Category: News/Misc. Page 6 of 241

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Children’s & Picture Books (a look in Grandpappy’s Corner)

On July 23, 2026

In Books, Fiction, Grandpappy's Corner, Miscellany, News/Misc., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, YA/MG/Children's Books

(updated 7/23/26)

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 on to the page (paper or electronic). 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 I’m wandering over to Grandpappy’s Corner to focus on Children’s and Picture Books. I don’t know how I ended up on the radar of Children’s and Picture Book authors—particularly so many from Israel in the early days. But I’m just glad I did, these are guaranteed dashes of brightness and diversity to my reading schedule.

bullet Life Lessons by Titan as told to Melaney Taylor Auxier—Illustrated by photos of the dog himself, Titan teaches about friends, making mistakes, eating well, being grateful, that sort of thing. (my post about it)
bullet Panda Pat and the Rat Called Cat by Neil Ballard, Steven Nosov (Illustrator)—a story of friendship and second chances (my post about it)
bullet Snobbity Snowman by Maria Bardyukova & Quiet Riley, Jr.—Snobbity is a snowman with an attitude (at least at the beginning). I loved the art. (my post about it)
bullet Elephant Wind by Heather L. Beal, Jubayda Sager (Illustrator)—A scientist explains a tornado to a daycare class. (my post about it)
bullet Hurricane Vacation by Heather L. Beal, Jasmine Mills (Illustrator)—Lily and Niko are visiting their family when a Hurricane Watch is issued, so they join their family in preparing the house for the storm and getting ready to go to a shelter. Along the way, they learn about what a hurricane is as well as all the ways that people can protect themselves, themselves, and so on. (my post about it)
bullet Tummy Rumble Quake by Heather L. Beal, Jubayda Sager (Illustrator)—A daycare class learns about earthquakes and earthquake safety. (my post about it)
bullet Bearded by Jeremy Billups—A Bearded Bear and a Red-Haired Little Girl go on adventures all over the world with an assortment of different animals. I love this art (and have a print of one illustration hanging on my office wall). (my post about it)
bullet Bearded Too by Jeremy Billups—A fun and fitting sequel to the above. (my post about it)
bullet Sea This and Sea That by Jeremy Billups—Set in a “crowded, hectic and gruff” city under the sea, with one quiet spot—The Sea This and Sea That Below the Seashore. Missus Bluffington gives a couple of kids (and the reader) a through her very unusual place, full of all sorts of sea creatures, sea plants, fish, and an octopus that shows up in some unusual places. (my post about it)
bullet Mike Nero and The Superhero School by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator)—It’s Mike’s first day at a new school—he meets his principal and some incredible children and learns a little about the superpower he has within himself—and those inside other students, too. (my post about it)
bullet Little Aiden – A Feelings Book for Toddlers by Albert and Anna Choi, Bettina Braskó (Illustrator)—A parent assures Aiden that the wide range of emotions that he’s feeling throughout a day are okay. It’s okay to be happy or scared or confused. (my post about it)
bullet Little Aiden – A Love Book for Toddlers by Albert and Anna Choi, Bettina Braskó (Illustrator)—A parent assures Aiden of their love for him in various moods and in the midst of a range of activities—not all of which are the kind that a parent likes to see/endure, but none of which changes their love. (my post about it)
bullet Little Aiden: A Big Kid Book for Toddlers by Albert and Anna Choi, Bettina Braskó (Illustrator)—Aiden’s a little older now than he was in the first two books, and he’s learning how to be a little more independent. With mixed results. (my post about it)
bullet Be Brave, Little Puffy by Arline Cooper—A puffer fish gets tired of being a puffer fish and tries out life with other kinds of fish. (my post about it)
bullet What’s in Your Howl? by Douglas Gamble, Illustrated by: Steve Humke, Terri Isaacson—a great look at trying to understand each other (my post about it)
bullet Kitties Are Not Good To Eat by Cassandra Gelvin—A board book/electronic equivalent full of cat photos and handy tips like the title. (my post about it)
bullet Kay-9 The Robot Dog by J.M. Gulmire—a young man who can’t even have a hypoallergenic dog makes a work around (my post about it)
bullet Vernon the Vegetarian Lion by John Hughson, Ali Smith (Illustrator)—Vernon tries out vegetarianism. It goes as well as you’d think. (my post about it)
bullet Meeting of the Mustangs by Cathy Kennedy—This is for kids older than the rest on this list (7+ was my guess). A story of a wild mustang growing up. (my post about it)
bullet The Fed-up Cow by Peta Lemon, Maria Dasic Todoric (Illustrator)—Hilda the cow tries out the lives of other animals before learning to accept herself. (my post about it)
