Category: Books Page 13 of 159

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Steampunk

On July 22, 2025

In Books, Fiction, Miscellany, News/Misc., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, Steampunk

(updated 7/22/25)

From the first moment that people did the strange thing of asking me to talk about their books on my blog, I’ve been impressed by the quality of a lot of what’s been published by authors going out on their own, taking all the risks, shouldering all the responsibility and doing all the work to get their words, their dreams, their blood, sweat, and tears. This should be celebrated—it’s definitely appreciated, as we’re trying to show this week.

As part of this week-long celebration, I’m continuing my habit of highlighting the self-published works that I’ve blogged about over the last few years (or meant to blog about, but at least read)—just a sentence or two. Hopefully, this’ll be enough to make you click on the link to the full post. Beyond that, it’d be great if I inspired you to add a few of these to your TBR. Also, be sure you check out the other posts over at the SPAAW Hub.

Today we’re going to be looking at Self-Published Steampunk. This list doubled this year. Okay, sure, that’s still not a lot. It hardly seems to justify a separate list. But I kept these on their own so they wouldn’t get lost in the SF mix. Consider this an open invitation for people to fill up my comment section with recommendations so I can post a longer version of this list next time I run this.

bullet The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris—set in the same world as their Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, this puts the adventurous group of homeless kids the Ministry uses in a private school to find an Egyptian artifact. I still need to write my post on it, but it’s worth your time.
bullet Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle by Michael Coorlim—these short stories are a nice little dose of Steampunk with a thin coating of Victorian P.I. Light fun. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed: A Steampunk Zombie Western by Jonathan Fesmire—the reanimated corpse of one of the most-feared lawmen in the West roots out a criminal organization set to rule California. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed and the Jade Lake by Jonathan Fesmire—Creed heads to SF and tangles with a human trafficking ring. (my post about it)
bullet Bodacious Creed and the San Francisco Syndicate by Jonathan Fesmire—Creed has settled into San Francisco and is on the hunt for an outlaw who uses machines to alter the bodies and minds of his victims. I haven’t read this yet, but I can’t pass up the chance to talk about it. Really looking forward to diving in.
bullet Aether Powered by James T. Lambert—A UW Engineering student inherits a trunkful of steampunk goodies from a distant relative. Action ensues. (my post about it)
bullet Steam Opera by James T. Lambert—An imaginative engineer/inventor and a gutsy investor attempt to land on the moon pre-1900. (my post about it)
bullet The Silk Empress by Josef Matulich—a brilliant and reckless British orphan finds himself on an airship on the Silk Road (well, technically, above it). It’s a rollicking adventure. (my post about it)
bullet The Golden Spider by Anne Renwick—a steamy Kraken-filled Steampunk story, lots of good action, and great inter-personal moments. (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Non-Fiction

By HCNewton

On July 22, 2025

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

(updated 7/22/25)

Today we’re going to be looking at Self-Published Non-Fiction—which are primarily memoirs at their core, it’s what the authors do with the memoirs that makes these really stand out. But there are a few other things, too.

