Tag: Luke Arnold

Clearing the Deck III: Tweet-length thoughts about books I can’t find time to write about

I did this last month to catch up up to 2023, but the backlog I’d accrued last year was too big for me. So here we go again. This doesn’t get me totally cuaght up, but it’s close enough. Hopefully it’ll be years before I have to resort to this again.

I frequently mention how looming Mt. TBR is getting for me, but what’s worse is my “To Write About” pile, I know I’m never going to catch up with that properly and it bugs me to no end. But in the interest of something being better than nothing, a dash of realism, and a heavy dose of self-care, I’m cutting myself some slack. This was painful to do, I was looking forward to writing about most of these, and I have so much that I want to say. But I’m just not going to get to them—and other books are starting to pile up, too. So, in 144 characters or less, here’s me cutting myself some slack.

(Click on the cover for an official site with more info)

If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?
3.5 Stars
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating by Alan Alda
Not sure how helpful this was–but it was quite entertaining & interesting. Hours of Alda’s narration–it almost doesn’t matter what he said.
The Librarian of Crooked Lane
3 Stars
The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer, read by: Marian Hussey
Great idea. Okay (ish) execution. Had to push myself to keep going more than once.
The Bittlemores
4 Stars
The Bittlemores by Jann Arden
So strange at times. The ending made all of the “why am I bothering” parts worth it. Capital Q-quirky and emotionally effective. Give it a try.
Things My Son Needs to Know about the World
3.5 Stars
Things My Son Needs to Know about the World by Fredrik Backman, read by: Santino Fontana
Hilarious and touching. Backman seems more down-to-earth than expected–a great writer & a relatable dad. Should give this to my grandkid’s dad.
That Old Cloak and Dagger Routine
3 Stars
That Old Cloak and Dagger Routine by Anne Louise Bannon
Ummm…a cozy and fairly self-consciously chaste spy novel. Who knew that was possible? Wasn’t wowed, but intrigued enough to read more.
The Deal Goes Down
3.5 Stars
The Deal Goes Down by Larry Beinhart
A compelling, self-aware, action read. Really dug it, but not sure I’m 100% into the story’s wrap-up, but the denouement helped.
Endangered
3 Stars
Endangered by C.J.Box, read by: David Chandler
Ehhhh…I liked this, I think. I’m not sure what to say about it (hence the months of silence from me, I guess)
Strong Female Character
3 Stars
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
Funny and helpful look at one woman coming to terms with an ASD diagnosis, and how she got to it.
Hammered
3 Stars
Hammered by Lindsay Buroker, read by: Vivienne Leheny
Good world, great protagonist/narrator. Decent introductory novel. I’ll be back for more.
Vampire Weekend
4 Stars
Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen
Heckuva read. Words have failed me for a year with this one. The premise, execution, characters, plot–all typical Chen greatness.
Spider-Man’s Bad Connection
3 Stars
Spider-Man’s Bad Connection by Preeti Chhibber
Not as good as book 1, but filled with everything I liked about it. Seemed more concerned about setting up the series arc than this book’s plot.
Blue Like Me
3.5 Stars
Blue Like Me by Aaron Philip Clark, read by: Preston Butler III
The mystery/police aspect of this series is great. The personal life material is less so. This author/narrator combo makes it worthwhile.
Once Upon a Tome
3 Stars
Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work in an antiquarian bookshop or if you like quietly charming people talk about unusual occupations…
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
3.5 Stars
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, read by: Scott Brick
So sweet, so heartwarming, so charming. This novel about booksellers in love–and Firkney’s adorable daughter–will steal your heart.
Killing Me
4 Stars
Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon
Great take on vigilante serial killers. Great turns and twists.
Teen Titans: Robin
3 Stars
Teen Titans: Robin by Kami Garcia, Art by: Gabriel Picolo
Not the best in the series, but Garcia’s take on these characters is good enough to overcome that. I just wish these came out faster.
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation
2 Stars
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs, read by: Emily Woo Zeller
The problem with an impossibly smart characters is that the creators behind them aren’t that smart. The results are disappointing.
Evil Valley
3 Stars
Evil Valley by Simon Hall
I like this series, I like the characters…didn’t think this was up to the author’s standards. Some great scenes and a compelling killer.
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library
2 1/2 Stars
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern, read by: Josh Bloomberg, Dara Rosenberg, Allyson Ryan
Meandering. The major reveal was a major letdown. It was just intriguing enough to keep me listening, but I wish it hadn’t been.
The Stench of Honolulu
2 Stars
The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure by Jack Handey
What a waste of time (mine and the authors) and talent.
