The Irresponsible Reader - I Read (a lot) and then Rant, Rave and maybe Review

PUB DAY REPOST: Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson: Gas Station Magicians, Uncommon Creatures, and Wolves Without Enough Skin.

On February 10, 2026

I’d intended this to go up Tuesday, and just couldn’t get the words to come off my fingers right. I’m still not sure I did, but it’s close.

Strange Animals

by Jarod K. Anderson

DETAILS:
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: February 10, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 320 pgs.
Read Date: January 23, 2026

What’s Strange Animals About?

Following a strange near-death experience, Green feels a compulsion to get back to nature. Well, maybe not “back,” he seems like someone very comfortable in the city. But you get what I mean.

So he sells his home, quits his job, puts everything in storage, and heads out. He’s drawn to Appalachia and sets out to find a long-term campsite to start whatever this next stage of life is.

Along the way, Green meets some delightfully odd characters—and I wish I had the room to talk about them, but you want Anderson to introduce you to them anyway.

His first night in his campsite he sees animals that can’t exist. He’d be tempted to think he had a hallucination or two if it weren’t for some evidence that people who weren’t around can also see.

From there, Green starts to learn about strange creatures all around him—and learns not to call them strange. They’re not strange, they’re not monsters (despite what some appear to be) or anything else derogatory. They’re simply uncommon—so uncommon that very few can see them. But Earth is just as much their home as it is to mice, giraffes, or emus. Of course, not every common animal should be around people, and that applies to some of these uncommon creatures, too.

Can Green and his new friends stop one who seems to be hunting humans?

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I can’t tell you specifically what it was that appealed to me in the NetGalley advertisement I got for this book, but it intrigued me. Lightly skimming Witty & Sarcastic Book Club’s post about it intensified that (I only read deep enough to pick up her tone, so I didn’t inadvertently steal any of her points).

What kept me reading? There was something about Chapter 0 that got me. It didn’t matter what happened for the rest of the book—I was sold, and the rest of the book was going to have to be really lousy to get the hook that it put in me dislodged. At the end of Chapter 1, my notes read, “I think I might be falling in love with this book.”

And yes, I said Chapter 0—that wasn’t a typo. Anyone who numbers chapters like that has to intrigue a reader, right?

What does this book tell us about humanity?

I walked away with two things on this front.

First, humans need nature. Plants, animals, sunsets/rises—the works. When we shut up and pay attention to it—better if we can get further away from population centers (as nice as they and their technologies and comforts may be) to focus on it—there’s a benefit to our health. At least mental. Probably physical—and spiritual (depending on how you want to define that). This is the central drive for Green—and while it ends up not being what he expected, it’s this that fulfills him. As he connects with both the common and uncommon around him, he’s renewed and bettered.

Second, and it’s hard to say which is more important, is that people need—and will find—community. In this case, Green finds a few groups of people and brings a couple together (or at least is a bridge between them). He’s an outsider to this area, but finds himself befriending these groups almost instantly. These two—and one much larger—converge on the area (more precisely, Green and his teacher) when the chips are down, and people need help. Somewhat to protect people in general, but largely to protect “their people” (for lack of a better term). The communities step up in a way that we all want to see—and frequently do. It’s rather encouraging.

So, what did I think about Strange Animals?

Anderson checks all the boxes here—he can put together a sentence just right, if this wasn’t an ARC, I’d be struggling to keep my quotations to a reasonable limit; he creates fantastic characters and gets the reader to invest in them with very few words (and rewards that investment); the imagination demonstrated in this world and the uncommon animals—and the depiction of the common flora and fauna—makes you want to see more from him; and he can tell a pretty engaging story. Check, check, check, and check. If there are problems with this book, they’re minor.

Okay, there’s something toward the end that I’m rabidly curious about and want to know so much more about what happens. But I’m really glad Anderson just elides past it.

Still, if he wants to give me a call and describe it to me, I’ll give him my number.

This is not your typical Fantasy novel, for sure. It captures an Appalachian area in a similar way (though in different states) that Alex Bledsoe’s Tufa series did, which really makes me want to visit the real world version. Actually, as I say that, I realize that this book left me feeling the same way that the first Tufa novel, The Hum and the Shiver did. There are few books that I can say that about.

There’s something special going on in these pages. I encourage you to look into them yourself and see if you agree.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Ballantine Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Highlights from January: Lines Worth Repeating

By HCNewton

On February 10, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations

Under a picture of someone highlighting lines in a book, the words: 'Highlights of the Month: Lines Worth Repeating'
Well, here we are at the beginning of another year, trying this post again. I wonder how far into the year I’ll get this time before getting distracted from it.

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

The reading and writing of fiction both requires and instills empathy—the insertion of oneself into the life of another.

Young would-be novelists and poets believe that art is eternal. Au contraire: we are in the business of ephemera, the era of floating islands of trash, and most of the things we feel deeply and inscribe on the page will disappear.