bullet Life and Death Behind the Brick and Razor: Code Red Diamond by Isaac Alexis, MD—A prison doctor uses his experiences to give suggestions for a healthy/healthier life. (my post about it)
bullet How Not to Be an *SS: Essays on Becoming a Good & Safe Man by Andrew J. Bauman—Bauman calls men to an authentic, Biblical masculinity—one built on humility, kindness, and service. While offering concrete ways to set aside patterns of abuse and neglect. (my post about it)
bullet Kneading Journalism: Essays on baking bread and breaking down the news by Tony Ganzer—This is a collection of essays about the state of journalism, how people relate to and view the media we consume, and what the future may hold. Oh, and bread recipes, of course. It makes sense in context (and is a really great idea). (my post about it)
bullet Grammar Sex and Other Stuff by Robert Germaux — quick essays with humor and heart (my post about it)
bullet No Problem, Mr. Walt: Building a Boat, Rebuilding a Life, & Discovering China by Walt Hackman—Hackman was one of the first self-published authors to reach out to me, and I’m so glad he did. A fascinating read about a man deciding to have an authentic Chinese junk built for him to use as a houseboat in California. (my post about it)
bullet Fifth Sparrow Rising by Cindi Hartley—A little bit a bit of Hartley’s personal story and faith, a little bit of the experiences through some of the hardest parts of her life, and things she;s learned through it all. All told in the hope that she can show others they are “not alone and that there is a way to find light again, as well as be a light, even when one has lived through darkness.”
bullet Finding Hope in Hard Things: A Positive Take on Suffering by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—The central premise is that God uses the “hard things” in life to shape us into the people he wants us to be, and uses some of the hard things in his life as case studies to demonstrate how they were used so the reader is equipped to look at their own lives and see the purpose in their suffering. (my post about it)
bullet The Great Lie: What All of Hell Wants You to Keep Believing by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Paired with Hibbs’ characteristic clear prose and gift with language and illustrations, Hibbs reminds the reader that God is always speaking to us, through both the Creation and His Word. (my post about it)
bullet In Divine Company by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Pierce’s treatment of prayer focuses on the communicative nature of God and His image bearers and then nurturing that in our lives to improve our prayer. (my post about it)
bullet Struck Down but Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully with Anxiety by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Drawing on what he’s learned from over 12 years of anxiety, Hibbs talks about learning to see what God’s purpose in the suffering is (anxiety disorders specifically, but easily transferable to other types), understanding that His hand is guiding all things—including our problems—so how do we in faith (without denying the suffering) rest in faith. (my post about it)
bullet And Drink I Did: One Man’s Story of Growing Through Recovery by Jay Keefe—It’s all there in the subtitle, Keefe tells about his OCD, his alcoholic days, his getting sober, and how he’s trying to help others since then. Powerful stuff. (my post about it)
bullet If You Give A Mouse Metformin by Nikhil Krishnan, i Cenizal (Illustrator) — 1 part picture book parody, 1 part satire, 1 part good look at the pharmecutical process (the good and the bad) (my post about it)
bullet How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain by Ryan North—A tongue-in-cheek way to talk about some of the most advanced science around and how it can (and in some ways is) be used to destroy the world. (my post about it)
bullet The Genius’ Guide to Bad Writing by R.T. Slaywood, R.C. Martinez—A guide for the writer who is tired of success and wants to reclaim their lives from answering the siren call of fortune and fame that comes to every author. Slaywood and Martinez have a 10-Step program guaranteed to ruin a novel or two and stop a career dead in its spot. (my post about it)
bullet Uber Diva by Charles St. Anthony—a humorist writes a memoir of a Lyft/Uber driver mixed with a guide to starting/surviving/thriving as one in a tough market. St. Anthony also has a few other books out now that are probably worth a read. (my post about it)
bullet Flying Alone: A Memoir by Beth Ruggiero York—A female pilot’s memoir of her path from flight school to flying for TWA (now that I have a son learning to fly, some of her more harrowing experiences keep flashing through the back of my mind). (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published “General” Fiction

By HCNewton

On July 21, 2025

In Books, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Miscellany, News/Misc.

(updated 7/21/25)

Today we’re going to be looking at General Fiction (for lack of a better term)—there’s some Lad Lit, a dash of historical fiction, some humor, a couple of things I don’t know how to categorize beyond “Fiction”, and a bit more. Hopefully, you can find something that tickles your fancy.

