On Mimesis and Stories—another batch of good thoughts from Peat Long
On My Radar: May 2024—Literary Escape’s Monthly Wrap-up of posts and reviews we all should’ve read last month.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week? (and a fun week it was)
No Colder Place by S.J. Rozan—the fourth Lydia Chin/Bill Smith
The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu—it was that long ago I read this?
Kill Fee by Owen Laukkanen—I miss this series…
Robert B. Parker’s Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins—Parker. Atkins. ’nuff said.
Night Broken by Patricia Briggs—Mercy Thompson’s 8th adventure
I also spent some time talking about some Puritan works Heaven on Earth by Thomas Brooks—an all-time fave—and The Christian’s Great Enemy: A Practical Exposition of 1 Peter 5:8-11 by John Brown
I mentioned the release of strong>Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta and the fun compilation, strong>FaceOff edited by David Baldacci

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven—the 6th Poe and Tilly novel, reportedly the darkest. No small feat there. Life is preventing me from getting to it at the moment, so I’m bit cross with life. (apparently available in the U.S. in September for those who aren’t addicted enough to order from overseas.)
Traditions of Courage by Jeffrey H. Haskell—the 7th in the Grimm’s War series, and I’m not going to read anything about it, because I’m now 3 behind. Ugh.

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:
Why Are Debut Novels Failing to Launch?
Banned Book of the Week—Digital Public library of America announced a new campaign this week
Fletch Inhaled Twice: Reflecting on the influence of I.M. Fletcher and his creator, Gregory Mcdonald—I might quibble a bit here and there, but the only real problem with this piece is how short it is
Five for Them, One for Me, with Rob Hart—a fun Q&A with Hart about Assassins Anonymous
When Romance Is a Mystery: Books Where Finding Love Is Like Solving a Whoduni
Adam Holcombe looks back at a year of A Necromancer Called Gam Gam
Should I Feel Guilty For Checking Out A Book Instead Of Buying It?—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
20 Brilliant Anglo-Saxon Words We Should Bring Back—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
Conquer Your TBR Pile — Practical Tips to Read More Books This Year
Master Your Reading List: 10 Practical Tips for Avid Readers—2 of these this week? What is it, January?
Authors: How NOT to Ask a Book Blogger for a Review
Ashley Ottesen explains why her (and my, incidentally) TBR stack will always be full

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
John Knox by Simonetta Carr, Matt Abraxas (Illustrator)—probably the best looking biography I’ve ever read (sure, it’s for kids, but…Abraxas nailed it).
The Warrior by Ty Patterson
The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Wake of the Bloody Angel by Alex Bledsoe—man, I loved this book (still do).

This Week’s New Release that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
First Frost by Craig Johnson—It’s the 20th Walt Longmire book and we get a look at Walt and Henry before they head off to the armed forces and Vietnam (and Walt dealing with the fallout from TheLongmire Defense).

Happy Towel Day (in case you haven’t seen me talk about that yet somehow)! Also Happy Geek Pride Day and whatever the appropriate greeting is for The Glorious Twenty-Fifth of May (for those who celebrate that).

Think I covered everything there.

Today was also Read a Book Day at the local Farmer’s Market (which really wasn’t advertised too well, IMHO), based on the number of authors present and people who seemed to be paying attention to them. I did get to check in with someone I met at the Library Book Faire last month, Nathan Keys (who will be appearing here soon) and met another nice fantasy author, J. Brandon Lowry, who will hopefully be making an appearence here sometime.

My daughter and I did get to check out the Nampa Library’s Bookmobile there—which is pretty cool, and had a better selection than you’d expect from a van. It’s absolutely the kind of vehicle someone should use to kidnap me. It’d be incredibly easy to do.

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:
Donnelly Public Library transitions to ‘adults only’—as a result of a new law in Idaho, a small town public library has to resort to not allowing minors admittance. Brilliant job by the state legislators and governor.
Handheld Press founder Kate Macdonald reveals reasons behind indie’s closure
Hart Hanson On Screenwriting Vs. Novel Writing
Austin Grossman Talks Fight Me—it’s been too long since I read Grossman, it’s nice to have a reminder
Rob Parker tweeted about this great thing he and his wife are doing—running ‘Become An Author’ after school clubs. Love this.
Speaking of Tweets, Joe Abercrombie’s tweet from Monday seems impossible.
Five Reasons Why You Should Read
Five Nonfiction Books For Fantasy Lovers—Daniel Meyer dropped by JamReads to provide this list
Should We Judge Older Books By Modern Standards?—Cee Arr asks an important question
CrimeBookJunkie turned 9 yesterday—if you’re not reading that blog, you’re missing out

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans Episode 139: Author Interview: The Grimoire, the Gods, and the Girl by K.R.R. Lockhaven—a good convo about the book/trilogy as a whole. And the way I found out the book had been published. Eeep. I really should’ve posted something about that sooner. (also, it probably means that my beta read comments are even more overdue than I knew.)
Tea Tonic & Toxin Nero Wolfe Mystery Series / The League of Frightened Men—Ira Brad Matetsky drops by to talk Nero Wolfe.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Way of the Wizard by Michael Michel—”A fast-paced, epic fantasy with wizard gangs, bloodthirsty unicorns, and philosopher giants.”
The Mountain Mystic by Russell W. Johnson—Sheriff Mary Beth Cain tackles a cold case that gets a burst of heat. Oooooh, this looks good.
The Seminarian by Hart Hansen—’Xavier ”Priest’ Priestly is a snarky former seminarian turned private investigator. Dusty Queen is a hard-as-nails professional stuntwoman and freelance bodyguard. When Dusty’s girlfriend suddenly disappears, a woman in a strange blue wig tries to assassinate Priest, and a twelve-year-old boy shows up claiming to be his son, the two friends are thrown into a maelstrom of intrigue and high-stakes violence that’s as convoluted and dangerous as it is hilarious.” Hanson’s first novel, The Driver, impressed me. I expect this will, too.
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler—”Groundhog Day meets Deadpool in Django Wexler’s no-holds-barred, laugh-out-loud fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself.”
Swiped by L.M. Chilton—”A clever and darkly hilarious thriller/romantic comedy about a young woman who must unmask a serial killer that everything thinks is her, all before her best friend’s wedding”