Category: Saturday Miscellany Page 5 of 32

I get it…publications need to make money to pay authors, but man…too many things I had set aside for today’s list were behind them. Rats. Still, found a few things for the budget-strapped amongst us.

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:
“Bookworm, Cliché, Deadline…” And Other Unexpected Etymologies
Former Auburn football player turned novelist to receive top state literary award
The 144 Most Read Books of the 2025 Reading Challenge (So Far)
Jim Butcher WRITES WOMEN WELL?—this interview made me crack up (just the rules laid out at the beginning make this worth it)
What a Five-Star Review Means to Me—this is really close to my thoughts, phew, one thing I don’t have to write
Competitive reading needs to calm down—indeed
Captivating Characters of June—Another tantalizing entry in this series. I have my pick for the month (like I have every month I haven’t participated), will I get something put together? Oooh, the suspense.
Monthly Manga Mania Featuring Firsty Duelist: Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba—if I read enough of Firsty Duelist’s stuff, I’m hoping I can convince my kids I’m fluent in Manga.
Who’s moving to Germany with me—never been more tempted to emigrate

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson
The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu
And I mentioned the release of one book I read and two books I don’t ever remember hearing about (probably my loss) The Cartel by Don Winslow; Tin Men by Christopher Golden; and The Leveller by Julia Durango

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Wraith and the Revolution by A.J. Calvin—was in my notes for last week, but I somehow overlooked it. It’s still available, believe it or not, however. This SF novel looks great.
Bookish Words & Their Surprising Stories by David Crystal—this also came out last week, but I didn’t know about it until I read the excerpt linked above.
The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart—this sequel to last year’s Assassins Anonymous is just dynamite, as I’d have written convincingly if I’d found the energy this week. Just take my word for it (or nag me until it shows up on the blog)
Pride and Pompousness by Katie Cook—the third volume in her Nothing Special series follows up the story from Vol. 2, where the appearance of a long-lost heir (our pal, Declan) threatens the succession of power in fairy royalty.

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:
Could the Semicolon Die Out? Recent Analysis Finds a Decline in Its Usage in British Literature and Confusion Among U.K. Students
Why Read: Seven Books About Our Passion and Need for Reading
Books About Books: Why We Write Them and Why We Read Them: On the charms of the bookish mystery.
While we’re on the topic, Carol at Reading Ladies posted this check-in yesterday: Bookish Books
Bad People, Good Art—James Lloyd Dulin wrote a very good guest post on a (sadly) evergreen topic. I think he’s onto something with his approach, FWIW.
My School Experience Barely Seems Reflected in Books
Maggie Stiefvater’s The Subtle Terror of Rereadability and the joys of turning pages slow, not fast might be the best thing I read online this week (says a life-long fast page turner)
Places with Teeth: Genius Loci and The Living Worlds of Speculative Fiction—Which isn’t to cast aspersions on Tabler’s work here (would love her to revisit this in an expanded version)
Coffee Table Books- Books You Can Dip into and Savour in Small Sips—you can never have too many of these around (sadly, due to my grandkids, dogs, and lack of coffee-table mean that mine are tucked away on shelves)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Schmudgeon of Curmudgeon talked to JCM Berne (video link/audio link)—they covered a lot and had a lot of fun. Berne may have convinced me to revise my opinion of the opening of Wistful Ascending, too. (I think that means that I have nothing bad to say about the book at all)

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz
Crossed Blades by Kelly McCullough—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea by Helen Lewis—”a timely and provocative interrogation of the myth of genius, exploring the surprising inventions, inspirations and distortions by which some lives are elevated to ‘greatness’ – and others are not”
I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre—A “quirky sci-fi rom-com” where “alien meets adorkable” looks like silly fun. Which sounds really appealing right now.

A small list this week, with an accidental (but appreciated) focus. I clearly didn’t spend much time online this week.