bullet Dispatches from a Tourist Trap by James Bailey—Jason (see below) and his mother move from Seattle to a small town in the middle of Washington to stay with her parents as she establishes a life away from her husband. Hilarity and conflict ensue. (my post about it)
bullet The First World Problems of Jason Van Otterloo by James Bailey—an epistolary novel (through emails) from a 13-year-old whose life is turned upside down in 2003 Seattle. A lot of heart and a few laughs. (my post about it)
bullet This Is Who We Are Now by James Bailey—he doesn’t just write YA, Bailey attacks coming-of-Middle-Age, too. This not-so-young man, deals with changes to his parents’ lives, his younger siblings’ successes (and struggles) and coming to grips that his life may not end up just the way he wanted it to.
bullet The Glamshack by Paul W. Cohen—A lifestyle reporter’s obsessive love for a woman and the havoc it wreaks on his life. (my post about it)
bullet Ways And Truths And Lives by Matt Edwards—this is tough to summarize in a sentence, but let me try, because this is more about the internal life. James Dall is a struggling writer and reporter, who is still trying to figure out what he thinks about life, love and meaning. This is about him on the verge of making a big move for his life and career, and those things that move him to it.
bullet The Chronicles of Iona: Exile by Paula de Fougerolles—The first novel in a series about the founding of Iona. Some historical fiction with a hint of Fantasy. (my post about it)
bullet Love Stories by Robert Germaux—based on actual events, the story of a love that might have been, and one that is. (my post about it is forthcoming)
bullet Not Awkward by Matthew Hanover—a young man attends the funeral of his ex’s father and gets roped into staying during shiva in the days leading to his wedding. Nah, not awkward at all. (my post about it)
bullet Not Dressed by Matthew Hanover—Hanover’s (seemingly) effortless charm makes this “romantic comedy of how love goes wrong—and right—when you’re a twenty-something still figuring out how to adult” a real winner. (my post about it)
bullet Not Famous by Matthew Hanover—Hanover’s first novel is about a guy who falls for a socially awkward musician. It will steal your heart. (my post about it)
bullet Not Prepared by Matthew Hanover—a bachelor takes in his eleven-year-old-goddaughter when her mother skips town, and maybe finds love, too. Great stuff. (my post about it)
bullet The Flight of the Pickerings by John Grayson Heide—a heart-warming story about an older couple dealing with dementia and the end of their life together get their world turned upside down when their rebellious teenage grandson comes to live with them. (my post about it)
bullet Didn’t Get Frazzled by David Z. Hirsch, MD—a bildungsroman following a 20-something through his 4 years of medical school: from Gross Anatomy to the verge of residency. (my post about it)
bullet Love and Other Monsters in the Dark by K. B. Jensen—I could probably put this on most of my Self-Published Fiction lists, so I’ll limit it to this one. It’s sort of the same genre as The Twilight Zone—SF, Fantasy, Horror, Crime. Sudden Fiction and Short stories that’ll knock your socks off. (my post about it)
bullet XYZ by William Knight—A mature, old-school programmer has to start his career over at a 21st Century Startup as his family life falls apart in every way imaginable. Clearly a comedy. (my post about it)
bullet Dirt Road Home by Alexander Nader—A lot of charm fills this YA(ish) Coming of Age story about a teen forced to move from Detroit to a small town in Tennessee before graduation. (my post about it)
bullet Coffee and Condolences by Wesley Parker—A widower tries to begin recovering from the deaths of his wife and children by reconnecting with his step-sister and maybe finds love. (my post about it)
bullet Detours and Do-overs by Wesley Parker—A sequel to the next on the list. This follow-up had a lot of heart. (my post about it)
bullet Headphones and Heartaches by Wesley Parker—A teen finds home, safety, and love in a Foster Home, but is torn about leaving his mother behind. One sentence doesn’t do it justice, I simply loved this one. (my post about it)
bullet The Worst Man by Jon Rance—Ollie’s desperately in love with the girlfriend/fiancée of the man who’s been his best friend since childhood. And now he has to be the best man at the wedding he wants to derail. (my post about it)
bullet The Summer Holidays Survival Guide by Jon Rance—an out-of-shape teacher tries to prepare for a half-marathon while surviving the summer with his three kids, a marriage on the rocks, and his father (with dementia) moving in. (my post about it)
bullet However Long the Day by Justin Reed—A Depression-era take on The Prince and the Pauper, an impressive debut (my post about it)
bullet The Crescent and the Cross by Kurt Scheffler— the story of The Battle of Tours (in 732) and events leading up to it, told through the lives of people close to Charles Martel and Charles on the one hand and a couple of the leaders of the Muslim forces involved in the Arab invasion of France. (my post about it)
bullet In Ten Years by Ian Shane—The reductionist description is “A 21st Century When Harry Met Sally“. We watch a couple of college friends over 18 years start to figure out that they’re in love. Hilarious and sweet. (my post about it)
bullet Postgraduate by Ian Shane—When your life falls apart, why not take your college radio show and turn it into an Internet radio show? And then, why not attend a reunion with the old college radio gang, including “The One That Got Away” (because you foolishly dumped her)? (my post about it)
bullet Radio Radio by Ian Shane—A maverick DJ is forced to get creative when a corporate radio management team takes over his station. A love letter to what radio used to be as much as anything else. (my post about it)
bullet The Jackals by Adam Shaw—A local band on the verge of making it big/big-ish falls apart after high school due to a love triangle that shouldn’t have happened. When one member of the band dies, the group has to get together for a funeral and to clean up his stuff. (that’s a bad summary, but best I can do in a sentence) (my post about it)
bullet KA-E-RO-U Time to Go Home by B. Jeanne Shibahara—I’m so glad the blurb contains a one-sentence description because I couldn’t write one: “Desert-dweller Meryl travels to Japan, returns a WWII flag, and brings home an understanding of life that opens her heart for the unexpected.” (my post about it)
bullet Lingering by Melissa Simonson—It’s sort-of SF, sort-of a Thriller, but not really either, so I put this here. This is a novel about grief, about dealing with death—while telling the story about an effort to design an AI to mimic a dead loved one in order to help a survivor cope. (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

