Tag: Miscellany Page 13 of 171

Much peopleing was done today (at least by my standards), so I’m running behind. Hope no one tries to set your watch by when this thing posts (it’s erratic enough that no one likely does, but you never know)

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:
Twenty Literary Would-You-Rathers by Julianne Neely—There are some tough calls to make in this new McSweeney’s piece
Why New Generations of Readers Are Still Discovering & Reading Agatha Christie—And one day, I’ll be one of them
Florida Man Writes Novel: Joe Pan on Philosopher-Bikers, Poetry, and Korean Horror Films—how do you pass up a combo like that?
Marketing Experiments and Learning What Works—AJ Calvin talks about various marketing strategies that she’s tried
Jordan Harper on the Bittersweetness of Adapting His Own Novel into a Hollywood Film—Nick Kolakowski talks about that, and more about the writing of the novel She Rides Shotgun (one of the best novels I’ve read, and I’m so nervous about the adaptation. Both for what this article says and because of an irrational dislike for Egerton).
While we’re on the subject, it’s worth taking a glance at Films that influenced Jordan Harper’s ‘She Rides Shotgun’
Instagram’s andr3wsky has some hard truths for people who only read and don’t listen to audiobooks.

A Book-ish Related Podcast/Video episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to/watch:
Libro.fm Podcast Episode 51: Cory Doctorow on Divesting from Amazon’s Audible and the Fight for Digital Rights—great stuff.
SFF Addicts Ep. 165: Self-Publishing as a Career with Tao Wong, Shami Stovall & Michael Michel—a great episode, and touches on a lot of things I want to explore in the future myself
Why The Silver Chair Is the Most Underrated Narnia Book | A Deep Dive Review—okay, I haven’t watched this yet. But suspect that Fantasy is for the Ages is onto something here. If only because I certainly rate it pretty low–always have (I’ve even skipped it a few times in my youth).

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn
Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
I mentioned the releases of Crooked by Austin Grossman and Half a War by Joe Abercrombie

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
There’s a voice in the back of my head that tells me I’m forgetting something major here. ¯_ (ツ)_/¯ You may see an amendment next week when I remember the blantantly obvious.
Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks: Dealing with Dragons by Jaleigh Johnson—This is apparently a sequel, so I have two books to get now. This paragraph from the blurb is enough for me: “When the day is threatened by tyrannical foes or monstrous fiends, the people of Faerûn place their trust in the realm’s mighty heroes. When the mighty heroes don’t show up, they get the Fallbacks.”
An Oral History of Atlantis by Ed Park—In these short stories, “characters bemoan their fleeting youth, focus on their breathing, meet cute, break up, write book reviews, translate ancient glyphs, bid on stuff online, whale watch, and once in a while find solace in the sublime. Throughout, Park deploys his trademark wit to create a world both strikingly recognizable and delightfully other. Spanning a quarter century, these sixteen stories tell the absurd truth about our lives. They capture the moment when the present becomes the past.”

I really don’t have much for today, almost an inexcusably short amount. In my defense, I was a little busy this week.

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:
A Refuge From Censorship: Why Independent Bookstores Will Save Us—The headline might be overly optimistic, but it’s good to dream, right? “Kate Broad on the Invaluable Civic and Cultural Role of Booksellers Across the Country”
Captivating Characters of July—Yesterday was the last Friday of July? Eeep. Time for another installment in this meme that needs to get more steam. (he says, having contributed once this year)
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re about to wrap up Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week 2025. Be sure to check out Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week 2025 Hub to see most (possibly all) of the posts associated with it. A few things that I want to highlight:
#selfpublishedauthorsappreciationweek and/or #SPAAW on Bluesky have a lot of goodies to see (I didn’t see much action over on not-Twitter).
Read Indie Fantasy‘s contributions threatened to break my bank
You’ve gotta enter the Giveaway for Bones and Betrayals: Silence of the Dead by Erica Marks and Andi Ewington, not only is it a great read. But the entertainment possibilities in the responses are high. I want to read more of them (a reason for you, and a reason for me—we both benefit!)
There’s also a Giveway from Your Paper Quest Subscription Box—one of the best ideas that I’ve seen this year
Lastly, Seán reminded us all of the “need to actively support unorthodox writing projects that would struggle to exist in the modern trad pub industry but would flourish” online, like their flash fiction Substack, Shadows & Sorcery and “all the fantasy encyclopedias, bestiaries, and in-universe texts I’ve been told people want to write but ‘don’t have an audience.’ I, for one, would like some recommendations for the latter.
I shared this link 10 years ago, I just re-read it and thought I’d share. 20 Surprisingly Profound Quotes From Fantasy & SciFi. Some real gems.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
I refuse to believe it’s been ten years since these.
Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn
Re Jane by Patricia Park
And I mentioned the releases of: The Redeemers by Ace Atkins; Who Let the Dog Out by David Rosenfelt; and Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog also by David Rosenfelt

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
(it was unintentional, but I’m embracing the coincidence that these are all self-published works)
Shield of The Mothership by JCM Berne—The greatest mystery in my life is why I’m not caught up on this series. But more importantly–new JCM Berne, folks! Get on it!!
You’ll Never Walk Alone by Troy Lambert—a creepy-looking short story
Jumping Judiciary Corruption by E. N. Crane—another series that I’m inexplicably behind on. Cyn and Winnie look into the death of a sequestered juror.

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

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

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

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

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