Tag: News/Misc Page 1 of 30

On July 17, 2026

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

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

Best Book You’ve Read in 2026


A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper	Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

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

Best Sequel You’ve Read in 2026


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

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

Twelve Months
by Jim Butcher

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

New Release You Have Yet To Read


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

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

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

Most Anticipated Release From the 2nd Half of the Year


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

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

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

Biggest Disappointment

Worse than a Lie
by Ben Crump

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

Biggest Surprise


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

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

Twelve Months
by Jim Butcher

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

Favorite New Author


Matt Dinniman	Callum McSorley	Tim Sullivan

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

New Favorite Character

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

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

A Book That Made You Cry


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

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

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

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

A Book That Made You Happy


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

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

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

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

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.
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Captivating Character of June: Vigga Ullasdottr/Vigga-Wolf

On July 3, 2026

It’s the first Friday of the month, so my Most Captivating Character of the Month post is a week late. For June, I’ve selected a character from Joe Abercrombie’s The Devils. I really could’ve picked just about everyone in that novel, but one character stood out to me. Vigga Ullasdottr, sometimes known as Vigga-Wolf (for reasons I will get into). Not only is she captivating, she’s in the running for my favorite new-to-me character of the year. I didn’t mention her when I posted about The Devils yesterday, because revealing her would be taking something away from one of the first reveals of the book (although to be fair, I really didn’t mention many characters). You’ve been warned–if you read on, it’ll take away a little from that reveal (but it’s not vital to the book).

Vigga grew up in a Norse village with a cruel mother. And she was, at best, a troubled child who tended to create havoc (unintentionally). At some point, she was bitten by a werewolf…and well, things go downhill from there for her. In her wolf form, she’s even more unstable than she is as a human. So much so that the people of her village cover her in tattoos warning others about her.

By the time we meet her, she’s living a dissolute life–or was before being captured by the Church and made part of the Chapel of the Holy Expediency’s congregation.

In battle, when she lets her wolf go, she’s essentially a berserker– her ferocity, her strength, her bloodlust, her savage nature– it’s something to behold.

Sure, you could say that she’s a gender-swapped version of Logen Ninefingers/The Bloody-Nine. And she really is. But also, she’s more–she’s deeper, she’s aware of her shortcomings, and frequently wants to change them. But she’s also easily distracted (think Dory with a homicidal streak) and prone to self-pity, so…it’s hard to say.

“I’d like to see the light,” said Vigga. “Folk keep trying to show it to me.”

But most of all, she’s just fun to read. Her personality (both of them) shines forth and charms the reader. Sure, the Vigga-Wolf is frightening and near-mindless. But in context…it makes sense. But as Vigga, she’s heartbreaking, fun, and inspirational (and someone you can laugh at). All in all, she’s captivating.

What character would you name for last month?

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Picard Day Tag

On June 16, 2026

Capt Picard smiling in front of a banner saying Capt Picard Day

June 16 is the day here on Earth in the 21st Century that is the equivalent of Stardate 47457.1. Jean-Luc Picard’s birthday, celebrated by the children of Enterprise-D as Capt. Picard Day. I noted it was coming up last week and then realized that I’e never talked about a single Star Trek related novel or book here. Well, I guess Brent Spiner’s book comes close–but not close enough. Still, I wanted to do something. Inspired by Jodie’s recent Firefly Book Tag, I decided to throw one together for Star Trek: TNG.

This might have been a mistake. Once I got started on the prompts, I had a hard time stopping myself from getting too carried away–but I could’ve tried harder. That came back to bite me when it came time to come up with responses. So, yeah, this is up late. Oh, well. It’s Picard Day somewhere.

A Generic Looking Tag with the words 'Picard Day Book Tag'

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard

A Character of Honor, Conviction, and Heroism (or just one of those…I mean, how often do you get the whole package?)

I spent too much time thinking about this, but I ended up having to go with Walt Longmire, Sherriff of Absaroka Country in Wyoming. Walt’s commitment to doing the right thing–despite what it costs him physically, politically, emotionally, or financially–is almost second to none. Unlike many similar characters, he doesn’t spend a lot of time talking about it, either. (Sorry, Spenser). He just does it, and waits for his friends, colleagues, and family to figure out his motives. I like Walt as a character, but I forget how much there is to admire about him. I frequently think that about Picard, too.