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 Real Jay Gatsby: Did F. Scott Fitzgerald model his titular character after his real-life Princeton school-mate?—huh.
S.A. Cosby’s newest book was released this week, and I’m enjoying all the interviews/features I’ve run across. For example:
S.A. Cosby on “King of Ashes,” Crime Epics, and the Softer Side of Monsters—Kowlakowski’s interview/look at the book (I’m going to have a hard time not stealing from this when it comes time for me to post about the book)
Southern Culture on the Skids: S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes—that first sentence should give Cosby’s readers pause.
S.A. Cosby’s New Thriller Blends Southern Noir with Family Drama
The Ultimate Summer 2025 Reading List: Sun, Fun, Math, and Counting—I really enjoy LitHub’s Lists of Lists like this
In civilized nations that do things like this, June is National Crime Reading month. In honor of that Raven Crime Reads (one of my favorite accounts to follow) is posting a recommendation a day in the genre. Follow this thread and you will find more good books to read than you can handle (or you can enjoy when your tasts match up with Raven’s well-developed palate)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
The Conversation with Nadine Matheson Coffee Break with S.A. Cosby: King of Ashes—a fun chat about Cosby’s new book (and a little more)
The Thriller Zone Why You Shouldn’t Miss Thomas Trang’s Debut: Dark Neon Dirt

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest (Kali Ciesemier, Illustrator)
Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn
The Fold by Peter Clines
Premonitions by Jamie Schultz

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
A Graveyard For Heroes by Michael Michel—as my dialogue coach Trent would say, “It is so money, baby.” This is the second of five installments in the Dreams of Dust and Steel series that is likely to end up on my all-time favorites list.
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby—hey, did I mention that Cosby has a new book out? Southern Crime and Family drama come together and bring us something dark—and likely spectacular. Hopefully I get to start this bad boy today. If not, Monday can’t come soon enough.
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall—the writer/creator of Broadchurch‘s first novel looks like a great time. (if you’re into moody, dark, police procedurals)

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:
Defending Adverbs Exuberantly if Conditionally: In which I argue for the usefulness of the most hated part of speech
“..I Want the Reader to Feel as if They’re There.”: An Interview with Return to Sender’s Craig Johnson
Speaking of Mr. Johnson, Longmire author wins Western literature’s highest honor
What Do Americans Really Want to Read? We (Might) Have the Answer
The Theater Kids at the End of the World or, All the Page’s a Stage and We Are Not Merely Readers—I admit that in paragraph 4, when Templeton started talking about a novel I’ll start in a week or so, I started skimming just to be safe. But the gist I got made this worth linking to.
To DNF or not to DNF – That is the question!
Row, Row, Row Your Boat- Books Set In or Around Water (that I actually like)
My Top 39 Fantasy Series/Books—Pete’s thought more about Fantasy Fiction than I’ve thought about almost anything…so it’s worth consulting this list.
Books We Loved As Children—LibraryThing’s List of the Month is just the thing if you’re needing a splash of nostalgia (hard to argue against most/all of the top 15)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Crime Time FM THOMAS TRANG In Person With Paul
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend Ron Chernow—the focus is on Chernow’s new Mark Twain bio, but they touch on some of his other work, too.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
Soulless by Gail Carriger
What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs by Cat Warren
I mentioned the releases of 2 books, one was absolutely worth the time. The other, not so much: The Fold by Peter Clines and Stay by Victor Gischler

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
This Dog Will Change Your Life by Elias Weiss Friedman with Ben Greenman—”A uniquely insightful, uplifting, emotional, and informative book that shows us how dogs make our lives better by making us better people”
Realms of the Round Table by John Matthews—”Rare and previously unpublished tales of one of the most famous legends in literature is brought to life for a new generation by one of the world’s leading Arthurian experts and illustrated by an acclaimed Tolkien artist.”
Not that Kind of Good Guy by John Ringo—I’m not going to try to fit a description of this take on superheroes into a sentence, go read the link.