Pieces of Eight
3.5 Stars
Pieces of Eight by Peter Hartog
I <3 this universe. I think this case was weaker, but the character moments, growth, and magic were so great that it didn't matter. I need more.
Posthumous Education
3 Stars
Posthumous Education by Drew Hayes, read by: Kirby Heyborne
Good to be back in Fred’s world. Not the best collection of episodes for the Vampire Accountant, but pleasant enough.
The Last Ranger
3 Stars
The Last Ranger by Peter Heller, read by: Mark Deakins
Feels like a CJ Box standalone that he abandoned because he couldn’t come up with an ending. Heller couldn’t either, but called it good anyway.
The Door-to-Door Bookstore
3 Stars
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, read by: Raphael Corkhill, translated by Melody Shaw
Schmaltzy but pure-of-heart. One central character’s motivation makes no sense. Ignoring that, it’s a sweet celebration of books/readers.
Murder Your Employer
3.5 Stars
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes, read by: Simon Vance, Neil Patrick Harris
Possibly too clever for its own good. I vacillated between reveling in it and utter disdain. It’s a mixed-bag that won me over in the end.
Fixit
4 Stars
Fixit by Joe Ide
IQ and Dodson are back and better than ever. Who needs to say more than that?
Thornhedge
3 Stars
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, read by: Jennifer Blom
Great prose in service of a solid modern take on Cinderella.
Flood and Fury
4 Stars
Flood and Fury: Old Testament Violence and the Shalom of God by Matthew J. Lynch
Helpful work on Divine Violence (how to think of it, how not to think of it or avoid the idea, either) and about the conquest of Canaan.
But Have You Read the Book?
2 1/2 Stars
But Have You Read the Book?: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films by Kristen Lopez
How can a book with this premise be so dull? And snobbish, too.
The Chinese Groove
2 1/2 Stars
The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma, read by: James Chen
Great characters, an okay story, but the payoff wasn’t there. The ending was bad enough to make me wish I hadn’t spent the time.
Noirville
4 Stars
Noirville: Tales From The Dark Side by Chris McVeigh
15 of the best short stories I’ve ever read. This is how Crime Fiction should always be.
Grand Theft Astro
3 Stars
Grand Theft Astro by Scott Meyer, read by: Elizabeth Evans
The Stainless Steel Rat with a contemporary twist. Meyer is capable of better, but I had enough fun (not sure I’m sold on the ending)
The Eternity Fund
3.5 Stars
The Eternity Fund by Liz Monument
Dynamite dystopian adventure. Worth the $ just for the worldbuilding. The story and characters were even better–I’d relish a sequel.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
4 Stars
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley, read by: Hillary Huber
It took me a long time to decide what this book was really about, but I enjoyed the trip. The destination was okay, too.
The Raven Thief
3 Stars
The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian
See what I said about Spider-Man’s Bad Connection.
Killers of a Certain Age
3.5 Stars
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn, read by: Jane Oppenheimer, Christina Delaine
Who doesn’t enjoy an octogenarian assassin? Who doesn’t love female assassins? A group of them out for revenge? Sure-fire fun.
Vanished
3 Stars
Vanished by Kat Richardson, read by: Mia Brown
Good story, but felt underwhelmed by it all. I think it was me and my timing. not Richardson. I need to get back on this horse.
She-Hulk: Jen Again
3 Stars
She-Hulk, Vol. 1: Jen, Again by Rainbow Rowell
A real winner from Rowell. I knew I should’ve started reading this series earlier. Good art, interesting arcs, & some real smiles were induced.
How to Examine a Wolverine
3 Stars
How to Examine a Wolverine: More Tales from the Accidental Veterinarian by Philipp Schott, read by: Geet Arora
A fun Veterinarian Memoir, with a lot of heart. James Herriot with more laughs and technology.
The Green Ember
3 Stars
The Green Ember by S.D. Smith, read by: Zach Franzen
Maybe too much like Wingfeather Saga, but with rabbits instead of humans. Still, a good fantasy for the MG crowd.
Don't Hang Up
3.5 Stars
Don’t Hang Up by Benjamin Stevenson, read by: Luke Arnold, Sybilla Budd
I can’t do better than Mike Finn did. Go read what he said. It’s why I listened.
How I Won a Nobel Prize
2 1/2 Stars
How I Won a Nobel Prize by Julius Taranto, read by: Lauren Fortgang
Some good writing, but squandered for…I’m not sure really.
The Marlow Murder Club
3 Stars
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood, read by: Nicolette McKenzie
Decent cozy with an intriguing cast of oddball slueths.
Questland
3.5 Stars
Questland by Carrie Vaughn
Jurassic Park for RPG, SF, Fantasy, etc. fans. Been a Vaughn fan for years, but don’t know that I’ve had this much fun with one of her novels.
All Systems Red
3 Stars
All Systems Red by Martha Wells, read by: Kevin R. Free
Oh, wow. I understand all the fuss over this series. I shouldn’t have slept on this–or the sequels like I have.
Self Help
3 Stars
Self Help by Ben H. Winters, read by: Wil Wheaton, Ron Perlman
Cool concept. Great cast. Entertaining but not-entirely satisfying result. Worth the time. But not much more.