If every member of the human race evinced a fondness for literature and even a moderate level of dexterity with the written word, I would be a happier, if not more well-adjusted, man.

Skin Game by Jim Butcher

Home is where, when you go there and tell people to get out, they have to leave.

There’s power in the touch of another person’s hand. We acknowledge it in little ways, all the time. There’s a reason human beings shake hands, hold hands, slap hands, bump hands.

It comes from our very earliest memories, when we all come into the world blinded by light and color, deafened by riotous sound, flailing in a suddenly cavernous space without any way of orienting ourselves, shuddering with cold, emptied with hunger, and justifiably frightened and confused. And what changes that first horror, that original state of terror?

The touch of another person’s hands.

Hands that wrap us in warmth, that hold us close. Hands that guide us to shelter, to comfort, to food. Hands that hold and touch and reassure us through our very first crisis, and guide us into our very first shelter from pain. The first thing we ever learn is that the touch of someone else’s hand can ease pain and make things better.

That’s power. That’s power so fundamental that most people never even realize it exists.

Things are not always as bad as they seem. Sometimes, the darkness only makes it easier to see the light.

There are moments in your life that, when you look back at them, you realize were perfect. A hundred million things had to happen, to all come together at the same time, for such moments to come into existence — so many things that it beggars imagination to think that they could possibly have happened by random chance. This was one of them.

And since when had I become the guy that things happened to ten years ago?

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Destroying what someone else cherished never brought back what you yourself had lost. All it did was spread grief like a contagion.

People said that a single day without a dear friend could feel like three autumns.

She observed him from inside the lean-to. He was one of those people who has eyes that look like eyes, and a nose like a nose. Nondescript.

Chen’s teeth gleamed like those of a predator that would devour you without even spitting out the bones.

The Governor was obviously the kind of person who received as much spiritual contentment from berating others as a cold man does from a bowl of soup.

She dismounted awkwardly and went over to Xu Da as he lifted the Prince of Radiance from his horse. Xu Da wore a ginger look that she understood perfectly. There was something about the child that provoked unease. It was like seeing someone’s knee bending the wrong way. Even now, despite everything that had happened inside and outside Bianliang, the Prince of Radiance still wore that same graceful smile.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher

Home, like love, hate, war, and peace, is one of those words that is so important that it doesn’t need more than one syllable. Home is part of the fabric of who humans are. Doesn’t matter if you’re a vampire or a wizard or a secretary or a schoolteacher; you have to have a home, even ff only in principle—there has to be a zero point from which you can make comparisons to everything else. Home tends to be it.

That can be a good thing, to help you stay oriented in a very confusing world. If you don’t know where your feet are planted, you’ve got no way to know where you’re heading when you start taking steps. It can be a bad thing, when you run into something so different from home that it scares you and makes you angry. That’s also part of being human.

But there’s a deeper meaning to home. Something simpler, more primal.

It’s where you eat the best food because other predators can’t take i from you very easily there.

It’s where you and your mate are the most intimate.

It’s where you raise your children, safe against a world that can do horrible things to them.

It’s where you sleep, safe.

It’s where you relax.

It’s where you dream.

Home is where you embrace the present and plan the future.

It’s where the books are.

And more than anything else, it’s where you build that world that you want.

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

War leaves you precious little time to be human. It’s one of the more horrible realities about it.

“What’s going to happen after this, do you think?”

“I don’t,” she said. “Because I’m doing today first.”

I snorted quietly.

Murphy squeezed back. “Harry. You can’t fix tomorrow until it gets here.”

“Which is weird, because you can screw it up from decades away.”

I’m not saying pain is what defines us as human beings. But it is, in many ways, what unites us. We all recognize other people in pain. Damned near all of us are moved to do something about it when we see it. It’s our common enemy, though it isn’t, really, an enemy. Pain is, at least when our bodies are working properly, a teacher. A really tough, really strict, and perfectly fair teacher.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

That is the problem with ignorance. You can never truly know the extent of what you are ignorant about.

Life is not perfect, individuals will always be flawed, but empathy – the sheer inability to see those around them as anything other than people too – conquers all, in the end.

The Law by Jim Butcher

Planet Earth isn’t a fair place. It’s unfair in a broad variety of different ways, some worse than others, but it isn’t fair. Not for anybody. And that’s pretty much the fairest thing about it.

My knuckles ached to meet his nose.

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton

The moment I agreed to a dinner party, I knew my thirties had officially arrived, and the slow, inevitable countdown to death had begun.

Lit by Tim Sandlin

I’ve never seen a real battle- ax in person, but I know they are frequently compared to a woman’s demeanor and if I ever do come upon one in a museum or a camp where people are pretending to be Vikings, I would expect it to have an edge like Mimi’s chin.

I was all set to fall in love with a stranger obsessed with death. I’d been in love with a woman obsessed with Leonard Cohen, which is almost the same thing.