Saturday Miscellany—7/19/25

By HCNewton

On July 19, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I somehow deleted my list of new releases for the week–I’m pretty sure I reconstructed it all, but the haunting feeling that I missed one is going to eat at me for a day or two.

A shorter post this week, but…you have no idea how busy this site is going to be next week. I gave myself “plenty” of advance time to get things done–and promptly filled it with other stuff. So, I’m scurrying around a little today. Anyway, be sure to check out the Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week posts here and around the book blogosphere next week!

But for now:
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:
bullet New ‘Dresden Files’ book is coming: See the cover reveal for ‘Twelve Months’—98% of those who care have likely seen this already—what do I care? I’m excited about the cover and the brief synopsis. January can’t get here fast enough! (although there’s plenty that I want to accomplish before then, so…maybe it can)
bullet Who Gets a POV In Your Story? It’s a Political Decision: Everyone in a story is a person, and nobody is an NPC.—Yes, this is primarily for writers, but there’s something for we readers to chew on here, too.
bullet Even Better the Second (or Third, or Fourth…) Time: In Praise of Re-Reading
bullet Where authors gossip, geek out and let off steam: 15 of the best literary Substacks
bullet The Thing You Want to Read Is Out There (Probably): On reading—and looking—outside your comfort zone
bullet Book Blogging in 2025 Survey Results—I look forward every year to see what Jo Linsdell’s survey brings
bullet Monthly Manga Mania Featuring First Duelist: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s by Masahiro Hikokubo
bullet I Made a Massive 14,000 Page Book—This is disturbing, impressive, mind-boggling, and cool.
bullet The Five Book Lover Languages

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Murder Boy by Bryon Quertermous—I’ve often thought about revisiting this one to see if it was just the wrong time for me.
bullet Armada by Ernest Cline
bullet And I talked about the releases of Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS ALREADY??); Armada by Ernest Cline; Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn; Hostile Takeover by Shane Kuhn (I miss this writer); Last First Snow by Max Gladstone; Cold Iron by Stina Leicht; Alive by Scott Sigler; Once Upon a Crime by P. J. Brackston; Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Three Shattered Souls by Mai Cortland—I just finished book one of this trilogy last weekend, I haven’t even picked up my copy of book two (and won’t be able to read it until September), but am more excited about this release than anything else this week. And no, I won’t give a synopsis of it, because I’m hiding from any discussion of it.
bullet Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue by Spencer Quinn—The widow is back in action (thankfully, no international travel is called for this time). I’ve been trying to write something since Monday…you’ll see me blather on about it soon.
bullet American Mythology by Giano Cromley—Who doesn’t like a Bigfoot story? Moreso when it’s described as: “A spooky adventure story and a wry and heartwarming tale of friendship, American Mythology is a fabulous debut about the power of belief and our sacred bond to nature.”
bullet A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna—This sounds like a bit of breezy niceness. “A whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track.”

WWW Wednesday—July 16, 2025

By HCNewton

On July 16, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Who’s got time for an introduction? Not this guy! Let’s dive right into this week’s WWW Wednesday!

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?


Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovitch	Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic	Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, read by Jefferson White

Almost the entire cast of The Rivers of London series goes on holiday to Scotland (and to look into a strange cat), and at the rate things are going, ol’ Peter is going to find himself banned. There are just so many good things to mention here I could get carried away in this paragraph.

I didn’t mean to start Algospeak Saturday, I was just making sure that it’d loaded onto my e-reader, and before I knew it, I was at 16%. (is there a link between that and the lack of new material on Sunday? Well, yes). It’s utterly fascinating.

I’m remembering why I (like so many people) got really into The Hunger Games back before the movies. Collins is not messing around in this prequel. Allyson, I was with you on this one–but caved to peer pressure, and I think I’m going to be glad about it (but not sure I’d tell you to to give it a shot…yet).

What did you recently finish reading?