bullet Noam’s Monstersby Shai Levinger, Kaustuv Brahmachari (Illustrator), Ephrat Abisror (Translator)—Written by a Clinical Psychologist, this is about a boy struggling with anxieties and fears. Hopeful yet honest. (my post about it)
bullet George the Bannana: Book One by Elliott Linker—A graphic novel by a local 3rd grader (probably a 4th grader now, actually) about a crime fighting banana and his sidekick/best friend Elliott. (there’s a very good sequel that I haven’t had the time to write about yet, too) (my post about it)
bullet George the Bannana: Book Two by Elliott Linker—George faces off against more dastardly types (my post about it is forthcoming)
bullet The Defender by Elliott Linker—George gets a new, powerful ally. Just in time to take on a whole new opponent. (my post about it is forthcoming)
bullet Moshe Comes to Visit by Tehila Sade Moyal, Fatima Pires (Illustrator)—A young boy discovers that everyone is afraid of something. (my post about it)
bullet Bear with Bear by Hagit R. Oron, Galia Armeland by Hagit R. Oron, Galia Armeland (Illustrator)—A young boy tries to choose a pet. (my post about it)
bullet Bravo and Elphie by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)—Ephie and her pet have some struggles at the playground. (my post about it)
bullet Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)—An imaginative dad turns running errands with his son into an epic adventure. (my post about it)
bullet Elphie Goes Trick or Treating by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)—The title pretty much sums it up. (my post about it)
bullet Elphie Meets the End of The World by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron Misgav (Illustrator)—Elphie is playing hide and seek with Phante and Phante’s older brother comes in talking about how he saw on the news that the world ending. Eliphie doesn’t take the news well and runs home to hide. Mom and Dad try to comfort and assure him. But it doesn’t really take—so they decide that if the world is going to end, they might as well make a party of it. That seems to work, and in the end, drives home the lesson that every day—even our last—ought to be enjoyed as a gift. (my post about it)
bullet Under the Barnyard Light by Carla Crane Osborne, Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)—a quiet night’s chores (my post about it)
bullet Buddy the Knight and The Queen of Sorrow by Peter David—A valiant teddy bear knight, who is devoted to protecting his Person from the monsters from The Realm-Under-The-Bed, has spent years defending a little girl named Mieya from these fearsome foes. He’s frequently assisted by his companion, a stuffed tamarin—a mandolin-playing bard. Esteban not only fights at Buddy’s side, but his songs frequently tell the tales of Buddy’s victories. These two (and allies they’re yet to meet) take on the ultimate foe. (my post about it)
bullet Practice Makes Perfect by Michael Portnoy, Adelia Drubetski (Illustrator), Freda Zolty Kovatch (Translator)—Madam Fly’s two sons are musical geniuses, or something like it—because she’s convinced they should put on concerts despite having no experience with playing whatsoever. Experience and the crickets who run the local music shop try to teach them an important lesson when it comes to music (or just about anything). (my post about it)
bullet The Incredible Ordinary Hero or The Brave Bystander by Aida Rascanu, Beatrice Magrini (Illustrator)—a double-whammy of a lesson for the readers/audience. First, there’s a discussion of what it means to be a hero (doing things that are heroic) and there’s a little first aid lesson—age-appropriate, mind you—to help parents/teachers train up young ones. (my post about it)
bullet How Did the Hippopotamus Get There? by Sohrab Rezvan, Kyana Mitchell (Illustrator)—the answer to this question is not what you’d expect (my post about it)
bullet Lulu and the Missing Tooth Fairy by S. E. Richey—an incredibly cute story about…well, a missing tooth fairy and tooth fairy-ish creatures all over the world. (I apparently somehow never posted about this, but it’s so good I have to share a link for it)
bullet Trouble With Truffles by S. E. Richey—an incredibly cute and informative story about truffle hunting. (I apparently somehow never posted about this, but it’s so good I have to share a link for it)
bullet Red Stripes VS Miles the Mutant Mouse by Amy Rice and Kyson Rice—5-year-old Kyson came up with the story about a super-powered cat defending his city from a giant (and very hungry) mutant mouse, with an assist from his mother on the illustrations. (my post about it)
bullet The Flying Frog and the Kidnappers by David Yair, Ilana Graf (Illustrator), Natalie Jackson (Illustrator)—4th in a series of 11 (so far, anyway). This series for beginning readers is about Quack, a flying frog, who helps some siblings fight crime. Obviously, in this case, they’re up against some kidnappers. (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.