I considered correcting his word choices, but the kid seemed to be thinking. He was reading a book. Anyone who reads a book is better than anyone who doesn’t.

Here’s one of those truths you should get from books before some idiot burns them. If you are going to love someone, you need to take seriously what they take seriously. And vice versa. If your wife (or husband) thinks your strongest concerns are silly, or worse, stupid, you’re sunk. Get a dog.

Here’s the thing about loving. It’s an incredible risk. You give your every thought and desire to a person you hardly know and you are almost bound to lose. Even non- romantic love is dangerous, but romantic love, the kind based on mutual trust and feeling, is crapshoot roulette. It either kills you or wears you out. But then, a life without love is a waste. I’m not good at waste. It makes me antsy.

“I don’t see anyone committing murder over books.”

What kind of person would think so little of books? “Sunny, I am aghast you would say that. Books are sacred. To destroy one is a cardinal sin.”

Annotating a book on its pages is not a heck of a lot better than burning it.

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

“You can’t pick a favorite,” I said. “They’re books. They’re pieces of someone’s mind and soul. They’re almost friends.” I started back down the stairs again. “Sometimes a poet speaks best to what’s happening to you. Sometimes it’s a philosopher. Sometimes it’s a storyteller.”

“We’re here to help,” he said.

Four words. None of them long.

The truly important words never are.

Gentleness is power that chooses to restrain itself. That is under control. Gentleness is someone strong who makes the choice to be careful with that strength.

“That merely indicates his stupidity,” spat Mother Winter.

“Stupidity,” Mab mused. “Courage. The only difference is the outcome!“

The Troubled Deep by Rob Parker

She shook her head. She was by now so jaded that cynicism was not just a way of dealing with things, but not it was a character quirk so embedded it had become a central psychological pillar.

The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee

We Americans like to put our culture into disposable containers. Nowhere is this more evident than in the way we treat our past. We discard villages, towns, even cities, when they grow old, and we are now in the process of discarding our recorded history, not in a shredder, but by rewriting it as romance. We are eager to watch docu-dramas on television; we prefer to read a history of the American Revolution as seen through the eyes of Mad Anthony Wayne’s last mistress. Now there is nothing wrong in reading historical fiction—perhaps two-thirds of the world’s classics are written in that form. But these are impatient days; more than ever it seems that we want anything but the real thing: we are afraid that the real thing might be dull, demanding, and worst of all, lacking in suspense.

(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)

MUSIC MONDAY: “exposure therapy” by Khatumu

By HCNewton

On February 9, 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.

I recently started listening to Khatumu, and really dig her sound. I was trying to decide which song of hers to use here, and then she released this song last week, and it’s maybe her best.

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Fantasy with Friends: What Are Your Favorite Fantasy Dragons?

By HCNewton

On February 9, 2026

In Books, Fantasy with Friends, News/Misc.

Fantasy with Friends is a weekly meme hosted by the good people over at Pages Unbound. Fantasy with Friends poses questions each Monday about fantasy, either as a genre as a whole or individual works.

This week’s prompt is:

There are many interpretations of dragons in literature – evil, wise, talking, non-talking, etc. Do you have a favorite way of portraying dragons or a specific book you loved the dragon(s) in?

It’s hard to think of a bad portrayal of a dragon—there are just varieties and levels of good, right? Like Pizza or…well, you know..

There’s just something about these serpentine creatures that captures the imagination—just look at the number of that crop up in stories world over for centuries now, from Wales to China and beyond. Spend a little time watching video of a Komodo Dragon and you get a little of the flavor that inspired so many—they’re so alien, so powerful, grawlixing fascinating. And Fantasy authors/filmmakers/illustrators/animators have taken that fertile ground and run wild with it.

Rabid, vicious beasty. Noble animal ridden by knights/warriors like a war horse. Intelligent being with incredible power (and frequently wisdom). I’ll take any of them. I think I prefer the intelligent, talking kind—of course, I think the same thing about dogs in fiction. Or almost any animal. But I’m getting distracted.

I think back to Dragonlance in general—but specifically to The Legend of Huma and the great dogfights (no species disrespect intended) between mounted riders. They really ignited my fascination with the species–but I can’t remember not being into dragons before that, either. You get some of the same in Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle (I think, I only read the first one ages ago). Or, you get that—but with talking dragons in Novak’s Temeraire series. (did Paolini’s dragons talk? I forget. Hope my second son doesn’t read this post, or I’m going to get a stern talking to). I don’t read much anymore that really features that kind of use of dragons—but I suddenly really want to.

Lately, most of the dragons I can think of are solitary figures with their hoard. Like Eustace (and his predecessor) or Smaug. The Dragon species as depicted in McGuire’s InCryptid books are fascinating. You get the sole, powerful being with his hoard—that’s also almost humanized by his mates (that’s not the right term, but I’m not sitting next to the books to get a better one as I type this up).

