Tag: Miscellany Page 3 of 172

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:

Do you enjoy books about schools of magic, or do you think they are overdone? Do you have any favorite magical schools or magical school books?

On the one hand, I feel like I’ve read a million of these, but I’m having trouble coming up with actual names:

There’s Hogwarts, of course, that’s going to be pretty much everyone’s first thought, right? (as much as many of us don’t want it to be, for variety of reasons)
Of course, you’ve got Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy, which is both cooler, and freakier than that.
I remember liking The Osthorne Academy of Young Mages from Sarah Gailey’s Magic for Liars, but don’t ask me anything about it.
I’ve never gotten around to reading about Novik’s Scholomance (I don’t even know the full name), but I’ve heard a lot of good, bad, and meh about it. So I don’t know if I actually will get around to it.
I’ve also never gotten around to reading Rowell’s books about the Watford School of Magicks (and I really only skimmed the bits from Fanboy about it, too).
Annnd…that’s it. That’s all I can remember.

This suggests that I haven’t read as many as I think I have, or that my memory is garbage. I’m ready to believe either.

The Summer Program at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs kind of counts, but not really. Ditto for Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter. Drew Hayes’ Trestlevend University comes close, too. But all of these are really for parahuman/supernatural beings, not quite magic schools.

So, do I think they’re overdone? Maybe, but I clearly haven’t over-read from them. But also, anything can be “overdone” until it’s not. It’s all about the execution, not the elements that make it up. Sure, many things could scream “Hogwarts Knockoff,” but it could be written in such a distinct, clever, and engrossing way that we’ll all start saying that “Hogwarts walked so [insert name] could run.” Any trope, theme, setting, or character type can be overdone, tired, or used enough to be a cliche. But if the right author comes along and deals with them in their own particular way, we just won’t care.

Do I enjoy these? Sure–if everything else is compelling. That’s kind of the core, really–I liked the silly escapism of Hogwarts, and the almost complete lack of silliness to Brakebills. I can’t tell you why I enjoyed Osthorne, but I think it was just a step or two away from a typical American High School depiction, just with that magic flair. It’s really not the school–it’s the depiction of it and the world it’s in.

Basically, if you throw a bunch of mages (or whatever you want to call them) of various skill levels in a building together, and insert some sort of outside complication or inside conflict, something entertaining is bound to happen. Kids with adults, rookie adults with experienced adults? Doctorates and grad students mixing together? Whatever. All of those can be a source of whimsy, comedy, horror, drama, trauma, adventure, and so many other things. So yeah, bring ’em on.

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—2/28/26

By HCNewton

On February 28, 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 Libro.fm has a neat deal–donate $15 to a library, and get a free audiobook—this campaign ends today, but there’s still time! Also, apparently today is the end of National Library Week, which is totally a thing I knew about before now.
bullet New book collects the weirdest forgotten stories of printing history—Okay, this article is just a thinly-disguised advertisement for a Kickstarter, but it’s still a fun read
bullet My New Take on Whether We Should Remove “Old” Books from School Classrooms
bullet Monthly Manga Mania Featuring Firsty Duelist Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato—It’s the time of the month for Firsty Duelist to educate people like me about Manga
bullet It’s also time for the Captivating Characters of the Month Linkup
bullet A couple of month-end link wrap-ups to check out are: 10 Interesting Posts from the Book Blogosphere You May Have Missed in Feb. 2026 from Pages Unbound and February 2026 Book Blog Wrap-Up from A Literary Escape

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet Crime Time FM‘s NADINE MATHESON In Person With Paul—was a lot of fun to listen to

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“The questions we have for the dead haunt us like unfinished dreams.”
—Head Fake by Scott Gordon

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet The Story of Lucius Cane: Book One by Vanya Ferreira—(I’d completely forgotten about the existence of this book)
bullet Steal the Sky by Megan E. O’Keefe
bullet Freedom’s Child by Jax Miller—that was 10 years ago??
bullet I mentioned the releases of: The Absconded Ambassador by Michael R. Underwood; Out of the Blues by Trudy Nan Boyce; The Drowned Detective by Neil Jordan; The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury; Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon (and one I forgot last week):
bullet Prey of Angels by JCM Berne—the latest in The Hybrid Helix looks great!
bullet The Book of Spores—the ebook for this anthology is available now, “Collecting fungal tales from across countless universes, this FanFiAddict anthology spotlights the best of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.”
bullet After the Fall by Edward Ashton—”Part alien invasion story, part buddy comedy, and part workplace satire, After The Fall… asks an important question: would humans really make great pets?”
bullet Amari and the Metalwork Menace by B. B. Alston—huh. I thought this was a trilogy, but the publication of the fourth book reminds me to not assume so often.