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Dead Man in a Ditch (Audiobook) by Luke Arnold: A Murdered Elf, An Old Friend, and a Hint of Magic

Dead Man in a DitchDead Man in a Ditch

by Luke Arnold

DETAILS:
Series: The Fetch Phillips Archives, #2
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: October 9, 2020
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:  11 hrs., 51 min.
Read Date: February 11-15, 2022
Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

What’s Dead Man in a Ditch About?

Fetch, Man for Hire, has two clients/cases this time out.

First, the police want his help—they have a corpse that appears to have been killed by magic. They’re not broadcasting this idea, but that’s the best theory they have. They figure this is more up Fetch’s alley than theirs, they can’t officially hire him, but they’ll make sure that there’s a solid reward ready for him if he can bring them answers.

The other case involves an older elf—her husband is missing, and is probably dead. She wants Fetch to figure out who killed him—even better, if Fetch can tell her why there are debt collectors from the wrong side of the tracks sniffing around…

There’s not a lot of overlap in these cases, beyond the suggestion that there’s still a little magic in the world, despite what everyone knows/assumes. Maybe this time Fetch will find the thing everyone wants.

Too On the Nose

There’s a lot of material that’s a commentary on the presence, use, and abuse of guns in the real world. Arnold was not subtle at all—I’m not saying he should’ve been, but it would’ve been a bit easier to take if he had. I really don’t like authors taking a moment to do a PSA for whatever their cause is in the middle of a book.

Now, if they can work it in subtly? I don’t mind, in fact, I’m frequently impressed by it (whether or not I agree with them). But this was a tad too blatant for me.

The Narration

There’s got to be an advantage in narrating the audiobook for your own novel—you know how the strange names are pronounced already, you know exactly what tone is called for in each scene, and so on. On the other hand, you probably have to resist the impulse to do one more edit on each passage.

If you happen to be a pretty experienced actor, that has to be all the better.

Basically, I’m saying that Arnold is a perfect narrator for this and he did a bang-up job of it.

So, what did I think about Dead Man in a Ditch?

I thought I liked this novel more than the first in the series—I actually still do, but I’m rating this lower (I would like to ask 2020 me a couple of questions). Focusing on the present, even if the past looms large over the present, allows Fetch’s cases to mean more and be developed in a better, fuller sense.

I’m intrigued by the direction that Fetch seemed to be headed at the end here (although, I kind of thought that’s where he was headed already), but let’s never mind that.

I loved Fetch’s inner monologues, the voice is fantastic and I could listen/read it all day. I’m not quite as on board with the story—it’s good, just slow. Still, I’m glad I listened to this, and expect most fantasy/PI fans will be, too—particularly if they’re fans of both genres.