Then there are the dragons in Evan Winter’s The Burning–that was a grim vision of dragons (not unlike those of Westeros, just maybe a bit more dangerous). The dragony draccus that Kvothe and Denna encounter. The dragon in the Alex Verus books is one of the more daunting creatures I can think of in Fantasy. Peter Beagle’s variety of them from I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons is a take we need more of.

I’m not super-crazy about Harry Dresden’s Ferrovax or Fred, The Vampire Accountant’s Gideon, the King of the West–super powerful and ancient dragons, who walk around looking like humans. I mean, they’re cool characters—I just don’t like that kind of dragon in theory, I want them to be unmistakably dragony.

I do think my favorite recent(ish) dragon is Eoin Colfer’s Vern (short for Wyvern). He’s lived all over the world over the last 3,000 years, but hides out in the swamps of Lousinana when we meet him in Highfire. He spends his days drinking vodka, binging Netflix, and being lazy (until it’s time for him to get all terrifying and viscious). I need to revisit him.

I can’t neglect Zoth-Avarex, the Self-Proclaimed Greatest Dragon in the Multiverse, either. Lockhaven has a lot of fun with him in the novel that shares his name, the sequel novella, and then The Azure Archipelago series. He’s egotistical, a hoot to read about, and has a surprising arc after all. You love to see him get his comeuppance…and to see him grow. Lockhaven’s got a new book on the horizon and the dragon in that one is one you really need to meet. That’s all I can say now.

Oh, I shouldn’t forget the cute hatchling from Miss Percy—I haven’t read the rest of the series, so I can’t comment on what he becomes. Come on—a clumsy lizard acting like a devoted puppy? Just so good.

I think I started with an outline and thesis in mind, but I got all distracted and just started rambling about some particular dragons. It fits, because it’s hard to be organized when you think about this kind of thing. Dragons, like bow ties and Stetsons, are cool. Everything else is just icing on the cake. We might as well just revel in it.

I’m sure some of the other posts in response to this prompt will be more thoughtful. I’m looking forward to reading them. Do you have responses to this? (either for the comment section below or from your own post)

Saturday Miscellany—2/7/26

By HCNewton

On February 7, 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 From Pages to Community: Inside Caldwell’s Shared Stories—a nice story about my favorite local store
bullet Bookshop.org kicks-off February charitable drive #ReadItForward to support young readers in the National Year of Reading—just about everything I’ve read about the National Year of Reading happening on the other side of the Atlantic has been encouraging. This is just another example. I imagine it’s going to involve a hurdle or two for those of us on this side to contribute, but I’m looking into it.
bullet Indie Blog Off Remnants—I really should’ve promoted this sooner, but you’d do well to keep an eye on this competition (now underway). I love the spirit behind this one, and the entrants look very promising. (well, two of them I know deliver on the promise)
bullet Fanfiction’s Total Cultural Victory—”Total” might be overstating it. But it might be on its way.
bullet Grimdark Magazine Issue #45 looks like a great issue, there was that Butcher interview I linked to recently and then Before We Go blog posted these two pieces this week from it, too. What does it mean to be human in a sci-fi world? and INTERVIEW: The Machinery of Control with Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and T.R. Napper—well worth your time.
bullet A.J. Calvin’s The Indie Author Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror New Release List: February 2026—hold on to your wallets (but not too tightly)
bullet An interview with IBOR entrant JCM Berne—Berne talks about his (too often overlooked) Partial Function.
bullet We’ve all been here

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“Lekan was self-impressed, condescending, and the single best argument against making firstborns heir to anything.” ―The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet The Intern by Dale Wiley
bullet Staked by Kevin Hearne
bullet Missing Mona by Joe Klingler
bullet And I mentioned the releases of: Keep Calm by Mark Binder; The Custodian of Marvels by Rod Duncan; Blood in her Veins by Faith Hunter; Graft by Matt Hill; The Alchemy of Chaos by Marshall Ryan Maresca; A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly; Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer; and The Deavys by Alan Dean Foster

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald—if the cover isn’t enough, how about: “How to Train Your Dragon meets Mad Max in this story of an orphan in a fractured Southwest who just wants to ride a dinosaur under the lights.”

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett: A Tale Strays (of various species) Finding New Homes

By HCNewton

On February 6, 2026

In Fantasy, Fiction

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter

by Heather Fawcett

DETAILS:
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: February 17, 2026
Format: Del Rey
Length: 368 pg.
Read Date: January 30-31, 2026

What’s Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter About?

A widow in her thirties struggles to keep the charity that she and her husband started afloat in 1920’s Montreal. They find stray cats on the street, get them cleaned up, spayed/neutered, whatever other basic veterinary care they need, and then match them with loving homes.

Oh, and her new landlord turns out to be the most feared and reviled magic user in the world.

I know, I know…that tired plot again.*

That’s all well and good—it’s just a business relationship, right? But at a certain point his business starts interfering with and threatening her charity (and the cats!). So Agnes decides she has to start meddling to keep anything truly harmful from happening. Even if that means spending time with said magician. Who is not at all attractive and charming, thank you very much.