(full credit to @jasonroygaston)

Captivating Character of February: DS George Cross

By HCNewton

On February 27, 2026

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc.

It’s the last Friday of the month, so it’s time for my Most Captivating Character of the Month post. This is actually my third choice of a character for this month–the first two are from a book that I really want to dig into, but I honestly didn’t have as much to talk about when it came to them as I thought. But DS George Cross? I think I could go on and on about him–and that’s just from the first book in his series. But before I get into this, let me point you to my post about The Dentist, where Tim Sullivan introduces the world to him.

George–as the novel tells us, has Asperger’s Syndrome (we’d say he’s on the Spectrum now). Obviously, this presents differently in each individual, and it’s reassuring that Sullivan didn’t play into stereotypes. Yes, George has almost no social skills, and that causes problems in the office. Or with people he’s interacting with in the course of an investigation. But when it comes to the Interrogation Room? He shines. He can focus on parts of a suspect’s statement in a way to get them to reveal details. He’s also good at exploiting his own social ineptitude to exasperate a suspect enough to slip up.

Beyond that, he’s methodical, he’s careful, he’s thorough. A case that’s not put together correctly will bother him on a level that goes beyond conscientious employee. But he’s not the obsessively-driven kind of detective like say, Harry Bosch. It’s just who he is.

His relationship with his father is odd (for an observer, anyway) and sweet. His hobby–playing and maintaining pipe organs–seems a little strange in the abstract, but when as you get to know George, it really fits.

The more you get to know George, the more fascinating–make that captivating–he becomes. At least through the first book–I’m willing to bet that continues in the next book, too.

What character would you name for last month?

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WWW Wednesday—February 25, 2026

By HCNewton

On February 25, 2026

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

Today has gotten away from me, so this is 1. the only post I’m getting up today (obviously), and 2. it’s really late. But, it’s the thought that counts, right?

(yeah, not really)

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?


Fairest Hunter by M. K. Felix	All Accounts Settled by Drew Hayes, read by Kirby Heyborne

I haven’t made it very far in Felix’s gender-swapped Robin Hood/Snow White mashup. But it’s entertaining so far.

While Fred the Vampire Accountant hasn’t been my favorite series, it’s been a reliable pleasure. I’m going to miss it, I just hope (and trust) that Hayes lands the finale in a satisfying way.

What did you recently finish reading?


Butterfly Effects by AUTHOR	How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley, read by Reena Dutt

I’m lamenting that no one in any of my circles–online or offline–reads McGuire’s InCryptid series, because I really want to talk to someone about the new book (which will be getting a very positive write-up here as soon as I can find the time).

I’m pretty ambivalent about Nina McConigley’s 1980s-set murder story, to be honest. I’d like to hear what others have to say.

What do you think you’ll read next?


The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers	Head Fake by Scott Gordon, read by Nick Mondelli

As I said at the beginning of the month, 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.

I can’t remember what it was that made me put Head Fake on a list to get, but looking at the blurb, I think I’ll enjoy it.

What are you reading as the month closes?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Quotes About Books and Reading

By HCNewton

On February 24, 2026

In Literary Locals, News/Misc., Top X List

The topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesdays is “Quotes From/About Books (Share book quotes you love, quotes about being a reader, etc.)”

Once upon a time, I had a really good list of these going–and I have no idea what happened to that (it was before this blog). But I do have a decent collection of quotations that I’ve used once or twice over the years in my Saturday Miscellany posts, so I picked the ten best of those.

MUSIC MONDAY: “Life Is Beautiful” by Keb’ Mo’

By HCNewton

On February 23, 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.