Commander William T. Riker

A Character Featuring a Character Who’s Always Up for Action (I mean that in the adventure sense, but, then again they might be just as ready for a more metaphorical “action” (wink, wink))

Cover of The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
Francis Grimm, a privateer, and captain/owner of the AMS Predator. Grimm is ready for a fight–and will do all sorts of things to get a win. He’s not wreckless enough to take unneccessary risks–although his definition of unnecessary might differ from yours. Hand-to-hand, with a saber, or airship-to-airship, Grimm’ll rise to the occasion. I doubt he’d stand for the trombone playing, but Grimm and Riker are cut from the same cloth.

Counselor Deanna Troi

A book that makes you feel all the feelings

Cover of All Together Now by Matthew Norman
Boy howdy. This was funny, heartwarming, I was annoyed by some characters, I was surprised, and I came so close to crying in my car before work as I finished it. Seriously, I can’t think of an emotion that didn’t feel for a page or two. You don’t need to be from Betazed to see that.

Lieutenant Natasha ‘Tasha’ Yar

Lieutenant Natasha 'Tasha' Yar

A book featuring a Character Death that Still Bugs You (no need to name the character)

Cover of Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
I wondered if I bit off more than I could chew with this prompt. So, I just thought back as far as I could to deaths I’m still not over. This one has been bothering me since the Reagan administration. I should probably accept it, but…I can’t. Not unlike the way the bumped off Tasha.

Lieutenant Commander Data

A great AI/Android Character

Okay, there are dozens and dozens to choose from here. But Marvin, the poor depressed android who was drug along on an adventure he wanted nothing to do with when Zaphod stole The Heart of Gold, has to be my pick, right? He’s Douglas Adams’ answer to Eeyore–something is always wrong, whether he’s parking spaceships at Milliways, stuck doing menial tasks like escorting hitchhiker’s around a spaceship, or anything else that he stumbles into–he’s miserable. He’s depressed. He’s fed up with everything. And since I was a teen, a robot like that has endeared himself to me like none other. Clearly Dr. Noonien Soong learned a thing or two from robots like Marvin (and, sure, Lore) so he kept Data from having those emotions.

Lieutenant Worf

A Great Warrior Character (hopefully one with a degree of honor)

Cover of The Last Sheild by Cameron Johnston
Briar, the commander of the Shields (the royal guard) in Cameron Johnston’s The Last Shield is one of my favorite warrior characters lately. She’s not afraid to seek out–or rely on help–but she’s willing to be the only one in the castle to stand against a group of invaders as well. She’s got heart, grit, and won’t stop battling until the fight is over (or fights are over, to be correct). There’s not a Klingon worth their salt that wouldn’t welcome her among their ranks.

Lieutenant Geordi La Forge

A character with who can solve any problem you throw at them

Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe’s assistant (among other things) leaps to mind here. When Mr. Wolfe says something needs to get done–a clue needs to be found, a witness needs to be brought to him for questioning, a particular button needs to be traced to its maker–Archie will get the job done through determination and panache–not to mention intelligence guided by experience. Sure, he doesn’t have the education to handle a warp core breach or anything like that. But I wouldn’t put it past him to save the NCC-1701-D or anything else Starfleet has in its fleet.

Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher

A Precocious Child Character

Cover of Down Don't Bother Me by Jason Miller
Anci, the daughter of the protagonist in the Slim in Little Egypt series (too short by a mile), is my pick for this. Anci’s smart, she’s insightful, she’s sweet, she’s got an attitude that just won’t quit. She also has a way of getting herself into (and out of) trouble and more than once has helped her dad out of a jam. She’s a kid, through and through, but she’s probably the one that keeps her detective dad going. If Miller had given us a few more books, I can see her doing more of an “acting apprentice” kind of role–but she didn’t get the chance.

Dr. Beverly Crusher

A Skilled Medical Professional

Cover of Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
Dr. Greta Helsing treats more strange beings than any Starfleet doctor has–despite their search for new life and new civilizations. London has enough old lives and civilizations that are ignored. Okay, for her it’s varities of vampires, banshees, ghouls, and so on. But she pulls out all the stops and puts her life on the line to find ways to treat her patients when she has to–but isn’t above treating a little common cold, either.

Dr. Katherine Pulaski

A Grating/Contrarian Character

Cover for A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Backman’s Ove seems too predictable a choice for this, but once I got him stuck in my mind, I couldn’t get him out. Yes, he’s crappy, a bit intolerant (okay, more than a bit), and too set in his ways, but it’s what lies beneath–and getting to see it–that makes him stand out and be memorable. Not unlike Dr. Pulaski, who I was starting to warm to before she left the Enterprise.