A Tail of Mystery by Paul Regnier	Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, read by Chris Devon, Emana Rachelle, Charlie Albers, Eve Passeltiner, Zura Johnson, Cary Hite & Gail Shalan

Paul Regnier’s cozy-adjacent mystery is just fun. Silly, but fun. I’ll be back for more soon.

I’m still deciding what I think about Of Monsters and Mainframes–cool concept, some good characters, and overall an enjoyable story, although a lot of the plotting/pacing annoyed me. The narrators did not do this book any favors–in fact, I think they hurt it. Still, you might want to give it a shot.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Samurai! by Saburo Sakai with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito	The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon, read by Kate McKinnon & Emily Lynne

I’ve said that I was going to read Samurai! more than once over the past couple of years. But I’m pretty sure it’s going to stick this time.

I’m going to need something light and fluffy after Sunrise on the Reaping (if not sooner), and McKinnon’s MG fantasy should fit the bill. Celeste pushed me to it.

What are you using (along with your A/C) to help you ignore the July heat?

Saturday Miscellany—7/12/25

By HCNewton

On July 12, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I clearly didn’t spend that much time online this week. This is probably a good thing when it comes to my mental health, but as I’m trying to put this together today, I find myself rather annoyed. Seriously, mental health is overrated, anyway, what was I thinking?

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:
bullet The truth behind the endless “kids can’t read” discourse: Is there a literacy crisis? Or am I just old?—Ugh. Nuance. Who has time for that?
bullet An Interview with Mary Jo Bang on Translating Paradiso by Dante Alighieri—if she only did a prose translation, I might be able to get my way through the trilogy. Nothing like Dante to show me how deficient my education (formal or self-) has been in teaching me to read verse. But this interview makes me want to try again.
bullet Writing Advice and Literary Wisdom from the Great E.B. White—This was posted in honor of his birthday yesterday, and reminds us why people still care about White (and offers some good advice for the writerly-types out there)
bullet 11 Summertime Books to Read When You’re Not Feeling Very Sunny: Once the seasonal malaise hits, these novels will help you unwind.—I really don’t know how a listicle from Marie Claire ended up on one of my feeds. But hey, some good looking reads here.
bullet Michael Robotham On Why We Love Stories About Gangsters
bullet The REAL Lion King!—The Orangutan Librarian takes a break from being insightful and whatnot to sharing some old cartoons. Start here with Part 1.
bullet 5 Books Adults Recommended I Read as a Child that Didn’t Resonate with Me at All—An interesting approach to books from childhood (can’t help but agree with the last one)

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week? (I was weirded-out about how brief these posts were…I’ve gotten talky over the years)
bullet Uprooted by Naomi Novik
bullet Corsair by James L. Cambias
bullet Stay by Victor Gischler
bullet The Snapper by Roddy Doyle
bullet And I talked about the releases of a handful of books: Splintered by Jamie Schultz; The Fraud by Brad Parks; Time Salvager by Wesley Chu; Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine; Letters to Zell by Camille Griep; The Six by Mark Alpert; Bum Rap by Paul Levine; Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer — looks to be as inventive and fun as his Magic 2.0 series.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch—Sheep get eaten, the Folly heads to Scotland, and…well, that’s all I know, but that’s a strong start.
bullet Yellow Medicine by Anthony Neil Smith—”starts with one of the most memorable and engaging anti-heroes in recent memory. Mix in bent cops, a psychobilly band called Elvis Antichrist, meth cookers in the Minnesota sticks, and a truly nasty pack of wannabe jihadists. Add a liberal helping of guns, knives and explosives.” I’m sold.
bullet The Silver State by Gabriel Urza—”When a public defender receives a letter from a client on death row, he is forced to reexamine his role in the murder case he cannot shake; a gripping and thought-provoking legal thriller that redefines the genre”
bullet The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully—”A brilliant Boomer detective and her ambitious Gen Z assistant try to get along in this delightful feel-good mystery.” Looks fun.
bullet Heal the Beasts: A Jaunt Through the Curious History of the Veterinary Arts by Philipp Schott—”Sharing the stories of 22 different animal healers and veterinarians from across eras and continents, Dr. Schott examines the always fascinating, often unexpected, and sometimes hilarious veterinary methods employed to treat all manner of creatures. From healing dogs and horses to gorillas and even dragons, at the heart lies the evolution of the human-animal bond, which has been more cyclical than linear.”
Hour of the Pumpkin Queen by Megan Shepherd—One year after their wedding, “Sally must embark on a time-bending adventure to save Halloween Town–and her beloved Jack Skellington.” Okay, I’m probably not going to read this follow-up to The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I’m putting it here to remind me to buy it for my daughter (and, who knows, maybe one of you will find it intriguing)