* I truly hope the sarcasm there is obvious. But I’ve been missing a lot of swings like that lately.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I thought the plot seemed amusing enough, but I was probably convinced to pick this up by my curiosity about what Fawcett could do outside of Emily Wilde‘s adventures.

I stuck with it because of Agnes. Sure, the story and other characters were fun and kept me reading. But for me, it’s all about Agnes. Her attitude, her fortitude, the way she acts as if she can bend reality to her will (she sure seems capable of turning the wills of most around her to hers)—she’s just a dynamo and you can believe that this non-magical person (anti-magic actually) can hold her own with people throwing spells around.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

There’s a good deal we can learn from Agnes about tenacity, about the power of people coming together in a common cause, about grief.

But the thing that stood out the most to me—and given the title, it’s probably to be expected—is the very human magic of pairing someone—man, woman, or child—with a pet fit for them. There’s the initial joy, and then long-term benefits as well. It’s that king of magic that keeps Agnes going. It’s what gets her sister to help, her volunteers to keep showing up, and it’s the way that people she’s matched with their cat that come to her aid—that fills the book with its heart.

So, what did I think about Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter?

It’s not often that I read a book featuring pets that don’t happen to be dogs, so it may come as some kind of surprise when I talk about one—I don’t know that I’d go so far as to say it surprised me, too—but it did seem a little strange.

This book was a pleasure from start to finish—I really didn’t know what to expect. But Fawcett sold the setting, the characters, and the story—it was all perfectly charming and engaging. The magic system seems really fitting for this world, and better than others. You get someone like Raistlin Majere or Harry Dresden running around, and I just don’t think it’d work as well.

There were some plot turns that I didn’t see coming—and maybe should’ve, but I enjoyed being taken unawares—and the bigger reveals at the end were so satisfying.

If you like Emily Wilde, you’ll like Agnes Aubert—they’re not the same character, but the core of each is pretty similar (as differently as they express that core). The rest of the characters are almost as good—the tertiary characters and the people she runs into in the neighborhood are just as well-drawn as the primary/secondary characters. Same for the cats and their personalities. There’s a treasure trove of personalities to get to know here.

This is a fantasy that’s full of charm and heart—you’ll be glad you picked this up.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Del Rey via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

Grandpappy’s Corner: Jibberjack, Fibberjack by Stefanie Gamarra, Marta Pilosio (Illustrator): A ‘Meddling Kid’ in the Making

By HCNewton

On February 5, 2026

In Fiction, Grandpappy's Corner, YA/MG/Children's Books

Jibberjack, Fibberjack

by Stefanie Gamarra, Marta Pilosio (Illustrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Marshmallow Tree Press
Publication Date: April 28, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 32 pg.
Read Date: February 2, 2026

What’s Jibberjack, Fibberjack About?

Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown. Inspector Gadget’s niece, Penny. Scooby and his Gang. Flavia de Luce. Jupiter Jones, Bob Andrews, and Pete Crenshaw. Veronica Mars. These are just some of the names of children/teens who have spotted crimes and coverups that adults have missed. It’s time to add one more to that illustrious lineup: Frida Fitzgerald.

When people in her town are frightened by reports of a monster doing nasty things (like trampling flower beds), tensions rise. But someting doesn’t seem right about it all to Frida—so she starts asking questions. When people bother answering, theyir responses don’t help. But too often, her age words against her, and she’s dismissed.

Undaunted, she keeps asking questions about things that don’t make sense. And eventually (I can spoil things vaguely here, right? This book’s audience isn’t reading this space), she’s able to prove her point.

Let’s Talk about the Art for a Minute

Pilosio’s art is great, as the samples on this site show.

The illustrations are full of great detail—and while I can’t really point to any humor or jokes, there’s a whimsy to the art that makes you think there’s a joke somewhere. Well, okay—there are a few, but even when there are none.

It just pops off the page in a way that will grab—and keep—the attention of young readers, and has enough character to attract their older reading companions.

How is it to Read Aloud?

It’s nice and straightforward—no rhymes or tongue-twisting words to go through. There’s a lot of opportunity for exaggerated speech and emphases in the dialogue (and parenthetical asides) for the hammier adult to get into.

The story itself is engaging enough to make it easier for adults on their 15th read of the same book to find something to latch onto. With enough clues and fun things in the images to talk about as well.

And that’s before the last couple of pages that give some things to talk to a child about, lessons to walk away from, and so on.

Basically, there’s meat for the involved adult reader.

So, what did I think about Jibberjack, Fibberjack?

I found the idea of a whodunit for the 4-8 age range intriguing, even if I wondered how well it could be pulled off. Gamarra nailed it.

I had fun, I can easily see reading this with the grandcritters several times and having enjoyable chats about asking questions, thinking about what they’re told, and wondering why someone might want them scared. In today’s media landscape, it’s never too early to start that.