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Saturday Miscellany—2/21/26

By HCNewton

On February 21, 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 Books and screens: Your inability to focus isn’t a failing. It’s a design problem, and the answer isn’t getting rid of our screen time—This’ll provoke some thinking (also, I want to be whereever that picture was taken)
bullet “The guy you buy”: The Michael Clayton of it all.—a great piece on Corporate Thrillers
bullet Read this: Generative AI is doing a number on the romance novel market—in case your blood pressure could use a boost (or your despair is running a little low)
bullet From Atoms to AI: The Futile Search for a “Perfect” Language
bullet Five Cosy Activities For Audiobook Listening—all of them sound better than my typical audiobook listening activities: driving, work, cleaning
bullet “The Victim has to be a Believable Person”: An Interview with First Do No Harm’s S.J. Rozan
bullet What Do You Want to Know About a Book Before You Read It?—a question I think about a lot

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“Goblin tea resembles a nice cup of Earl Grey in much the same way that a catfish resembles the common tabby. They share a name, but one is a nice thing to curl up with on a rainy afternoon, and the other is found in the muck at the bottom of polluted rivers and has bits of debris sticking to it.”—Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
bullet Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham—featuring a protagonist that belongs on one of my personal Mt. Rushmores
bullet Some Assembly Required by Kevin Smith, Phil Hester and Jonathan Lau
bullet The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
bullet The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley—yeah, I DNFed it, but I talked about it.
bullet Lastly, I talked about the releases of Switcheroo by Aaron J. Elkins and Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett—”A woman who runs a cat rescue in 1920s Montréal turns to a grouchy but charming magician to help save her shelter.” (“turns to” and “grouchy” aren’t necessarily the words I’d use, but…whatever). I opined about it a couple of weeks ago. Lots of fun.
bullet Time for a Change by Questlove, S. A. Cosby—I was a little worried that we weren’t going to get a sequel, but: “On the heels of their thrilling appearance in Rhythm of Time, best friends Rahim and Kasia are back traveling through time in Time for a Change. Last time around, they were on their own—now they are working with Aevum, a mysterious organization from the future that tasks them with averting disaster and safeguarding the flow of history.”
bullet Worse than a Lie by soandso—”a lawyer drawn into a case that begins with a violent traffic stop and spirals into a fight over truth, power, and freedom inside the criminal legal system.” (for more, read the link there or this feature from the Westside Gazette, which is where I lifted that quotation from)

WWW Wednesday—February 18, 2026

By HCNewton

On February 18, 2026

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

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

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

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

What are you currently reading?


Banners of Wrath by Michael Michel	A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, read by Sean Runnette

I had to take a break to make sure I finished Hive on time (see below), but I’m back to Michel’s latest. There are just so many things going wrong for these characters…and I’m loving it.

Standage’s history came up in conversation with a friend when I was telling him about reading The Mountains Shall Drip Sweet Wine. This is a very different take on potent potables (and some others), but they also do a good job of complimenting each other.

What did you recently finish reading?


Jump by DL Orton

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman, read by Travis Baldree & Jeff Hays	The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson, read by Walter Isaacson & Holter Graham

I’ve talked about Jump a lot today, I’m not sure what else to say.

Read Matt Dinniman, they said. He’s hilarious, they said. Well, this was a different book for Dinniman–it’s harrowing, somewhat hopeful and affirming, but also…the mirror it holds up about humanity’s cruelty to humanity (for fun and profit!), just ain’t pretty. I should stress that this is an endorsement.

Okay, technically, the last book I listened to was Isaacson’s celebration/examination of the second sentence in the Declaration of Independence (you know, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”). But it’s a 60 minute book (including the appendices), so it doesn’t really feel like a book.

What do you think you’ll read next?


First Do No Harm by S. J. Rozan	City of Others by Jared Poon, read by David Lee Huynh

It’s been too long since I read a good PI novel, might as well read about two at the same time, right? The good part is pretty much granted with Rozan behind the wheel.

I was just browsing at the Library’s site when I saw this Urban Fantasy set in Singapore. Which is such an unusual combination of words that I have to try it.

Tell me about your recent reads (I may be bad at replying, but I read every comment)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Pour Me Out” by Kashus Culpepper

By HCNewton

On February 16, 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.