Q

An (almost?) Impossibly Powerful Character

This was a tougher prompt than I realized at first, and I kept bouncing around between various Wizard/Sorcerer characters, but didn’t really feel right about any of them. So, I’m going to go another way–Jack Reacher. The amount of physical punishment he takes and dishes out, while figuring out wild plots, and handling any weapon he comes across capably. Really, that’s a kind of magic that Raistlin, Dresden, Dumbledore, or Merlin would boggle at. He’s not quite as mercurial as our favorite representative of the Q Collective–but he’s just as judgemental.

Lieutenant Reginald Barclay

A character with a great amount of growth over the series

Cover of Kill the Farm Boy by Kevin Hearne and Deliah Dawson
When we meet Gustave (a goat) as The Chronicles of Pell, he’s amusing, but I got tired of him quickly. But by the end of The Princess Beard…not only do I like the character, but think he’s grown into someone that I’d enjoy on the page and off the page (were such a thing possible). Barclay’s arc is very much the same.

Ten-Forward

The Bar in Ten-Forward

A book featuring a bar/tavern/lounge

Cover of Mrs. Covington's by K.R.R. Lockhaven
Mrs. Covington’s pub (from the novel of the same name) is just as homey, just as friendly, and full of music and joy as Guinan’s lounge. It might be a bit more raucus, but it’s got the same kind of heart. And it’s no stranger to dealing with non-human patrons or their appetites, either.

Kamin

A Book Featuring an Alternate History

Cover of The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
I just read The Devils a couple of weeks ago, so of course it’s going to jumpt to mind. But even in a year or two, it’s going to stand out as one of my favorite alternate histories–the details–especially the throwaway details–that Abercrombie works into this are just phenomenal. You can see that version of our world coming to pass–the light within it, is very close to our own. While not being our own at all.

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

Darmok

A Novel in Translation

Cover of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama, Jeffrey Angles
I’ve read a few good books in translation lately, but Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama, Jeffrey Angles (Translator) is my pick for this. Not only does it tell a mythic tale from another culture, but the translator works to bring it to English-speaking audiences in a way they understand not just the words, but the symbols and themes from the original.

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I Am The Reader Tag

On May 29, 2026

I Am The Reader Tag
I’ve had this post mostly drafted for a few weeks, but hadn’t gotten around to formatting and whatnot. Then I realized it’s perfect for today’s anniversary, so…here you go.

I found this over at Jo Linsdell’s list of tags, apparently it was created by Penguin Random House to promote The Reader by Traci Chee.

Choose one word that describes being a reader

Curious. A reader is curious. Curious about new worlds, new characters—what’s going on in old fictional worlds or with familiar characters—new ideas. Curiosity about new-to-me facts and perspectives. Or different ways to tell familiar stories.

What is the first book you fell in love with?

There were a number of picture books that probably qualify—the ones I had read to me so many times I could tell when my mother goofed or was skipping ahead so she could move on to something else. But the first title that I can point to with a level of confidence is—as I’ve said so many times on this site that even I’m bored with the story (and many readers could say it with me: Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective.

Cover of Encyclopedia Brown boy Detective by Donald J Sobol border=

Hardback or paperback, e-book or audio?

Probably paperback, they’re just easier to hold comfortably. Hardback and then e-book are fine follow-ups. I love audio—it’s clear that I listen to them a lot—but I have to be doing something else (working, cleaning, driving), or I fall asleep. So that’s why it comes in fourth.

I know they’ve fallen out of fashion, but I miss a good mass-market paperback.

How has reading shaped your identity?

It practically is my identity. I’d like to think that Christian, Husband, Father, Grandfather, and friend come first–but I’m convinced any of them do. I say that in jest, but there’s a voice in the back of my head saying, “oh, really?”

As far back as I can remember, that’s just what I did. And everyone knew it–as I talked about on Monday, my friend group had me read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to help us figure out the game. They also handed me Dragons of Autumn Twilight to help us get a handle on playing in that world (we never did, but my Weiss/Hickman fandom started right then). I find myself in similar situations still. There are people were I work that’ll come up and give me book suggestions without us having had a real conversation before. I just emit a bookworm (or ink drinker) pheromone, I think. That was true before I started blogging–it’s only increased since then.

What book do you read when you need to be comforted?

I don’t have a go-to for that. Maybe I should—but really, any fictional work does it by letting me focus on a different reality.

For the longest time, I’d read a Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin book when I was taken down by a cold. But that’s not the same, I know, it’s just the closest I can think of.

