Category: Saturday Miscellany Page 7 of 32

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:
US Authors Guild to certify books from ‘human intellect’ rather than AI—Good idea. Sad that it’s necessary, but glad to see it. Click here to see the Guild’s site.
Book publishers, authors, Donnelly Public Library sue Idaho officials over library materials law—’tis a stupid law, and I wish this suit success.
Local bookstores, dealt another blow by L.A. fires, become ‘community touchstones’
Children’s Editors on the Worst Places They Were Ever Pitched—at least one of these will make you snicker
My First Thriller: Lee Goldberg—a good look at Goldberg’s roots
A Literary Crossword for Book People—a little fun for the day
Domestication Interview with Author Shannon Knight—looking forward to watching this
I must be in a certain frame of mind this morning, here’s another quick grin-inducer from @writesofnovember (November J. Brown) on Threads
Will 2025 Be the Return of the Classic?—one might be tempted to ask where they went, but I know I shouldn’t.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Nothing, really. It was a very slow month for me on the blog-front. I believe there was a lot of traveling, preparation for traveling, and recovering from traveling going on. However,
I did post a Saturday Miscellany, and noted the release of Funny Girl by Nick Hornby; The Way Into Darkness by Harry Connolly; and Covenant’s End by Ari Marmelltitle.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Little Aiden: A Big Kid Book for Toddlers by Albert and Anna Choi, Bettina Braskó (Illustrator)—A cute book for toddlers that happens to be free until midnight PST. Grandpappy’s Corner featured it yesterday.
Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations by Alton Brown—Brown “shares exactly what’s on his mind, mixing compelling anecdotes from his personal and professional life with in-depth observations on the culinary world, film, personal style, defining meals of his lifetime, and much more.” You pretty much have to get this in audio, right? You’re going to hear his voice in your head when you read it anyway, cut out the middle-man (i.e., your brain) to make it easier.
Dead in the Frame by Stephen Spotswood—after the cliff-hanger Spotswood left us on, I have no need to read a blurb. I just need resolution!
The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul by Alan Sepinwall—Sepinwall’s book on Breaking Bad was fantastic. Surely this will be the same.

Yeah, this is on the late side. Sorry about that. It’s been one of those days full of fun busy-ness.

BTW, I don’t think I officially mentioned it (I did hint at it inGrandpappy’s Corner: I Am a Big Brother by Caroline Jayne Church: A Sweet Instructional/Motivational Guide ), but as of Tuesday, I have a new Grandcritter crittering around. It’s just as great the second time (for anyone who wondered).

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:
Read Ebooks. Support Local Bookstores.—Bookshop.org is selling ebooks! It’s not quite at the stage most of us want, but it’s a start!
Urgent Messages from Eternity—an exhibit of Kafka’s postcards, letters, and manuscript pages. I won’t be able to drop by myself (thanks, Geography). But I wish I could.
Why children’s books?—I’ve read many similar pieces over the years, this might be the best. Also, I love the Coleridge quotation it starts with.
Reading Writing About Reading and Writing—Molly Templeton’s latest
A Place for All My Books—”A cozy board game about collecting good books & the joy of organizing them.” A Kickstarter campaign you may be interested in
Setting Realistic Reading Goals for 2025—”Realistic Goals”??? I didn’t know that was an option.
Rediscovering the Joy of Reading
How to Cultivate a Reading Habit and Read More Books
Does anyone care about book blogging anymore?—Did many (outside of ourselves and a few friends) ever care?
Raven’s January- Read Like Nobody’s Watching… —Raven’s off to a good start
5 Tips for Writing a Book Review That Readers Will Enjoy—Now’s as good a time for me to start as any
Captivating Character of January—a new feature/link party from Carol at Reading Ladies.
Audiobooks and Reading Are/Not the Same—Dulin tries to work some nuance into this discussion. Silly man…nuance on the Internet in 2025?
Spotlighting Beatrix Potter! Why I LOVE Peter Rabbit and Co
Books I’ve Read With Protagonists Aged 50+
Book Shopping Alternatives to Amazon—a handy resource