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Grandpappy's Corner Pilcrow (an older looking anthropomorphized pilcrow) in front of an open book

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Urban Fantasy

By HCNewton

On July 23, 2026

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

(updated 7/23/26

Today I’m focusing on Self-Published Urban Fantasy. Magic-users of various stripes, creatures that’ll push your imagination, and more dragons than show up on my Self-Published Fantasy list, believe it or not. There’s a lot to dig into here.

bullet Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron—A nice-guy dragon learns how to get by in a dragon-eat-dragon world with the help of a human mage on the lamb from the mob. (my post about it)
bullet Spirelli Paranormal Investigations: Episodes 1-6 by Kate Baray—a fixer for the paranormal community and debunker of paranormal frauds takes on an assistant, just in time for some real hairy cases (apparently I haven’t written about this one yet)
bullet Justice Calling by Annie Bellet—a magic user on the run, living among a bunch of shape-shifters, is accused of killing some. She works to clear her name, save her friends, and stay off the radar of those hunting for her. (my post about it)
bullet Vale Investigations by Cristelle Comby—a P.I. who is the emissary of Hades’ daughter on Earth investigates mysterious deaths and other happenings.
bullet Hostile Takeover (my post about it)
bullet Evil Embers
bullet Bad Little Girls Die Horrible Deaths and Other Tales of Dark Fantasy by Harry Connolly—a collection of short stories that I still think about. (my post about it)
bullet Twenty Palaces by Harry Connolly—I loved this UF series, but sadly was one of the few who read it. After the publisher declined to keep going with it Connolly has published a prequel and a sequel—with more on the way.
bullet Twenty Palaces—the prequel to the whole thing (my post about it)
bullet The Twisted Path (my post about it)
bullet The Iron Gate—catches up with our heroes and throws them into a life-changing situation (even for people in their…circumstances), a great way to resume the series. (my post about it)
bullet Ella Grey Series by Jayne Faith. A minor demon hunter in a slightly-futuristic Boise finds herself tangling with some major powers.
bullet Stone Cold Magic (my post about it)
bullet Dark Harvest Magic (my post about it)
bullet Demon Born Magic (my post about it)
bullet Blood Storm Magic (my post about it)
bullet Soul Fraud by Andrew Givler—stories about someone selling their soul to a demon are as old as fiction, but a demon forging a signature? Well, that’s a little different. Our victim teams up with some supernatural heavy hitters to fix the situation–while extraordinarily great things are happening to him otherwise. (my post about it)
bullet Bloodlines by Peter Hartog—an Urban Fantasy/Science Fiction/Detective mashup in a world that looks not dissimilar from Scott’s Blade Runner, powered by magic, and that has pan-dimensional aliens walking around. (my post about it)
bullet Pieces of Eight by Peter Hartog—the sequel to Bloodlines and continues to expand our understanding of this world while delivering a great story. (my post about it)
bullet Fred, The Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. The misadventures of a vampire accountant and his increasingly diverse and lethal band of friends trying to make their way in the world.
bullet The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant (my post about it)
bullet Undeath & Taxes (my post about it)
bullet Bloody Acquisitions (my post about it)
bullet The Fangs of Freelance (my post about it)
bullet Deadly Assessments (my post about it)
bullet Undeading Bells (my post about it)
bullet Out of House and Home (my post about it)
bullet Posthumous Education (my post about it)
bullet All Accounts Settled (my post about it)
bullet Terra Chronicles by JC Jackson. Another SF/Urban Fantasy mix (I didn’t realize how many of these I read until I did this post) about the adventures of an Elven arcanist and her paladin partner working for a Law Enforcement agency.
bullet Twisted Magics (my post about it)
bullet Shattered Illusions (my post about it)
bullet Twice Cursed (my post about it)
bullet Conjured Defense (my post about it)