2025 WWW Wednesday—July 9, 2025

By HCNewton

On July 9, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

I took the day off from work for some family stuff, which ended up not taking as long as I’d expected–so I got a novel read yesterday. It’s been a minute since I’ve been able to do something like that. It’s pretty nice, I have to say.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland	Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, read by Chris Devon, Emana Rachelle, Charlie Albers, Eve Passeltiner, Zura Johnson, Cary Hite & Gail Shalan

I’ve barely scratched the surface of Five Broken Blades, but everything I’ve heard makes me think I’m going to love it. It’s for Monday’s Book Club, so I’d better make some haste.

I’m 20% into Of Monsters and Mainframes, the story and characters are winning me over–but the narrators are making it difficult. There are some odd choices being made. Truelove didn’t do them any favors with all the strings of binary code, either.

What did you recently finish reading?


Sabriel by Garth Nix	Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Sabriel was a lot of fun–I can see why my friend thought I’d like it. I should’ve listened to him years ago.

Obviously, I got a little more of Amongst Our Weapons as I revisited it–having listened to the series as a whole so recently helped, too. It’s amazing to see how the series has grown and changed from its beginnings. It’ll make the next title mentioned in this post all the sweeter to start.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovitch	Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, read by Jefferson White

One more Rivers of London book for this summer–this time I’ll only hear Holdbrook-Smith in my head occasionally as I read.

I really thought I was done with Panem, but a couple of things I read about this book–and the urging of a coworker led me to put my name on the Library’s waitlist. Guess I’ll find out if the weeks of waiting were worth it.

What do you have on your bedside table (literally or figuratively)?

Mid-Year Reading Check Tags

By HCNewton

On July 9, 2025

In Book Tag, Books, News/Misc.

Mid-Year Reading Check Tags
I enjoy doing these mid-year check ins, like this one from The Orangutan Librarian or Stephen Writes, and a few other places I forgot to bookmark. And I typically do one of them around this time, too. This year, I saw the way that Emma @ Words And Peace mashed-up and reorganized a couple of these tags into one. I liked it enough that I’m using her format.

Now, I’m indecisive as usual, so for most of these prompts I gave three responses because I just couldn’t decide. Hope you enjoy.

1. How many books reads so far in 2025?

140

2. What genre I read most of:

As of June 30, it was Mystery/Crime/Thriller with 29% of my reading.

3. My favorite so far:


Anxious People by Fredrik Backman	Don’t Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp	My Documents by Kevin Nguyen

4. Best sequel:


A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett	The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart	Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

5. Surprisingly good:

For the record, I expected that all of these were going to be good–which explains me reading/listening. But I didn’t think they’d be as good as they were. (I think that’s the intent of the catgory, I just want to stress it)


The Amazing Twin Chicken Freedom Fighters by Zephaniah Sole	The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong, read by Phyllis Ho	I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney, ready by Sean Patrick Hopkins

6. Most disappointing:


The Greatest Nobodies of History: Minor Characters from Major Moments by Adrian Bliss	That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis	A Little History of Music by Robert Philip, read by Zeb Soanes

I’m NOT suggesting that That Hideous Strength was bad. It just wasn’t as good as the others in the trilogy, so it was a disappointment. The other two, were “meh” at best.

7. New favorite author discovered in 2025:


Kevin Nguyen	Michael Michel	Thomas Trang

8. New favorite character:

Cover of Don't Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp

Cover of The Price of Power by Michael Michel

Cover of Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Garlenna Renwood, body guard/conscience, of Prince Barodane Ironlight. I can’t put my finger on what exactly is appealing about her–everything? She’s just the best character in Michel’s series (so far), and there are plenty to choose from.

Tchaikovsky’s Enth was both a fascinating (and fun!) character in himself. He was also a compelling look at humanity from a very inhuman perspective. I could’ve picked a few more characters from this book, but Enth is one that I’m not going to forget anytime soon.

Maggie Dunn kept you guessing and finding new layers to her on every page. Karp made her a remarkable character. I wrote about her on a couple of occasions, and I know I haven’t said everything I’d like to.