One particularly dark part of my life started around the time I’d discovered Jim Butcher—the first 8 Dresden novels helped me through that (as did discovering Jonathan Tropper). I don’t go to either of them when I need comforted, but they ended up that way then. And probably serve the same purpose now, I just don’t realize it.

Who taught you how to be a reader?

Immediately, this line from Alberto Manguel’s A History of Reading came to mind:

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.

So, I couldn’t tell you when that happened. But the authors that jumped to mind to get me/keep me hooked early on were: Donald J. Sobol, Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams, Robert Arthur and whoever was ghostwriting the Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators books, and countless others I can’t recall. Their work has been fed and nurtured over the years by countless more (and for the last 13 years, by people featured on this here blog).

But really, it was my Mom. She introduced books to me, she spent more time than she probably could afford early on reading them to me, and supported my habit when it became out-of-control (and still does).

Describe your dream reading lounge

A comfortable chair—not too comfortable, because I can drift off pretty easily. Good lighting—I prefer overhead lighting (much to my lamp-loving wife’s consternation). A good, comfortable temperature. Not a lot around to distract myself. A decent source of music for the background. Space for a dog or to curl up next to me. I really don’t care what it’s like beyond that–I’m not going to pay attention.

What book changed the way you act or see the world?

What book didn’t?

I’m going to limit myself to Middle School and High School, or this would take a day to write. Also, I’m pretty sure I’m leaving some off–that’s the problem with memory (and I have to say that kind of thing because if I don’t add that disclaimer, I’ll be revising this list for hours).

Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (as you may have read here earlier this week); Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars by Daniel Manus Pinkwater; Jane Eyre; Dave Barry Slept Here; Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary; The Right Stuff; Fahrenheit 451; Heart of Darkness (only in that it gave me a lifelong aversion to Joseph Conrad); Lewis’ Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.

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

The Best of the Best from 13 Years of The Irresponsible Reader

On May 29, 2026

In Miscellany, News/Misc.

The Best of the Best from 13 Years of The Irresponsible Reader
It was 13 years ago today that I first posted something to The Irresponsible Reader. I still can’t believe that I’ve stuck with it that long (I mentioned it to my wife the other day and it set her back a step)—even more improbable is that you, reader, are here. Whether you’ve been around for a few weeks or some years—my mind is boggled by it. Thanks for that, truly.

Last year, I commemorated the day by combining all my “Favorite Reads from Genre X” from Januarys past into one MEGA-LIST, which I’ve dutifully updated to include 2025 reads.

So MEGA that I truly don’t have a count. So MEGA I had to put a “Read More” link in it so it didn’t bog down the main page. Also so large, that I’m doing annoying things like overusing all caps and the word “mega.”

(a retread of last year’s joke, but I like it, so expect it to repeat for at least another couple of years.

It is a very strange list—authors that have no business next to each other, strange genre leaps, and a couple of books I’d largely forgotten about. Still, these are books that I’ve shouted about before and that I really want to draw your attention to—go read some of these!

This is definitely a work in progress. I’m going to continue to refine this list a bit in the future (not changing any selections—although I might add some from the year or two I didn’t post a “best of”/”favorite” list), just refining it—making it look better, polish some of the comments (I’ve done some of that this year), and that kind of thing. My goal is to have this in a format I like by the 15th Anniversary—assuming anyone’s actually still reading me then.

Amongst Our Weapons

by Ben Aaronovitch

My original post
Any installment in this series is a strong contender for a favorite of the year even before I open it, and this one is a great example of why. While telling a pretty strong story, Aaronovitch expands this world and the reader’s understanding of it, a whole new magic system, and seemingly introduces the next major story arc for the series. We get to see almost every major (and more than a few minor) characters, too. For a fan, this book was a heckuva treat.

False Value

by Ben Aaronovitch

My original post
After wrapping up the overarching plotline from books 1-7, what do you do for book 8? Something completely different. If you were to draw a Venn diagram with circles for Charles Babbage/Ada Lovelace, Artificial General Intelligence, and Wizardry—the overlap is where you’d False Value. Who wants more? The mix of contemporary cutting-edge technologies and Newtonian magic is just fantastic.