I’m just going to repeat what I said last time, because it still applies (maybe more than last time). Do I recommend this book? Oh yeah. You’ll probably like it more than I did (I’m a little worried about hitting “publish” on this, as I know I’m one of the less enthusiastic readers of this). And even if you don’t, you’ll be just as impressed as I am with Arnold’s imagination and skill.


3.5 Stars

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, opinions are my own.

The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold: A Fantasy Novel that Defies My Pithy Headline Composing Abilities

The Last Smile in Sunder City

The Last Smile in Sunder City

by Luke Arnold
Series: The Fetch Phillips Archives, #1

Kindle Edition, 368 pg.
Orbit, 2020

Read: August 26-27, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!


I think this could be my longest post ever, and I’d still leave things left unsaid, you wouldn’t believe the length of my notes for a book of this size. I’ll try to hit the most important points. To fill in whatever lacunae appears below, you should probably also read what was said over at Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub, The Tattooed Book Geek, Grimdark Magazine, and FanFi Addict—they’re what convinced me to buy the book.

“So, you’re a Man for Hire?”

“That’s right.”

“Why don’t you just call yourself a detective?”

“I was worried that might make me sound intelligent.”

The Principal wrinkled his nose. He didn’t know if I was trying to be funny; even less if I’d succeeded.

“What’s your relationship with the police department?”

“We have connections but they’re as thin as I can make them. When they come knocking I have to answer but my clients’ protection and privacy come first. There are lines I can’t cross but I push them back as far as I can.”

What’s The Last Smile in Sunder City About?

Fetch Phillips is hired to find a missing vampire, Edmund Albert Rye, an instructor at an exclusive private school for the children of magical creatures (lycanthropes, vampires, elves, dwarfs, etc.). It’s been a few days since he was seen, which is uncharacteristic enough that the principal’s getting nervous—he’s tough, but he’s been unwell. He, the students, and staff just need to know what happened to him.

I made my way east along Fourteenth Street without much hope for what I might be able to find. Professor Edmund Albert Rye; a man whose life expectancy was already several centuries overdue. I doubted I could bring back anything more than a sad story.

I wasn’t wrong. But things were sticking to the story that knew how to bite.

Fetch gets to work, enjoying the feeling of a good amount of cash in his pocket. The first step is the city library, Rye’s been living in the attic for that last several years, so he could enjoy some privacy and the sunlight. The librarian is just as worried as the principal had been.

It’s really not long before Fetch’s investigation brings him to an old private club for Vampires—and he find the remains of a couple of vampires. The lab concludes that it Rye wasn’t one of the fresh corpses. There’s another dead magical creature there, one that Fetch has never seen, and it takes a couple of days for the results identifying that to come in, too.

One thing that Fetch learns fairly soon is that Rye isn’t the only one missing, a girl vanished around the same time as he did. Now, Fetch has to track down a missing vampire and a teen-aged Siren. His work is definitely cut out for him.

Because he knows from the get-go that the story he’ll bring back to his employer won’t have a happy ending, he has a hard time pursuing it head-on. He keeps finding little things to distract himself, to slow the investigation. Even when the missing girl gets factored in, and he knows he needs to be fully committed just to have a chance to find her, to. He really can’t pull it off. The sad story just became so much sadder, and he doesn’t want to know the depth of that sadness.

Fetch Phillips

While the majority of the book traces this story, we also get several flashback chapters tracing Fetch’s tragic childhood, decent (but not great) adolescence and then troubled adulthood leading up to the point where he helped the Human Army destroy all the magic in the world. It’s an event called the Coda, and it occurred six years before Fetch was hired by the school. All magical creatures lost the abilities that distinguished their races, and the world was never the same. As an act of penance that no one but Fetch cares about, he’s since refused to work for humans, only for formerly-magic creatures. Which is what brought him to the search for Rye.

Fetch is a broken man—he wasn’t in great shape before the Coda, but he’s worse after it. An ex-soldier, convicted criminal, ex-prisoner, and now a drunk, with moments of sobriety (fewer than he should have while on a job, but all that money can buy many drinks).

There was a hangover on the horizon, along with something else. Something sort of stupid.

A devil was sitting on my shoulder whispering the kinds of things that stopped working on me years ago. I was only in my thirties but I was old. You don’t measure age in years, you measure it in lessons learned and repeated mistakes and how hard it is to force a little hope into your heart. Old just means jaded and cynical and tired. And boy, was I tired.