9. Made me cry:


The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman	Don’t Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp	Tilt by Emma Pattee, read by Ariel Blake

Nothing has got me there quite yet (I think I said something similar last year, and within a week that streak was over). But…The Bright Sword got close. Tilt made me think about it. Don’t tell Me How to Die almost did get me misty, surprisingly early, too.

10. Made me happy:

Really everything I rated 3 stars or above (the overwhelming majority of what I’ve read this year) has done that. But these three titles stand out along those lines:


I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney, ready by Sean Patrick Hopkins	Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto	One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman

12. Most beautiful book bought:

Five Broken Blades (Deluxe Limited Edition)
by Mai Corland

(although the other two in the trilogy might come close, we’ll have to see if I want to buy those)

13. Need to finish:

Whatever I’m reading/listening to today 🙂

Also:


Wisdom for Life: 52 Old Testament Meditations by Michael P. V. Barrett	Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism by Zacharias Ursinus	Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks

The first two of these I’m not going to finish until Dec. 28th (Lord willing), they’re designed that way. The Brooks book is one I’m working through with someone, and we’re taking our time, and may not finish this year.

14. Most anticipated 2025 read:

Thus far:


A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett	When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

15. Most anticipated upcoming 2025 release:


The Final Vow by M.W. Craven	Silver and Lead by Sanan McGuire

If it was a footrace, The Final Vow, would be so far in the lead that it’d discourage everyone else–with the exception of Silver and Lead, because I’m not used to waiting this long for Toby Daye.

16. Next big priority:

Finishing off this list:
20 Books of Summer '25 Chart July Update In Progress

17. Bookish highlights:

Shared Stories book clubs, it’s just so cool to talk about books with a bunch of similarly-minded people at once. The interactions I’ve had here/on video or on social media with various and sundry writers/readers/bloggers. And everything mentioned above.

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

Saturday Miscellany—7/5/25

By HCNewton

On July 5, 2025

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Despite my furry companions’ certain conclusions, we survived the night/morning (who needs to set off celebratory explosions at 1:30 am??). Hope my fellow USA-ers did, too. And I envy the rest of you your sleep.

I hesitate to do this…it seems like a lousy time to bring this up. But we’ve launched a GoFundMe to raise money for travel expenses for my son’s impending kidney transplant (impending=hopefully anytime in the next 3 years).

Now, on with the miscellany.

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:
bullet The Top 10 Bestselling Books of 2025 (So Far)—from Publishers Weekly
bullet The Emoji Tongue: If 😂 was a word, would that make emoji a language?
bullet Sprayed Edges Are Everywhere and I Hate Them—Not sure I can co-sign this (he says looking at the edge of his copy of Five Broken Blades), but I get it
bullet 12 Must-Read WebToon Series
bullet Urban Fantasy Starter Pack: 24 Must-Read Books That Bite Back—Because I need more UF to read? (actually, yeah, I do). Beth Tabler’s list combines stuff well-loved (or at least liked) here, and bunch of things I’d never heard of.
bullet Yes that was six months of your reading year! Holiday Temptations Time!—Runalong the Shelves provides great TBR fodder for those looking to fill theirs out
bullet Celebrating National Crime Reading Month – 30 days of crime recommendations!—a couple of weeks back, I’d pointed to Raven’s twitter thread listing their Crime Fiction Month reading recs. Well, here it is, nicely collected into one easy-to-reference list!
bullet But Is It Marketable? Why I Gave Up on Traditional Publishing—one writer’s story
bullet How do You Read so Many Books?—handier tips than mine. “Start with the first word, move on to the second, then the third, and so on.”

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet Splintered by Jamie Schultz
bullet Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond
bullet Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
bullet And I mentioned the release of three books that I didn’t read, much less remember, but they looked pretty cool: The Dragons of Heaven by Alyc Helms, Ghost Fleet by P.W. Singer and August Cole, and Linesman by S. K. Dunstall

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt—this prequel looks at Andy’s first big case as a defense lawyer is just great. I should be expanding on that soon.
bullet The Grimdwarf, Vol. 1: Cursed by J.C.M. Berne—A “classic fantasy with a wisecracking cursed dwarf, a water witch, and a very good dog.” The short stories collected into one volume. And free for a week or two. Worth it at thrice the price!!!
bullet Infinite Archive by Mur Lafferty—The physical embodiment of the Internet arrives on Station Eternity, bringing chaos and murder. I can’t wait to catch up with Mallory and the rest.
bullet Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji by Keith Houston—there’s an excerpt above. This book “follows emoji from its birth in 1990s Japan, traces its Western explosion in the 2000s, and considers emoji’s ever-expanding lexicon.” I enjoyed Huston’s book on punctuation marks, this promises to be interesting, too,.