bullet Mortgaged Mortality (my post about it)
bullet Divine and Conquer (my post about it)
bullet Cutthroat Cupcakes by Cate Lawley—a candy maker discovers she’s a witch when she’s arrested of murder by magic. Fun ensues. (my post about it)
These next three series are hard to talk about, they’re sort of one series, sort of separate (actually, there are four threads, but I haven’t gotten to the last one yet)…
bullet The Guild Codex: Demonized by Annette Marie. A woman with plenty of theoretical and no practical magical knowledge finds herself bound to a rare and very powerful demon.
bullet Taming Demons for Beginners (my post about it)
bullet Slaying Monsters for the Feeble (my post about it)
bullet Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped (my post about it)
bullet The Guild Codex: Spellbound by Annette Marie. A bartender with an anger-management (and therefore staying employed) problem finds herself working for a Mage Guild.
bullet Three Mages and a Margarita (my post about it)
bullet Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (my post about it)
bullet Two Witches and a Whiskey (my post about it)
bullet Demon Magic and a Martini (my post about it)
bullet The Alchemist and an Amaretto (my post about it)
bullet Druid Vices and a Vodka (my post about it)
bullet Lost Talismans and a Tequila
bullet The Guild Codex: Warped by Annette Marie, Rob Jacobsen. A former two-bit criminal gets pulled into helping the MPD police magic users.
bullet Warping Minds & Other Misdemeanors (my post about it)
bullet Hellbound Guilds & Other Misdirections (my post about it)
bullet Pure of Heart by Danielle Parker—a sole werewolf and her family try to keep her secret under wraps and keep her wolf side from hurting anyone in this small Colorado town. (my post about it)
bullet Electric City Switches by M.D. Presley—the third Inner Circle novel throws more new concepts at the reader–and they’re all great. We get some good backstory and some better action and magic on display. (my post about it)
bullet Rites of Passage by M.D. Presley—An atypical magic system fuels this intricate UF series debut (my post about it)
bullet Ghost Stations by M.D. Presley—Corbin finds himself in NYC and spending time with a group of rich teens (as magic as he is) who go hunting for makers of a new drug wreaking havoc on the magic subculture. (my post about it)
bullet Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall—a PI/Warlock is pulled out of retirement by a twelve-year-old who needs her mother’s killer and father’s kidnapper brought to justice. Adair Finch’s abilities include the power to reset time up to 24 hours previously–and he’s going to need to make several attempts at almost every interaction he has while on the hunt just to stay alive. (my post about it)
bullet Chronos Warlock by Shami Stovall—Finch is back, forced to work for an old client to find a missing woman and to solve the murder of a social media star.(my post about it is forthcoming)
bullet Ree Reyes series by Michael R. Underwood. Ree’s a barista and comic shop worker with ambitions of becoming a screenwriter. She inadvertently finds herself in a world of magic powered by Geekomancy “A style of magic where your love of pop culture becomes the source for amazing abilities – from bringing props to life to borrowing amazing skills from your favorite movies.” These were originally published by others, but Underwood has the rights back and is putting them out in new editions.
bullet Geekomancy (This came out before the blog, so check out my Goodreads review)
bullet Celebromancy (This came out before the blog, and I apparently didn’t write anything about it)
bullet Attack the Geek (my post about it)
bullet Hexomancy (my post about it)
bullet The Nameless Restaurant by Tao Wong—an unspeakably good restaurant (with lousy service) that caters to the supernatural set. The descriptions of the food will make you wish you lived in a UF world more than anything else on this list will. (my post about it)
bullet Arcane Casebook series by Dan Willis—This series is set in the 1930s about a P.I. who practices rune magic. Think Depression-era Harry Dresden mixed with Al MacBharrais.
bullet In Plain Sight (my post about it)
bullet Ghost of a Chance (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.