Image credit: Grammarly

I didn’t think this was going to be a very full list when I started to assemble this post. But, boy howdy, are there a lot of good things below.
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:
N.J.’s Peter David, prolific comic book writer known for ‘Incredible Hulk,’ ‘Spider-Man,’ dies at 68—If I read any of David’s comics, it was unknowingly. But his novels? Oh man…my college years and 20s were full of them (and some of his more recent novelizations, too). The man was excellent at merging the humor and heart, darkness and hope, and bringing depth to concepts that don’t seem welcoming to it.
Twain Dreams: The enigma of Samuel Clemens—A Twain revival? Bring it on.
So, a certain “great bearded glacier” set off a firestorm this week in a blog post about a new project, Howard Meets Hercules—I could easily post a dozen reactions, but the AV Club’s summary will probably do. (okay one other, Duncan MacMaster’s is pretty much what I want to say.)
Finding Your Way Into Writing Fiction as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Grandson: Simon Tolkien on the Double-Edged Sword of a Mighty Literary Inheritance
“That Broken, Brave, Beautiful Man is Someone I Wanted to Write For”: Raymond Chandler’s Trouble is My Business Arvind Ethan David—I really wasn’t inclined to try this new adaptation, but clicked on the interview anyway. David’s second answer changed my mind.
Concrete Poetry & The Great Gatsby Re-Ordered—the story behind one of Fahrenheit Press’ latest projects. I can’t say I’m sold on the idea, but I am incredibly curious.
Monthly Manga Mania Featuring Firsty Duelist: Mashle: Magic and Muscles by Hajime Komoto—this is a great idea for a series, and maybe something that will get me to try my second manga 🙂 I’ve always appreciated his writing
Books I’ve Read With Characters Who Don’t Exist—Stephen always brings the oddest list categories–and they work. And with a title like this one, you just have to stop and read, right?
Is Fiction Getting Worse? Tiktok, Tropification and Toxic Ideology—I’m not sure what my answer to the question would be. Maybe?
Books for Men: Book Berne-ing 19!—Haven’t watched this yet, but I’m betting it’s worth a watch. Love the idea and can’t wait to see JCM’s take.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Attack the Geek by Michael R. Underwood—I refuse to believe it’s been a decade since I read this
Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer—see above comment
And I mentioned the release of some books that should not be that old, either: Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe; I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest; The Last Drive and Other Stories by Rex Stout
I’m apparently struggling with the passage of time today.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon (and some I forgot to mention last week):
Instant Karma by Todd Morr—I read an earlier printing of this, but I love the idea of these Pocket Noir books, so I want to mention it. Also–you need to read this.
If You’re Not One Percent by Todd Morr—the populace of a quiet mountain town vs. mudererous rednecks on a thrill kill murder spree.
A Briefcase Full Of The End Of The World by Todd Morr—”Carter isn’t exactly the smartest guy in the room, but even he knows he’s in deep trouble. What should have been a simple snatch-and-grab turns into a nightmare when he realizes there’s something special about the contents of the case he’s stolen. Now, every lunatic, thug, and doomsday prophet in the city is after him, each with their own twisted plans for the mysterious prize.”
Return to Sender by Craig Johnson—Walt goes undercover (or tries to) to hunt for answers to a woman’s disappearance. I started this last night, and am having a blast with it. Also, this is not where I expected this book to go after the ending of First Frost (at least not yet)
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler—sure, I haven’t read the first in this duology yet. But this looks great.

Before I get into things today, I’m curious–does anyone have a good recommendation for a bookmark app? I use Pocket to store the ideas for this post (and some other things, too). It was announced it’s going away recently, and I’m looking for a replacement.