And you might as well have fun while you’re at it.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the Author via BookSirens in exchange for this post and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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WWW Wednesday—February 4, 2026

By HCNewton

On February 4, 2026

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

The last 22 hours have really slipped out of my control, so instead of three posts during the day, I get one up in the evening today.

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?


The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter	A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay, read by Andy Serkis

Very interesting societal worldbuilding; a magic system that is brutal, bloody, and intriguing; fantastic battle scenes; and a protagonist that is as captivating as he is pitiable. I’m so glad I opened this one up.

I didn’t realize this was Serkis doing the reading of Kay’s first novel until I just looked it up for the above. The book is even worse than I thought it was if I’m as disinterested in it as I am with Serkis elevating the material (at least, I assume he is). I’m less than two hours from the ending, and if the last 15 minutes are any indication, I might end up recommending the book–but you’ve gotta work to get to that point.

What did you recently finish reading?


Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett	Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds by John Fugelsang

I was hoping to have a full post up about Fawcett’s delightful new book today. But we’re all going to have to settle for “delightful” for at least another eleven hours. We’ll see if I can do better after that.

I knew going in that I was going to have a lot to disagree with Fugelsang about–but I anticipated something I could enjoy, learn from, and disagree with. This screed is filled with arguments that were tired in the early 20th Century (and before) is so filled with errors, fallacies, and historical inaccuracies that I couldn’t appreciate whatever points I was sympathetic toward. It’s just a mess.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg	The Fact Checker by Austin Kelley, read by Jacques Roy

Our favorite arson investigators chase down a serial arsonists with something else even bigger keeping their focus. Can’t wait. Also, I’m using this as a palate cleanser between two huge Fantasy novels full of magic and stabbing. I’m really going to need that, might as well go with a sure-fire winner. (no pun intended)

That’s two audiobooks in a row that haven’t delivered what I wanted. Let’s see if The Fact Checker can break the streak.

What books have gotten under your skin lately?

Counting My Literary Chickens Before They Hatch: My February TBR

By HCNewton

On February 3, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, Miscellany, News/Misc.

My February TBR: Counting My Literary Chickens Before They Hatch next to a drawing of a stack of books
I’ve done this a few times some years ago, but as a practice, it never stuck. But as I spend time doing this every month for myself, I might as well take a couple of minutes and post it, right? This is not going to be exhaustive list—I’ll probably read other things, too, and may not get to all of these. But as of today, this is my plan for the month.

Last month, I only missed one of the list (but it was rescheduled). I’m not sure how I’m going to do this month–I’ve got some real hefty ones ahead of me. But you never know, I have a couple of things that could slip in as well.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

by Becky Chambers

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. In this character-driven sci-fi story, the introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself has never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, this tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling sci-fi adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

I read this back in 2018 (and liked it better than I recalled), and it’s the next title for the Science Fiction Book Club. Time to freshen my memory. I trust 2018-me, and should have some fun.

Fairest Hunter

by M. K. Felix

A rebellious huntress. A cursed prince. A coup to change it all.

Rowena:
The king spreads darkness with his words, and when he asks me to kill his own son, it’s the final tipping point for me. Guess that solves the issue of how to overthrow the tyrant. We’ll put Prince Alvor on the throne. Except, the Alvor before me is not the same one I knew growing up. This Alvor, well he’s entirely too alluring. He keeps tearing my walls down, reminding me that I'm not the only one who needs to fight for this kingdom.

Alvor:
With one glance into Rowena’s eyes, something changed. She has magic, and the more I reconnect with her, the more I'm sure she’s the key to saving our kingdom. But time is not on our side. I need to claim the throne before my father drives our kingdom into the ground with his greed. The only problem? I’m not ready to let Rowena sacrifice herself for me or my people. Especially not after she broke my curse and rekindled the sparks in my heart.

I’ve talked to Felix a couple of times at local author events, and she made this sound fun. I like combining Robin Hood and Snow White–sure, Robin Hood + anything is likely my jam. But these two together sounds promising.

Jibberjack, Fibberjack

by Stefanie Gamarra, illustrated by Marta Pilosio

Jibberjack, Fibberjack is a clever whodunit about thinking for yourself and asking better questions.

When a mysterious creature starts scaring the chatty town of Rumorridge, only Frida asks more questions. With her detective hat, trusty notebook, and a nose for nonsense, she's sure to crack the town's monster mystery.

Things quickly get serious when strange footprints appear and the town's prized pigs go missing. Questionable monster traps and the mayor's new rules only add to everyone's nervousness.

But when smelly clues mix with stinky lies, Frida begins putting the pieces together and builds a clever trap of her own.

A gentle introduction to the concept of fear-mongering for kids ages 4-8 who love asking MANY questions.

A whodunit for 4-8 year-olds sounds fun, especially one that gets into fear-mongering? This sounds like a great way to spend some time.