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.
Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Steampunk

By HCNewton

On July 21, 2026

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

(updated 7/21/26)

Today I’m focusing on Self-Published Steampunk. Sadly, this list is the same as last year’s. It’s still so small that 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.

The 2026 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 21, 2026

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

(updated 7/21/26)

Today I’m focusing on 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 Life Lessons by Titan as told to Melaney Taylor Auxier—Illustrated by photos of the dog himself, Titan teaches about friends, making mistakes, eating well, being grateful, that sort of thing. (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 More Grammar Sex: Essays About Life and Stuff by Robert Germaux — more quick essays with humor and heart. (I apparently didn’t post about this…but basically see what I said about the previous book here )
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 Killer Conversations with Rex Stout and John McAleer—a collection of interview snippets between Stout and his biographer touching on topics like: his writing, the Wolfe mysteries, plotting, the modern detective story, talking about other authors and more. (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 circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Luckier You Get” by American Aquarium

By HCNewton

On July 20, 2026

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

This seemed appropriate for Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week…

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

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

By HCNewton

On July 20, 2026

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

(updated 7/20/26)

Today I’m focusing on 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 Museum Guide by Nicole Sharp—”A snapshot of life, love and third grade field trippers” in a natural history museum. (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)
bullet We Be Dragons by Michael Weitz—It’s a trip back to the mid-80s in an Idaho small town. A group of boys spend the summer playing D&D, working, and thinking about girls. A local woman succumbs to Satanic Panic and tries to shut them down. As a bonus, we get several chapters from the game’s POV. (my post about it)
bullet Leveled Up Love by Tao Wong & A. G. Marshall—It’s LitRPG-ish, it’s also a Rom-Com. You mash the two of those together and you get this entirely entertaining and sweet read. (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.

The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

Welcome to Self-Published Author’s Appreciation Week 2026!

By HCNewton

On July 20, 2026

In News/Misc., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

Once again, it’s Self-Published Author Appreciation Week. The busiest week at The Irresponsible Reader each year–and this one is no exception (even if I don’t finish every post I’m trying to!)

It’s not just me–there are a handful of other bloggers doing something this week (you can see a running list over at the SPAAW Hub), led by the inimitable Jodie at Witty and Sarcastic Book Club who organizes this thing year in and year out. This is our annual tribute to those authors who take it all on themselves–all the work, all the risks, all the costs, and all the (too small) rewards. They’re the independents, the mavericks, the risk-takers, those who won’t let their creative vision be reined in by others, they’re out there doing things on their own (with a small group of others they’ve teamed up with on their own). These are the Mal Reynoldses of the Literary World.

Every week on this blog, in a sense, is Author Appreciation Week, but you can see why we’re eager to take one week to focus on the Self-Pub warriors among them, right?