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Agatha H. and the Voice of the Castle by Phil & Kaja Foglio
The Shoulders of Giants by Jim Cliff
Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh
Gemini Cell by Myke Cole; Fairest by Marissa Meyer; and Jacaranda by Cherie Priest

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Dead Money by Jakob Kerr—A lawyer/problem solver (not a fixer gets pulled into a murder investigation in Silicon Valley.
Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan—Everyone’s favorite cryptozoologist/bookstore owner is on the hunt for a hodag (a thing that I’ve absolutely heard of before)
We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin—So I know what Gaylin can do with Parker’s characters, am curious about what she does with her own.

Robert Burns was born on this date in 1759 and there are celebrations of this throughout the world tonight–I’v never been to one but have been wanting to since the 90s (social anxiety, the gift that keeps on giving). At the very least, find some time tonight yourself to read “A Red, Red Rose,”, “To a Mouse,” or one of his other poems in the closest approximation of a Scottish Brogue while drinking something appropriate. I’ll be entertaining (scarring for life?) my family with such this evening*—join in!

* And I know at least one of you is thinking of asking—no, I will not be putting this on my YouTube channel, I’d end up getting a lifetime ban from reading Ian Rankin or something equally horrible.

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:
Jules Feiffer, award-winning political cartoonist and writer, dies at 95, Jules Feiffer—Author, Illustrator, Cartoonist, and More—Dies at 95 —there are few illustrations from books that I read as a child that I remember as vividly as I Feiffer’s The Phantom Tollbooth drawings. (wasn’t always crazy about his political cartoons, but I could appreciate them)
Print Book Sales Saw a Small Sales Increase in 2024 —Publishers Weekly also breaks down the top sellers of the year, some interesting titles there. (but largely entirely predictable, too)
Mystery Writers of America Announces 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations—I recognize so few of these names/titles that I’m a little embarrassed.
The truth about fiction: What distinguishes fiction from nonfiction? The answer to this perennial question relies on how we understand reality itself—if you want to get your metaphysics on today…
How the world fell for ‘romantasy’: Dragon sex is hotter than ever—When I stumbled over this, I was sure that there’d be some snobbery about the sub-genre going on—and you could argue that there is—but it’s a good look at this growing area and an appreciation of it, too.
Men Have Bigger Problems Than Not Reading Novels: For James Folta, What’s Wrong With Men is What’s Wrong With America—you might disagree with a lot of what Folta says here, but his reaction to the whole “Men Don’t Read Novels” idea running around lately is worth chewing on.
Series Release Day for Ninja Heroine Lily Wong—Eldridge’s series gets a new publisher, a fresh look, and hopefully new readers. I was already annoyed with myself for not buying the fourth book yet, and now my covers will be mismatched. And now I have to think about getting the new set, just to appreciate them.
Just Keep Swimming—Peter Hartog/David provides some “writing and author-y updates” and some general sagacity
The Laws—Michael J. Ciaraldi looks at just how unworkable The Three Laws of Robotics really are (sob, sob, sob, I’m sooooo disillusioned)
From The Hard Word, Scott’s Top 10 (Okay, 13) Thrillers and Crime Novels of 2024—some good choices here (and a couple of things I should probably add to my list)
Host Mortem: Cover Reveal and Interview!—I’m going to have to keep my eyes out for this
The Role of AI in Modern Storytelling—this is sure to provoke a thought or two. I’m not entirely convinced that I disagree, as much as I want to.
Great Books With Bad Beginnings
Disappointing Books By Favourite Authors
Gorgeous (Hidden) Book Covers—I know that I have a couple of these on my shelves, but Booktails might have inspired me to go look under all my dustcovers just to be sure. If I don’t post anything for the next few days, you’ll know I succumbed.
Fantasy Bookcase Decor for Your Home Library

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
As Told To Episode 80: Benjamin Dreyer—a nice chat with everyone’s favorite copy editor.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Angel’s Tip by Alafair Burke
Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Breach Zone by Myke Cole
Chasing the Prophecy by Brandon Mull
Fiddlehead by Cherie Priest
iZombie, Vol 1: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson, Mike Allred
And I talked about the release of Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham—man, I wish these Veronica Mars novels had kept going

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Drafter by Kim Harrison—Harrison’s least appreciated (as far as I can see), but my favorite, is out in a new edition.

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:
Please Don’t Idolize Me (or Anyone, Really)—Sadly, this post from last August by John Scalzi is freshly relevant this week. And, no, I will not be talking more about it. I hope.
The Russian Roots of American Crime Fiction—and the O.G.—Joesph Finder’s piece is a great push to read some classic Russian lit.
Audiobooks Have Taken Over My Life, and I Love It
8 Thought-Provoking Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird—Sticking with my tradition (which I haven’t had to invoke in too long), if I see something about TKaM, I share it here. Also, a good reminder about some of these lines.
Jam’s Top Reads of second half of 2024—I hope to read one of these this month–and should probablay look more at some of the others.
The Bard’s Tale Retold: Shakespeare Retellings Done Differently—a fun listicle from Witty & Sarcastic Book Club

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Crime Time FM ROB PARKER In Person With Paul—nice to hear Parker as the subject of an interview for a change. I really want to read this book now (compared to my general “oooh, a new Rob Parker, I should read that” response)
Speaking of Mysteries Episode 265: Robert Crais—this was entirely too brief. But good to hear from the man himself about his fantastic new book

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Low Midnight by Carrie Vaughn
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch—which is such a good one, that I didn’t fully appreciate at the time (and I really liked it at the time)
I also noted the releases of: Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh and The Way Into Magic by Harry Connolly. Two works that I should try to find time to re-read.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Big Empty by Robert Crais—If you take nothing else away from this post, know that this book is out now, and you should be reading it. As I described here.
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay—a fun book about a marriage on the rocks as the vigilante couple struggles to not go vigilante-ing. I enjoyed it, you’ll likely enjoy it more.
The Troubled Deep by Rob Parker—I will jump on this book as soon as I find an easy way to get it on this side of the Atlantic. “An ex-marine and ex-SBS officer, Cam Killick’s PTSD has made the return to civilian life a living nightmare. The only place he can find peace is underwater, where the world is muffled to white noise. As a cold case diver it is his job to scour the waterways of the country for the lost, the submerged, the drowned, laying their stories to rest alongside them.

Except when Cam throws open the doors to the Brindley car, all four bodies are missing. “
Karma Doll by Jonathan Ames—Happy Doll is framed for a murder in Mexico and has to sneak across the border to find the real killer.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao—”A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical quest when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike fantasy novel.” Sign me up.

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:
Can You Guess the Book Titles from These Emojis? Test your knowledge of classic novels and contemporary bestsellers —Let’s start off the week with something silly. It’s also proof that I cannot communicate in emojis. I got none of these.
Why reading out loud is important—something more for the “do audiobooks count?” nonsense (hat tip: booklistfordays)
Craig Johnson’s Next Novel Drops May 27, Was Inspired By Cowboy State Daily Story
There’s a New Version of Hamlet Staged in Grand Theft Auto—I initially rolled my eyes at this (but was going to include it only for the excuse to post the headline), but on third or fourth thought…I’m a little intrigued.
Why I’m making 2025 my year of dead-tree books
Raven’s 2025- The Year of ‘Read Like Nobody’s Watching’… —This is the approach we should all approximate
Bookish Goals in 2025—good, SMART goals
My 2025 Bookish Ins and Outs—wise plans
Presenting the Picture Prompt Book Bingo Challenge for 2025 —After telling myself to cut back on challenges this year, I see this one–which looks like it coule be fun to try.
Five Fantasy Bookstores and Libraries I’d Love to Explore—yeah, I would spend time in these
Plot Pet Peeves—I cannot imagine anyone (other than authors/publishers, apparently) arguing aginst any of Krysta’s points.
The 12 Best Sci-Fi Novels of the Last 10 Years—According to Collider and Reddit, anyway. Although, having read 5 of these, I’m inclined to believe them.
Trying and Failing to Figure Out “Escapism” in Books—some good thoughts from Molly Templeton (as one expects) and others.

It’s the Time of Year for Best of Lists like these to embiggen your 2025 TBRs (or to give you fodder to think about).
Celeste at A Literary Escape listed Favorite Books Published in 2024 and Favorite Backlist Reads of 2024
My Top 10 Ten Books of 2024 and My Top Ten 10 Books for Children 2024—from Left on the Shelf (the latter defintely added to my TBR)
From Worlds Unknown’s 2024 Wrap Up – A Year in Books + What’s Coming in 2025

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans 2024: Year in Review—a fun look back at their year that was
The Conversation with Nadine Matheson M.W. Craven: Luck, Crime Writing and Life Lessons—I would’ve gladly listened to a few more hours of them talking shop.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week? (a mostly great week for reviewish posts and new releases)
The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly
Us by David Nicholls
Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan
And I noted the releases of Golden Son by Pierce Brown, Firefight by Brandon Sanderson, Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson, As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire by Seanan McGuire—The latest Wayward Children book is everything you want, as I tried to say recently.

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:
January 1, 2025 is Public Domain Day: Works from 1929 are open to all, as are sound recordings from 1924!—While the list of some of the more prominent titles is interesting, it’s a good piece on copyright, public domain, and even some of people behind the works
Support an indie author by leaving reviews—An Evergreen Reminder
New You? Or Old Books? Here’s a resolution: Craft a personal canon
20 Years of Old Man’s War—Scalzi looks back at the publication of OMW, the book that changed his life
Robert Crais: A Crime Reader’s Guide to the Classics—You read this, and you never have to read another word about Robert Crais again. It’s just that good. (the last section is a must read)
Reading Ladies’ Carol has a few 2024 Blog Reflections to kick off 2025
She also posted: Best of the Best: 2015 to 2024—a nigh-Herculean task
Lashaan’s A Year in Review — 2024 at Roars and Echoes. I’m so tempted by just about everything mentioned in this wrap up (except for the very tiny amount of things I’ve already read/watched)
State of [Pete Long’s] Delirium 2025
Fictionophile’s SEVEN Bookish Resolutions 2025—some good, SMART, goals.
Politics in SFF: Yes or No? Book Berne-ing 18!—Berne delivers what will be come to known as the definitive take on the subject for years to come. (okay, probably not, but it should be a contender if such a thing were possible)

It’s the Time of Year for Best of Lists like these to embiggen your 2025 TBRs (or to give you fodder to think about). I’ve made purchases/planned purchases/placed library books on hold from these. One title in particular keeps showing up on these lists (including what I’ve posted the last few weeks). It’s going to be on my list, too. Which just makes me feel better about including it–I knew what I was doing. 🙂
Biblionerd Reflections’ My Favorite Backlist Reads of 2024 and My Favorite Books of 2024
The Fantasy Hive 2024 Year-End Awards—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
2024 Book RoundUp —The Voracious Reader has some great taste.
2024, A Year in Reading: Best Books of the Year—from Asking the Wrong Questions. The third sentence is one of the most relatable things I’ve read in the last few months.
Spells and Spaceships’ My Books of the Year 2024.
The Shaggy Shepherd’s Most Memorable Reads of 2024
Top 10 Books Read in 2024—from Pete Long. My TBR can’t handle this kind of pressure.
Stephen Writes continues to put out good lists (and make me feel better about all the year-end lists I have planned)
The Best Settings I Read In 2024
Top 10 Books I Read In 2024
MIke Finn’s My 12 Favourite Reads of 2024
746 Books has three lists to tempt you:
My Favourite Books of the Year: Part One – The 746!
My Favourite Books of the Year: Part Two – The Irish!
My Favourite Books of 2024: Part Three – New to Me!
reader@work’s Books of the year: 2024 edition—made me reconsider a book I’d previously decided against
My Top Ten Books for 2024!—from The Orangutan Librarian
Dillon Michael White’s Top Books of 2024 is a quick watch well worth your time

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Endsinger by Jay Kristoff—the disturbing, yet satisfying, (as I recall) conclusion to the Lotus War trilogy
Broadchurch: A Novel by Erin Kelly—I cannot get enough of Broadchurch‘s first series in any format (I will not comment on the rest).
Broken Soul by Faith Hunter
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden—I should revisit this one
And I mentioned the release of Low Midnight by Carrie Vaughn.

It’s that magic time of year when I find myself being very strategic in what books I choose to pick up–not in a stats-padding way–but in a “can I reasonably expect to finish this by Tuesday night” sort of way (which turns out to look and act like stats-padding), so I can enter 2025 with a clean slate.

Oh, it’s also magic because of all the time I get to spend with family, the general bonhomie in the air, the wonder in my grandchild’s eyes, and all that other stuff, too.

One more thing before I forget–anyone have any recommendations for a decent reading tracker spreadsheet going into the year? Trying to shake things up and trying something new (and I’m not so sure my usual source is going to put one out). I’m thinking of just making my own (again), but I’m also kind of lazy.

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 Charles Dickens Illustrated Gallery—A treasure trove of “over 2000 illustrations taken from the most important (and interesting) illustrated editions of Charles Dickens’s works from 1836 to 1912 (the centenary of Dickens’s birth).”
A Critic on Swearing in Fantasy—been too long since I had a good Peat Long rant here. (FWIW, I agree with it. Except the bit about “kids” I hadn’t noticed that before, but I probabaly will now)
The 2025 Fantasy/SF Badge Collection—Spells & Spaceships makes the coolest looking virtual badges.
A Huge Round Up of 2025 Year Long Reading Challenges—a near-overwhelming collection of 2025 Challenges to help plan your year.
Oh Come All Ye Fantasy—Santa Womble brings has a bag-full of fantasy recs.
Ten Recommended Superhero Novels—I keep meaning to do a list along these lines, until I do, I’ll point people at this one.
Quotables: Words that Stuck with Me in 2024—A post I look forward to every year on Witty and Sarcastic Book Blog

It’s the Time of Year for Best of Lists like these to embiggen your 2025 TBRs (or to give you fodder to think about). I’ve made purchases/placed library books on hold from these.
I’ve only read one book from CrimeReads lists (and some of the runner-ups for Best of the Year), but am very inpired to pick up a lot of these:
The Best Debut Crime Novels of 2024
The Best Speculative Crime Fiction of 2024
https://crimereads.com/the-best-crime-novels-of-2024/
Reads of the year for the HIP (Harried Intellectual Parent): 2024—(just in case there are any reading this)
A Fictional Escapists Top 5 Reads of 2024!
Worlds Unlike Our Own’s Best of 2024
Novel Deelights’ Favourite Series of 2024
A few more lists from FanFiAddict:
Tom Bookbeard’s Top Indie Sci Fi and Fantasy Reads of 2024
Matt’s Top Reads of 2024
Harry’s Top 10 Reads of 2024
@LordTBR_FFA ‘s Top 15 Reads of 2024
My Top Ten Reads of 2024—from Hooked from Page One
Books of the year: 2024 edition—from reader @ work
Coe’s Oddly Specific Book Awards
Top Five Memorable Endings I Read In 2024

No trip down memory lane this week—I posted nothing 10 years ago. A move I can appreciate (and almost replicated).

The first link I have to share has nothing to do with books or reading, but was so interesting that I’m sharing it anway:
A List of 1,065 Medieval Dog Names: Nosewise, Garlik, Havegoodday & More—I strongly encourage clicking the links within the short post and the Related Content.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled focus.
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:
Hartford high school graduate who claims she can’t read sues board of education
Every AI Copyright Lawsuit in the US, Visualized—For those who have lost track of them all (like me)
Snap! Criticism: De Marcken and Kramnick—literary criticism and the idea of “quality”
Interview with M. W. Craven about the Ben Koenig series
Speaking of Craven, he showed up on CrimeReads this week with An Englishman in New York—as one who frequently complains about British authors flubbing Americanisms, I appreciate this.
Nice Place to Visit, But…: Johnny D. Boggs’ Bloody Newton—I had to take a second look at this review. (the title of the book could also be what some British authors call me when I comlain about their flubbed Americanisms)
The Art of Buying Books for Other People—some very good advice (especially about keeping lists)
Bookstr put together this handy The Best Book Deals as We Say Goodbye to 2024
Let Children Read What They Want—please
Out with the Old, In With the New – End of Year Review—A Little Book Problem takes a look at 2024 and looks toward 2025
A Year Spent Rereading – Some Highlights and Lowlights—The Orangutan Librarian looks back

It’s the Time of Year for Best of Lists like these. Your TBR will grow, I should warn you.
The Ultimate Best Books of 2024 List—I really appreciate Emily Temple’s annual List of Lists
The Empty Bookshelf’s Top 10 Novels of 2024—I’ve only read one of these (his top pick), but the rest look pretty appetizing
Pages Unbound’s Krysta gave her
Favorite Books Read in 2024
Top Twelve Graphic Novels Read in 2024
FanFiAddict posted:
C. J. Daley’s Top Reads of 2024
Anna’s Favorite Reads of 2024—many of these will appeal to people who aren’t me, but I can see why horror readers would dig them.
Ryan’s Favorite Reads of 2024
I’ve Read 26 Bookish Books in 2024—not really a Best Of, but it’s a good list, so it fit here better than above.
A.J.’s Completely Random Book Awards: 2024—Were I more creative, this is the approach I’d to take. But I’m not, so I’ll just enjoy people like A.J. Calvin who are.
Along those lines, I really enjoy the way that Steven Writes breaks down his lists:
Top Five Powerful Books I Read In 2024
Top Five Most Dramatic Twists I Read In 2024
Top Five Character-Driven Books I Read In 2024
Top Five Beautiful Covers I Held In 2024

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
SFF Addicts Ep. 135: Our Favorite Reads of 2024 LIVE (with Greta Kelly, The FTF Podcast & OWWR Pod)—this was fun and TBR embiggening.
Crime Time FM Alison Gaylin In Person With Paul—I really enjoyed this chat with Gaylin and hearing her take on Sunny Randall

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Suppression of Powers by JCM Berne—Turn Six of the Hybrid Helix looks like it’ll put Rohan through the wringer (shock) as the second arc of the kicks off.

So I can be afk for a couple of days, I’m putting this together a couple of days early, so if you’re wondering why I skipped over the tremendous/scandalous/tremdendously scandalous/scandaldoulys tremendos bookish news that came out over the previous 48 hours…well, I’ll cover it next week (assuming we all remember).

But for now, let’s move on to:
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:
Call to acknowledge all writers behind celebrity books—The UK’s trade union for writers, illustrators and translators calls “for celebrities, publishers and agents to acknowledge the writers behind celebrity books, particularly for children.”
Brandon Sanderson’s Materialist Fantasies—I don’t know enough about Sanderson to really appreciate this, but contrasting his approach to the genre/magic to Lewis and Tolkein was pretty interesting (I’d like to hear what others say about this)
Small Press SFF Might Sometimes Be Harder to Find — But It’s More Than Worth the Effort—Molly Templeton makes the case for putting in the effort to get Small Press SFF
Do You Enjoy When Your Library Receipt Says How Much Money You Saved?—I did enjoy when my library gave me this number, sadly they haven’t for a year or so (but I’d love to see it again)

It’s the Time of Year for Gift Guides/Best of Lists like these:
These gifts are the way to a book lover’s heart – part 2—Never Judge a Book by its Cover has a great list
The CrimeReads 2024 Holiday Gift Guide
The 167 Best Book Covers of 2024—This list from LitHub is always one of my favorites
Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2024—from Reactor Magazine
The best books of 2024 – recommended by Ian Rankin, Mick Herron, Mary Beard and others—The UK’s best writers name their best of the year. There some great choices here, and some that look great, too.
Top Five Books of 2024—from the Staff at LibraryThing
The Best Crime Novels of 2024—according to CrimeReads
Chasing Destino’s Favorite Books in 2024
P.L.’s Top Indie & Trad Pub Books for 2024—over at Before We Go Blog

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
(It was a really quiet week a decade ago, so I only have one thing share)
Hostile Witness by William Lashner

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Ghosts Stations by M.D. Presley—This is a strong second novel in the Inner Circle series (at least the beginning of it is). Corbin finds himself in New York on the hunt for a drug designed for magicians.

This week’s offering seems a bit more hodge-podgey than the last few, which I appreciate. It also feels a little LitHub heavy, but, eh. I’m not sure I care.

Also, I’m not going to bother talking about the Goodreads Reader’s Choice results…I can’t bother finding the energy (if I stumble on something interesting by someone next week, I’ll post it, but I’m not going looking). If anyone has a hot (or room-temperature) take on them, sound off in the comments.

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:
A Refuge for the Soul: How to Build a Library, According to Montaigne—maybe not achievable/practical, but some great ideas
How Gen Z Came to See Books as a Waste of Time
Does Teaching Literature and Writing Have a Future?—”The prospects are a little grim, but they aren’t nonexistent.”
Olympus Agonistes: When, if ever, did people stop believing in the Greek gods?
I Don’t Want to Read Anymore: Am I the Literary A**hole? —I rarely post links to these, but I enjoy every one of these columns I read. I thought the 2nd and 3rd letters were worth sharing.
“The very worst of human nature is often hidden in plain sight”—Rob Parker talks about his upcoming release (that I’m hoping to find a US release date for)
Speaking of upcoming releases…So I wrote another book… —Noelle Holten has some good news (even for us Yankees)
Wayward Children Vol. 1 – Illustrated Deluxe Omnibus—Kickstarter launched this week. It’s too rich for my blood, but it looks gorgeous for those who have the means.
Quiz: Can You Identify These Detectives’ Thoughts on Christmas?—I was 1 for 5 on this (and didn’t get the 1 I should’ve)
W Series I – Jordan Loyal Short – Dragon Reich—1. This looks like a cool book. 2. I wished I’d come up with this series idea.
Are You an Author Completionist?—I’m almost one. But I do get a little picky when it comes to some genres.
Books Inspired by Narnia! Portal Fantasies, Allegories and Coming of Age Stories!—who doesn’t like a Narnia-ish read?

It’s the Time of Year for Gift Guides/Best of Lists like these:
The Atlantic 10—The books that made us think the most this year
AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2024
Lit Hub’s 38 Favorite Books of 2024—I have one of these on my shelves waiting.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Dripping Bucket In The Business of Grimdark – with guest Beth Tabler—I haven’t watched this yet, but it looks like a good ‘un.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
And I mentioned the release of Bryant and May and the Bleeding Heart by Christopher Fowler, a series I really intended on sticking with, but lost my way on.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Nobody’s Hero by M. W. Craven—Ben Koenig’s back and is dealing with a team of assassins, a worst-case scenario that might be playing out, and one of the cleverest schemes he’s come across. I tried to express my excitement about this recently.
Little Love Songs by Sandra Boynton—sounds cute as all get out, I’m a little worried about the psycholoical torture that the “push button to hear music” feature can bring on adults living with a child (or older siblings). Still, probably worth the risk.