Hidden in Smoke

by Lee Goldberg

After dozens of Hollywood apartment buildings erupt in flames during a single night of terror, arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker are assigned to catch the serial torcher and end his spree. But then a catastrophic fire destroys a major freeway, crippling the city and forcing Sharpe and Walker to take on another massive case.

Desperate for help, they know exactly who to call: homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone. Together the four detectives must quickly figure out whether the freeway disaster was a tragic accident...or the work of a mastermind with a horrific plan.

As the investigations collide, an old foe with a revenge scheme enters the fray, igniting a race against time to stop a conspiracy of deception, corruption, and murder.

It’s been bugging me since April of last year that I haven’t read this–if I’m two weeks late with a Goldberg book, it makes me itchy. And here I am 10 months late? Nope. Can’t take it.

Only Way Out

by Tod Goldberg

Failed lawyer Robert Green has such a good plan: Crack three hundred safe-deposit boxes and sail off to South America with his brilliant, morally flexible sister, Penny. If it weren't for the damned freezing rain.

In the dying resort town of Granite Shores, cop Jack Biddle is self-appointed king--mostly of bad decisions. Between his family's crumbling legacy, a wife who just joined the city council, and life-threatening gambling debts, Jack's looking for a way out. Then he spots a van spinning off a mountain road into the valley below. In the wreckage, Jack finds a very dead Robert, millions in heisted loot...and opportunity.

All Jack has to do is clean up the mess, disappear Robert's body, make off with the fortune, and not get caught. One hitch is Penny. Another is Mitch Diamond, a wild card ex-con who knows more about the missing fortune than he lets on. Jack, Penny, and Mitch each have an endgame. But there's only one way out, and they're crashing headlong toward it.

I haven’t read this Goldberg since his days of writing Burn Notice–and assume I’ve been missing out. This one looks like a great way to reacquaint myself with him.

Black Bag

by Luke Kennard

In Luke Kennard’s audacious new novel, a penniless and out-of-work actor picks up a job working for Dr. Blend, a university professor who is conducting a psychological experiment. How will Dr. Blend’s students react to someone zipped into an oversized bag, sitting at the back of the lecture hall over a series of Fall lectures? The role, eagerly accepted, soon has unexpected consequences. A professor of post-humanism develops research questions of her own—in particular, can you love someone secreted away inside a black bag?—and the actor’s childhood friend forms a vision for monetizing this new situation . . .

A warped campus novel, an investigation into the crisis of masculinity, and an off-kilter love story, Black Bag is a firework of a novel: blazingly funny and profoundly humane.

I’m not sure exactly what it was that got my attention with this book. Perhaps it was due to the campus novel part of the description–it’s been a while since I read one of those, and have been talking to some others about them. Or maybe it was something else. But reading it now? I’m very curious. This should be an interesting diversion from my typical reads.

Nine Goblins: A Tale of Low Fantasy and High Mischief

by T. Kingfisher

No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in “cowardly” and “lazy” too for good measure.

But goblins don't go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece.

Unfortunately, between them and safety lies a forest full of elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creatures…a human being.

This sounds fun. 2. I’ve got two big, dark, and probably bloody Fantasy books on tap this month. I could use something lighter and shorter.

Butterfly Effects

by Seanan McGuire

Sarah Zellaby is a Johrlac, a member of a species of psychic ambush predators colloquially referred to as “cuckoos.” Eight years ago, she survived the difficult, painful process of becoming a cuckoo queen…although not without costs. In the wake of her transformation, the man she loved was entirely erased from his own mind, forcing her to reconstruct him from the memories of the people who knew and loved him.

Sarah has been struggling to come to terms with her actions ever since. But there's no one else on the planet with the power to hold her accountable—until the Johrlac authorities show up. It’s time for her to stand trial for what she's done, something which can only happen on Johrlar, home world of her species, where the population is controlled by a system of unyielding hiveminds and crime is punishable by erasure.

With Sarah’s life on the line, her family will need to find a way to cross dimensional borders and survive a hostile, telepathic world in order to get her back—before the Sarah they know ceases to exist.

But no matter what happens, actions have consequences... and Sarah Zellaby is about to learn that lesson the hard way.

Chaos, noun:
1. The inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system.

Chaos theory, noun:
1. A branch of mathematical and physical theory that deals with the nature and consequences of chaos and chaotic systems.
2. The study of unpredictable systems.
3. See also “impossible math.”

Sure, a new InCryptid novel is an auto-read for me. But one focused on Sarah is really appealing. Sarah surrounded by Johrlacs? Appealing doesn’t cut it.

Banners of Wrath

by Michael Michel

War has come...

A Kurgish host wreaks havoc among the mountain clans, slaughtering and enslaving their way up the ladder of power.

To the east, the Scarborn fortify their position while they plot their next attack.

As chaos and social unrest unfold across Namarr, Scothea mobilizes for holy conquest. The Arrow of Light’s grip on his cultists grows stronger, his miracles ever more alarming.