So, how am I showing the appreciation this year? Well, I’ve got one Cover Reveal, a handful of review-ish posts, and my annually updated lists of Self-Published works by Genre that I’ve talked about on this site. I will also have four videos of me chatting with Self-Published Authors about Self-Publishing, and a series of posts that I’m calling Shameless OTHER-Promtion posts.

One of the things that’s impressed me over the years is seeing the way that Self-Published Authors all tend to support each other. They don’t come across as competitors, they’re colleagues—teammates, almost. Once again this year for SPAAW, I’m taking advantage of that.

Now, one of the worst parts (I assume) about being a self-published author is that the authoring is only half of the job (or so, it probably varies by individual, I’m speaking in generalities). The other half includes a hefty-dose of self-promotion. You are generally your own publicity team. You have to be, unless you’re spending money you probably aren’t earning with your books on hiring someone.

Despite this, I’ve consistently seen them take a moment or two of pushing their own books to promote each other–most of the social media links I find for Self-Published Book X will be from other authors. It might just be a repost, but frequently, it’ll be a quick review or just a call to “Look at This!”. And those will get reposted and commented on by others. The mutual aid systems that develop around self-published authors are something to behold–and the other-promotion of it all is just a small portion.

But it’s that part that I’m exploiting for the week. I’ve asked some authors to promote 1-3 self-published works by someone else—to just give me a quick elevator pitch for them to help get the word out. (some have resisted the call for particular titles and have just talked about some other authors–which is close enough for me).

Naturally, I’ve asked them all for a quick bit about one of their books/series, too–they should get some attention as well, don’t you think?

The featured posts this week will come from some names familiar to readers of this blog, and a good number of new names (hopefully they’ll pop up enough to be familiar to you soon):

JCM Berne
A. J. Calvin
E. N. Crane
M. K. Felix
Michael R. Fletcher
Glen Gabel
Irene Hill
Adam Holcombe

Shannon Knight
Troy Lambert
Nikki McCormack
M.D. Presley
Paul Regnier
D.B. Rook
Z.B. Steele

Stick around and see what they recommend, and have to offer themselves!

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

Saturday Miscellany—7/18/26

By HCNewton

On July 18, 2026

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday 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 People Who Can Still Read Will Rule the World—When I read this earlier in the week, I thought “problem-filled but worth the read.” I’m struggling to find the worth today, but maybe you will? It’s short anyway.
bullet Pressed for time? 20 brilliant books you can read in a day—this list might play into the hands of the opening piece.
bullet Best Science Fiction Books of the Century (So Far)—according to Book Riot, anyway
bullet So You Want to Read More Indie Authors—pretty good list. And a great lead-in to next week’s Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week
bullet If you Like This, Read That: Dad Edition—”here’s a bunch of book recs that will make the transition from reading just for you, to reading with a baby, a little bit easier”

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet Twisted Passages Episode 117: Jack Friday (KILLER VIBES) (I couldn’t find a link to an audio version)

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet The Substitute Sleuth by Michael R. Underwood
bullet Korian and Lucy by Zoe Kalo
bullet And I talked about the releases of: The Innocents by Ace Atkins; Time Siege by Wesley Chu; and Salvation Lake by G. M. Ford.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Killer Vibes by Jack Friday—”A wild and wickedly funny series debut, introducing readers to the irresistible and irrepressible private investigator, Peter Key.” I was pretty enthusiastic when I talked about it recently.
bullet Unpredictable Magic by Faith Hunter—”Witches Angelina and Evan Everhart-Trueblood take a case that spirals out of control until the whole city is at risk in this exciting new novel from New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter.” I love the idea of seeing Angelina and Evan as adult witchy PIs. I have high hopes for this sequel series.
bullet Howliday Inn the Graphic Novel by James Howe, Andrew Donkin, Stephen Gilpin—stumbling onto the Bunnicula graphic novel a couple of years ago was a great excuse to revisit some old friends. This should serve the same purpose.
bullet The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell—”In this heartfelt and humorous fantasy from the Nebula-winning author of Someone You Can Build a Nest In, a dragon whose three heads bear rather…different…personalities finds family in the most unexpected of places.”…”This cozy fantasy intertwines epic battles with loving friendships, sharing an utterly unique perspective on what it means to be a “monster.”

image source: Imani Rhiannon on Facebook (of an image of a post by @PaperFury somewhere else)

Mid-Year Freak Out 2026 (not completely about Butcher’s Twelve Months)

By HCNewton

On July 17, 2026

In Book Tag, Books, News/Misc.

a generic-looking tag reading 'Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag 2026'
It’s a little past time for this book tag, but it’s still close enough, right? I’ve lost track of who created it, and I feel bad about that. I have seen it this year at Kerri McBookNerd’s blog, Becky’s Book Blog, and Worlds Unlike Our Own. I’ve likely seen it a few other places, too–but I forgot to save those links (sorry if you feel I ignored you…it was unintentional).

When I started assembling this post, I joked to myself that I could just use Butcher’s Twelve Months for just about every answer. Then I thought about it, and it’d be legitimate to do so. But that sort of feels like cheating, so I won’t–but I will include it as often as it applies.

Best Book You’ve Read in 2026


A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper	Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

A Violent Masterpiece is just almost-impossibly well-written. Harper’s prose is sharp, the cultural critique is spot-on, he makes LA and the strange sub-cultures that populate it come to life (at least the ones he looks at in this book), and it’s thrilling as all get-out. Twelve Months is exactly the book that Butcher’s fans have been waiting for–not just because we’ve literally been waiting a few years for it, but it’s Butcher at his absolutely best–and therefore Harry Dresden and the rest of the characters are, too.

Best Sequel You’ve Read in 2026


Three Hitmen and a Baby by Rob Hart	Electric City Switches by M.D. Presley

Three Hitmen does everything that the previous books in the series did, but does them a little better. Actually, that’s the case for Electric City Switches, too. I was looking forward to both of these before I started, but part-way through, I got even more excited by the books and what they meant for their respective series.

Twelve Months
by Jim Butcher

Twelve Months–it really is the sequel to Peace Talks/Battle Ground (and almost every book in the series), not just the next book in the series–Butcher follows up with the aftermath of those two and helps both his fans and characters start to recover from them.

New Release You Have Yet To Read


This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews	Prey of Angels by JCM Berne

Crownfall by Michael Vadney	Don’t Die Dave by A.R. Witham

There are plenty of books that have come out this year that I haven’t read (obviously), but really I’ve done a pretty decent job of keeping up on the ones that I’m really excited about for one reason or another–these four, on the other hand, prove that I don’t have a clean sweep going on that.

Most Anticipated Release From the 2nd Half of the Year


The Killer’s Mark by M.W. Craven	Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire

I seriously cannot wait for The Killer’s Mark–we’re moving into a new stage of the series here, and I have no idea how it’s going to work. I need to know. McGuire’s Silver and Lead is a close second on the anticipation list, it’s going to be a new phase for that series, too (although this series is full of those). There are others I’m sure that I’ll be excited about–The Thrice-Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman, for example–but these are the two I’m really waiting for.

The embarrassing thing that I just noticed is that last year’s answer to this question was the previous book in both series by these two. Score one for consistency, I guess.

Biggest Disappointment

Worse than a Lie
by Ben Crump

Given the premise and the notoriety of the author, it could’ve been something else. I guess it was, but what it was rhymes with “a waste of paper and ink.”

Biggest Surprise


Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman, read by Travis Baldree & Jeff Hays	The Dentist by Tim Sullivan

Okay, I expected that Dinniman could write something (see: “50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong”), but I wasn’t ready for something that was amusing, heart-wrenching, and that did a careful job of addressing a touchy subject (it maybe shouldn’t be one, but it is). This could’ve easily been an overly-earnest screed with some out-of-place jokes attached. But no, that’s not what he brought us. Sullivan’s depiction of a detective on the Spectrum doesn’t resort to stereotypes, doesn’t play up the neurodivergence for laughs, and surrounds that great character with other well-drawn characters and some really well-conceived and executed mystery plots.