It’s the penance that drives him. He’d been an author of so much of what was wrong with the world, and he’s doing what he can to alleviate it just a little bit. It’s the only thing keeping him going. It’s not enough, but it’s all he has.

Fetch is such a rich character. It’s hard to like him, it’s hard to find anything redeemable in him*, any reason to be interested in what happens to him. But you can’t help pull for this broken, beaten, disillusioned, and cynical man.

* Which is, admittedly, the point of redemption.

What a Piece of Worldbuilding

This is such an incredibly conceived world. The Coda is so fresh that the citizens have started to move on, but aren’t used to dealing with the post-magical world. And so many of them are still hoping that it’ll all come back just as suddenly as it left.

The mixture of the fantasy elements and Human tech and science in this world, picking up the slack for the things that magic can’t do anymore is so rich, so well designed, so well-written that the reader has to stop every so often and try to take it in.

Even if I didn’t really like the book all that much, I’d still be recommending the book for the worldbuilding. It’s a master class in how to do it, how to describe it, and how to reveal it to the reader.

A Gripe

Just so, so, so many extended passages in italics. I won’t try to make a case against them, Benjamin Dryer does a better job than I possibly could. I just find them aggravating. It’d be so easy to indicate that something’s a flashback without them and spare readers the annoyance.

So, what did I think about The Last Smile in Sunder City?

Maybe nobody gets better. Maybe bad people just get worse. It’s not the bad things that make people bad, though. From what I’ve seen, we all work together in the face of adversity. Join up like brothers and work to overcome whatever big old evil wants to hold us down. The thing that kills us is the hope. Give a good man something to protect and you’ll turn him into a killer.

Fetch is a classic hard-boiled detective in a classically noir tale—the fact that it takes place in a Fantasy world (yet full of fairly modern technology) is just icing on a pretty tasty cake. The narrative voice is great, the writing leaps to life, and I can’t say enough about the way the world—and the novel—were designed and executed.

This probably deserves more than the 4 Stars I’m giving it, but I just didn’t connect with the story, with Fetch, with everything else going on as much as I wanted to. This regrettably ends up in the category of books that I admire more than I enjoy. But my admiration of this is so high that it almost doesn’t matter. This is a great Fantasy novel, and one unlike any you’ve read.

The sequel is out in a couple of weeks—I’m coming back to this world because now that Arnold doesn’t have to spend so much time explaining how the world works (or, more properly, how it no longer works) that he’ll be able to focus on telling a story or two, and I want to see what heights he’s capable of when the rules have already been established.

Do I recommend this book? Oh yeah. You’ll probably like it more than I did (I’m a little worried about hitting “publish” on this, as I know I’m one of the less enthusiastic readers of this). And even if you don’t, you’ll be just as impressed as I am with Arnold’s imagination and skill.


4 Stars

20 Books of Summer

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, opinions are my own.

The Stay at Home Book Tag

The Stay at Home Book Tag
I saw this tag over on this one from Witty and Sarcastic Book Club last week and figured I’d better join in the fun soon—our Stay at Home order is set to expire at the end of this month, and I may not get another chance.

Laying in Bed: A Book You Could/Have Read in a Day

This one gave me some trouble, honestly, if you’re committed, what book can’t you read in a day? But…I’m going to go with:

Not DressedNot Dressed

by Matthew Hanover
I didn’t read this in a day, but man, I could’ve. This book (like last year’s Not Famous) is effortless to read. When I started this book, it was late in the day and I thought I’d just stick a toe in the water, maybe read about 10% of it. Before I knew it, I was about a third into the book (and were it not for the time of day, I’d have probably finished it in one sitting!). It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s infectious, it’s engaging as anything I can remember. I cared about these characters and got invested in their lives faster than I typically do. It’s as comfortable as staying in bed should be.

In case you’re curious, here’s my post about it.


Snacking: A Guilty Pleasure Book

Pop Culture!Pop Culture! …Building a Better Tomorrow by Avoiding Today

by Dave Kellett
I’m honestly troubled by the idea of “guilty pleasure.” If you dig a piece of fiction, you dig a piece of fiction—why feel bad about it?* But, I ended up going with this collection of Sheldon comics. I love this strip and read them every time that Kellett posts a new one. I don’t let myself sit down and read through a collection (or part of one) very often, I feel like I should be reading “a real book,” or something I could blog about—or, you know spending time with my family, I guess. So, this is a pleasure that makes me feel guilty when I indulge (which I guess undercuts my opening line…oops).