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Saturday Miscellany—2/14/26

By HCNewton

On February 14, 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 Farewell, Pocket Books—I’ve linked to several things about this in the last few months (well, maybe a handful). I rather appreciated this short video.
bullet Dorothy Parker: Sharp-Witted Writer, Bitter Professor—I didn’t know this about Parker.
bullet Scammers’ Delight: Christopher Farnsworth on Living in the Golden Age of Grift—Yes, this is mostly an advertisement for Farnsworth’s new novel (see below), but even without that, it’s a good read. And you can see why people like Farnsworth, Spencer Quinn, and Jesse Q. Sutanto write about bringing these kind of crooks down.
bullet It’s Time to Get Loud About the Books You Love—If you’re going to limit yourself to reading one thing I link to this week, this is the one.
bullet Death Show Colossus: A Fantasy Cyberpunk Deluxe Edition Kickstarter—this looks like a great read, and you can get a very pretty copy of it on the cheaper side while helping some indie artists.
bullet Books That Take Place in Bookstores or Libraries—a handy-dandy list.
bullet Books with Relationships for People who Don’t Love Love: 2026 Edition—I’d forgot that Witty & Sarcastic Book Club did this every year. Shame on me. I enjoy seeing the picks (this year, I’m feeling clever: I’ve read one, own one, and have had another on my “to get” list for ages).
bullet Similarly, Noelle Holten has a couple of Anti-Valentine’s Day Book Recs
bullet If, however, you’re in the mood to celebrate the day, you might appreciate this collection of valentines to print for your special someone (or to at least forward the images to them)
bullet The Manhattan Beach Library has a great game for bored librarians to play

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“Death may be the price of warriors, but grief is the price of the ones they leave behind.”—Banners of Wrath by Michael Michel

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet The Batgirl of Burnside by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart & Babs Tarr
bullet The Highly Capable by Jayme Beddingfield (I feel pretty bad that I forgot about this book entirely until I read this post today)
bullet Guardians by Josi Russell
bullet The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
bullet And I mentioned the releases of: Morning Star by Pierce Brown; Dead Is Better by Jo Perry; Atlanta Burns: The Hunt by Chuck Wendig; As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Banners of Wrath by Michael Michel—the third book in this saga is really pushing these cultures to the brink of destruction. I’m not so sure that there’s a way for this series to resolve in anything but chaos. I think I’m okay with that as long as the writing stays this compelling. (and if I’m wrong, all the better)
bullet Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson—”An ordinary man discovers a hidden world of supernatural creatures—and an unexpected home—in this enchanting contemporary fantasy debut.” I tried to talk about what a cool read this is recently.
bullet Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot by Christopher Farnsworth—”Police Chief Jesse Stone finds himself in the crosshairs of a rich hedge fund manager dead set on making Paradise Jesse’s personal hell.” I’m appreciating Farnsworth’s approach to Jesse, coupled with the piece linked above, I’m eager to dive in sometime next week.
bullet Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman—”A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel.” This is not the jokey-Dinniman that others have described to me. This is like Suzanne Collins mixed with Scalzi’s more serious side. I’m almost half-way through this audiobook, and it’s captivating and gut-punching.

	“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” Alan Bennett (Source)
	I love people who read. I think it screams humility. When someone reads, they are essentially admitting they want more, that the world is not enough for them. They want more knowledge, more experience. Whatever this life is, they want more of it. – Nicholas Browne (Source)
	I couldn’t decide which one of these to keep; they’re variations of the same idea, so I’m sticking with them both. The person who doesn’t read lives only one life. The reader lives 5,000. Reading is immortality backwards. – Umberto Eco (Source) I do not read for I have renounced life, I read because one life is just not enough for me. – Abbas Al-Akkad (Source)
	Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live. — Gustave Flaubert (I don’t remember where I got this image)
	“Books are delightful society. If you go into a room and find it full of books—even without taking them from the shelves they seem to speak to you, to bid you welcome” The Right Hon. William E. Gladstone Prime Minister. UK, 1809-1898 (Source)
	At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of a book—that string of confused, alien ciphers—shivered into meaning. Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets; at that moment, whole universes opened. You became, irrevocably, a reader.” ― Alberto Manguel (Source)
	When I think of all the books still left for me to read, I am certain of further happiness. Jules Renard (Source)
	Reading books is the most glorious pastime that humankind has yet devised. Wislawa Szymorska (Source)
	“I cannot remember a time when I was not in love with them–with the books themselves, cover and binding and the paper they were printed on, with their smell and their weight and with their possession in my arms, captured and carried off to myself.” ― Eudora Welty (Source)
	Books are everywhere; and always the same sense of adventure fills us. Second-hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack. Besides, in this random miscellaneous company we may rub against some complete stranger who will, with luck, turn into the best friend we have in the world.― Virginia Woolf (Source)