Meanwhile, the battle in the River of conscious reality has just begun.

With every day that passes and every hero that dies, the odds of preventing annihilation dwindle..

This was on last month’s list–but the publication got pushed back. I still couldn’t have managed to read it last month, but I at least have a good reason for not getting to it. I don’t know if I’m ready for everything the blurb promised.

Jump

by DL Orton

The multiverse is collapsing. The time machine is broken. And humanity's last hope? Might already be dead.

Seven months after the EMPs brought the world to its knees, a handful of scientists are racing against extinction-and each other. Somewhere in a flooded skyscraper lies a wormhole generator that might be able to undo the apocalypse. If they can find it. If it still works. If it doesn't kill them first.

Meanwhile, Diego Nadales wakes up chained to a wall, his face bloodied and his memories fractured. He's being accused of terrorism, treason, and time travel. The last one, at least, is true.

Isabel is trapped inside a biodome ruled by the man she once trusted. But her bees-microscopic drones designed to save the planet-have been hijacked and weaponized. If she doesn't find a way out soon, her creation will wipe out the last threads of life on Earth.

Old friends return. New enemies rise. And somewhere in the chaos, one small spark of hope just might be enough to ignite a revolution.

The clock isn't ticking. It's broken.

I took part in a book tour for the first book in this series last year, time for book two. Time travel, multiverse, dystopia, and tiny android bees. (or were they wasps? I should check)

Stakeouts and Strollers

by Rob Phillips

Charlie Shaw is low on sleep. And cash. Otherwise, life is going pretty well for the ex-crime reporter: he’s happily married to his college sweetheart, he’s a first-time dad to the most adorable baby girl in existence, and he’s making ends meet as a rookie PI. But when Charlie meets Friday Finley, a frightened sixteen-year-old runaway on a stakeout-gone-wrong, his world gets a little more complicated.

Friday is looking for her estranged father Shawn, an unreliable alcoholic who left when she was young—and who also happens to be her only shot at avoiding the foster care system since her mother’s death a few weeks earlier. At first, Charlie believes the man is simply hiding out somewhere, avoiding his responsibilities as usual, but the more he investigates, the more unsettling—and dangerous—Shawn’s disappearance becomes. When his own family is threatened, Charlie realizes he’s in over his head, but can he back out now that he’s begun to care for Friday as his own?

A perfect page-turning blend of humor and high stakes, Stakeouts and Strollers is a heartwarming story of fatherhood, family, and what it really means to be a “Girl Dad.”

How cute does this sound? Come on…

The Lion & the Mouse

by Jerry Pinkney

n award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes.

This is another title in Slate’s “25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25 Years.

First Do No Harm

by S. J. Rozan

With River Valley Hospital in the midst of negotiations to avert a nurses' strike, a wealthy benefactor is set to give a large donation to honor of the Chief of Emergency Medicine: Dr. Elliott Chin, the brother of private investigator Lydia Chin.

Before the donation can be finalized, a member of the nurses' negotiating committee is found murdered. A morgue assistant is arrested and although he denies even knowing the victim his father and brother, both doctors at the hospital, are quick to urge him to take a plea. Another negotiating committee member abruptly resigns and a senior biomedical technician disappears. An officially off-limits section of the hospital basement turns out to be a hotbed of unauthorized—and in some cases criminal—activity.

Hired by the arrested man's lawyer, Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith start to dig into the events and personnel at the hospital. Among the union disputes, blackmail, thefts, lies, and a detective who really, really doesn't like them, one thing becomes clear: the dictum to "First Do No Harm” is not in effect at River Valley. As time runs short, Lydia and Bill face a complicated and dangerous task: they must unlock the hospital's secrets to save an innocent man.

Rozan’s been at her best lately, hopefully that continues (but even if it doesn’t, it’s not like she’s written a bad book). Lydia and Bill dealing with corruption in a hospital? Sounds promising.

The Rage of Dragons

by Evan Winter

The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable war for almost two hundred years. The lucky ones are born gifted. One in every two thousand women has the power to call down dragons. One in every hundred men is able to magically transform himself into a bigger, stronger, faster killing machine.

Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war.

Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He's going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn't get the chance.

Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He'll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him.

The Rage of Dragons launches a stunning and powerful debut epic fantasy series that readers are already calling "the best fantasy book in years."

So, I started this one yesterday. Wow. Starts off fast and hard, and really doesn’t let up. My mind is boggled and it’s probably going to get worse (or better).

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

by Mo Willems

inally, a book you can say “no” to!
 
When the Bus Driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place: a pigeon! But you’ve never met a pigeon like this one before. As the Pigeon pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, readers answer back and decide his fate.

Another from that list. I know I’ve seen the cover to this/sequels around before. Might as well find out what’s behind the cover.

(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)

MUSIC MONDAY: “What Makes The World” by The New Respects

By HCNewton

On February 2, 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.

Just for fun, here are two versions of the song. I couldn’t pick.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon