Category: Books Page 1 of 142

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:
National Library Week wraps up today (something I should’ve said something about earlier), so today is your last chance to take advantage of this. However, if you donate $15+ to a local library, you can get an audiobook credit from libro.fm click the link for details.
Carla Crane Osborne uses her Idaho childhood as a muse—a Literary Local talks to a local news station. Yup, I got her to talk to me before TV did.
The Comic-Book Artist Who Mastered Space and Time—Art Spiegelman on the late Jules Feiffer
Pace Yourself—Molly Templeton makes the case reading slowly
The Magic of Sci-Fi: Exploring the Unknown and Imagining the Future—a nice look at Science Fiction over at Adventures in Lit
INTERVIEW: Voice Artist Jeff Hays—Over at GrimdarkMAGAZINE, Beth Tabler talked to the voice behind Dungeon Crawler Carl and many, many other books.
Thematic music from lauded Game of Thrones composer, Will Musser—Micheal Michel’s The Price of Power gets its first piece of fan art from this guy (pretty good way to start)

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy
The Stolen Ones by Owen Laukkanen
Vanished by Joseph Finder
I mentioned the releases of The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu; Dark Heir by Faith Hunter; and Scent of Murder by James O. Born

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
My Documents by Kevin Nguyen—One of the best things I’ve read this year. I’ll probably be saying that in December, too. In the late twenty-teens, the U.S. Government starts detaining Vietnamese-Americans, and this harrowing-yet-frequently-amusing novel follows four siblings. If I say more than that, we’re going to be here for awhile. Hopefully I can get something together in a day or two.
24-Hour Warlock by Shami Stovall—in the third Chronos Chronicles novel, Finch (and his new team) takes on a demonologist to save his sister-in-law
Big Chief by Jon Hickey—a provocative-looking political thriller set in the days leading up to a reservation’s election

I spent the day at the Nampa Library’s 3rd Annual Treasure Valley Book Fair and dealing with family stuff, so it’s taken me a bit to get the time for this.

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 Book Business Prepares for Tariff Turmoil —this is going to hurt
“Reading builds empathy”: The case for saving America’s libraries: America needs “third places” like our libraries more than we ever have, both functionally and philosophically
A Mini Train Just for Books? NYPL’s New System is a Must-See—ohhhh, I wanna watch this in action
Who Killed the Omniscient Narrator? A Brief History of POV
The White Male Writer is Fine, I Promise—a nation breathes a giant sign of relief, I’m sure—we were all so worried.
Narratess Indie April Sale—is this weekend
My Recommendations for Narratess’ Indie Sale April 2025 from JamReads.
The Curious Case of Literary Confusion: Guest Post by Andrew McAleer
Book Worlds We’d Like To Visit—this list from LibraryThing is bringing back a lot of memories for me, and adding a few ideas to my TBR
World Autism Awareness Day: Why Authentic Autistic Representation Matters – a personal perspective—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
Best Amazon Alternatives for Book Lovers

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire
Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson—the book that turned me from the occasional reader of Johnson into a devoted fan
Dead to Me by Cath Staincliffe
And I mentioned the release of The Diamond Conspiracy by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett—A fantasic sequel, and an even better mystery in this fantasy series, as I tried to say earlier this week
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto—I was supposed to write about this sequel a week ro so ago, but I couldn’t quite get my act together enough. Short version, this is everything that fans of the first Vera Wong will want.
The Price of Power by Michael Michel—This is the first volume in a fantasy saga that is destined to be fanstastic. I talked about it some on Friday (and am going to have to eat my words on more than one prediction)
Rex Stout: Killer Conversations with Edgar Winner John McAleer by by Andrew McAleer—the son of Rex Stout’s biographer has brought us this collection of interviews between the two. I have to spend some time pouring over this.
Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words by John McWhorter—”With his trademark humor and flair, bestselling linguist John McWhorter busts the myths and shares the history of the most controversial language topic of our times: pronouns”
I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney—”Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a ‘far more interesting’ man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living.”

Quiet week here, too quiet, I know. Here’s hoping the next week will be calmer and more productive. I’ve got some good stuff due/lined up for the next few days. Be sure to come back and check it out.

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:
Flannery at 100—and Forever: O’Connor’s work, fiction and not, is Catholic, gothic, Southern, and timeless.—something tells me that I’m going to be reading, and suggesting, a lot of O’Connor this year. Maybe I should try to squeeze in some re-reads, too.
Why Is Everyone Reading ‘Lonesome Dove,’ an 858-page Western From 1985?—I didn’t realize this was a thing. But it’s pretty cool that it is.
Interview: Miles Joyner—this interview over on Crime Fiction Lover sparked my interst in Joyner. Maybe it will do the same for you.
Every Hunger Games book gets blunter about the messages fans keep missing: Collins’ narrative is also about how the series itself is received—Now I kind of want to go read the new one.
The 50 Best Norwegian Harry Potter Character Names EXPLAINED—Have you, like me, never wondered how the Norwegian translator of Potter changed the names of major characters? This video will convince you that you should’ve.
Considering the cosy turn in SFF: who gets to be comforted?
Narratess’ Indie Sale is back April 5-7. Start counting your pennies now.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Dorothy Parker Drank Here by Ellen Meister