Twelve Months
by Jim Butcher

I was really surprised at the depth of the storytelling, the way Butcher could switch between emotional reactions so quickly (I mean, he does this all the time, but he does it more often here), and just how grounded his story about a wizard living in a magic castle in modern-day Chicago could feel.–and a couple of the story events, surprised me a lot, too.

Favorite New Author


Matt Dinniman	Callum McSorley	Tim Sullivan

Between wowing me with Operation Bounce House and me finally succumbing to the cult of Dungeon Crawler Carl, Dinniman has to be at the top of my new-to-me authors. Followed closely by The Dentist‘s Tim Sullivan. See above. I have to add in Callum McSorely here–his depiction of Glasgow, the least-dirty dirty cop in fiction, and the criminals she’s up against. His debut is one of those that you can’t believe is a debut.

New Favorite Character

There are just so many characters I could put here…it’s truly difficult to restrain myself. But there’s Tim Sullivan’s DS George Cross–yeah, I keep coming back to him. That character is just a great creation. As is Grand Champion, Breed Winner Regional, National Winner Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk. If you’ve met her, you know. If you haven’t, I don’t know that I can sufficiently describe her.

Although, I think I have to give the crown to Harry Dresden’s Valkyrie bodyguard, Bear. Her combination of calm under pressure, sharp wit, wisdom, and strength added a breath of fresh air to the series–and to Twelve Months in particular. Harry needed another ally for the next stretch of books and Bear is going to fill that role so well. She cheered me a little almost every time she showed up.

A Book That Made You Cry


Twelve Months by Jim Butcher	The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love edited by Alice Hoffman	This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

I don’t think I actually cried (yet) because of a book this year. But Twelve Months wrecked me–Harry’s guilt and grief, his despair has to move you. Actually, some of the points that helped him start to get past those really make a guy think about losing a tear or two.

Hoffman’s book that could be considered a series of eulogies (a couple of them pre-emptively delivered) for wondeful dogs is of course going to make a reader misty-eyed. It started with the first essay and didn’t let up until the back cover.

Here’s another shocker–a book about a widow’s first year without her husband who has left an unbelievable series of gifts for her to help her in her grief? It doesn’t et maudlin, but it sure jerks at some tears.

A Book That Made You Happy


Twelve Months by Jim Butcher	All the Best Dogs Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Manuel Preitano

One last Twelve Months mention–yeah, it made me weepy, it shocked me with a couple of developments–but it just made me happy to be back in the wrold of harry Dresden, to see how he’s dealing with everything (and everyone else, too). It was a roller coaster for me, for sure–but even when I was lamenting I was happy. And then with All the Best Dogs you’ve got a bunch of elementary school kids in love with their dogs and having fun with them? The book is practically distilled joy.

What Book/s Do You Need to Read By the End of 2026

Well, that’s a long list. There’s the books listed in my summer reads challenges; the soon to be released Craven, McGuire, and Buehlman; I’ve got a couple of books by Mai Corland and Wesley Chu that are gathering too much dust; We Chase Shadows, the 30 or so books that I bought this year that I haven’t read yet…

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

Opening Lines: The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman

By HCNewton

On July 16, 2026

In Fiction, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art, and we all do judge them that way). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I like to throw it up here (especially if I’m out of time to come up with a post that involves writing on my part).

from The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman:

I saw my first goblin the same day I saw my first shipwreck.

I was under sail, on my way to war.

On my way to fall in love with death, and with a queen.

On my way to lose all of my friends, and two of my brothers.

I would see a great city fall in blood and fire, betrayed by a false god.

Later, I would be commanded to die on a high stone bridge, but I would fail in this.

The rest of the First Lanza of His Majesty’s Corvid Knights would not fail.

This is not a happy story, but it is a true one.

I have no time for lies, or for liars.

Opening Lines Logo