* Note how I don’t go for the cheap Dan Brown joke here…


Netflix: series you want to start

The Shattered SeaThe Shattered Sea

by Joe Abercrombie
Abercrombie’s Norse-influenced YA trilogy has appealed to me since it was announced. Especially as it’s complete, there’s no good reason I can’t tackle it—the entire trilogy is about as long as some epic fantasy novels, I don’t know what I’m waiting for.

Dan Willis’ Arcane Casebook is also right up there. I hopefully will get to both in 2020.


Deep Clean: a book that’s been on your “to be read” list for ages

StilettoStiletto

by Daniel O’Malley
I loved O’Malley’s The Rook, but read it long before I launched this thing, so I didn’t write anything about it—and then re-read it so I could get ready for Stiletto, and took so many notes I couldn’t get through them all to write something. Anyway, this came out in ’16 and I heard so many lukewarm things that I haven’t been able to get myself to read it. It’s right there on top of my bookshelf, right where it’s been since July 2016 and I don’t know when it’s coming down.


Animal Crossing: a book you recently bought because of hype

The Last Smile in Sunder CityThe Last Smile in Sunder City

by Luke Arnold

A former soldier turned PI tries to help the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in a world that’s lost its magic in a compelling debut fantasy by Black Sails actor Luke Arnold.

Welcome to Sunder City. The magic is gone but the monsters remain.

I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are a few things you should know before you hire me:

1. Sobriety costs extra.
2. My services are confidential.
3. I don’t work for humans.

It’s nothing personal–I’m human myself. But after what happened, to the magic, it’s not the humans who need my help.

Walk the streets of Sunder City and meet Fetch, his magical clients, and a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

How can I say “no” to that?

Yeah, this is on the list because of the hype, but when I went to find some examples of the hype that sold me, I could only find this one from Witty and Sarcastic Book Club, which was enough on its own, honestly. Still, if you’re reading this and I’ve just snubbed you. Sorry. Correct me and I’ll throw a link up here.


Productivity: A book you learned from, or that had an impact on you

How Not to DieHow Not to Die

by Michael Greger M.D. FACLM, Gene Stone
This is a book that was recommended to me as part of a medical program I’m in (in an effort to forestall any future cardiac events)—I’m not convinced by all of what it says, but it’s helped me make significant changes to my life—and will continue to do so.

In case you’re curious, here’s my post about it (the post is about the library’s copy of the audiobook, I have the hardcover now—it’s heavy enough I could probably organize an exercise regimen using only it as a weight.


Facetime: a book you were gifted

The Name of the Wind: 10th Anniversary Deluxe EditionThe Name of the Wind: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

by Patrick Rothfuss, Illustrated by Dan dos Santos
My kids got this for me for Father’s Day in ’17—still one of my favorite gifts from them. A gorgeous edition of one of my all-time favorite books.


Self-care: what is one thing you’ve done recently to look after yourself

Ehhh…not much, really. This is the kind of thing I’m not good at.


Bonus: name a book that is coming out soon

Platonic ComedyPlatonic Comedy

by Ian Shane
Ian Shane’s Postgraduate was one of my favorites from 2019. If this is almost as good, it’ll be one of my favorites of 2020.

Ex-jock Rob and socially awkward Liz weren’t likely to become best friends, but they’ve had each other’s back since college. On a night both of their romantic lives implode, they make a pledge; if they aren’t married by Rob’s fortieth birthday, they would marry each other. With a year left before their deadline, Rob and Liz make a mad dash to find “The One,” while navigating a minefield of modern dating complications. They must deal with skeptical friends, faces from the past, and hidden jealousies and feelings neither one of them will ever admit to.

From Ian Shane, author of Postgraduate and Radio Radio, comes an unconventional one-in-eight-billion romantic comedy. Platonic Comedy is a contemporary When Harry Met Sally that is perfect for fans of Nick Hornby, Jonathan Tropper, and Matthew Norman.


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

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