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi—It’s hard to describe how much I’m looking forward to this…the Moon suddenly turns into cheese. “For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now… something absolutely impossible.”
When Shadows Fall by Neil Lancaster—DS Max Craigie wrangles with a serial killer
Bazaar by Miles Joyner—assassins, the Dark Web, Washington D.C., security contractors…sounds like a great ingredient list for a thriller.
Space Brooms! by A.G. Rodriguez—”A fun, sci-fi romp where custodian – or space broom – Johnny Gomez teams up with smugglers and is thrust into an unforgettable adventure.”

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:
EveryLibrary launched SaveIMLS.org—to take action and make your voice heard about the recent Executive Order targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), amongst others.
The Best Villains in Literature Bracket: And The Winner Is…—not really a surprise, but the worst of the worst (or the best of the worst?) has been named.
The Unbelievable Scale of AI’s Pirated-Books Problem: Meta pirated millions of books to train its AI. Search through them here.
How an American Radical Reinvented Back-Yard Gardening: Ruth Stout didn’t plow, dig, water, or weed—and now her “no-work” method is everywhere. But behind her secret to the perfect garden lay other secrets.—this barely qualifies for this post, but they do talk about her books a bit–and there’s discussion of her more famous (at least then) brother, Rex Stout. And you all know I’ll reflexively put anything about Rex Stout here.
Tell Me a Differently Shaped Story: SFF That Plays With Form: If not traditional narrative, why book shaped?—(I’m with Templeton re: House of Leaves)
Tackling the TBR: Strategies for Managing Your “To Be Read” List—It was just a day or two ago that I learned that TBR’s can be managed and not just cowered under. The things Science can do these days…
Why I Like The Term ‘Trad Fantasy’—a quick take from Peat Long
I’m kinda done with being treated like an idiot by authors—I expect a lot of us will agree with the notion behind The Orangutan Librarian’s post. I just wonder how many of us all would agree about the authors who do it?

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson
I mentioned the releases of: The Stolen Ones by Owen Laukkanen; The Deception Artist by Fayette Fox; The Last Days of Video: A Novel by Jeremy Hawkins; and Less Than Hero by S. G. Browne. I only read The Stolen Ones, which remains one of the more chilling books I’ve read in a decade or so.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Library by Gigi Pandian—Tempest Raj and her pals are back for another fun locked-room mystery. I talked about it (hopefully enthusiastically) a day or two ago.
Friends Helping Friends by Patrick Hoffman— “A young man must infiltrate his own family’s white nationalist group, or go to prison himself… Part crime novel, part portrait of friendship, extremism, and inherited trauma, celebrated novelist Patrick Hoffman is at his brilliant best in these pages. Bunny never wanted any trouble. So how the hell did he end up at a white supremacist compound in rural Colorado?”
Welcome to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton—escaping from their home on a (literal) trash pile is one thing, but adjusting to life in a super-affluent world brings a whole new set of challenges in this sequel.

Image credit: Grammarly

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 Best Villains in Literature Bracket: The Final Showdown—this is not who I expected to see in the final bracket, but it really makes sense. Also, if you haven’t been checking in, all the bracket posts (and other things posted on the theme of literary villains this week) are worth your time.
Terry Brooks announced his “semi-retirement” this week—at one point in my life this would’ve been devasting news. Now I can see it as the smart move it is—I hope he enjoys a long time of not-writing-that-much.
A Lifelong Love of Field Guides: A celebration of field guides, the little books that changed the way we interact with nature
How To Manage Your Reading Habit When You’ve Got No Money- A Book Bloggers Guide to The Cost-Of-Living Crisis
The Art of Reading Aloud
Marching Through MORE Inspirational Books!
The Columbus [Ohio] Metropolitan Library asks, Every 2 seconds, a book is rescued from captivity. Will you be a hero for a library item in need?

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Crime Time FM NICK KOLAKOWSKI In Person With Paul—was a great conversation about writing in general and Kolakowski’s new book.
SFF Addicts Ep. 145: John Scalzi—was great
The Thriller Zone Episode 217: Marshall Karp’s Killer Secrets: Writing Thrillers that Pack a Punch

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Uneasy Relations; Skull Duggery; Dying on the Vine by Aaron J. Elkins—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
I mentioned the releases of: Anti-Hero by Jonathan Wood; World Gone By by Dennis Lehane; The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence; What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren [wonderful read]; and Archie in the Crosshairs by Robert Goldsborough

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuire—The war with the Covenant heats up and everyone’s favorite Nanny has to step up again. I had a few things to say about it recently.
Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski—Kolakowski brings his best for this contemporary L.A. noir about a traumatized ex-fixer trying to solve an old murder. I did a better job of talking about it earlier this week.