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 May Be Too Late for Rural Libraries to Weather the IMLS Storm
Can indie novels save our minds? A renaissance takes brave authors—There’s a snobbishness/elitism/pretentiousness to this piece that grates my teeth. But if you can put up with it, there’s something worth reading, too.
How to Make a Living as a Writer
Forget chatbots: research suggests reading can help combat loneliness and boost the brain
When memories from fiction become part of who you are
14 Million Books Later, Jim Butcher Thinks His Wizard Detective Needs a Hug—my read of the week
Magic Doesn’t Have to Make Sense: In praise of fantasy that embraces rebellious, lawless, and delightfully un-rulebound magic.
Gods of Disasters and Wish Givers—another week, another great guest post from Shannon Knight
In Challenging Times, I Turn to Cozy Reads
Book Recommendations From My Dog—who could possibly be a more trustworthy source of recommendations? (also, the World’s Worst Book post linked to in the first sentence is almost as good a read)
Benefits of Book Club
When Fantasy Meets Mystery: Fantasy-mysteries that Everyone Should Read
@shinjutnt.bsky.social‬/Adam Rowan posted about a great word we all need to add to our working vocabularies—particularly in bookstores

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
SFF Addicts Ep. 155 Evan Leikam talks Anji Kills A King, Crappy Jobs, Video Games & More—While I’m not allowing myself to put Leikam’s novel on my TBR right now (I need to make progress on things before I allow myself to do that sort of thing), this was a fun episode (and I might have added a book to a certain list in light pencil).

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
“Concussion Cover-Up” & “NSA Priest” by Carac Allison—I periodically check to see if he’s done anything else, would really like to read more from Allison
Kickback by Ace Atkins
The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry
Woof by Spencer Quinn
And I mentioned the release of Kickback by Ace Atkins; Uprooted by Naomi Novik; Seveneves by Neal Stephenson; and Boo by Neil Smith

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Kaua’i Storm by Tori Eldridge—is a thriller with a lot of heart. “Returning to Kaua’i, park ranger Makalani finds her family divided and their way of life at risk in this rich and emotional adventure.” The culture of Kaua’i is brought to life here.
Nightshade by Michael Connelly—Oh, phew, Connelly has a new series. He really needed another. Didn’t stop me from buying this debut about a LASD Detective on Catalina Island.
Food Person by Adam Roberts—”a delectable comedy of manners about cooking, ambition, and friendship set in the food world as a young and socially awkward writer takes a job ghostwriting the cookbook for a famous (and famously chaotic) Hollywood starlet.”
An Ethical Guide to Murde by Jenny Morris—”Thea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from one person to another–something she finds out the hard way when her best friend, Ruth, suffers a fatal head injury on a night out. Desperate to save her, Thea accidentally kills the man responsible and lets his life flow directly into Ruth…How can she really know who deserves to live and die, and can she figure out her own rules before Ruth’s borrowed time runs out? “

(original tweet)

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:
Pay Attention! The invention of close reading.
Extraterrestrial tongues: Imagining how aliens might communicate prepares us for first contact and illuminates the nature of our own languages
Crime Novelist Don Winslow Unretires For ‘The Final Score’—color me giddy
Murder, Mischief, and Mayhem: The Best Campy and Humorous Thriller Series—Good list (although, I might quibble with one and I have no experience with one other), but better yet, Gagnon putting together a list like this means she has something to plug! See below.
Chapters for Change posted this great video about the Poe and Tilly series (one more of you need to be reading)
Changing the World by Shannon Knight—a good post from Knight (as one expects)
AI Audio vs Human Narration—A great video from someone who knows the subject well.
Are Kids “Bored” by Books Below Their Reading Level?
Do Your Book Reviews Change Over Time?—ooh, this is a good topic, and an interesting take on it.
WELP IT’S BEEN A DECADE SINCE I STARTED BLOGGING – Ten Things I Wish I Could Tell My Younger Self—Only 10 years of The Orangutan Librarian? Good lessons that someone should’ve taught me, too.
Top Five Dragons of All Time—a flawed list, but very fun to read
Announcement: Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week 2025—the annual celebration of Self-Published Authors is back (and I should probably get to work planning what I’m going to do). If any self-published author is reading this and wants to participate on this site, let me know!

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Younger Gods by Michael R. Underwood
Another Man’s Moccasins by Craig Johnson
Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder
Rolling Thunder; Fun House; and Free Fall by Chris Grabenstein
And I mentioned the releases of: How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz; Dry Bones by Craig Johnson; Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll; Goddess of Buttercups & Daisies by Martin Millar; and Rumrunners by Eric Beetner

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
This came out two weeks ago, and I’m ashamed to admit that I forgot it: The Amazing Twin Chicken Freedom Fighters by Zephaniah Sole—Reasons to consider this book: That’s a great title; the cover is eye-catching as all get-out; and the blurb: “The war between the agents of the Worldview Freedom Fighters and the minions of the mysterious Hip Gnosis spills into our reality when Jake and Joy, two lost and broken souls, wake up one day in chicken suits they can’t remove and learn they are the key to a prophesied revolution – a revolution that will not be pasteurized.”
Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up—As I said yesterday, this memoir is a great combination of (compressed) personal history and fun anecdotes
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie—Abercrombie’s take on The Suicide Squad in an alternate medieval Europe populated by Fantasy species? Sign me up!!
Slaying You by Michelle Gagnon—back to the world of Killing You? This is going to be a wild and twisty ride.
Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James—”Whack Job is the story of the axe, first as a convenient danger and then an anachronism, as told through the murders it has been employed in throughout history: from the first axe murder nearly half a million years ago, to the brutal harnessing of the axe in warfare, to its use in King Henry VIII’s favorite method of execution, to Lizzie Borden and the birth of modern pop culture. Whack Job sheds brilliant light on this familiar implement, this most human of weapons. This is a critical examination of violence, an exploration of how technology shapes human conflict, the cruel and sacred rituals of execution and battle, and the ways humanity fits even the most savage impulses into narratives of the past and present.”

(which reminds me, I need to get going to “the candy shop”)

Another day of people-ing, so another late Saturday post. Hate to leave you all hanging in suspense.

Actually, if anyone was in suspense, you really need to think about your priorities. But you know what I mean.

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:
Libro.fm had this to say about the recent Independent Book Store Day
12 Things You Say Without Realizing You’re Quoting Poetry—a “May be” or “Might be” should probably be stuck in that headline

INTERVIEW: Joe Abercrombie—Beth Tabler talks with Abercrombie about his new book ofer at Grimdark Magazine
Interview: Joe Abercrombie talks The Devils, grimdark fantasy humor, Best Served Cold and more—and so does someone over at Winter is Coming
The Joys and Travails of Writing with a Canine Companion
It’s Okay to Know Where the Story Is Going: It’s a cliche and a truth to say that the journey matters more than the destination…
If Only All Books in Series Had Recaps
Early Epic Fantasy and Non-White Ethnicities: A Draft
Flowers or Books? 10 Book Recs for #MothersDay—for all of your last-second shopping

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Not having time to read (with Christina Lupton)—after last week’s piece about Literary Scholars losing the plot, I went digging around on the podcase mentioned in the pice, I thought this was an interestnig chat. In short—it’s not a new problem.
SFF Addicts Ep. 153: Joe Abercrombie talks The Devils, Grimdark, Ensemble Casts & More—Last mention of Abercrombie today. No, really.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Thicker Than Water by G.M. Ford
The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man by W. Bruce Cameron
Goodbye Ginny Madison by Dave Gehrke
The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan
And I mentioned the releases of: Unseemly Science by Rod Duncan; The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry; Revision by Andrea Phillips ; Corsair by James L. Cambias; Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond; and Burning Down George Orwell’s House by Andrew Ervin

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
My Friends by Fredrik Backman—For those of you who need a bit more than the author’s name, this is “an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later.”
Hive by D.L. Orton—time travel, parallel universes, love, family, odd connections combine for a pacey-read

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:
Most parents don’t enjoy reading to their children, survey suggests—might as well start on a down note, right? Can only go up from here…
A Fifth of American Adults Can’t Read. Here’s How To Teach Them.—well, maybe not. (I don’t know enough to comment on the “how to teach” bit, as inclined as I am to agree). There’s probably a link between these two pieces.
People who buy books faster than they can read them usually share these 7 traits—This’ll lift your mood a bit (I think this also applies to people who check out too many library books at once)
Premodern Chinese Literature Can Be Trendy Too—Sure, why not? I’m mostly posting this for the one friend who will despair that one of his niche interests is trendy, but this did make me wish I had a little room on ye olde TBR.
So, You Want to Write a Cookbook?—huh.
Triumph of the Undead: The Public Domain as Horror Hero
Scholars Have Lost the Plot!—This showed up as a sidebar link to the Public Domain piece, and I’m a little obsessed with it now. I’d like to take 2-3 weeks off to read the materials he’s interacting with and interact with this piece.I probably won’t. Okay, I definetly won’t, but it was a nice daydream.
The Edgar Awards were given this week, which means it’s time for CrimeReads to post their roundtable discussions with the nominees. I love these annual posts. The State of the Mystery, Part 1: Craft Lessons and Favorite Reads and The State of the Mystery, Part 2: Issues, Concerns, and The Long Road Ahead.
Speaking of the Edgars, I might as well share the list of the winners: 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
Nabokov’s Favorite Color, Stephen King’s Adverb Bullshit, Language’s Value Only As A Measure of Time—I really wish I remembered whose link I followed to this.
What’s the deal with dystopian picturebooks?—I didn’t know this was a thing. There’s at least two of these that I had to fight the impulse to buy. (for now)
Remembering the Average Reader—Yes. The phrase “average reader” is accurate but has a strange tone to me (I know Krysta wasn’t being pejorative—that’s the whole point). My friends tend to phrase it as: “people who aren’t like HC” or “normal readers.”
3 Truly Odd Protagonists & Why We Really Really Like Them—Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Dent, and Quentin Coldwater in the same piece. Worth reading just for that interesting combo.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Fairest by Marissa Meyer—that was 10 years ago??
Atlanta Burns by Chuck Wendig—That was only 10 years ago??
Dark Heir by Faith Hunter—a turning point in my appreciation for the series
I mentioned the release of Darkened Blade by Kelly McCullough

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Mystery of the Crooked Man by Tom Spencer—”Fraudulent cozy mystery expert Agatha Dorn is cancelled — and severely ticked off! — in this quirky homage to Golden Age detectives, lost manuscripts, and famous authors.” I dig the premise here, if the execution matches, it’ll be a winner.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker—”In this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.” There’s no way I’d make it through this horror novel—but, man, it sounds great. Someone read it and tell me what I missed, okay?

Did I spend too much at the Independent Bookstore Day event I attended? Yes. Am I bothered by that? No, because I actually showed restraint–I could’ve easily spent 2 or 3 times as much. And, I did cut myself off from going to multiple bookstores. Don’t tell me I don’t have self-control.

I also found the time to put this post together before I go to celebrate the Grandcritter’s 2nd Birthday (boggles my mind that he’s that age already). We start with a couple of links that aren’t technically bookish, but I appealed to the owner/manager of this site, and he agreed to let me post them anyway.

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 Thursday Murder Club movie has released production photos!—sure, they’re just photos. But hard to imagine them getting the look better. Makes me feel hopeful about the rest.
May the Fourth Gift Giving Guide—This Dad Reads is providing an essential servce here
Ten Recommended Superhero Novels II—C.T. Phipps has put together a really nice list over at Before We Go Blog.
5 Year Blogiversary: Half a Decade of Cozy with Books—Congrats to Cozy with Books for making it to 5!
Books About Books: A List—Witty & Sarcastic Book club commemorated World Book Day with this list and some great quotations about books.
The Nicest Characters in Fiction—characters that need to be celebrated
Andr3wsky has one of my favorite takes of the week

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson
The Diamond Conspiracy by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
And I mentioned the releases of Second Olympus by K. A. Stewart and The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler—two books that I never got around to reading and completely forgot about (and I think I regret both…still look pretty good)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg—the arson investigators, Sharpe and Walker hunt for a serial torcher on a spree (with a little help from Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone)
Death Rights by Shannon Knight—Knight follows up Grave Cold with this sequel that ramps up the stakes in a very satisfying way. (well, the beta version I read was very satisfying, and from what I can assume from the changes Knight described, it’s even stronger).