2025 Plans and Challenges: Second Quarter Check-In

By HCNewton

On July 4, 2025

In Books, Calendar Items, Miscellany, News/Misc.

This year is speeding by, the way they do more and more…let’s take a quick look at the challenges and goals I set for the year

I’d hoped to keep charging ahead with Grandpappy’s Corner and Literary Locals, and while those haven’t completely died off, I haven’t done that much with them. I think the next couple of months should bear fruit along those lines, though. We’ll see. HC Chats are plugging around.

How’s the perennial, “Cut down on my Goodreads Want-to-Read list and the unread books that I own” goal going? I think I’m seeing what we’d report as “slippage” in some status reports at work. The next two months will really help with this if, and that’s a big if, I can keep my wallet in my pocket.

	Audio	E-book	Physical	Goodreads Want-to-Read	NetGalley Shelf/ARCs/Review Copies
End of 2024	3	68	78	167	10
End of 1st Quarter	5	72	77	172	11
End of 2nd Quarter	5	76	92	175	9
End of 3rd Quarter	–	–	–	–	–
End of 2025	–	–	–	–	–

2025 Book Challenges

Goodreads Challenge

No worries on that front.

Read Every Day in February for the American Cancer Society

Nailed it. Even better, we raised a couple of hundred dollars.

Reading with Wrigs
I could be doing better, but I’m still feeling bullish.

- Religious theme: The Pilgrim’s Regress by C.S. Lewis
- Set in a confined space: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
- A book with a map: The Price of Power by Michael Michel (technically not completed during the first quarter, but…)
- About happiness or gratitude: Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (one of the cover blurbs called it a novel about gratitude, I can mostly see it, but I’m not sure yet. Consider this a placeholder in case something else doesn’t come along)

The 2025 Booktempter’s TBR Challenge

January–First steps: You have my permission to read the last book you added to the TBR pile: Sword & Thistle by S.L. Rowland
February: Short and Sweet: Read 28 short stories – they can be in magazine, anthology or collection form. You don’t even have to finish the books! Just 28 tales to read: Promise by Christi Nogle and Passageways edited by Rebecca Carey Lyles
March – Ready Steady Go!: Start a series, or the next book in a series that has been lingering on those shelves: Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames
April – Easter Eggs: Read a book about stories within stories: Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
May – The Random Factor: Pick the fifth book you spot in your pile/shelf/ebook library: Body Breaker by M.R. Craven
June – Use the daylight/long reading night: Read the longest book in the TBR pile: The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (not technically finished in June, but close enough)

Further Up and Further In

I’m one book behind here, and I think the next two months may mess with it even more. But I’m not worried about the pacing. I am a little worried that I have to deal with A Grief Observed soon. That one just wrecks me…

25 in ’25

Ouch. This is really not good.

Auditing Challenges
I’m not sure that I want to commit to these, but I saw them on Bookforager’s page, and wanted to give them a shot–they look fun. So I’m going to track them, and if I happen to do well with them, great. If not…oh, well.

(yeah, that’s true with all of these, but I’m sort of calling my shot with the above)
Alphabet Reading Challenge

Not bad…
(yes, the fonts don’t all match. I couldn’t remember what I used last quarter–and undoubtedly, next quarter I’ll forget again. Let’s pretend it was intentional to make it clear what quarter I read what in. Yyyyyyeeeahhhh, that’s the ticket.)

Picture Prompt Book Bingo Challenge for 2025

1. A prehistoric flint knapped stone knife	2. A lighthouse	3. An apple on a leafy branch	4. An archery target with three arrows in it
5. A very large mechanical telescope Pushing Ice	6. A human skull Silence of the Dead	7. A stag	8. The ruins of a temple-like structure
9. A crab	10. A sheaf of wheat	11. An old mechanical typewriter Blood Over Bright Haven	12. A cluster of four mushrooms
13. A fringed umbrella/parasol	14. A chemistry set-up of bottles and tubes A Drop of Corruption	15. A stylized sun with a human face That Hideous Strength	16. A Roman helmet The Bright Sword

Not bad…and yes, again, I’m counting The Bright Sword even though I finished it in July.

I’m in decent shape, overall…