Throw in more Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy references than is healthy and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Lies Sleeping

by Ben Aaronovitch

My original post
I’ve read all the comics (at least collected in paperback), listened to all the audiobooks, read the books at least once . . . I’m a Rivers of London/Peter Grant fan. Period. Which means two things—1. I’m in the bag already for this series and 2. When I say that this is the best of the bunch, I know what I’m talking about. Aaronovitch writes fantastic Urban Fantasy and this is his best yet. The series has been building to this for a while, and I honestly don’t know what to expect next. Great fight/action scenes, some genuine laughs, some solid emotional moments . . . this has it all. Everything you’ve come to expect and more.

The Goblin Emporer

by Katherine Addison

To say I was daunted by the incredibly detailed pronunciation guide and information about names before the novel is to put it mildly, but that went away almost immediately. This is a wonderful work–such an intricate web of courtly manners and rules (written and unwritten), a murder plot, a coup or two, and some geeky engineers. Okay, that’s a bad way to try to describe this. I read this a couple of months ago, and already want to re-read it. Once I got into this novel I didn’t want to leave.

Chain-Gang All-Stars

by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

My original post
If there’s a book I’ve recommended more frequently this year, I can’t think of it. I’ve also bought more copies of it to give away than any other. At the core, this is a satire and critique of the American culture–particularly as it relates to sports, mass entertainment, and (most importantly) the carceral system. Pitting convicted felons against each other in gladiatorial fights-to-death, selling merch featuring them, turning them into Reality TV personalities between bouts…Adjei-Brenyah holds up the worst of the US to look at.

It’s a book about death—violent death at the hands of violent people who only hope to go on so they can kill again—However, in a serious way the book is really about life. It’s a celebration of life, a call to protect it, a call to see it for what it is. It’s a reminder that “where life is precious, life is precious.” It’s impossible to read this without being moved–perhaps to action. But it’s also a visceral and exciting read that can entertain you without forcing you to think deeply about what it wants you to.

Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American

by Wajahat Ali

My original post
I’m just going to remix some of what I said originally, this book was a great mix of memoir, social commentary, and satire—with a little sprinkling of a more general humor thrown in. The way he shifted between the genres was fairly seamless and quite effective—his own story (and that of his parents) were good illustrations of the societal ills he wanted to point to. Ali’s story is the kind that Americans love to tell and hear about success—even if his telling points to many of the flaws in our society. Through grit, determination, perseverance, and endurance, Ali pushes through all sorts of cultural, societal, legal, medical, and circumstantial challenges to arrive where he is. Because he believes in what we can be as a people, based on our (incredibly inconsistently applied and demonstrated) ideals and aspirations. It’s the kind of story we need to see, hear, and read more of.

Algospeak:
How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language

by Adam Aleksic

My original post
Language in general—but English particularly—is a constantly-changing thing, and these changes are happening faster and faster all the time. Algospeak is a great look at the hows and whys of a lot of the current evolutionary processes. It is about more than language—it’s also about how the Internet changes the way we think and express ourselves in general. And therefore, how society changes (which leads to Internet changes, and other circle-of-life things).

Aleksic has obvious expertise and passion for the subject (look at just one of his videos). He’s also active in these areas. It’s a great read, informative and entertaining. Hard to ask for more.

Amari and the Night Brothers

by B. B. Alston

My original post
I’m a tiny bit worried that recency bias got this one on the list. But, I’m not going to lose sleep over it.

This is a delightful story about a young girl from the “wrong” part of Atlanta being recruited by her missing/presumed dead brother into a Hogwarts/MIB mashup, overcoming odds, making friends, saving the day by doing all the sorts of things that young teen protagonists have to do (with a little support from the grown-ups who are supposed to be stopping her), but mostly through grit. The book is written with a sense of joy and hope, while never losing sight of what Amari has to overcome in terms of her own circumstances as well as the specific villainy.

Also, and I can’t stress this enough, there’s a weredragon. What more do you need?

Captivating Character of April: Baru Cormorant

On April 24, 2026

It’s the last Friday of the month, so it’s time for my Most Captivating Character of the Month post. This month, I don’t think I have any choice but to select Baru Cormorant, who is likely the most captivating character I’ve read this year. She’s the protagonist from The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, I posted about it earlier today.

Please note that I said, “captivating.” Not: heroic, likeable, sympathetic, honorable, valorous, fun, or anything else. She is those at some times, but generally, “captivating” is the appropriate word. She’s also, according to the title of the book we meet her in, a traitor. Later titles suggest that she becomes a monster, a tyrant, and something to be disclosed in the title of book four. I bet none of those take away from the captivating.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

When Baru was a child, an Empire came and took over the island she and her family lived on–and had for generations. Without a lot of fanfare or violence, the Empire established its power by bringing medicine, fiat currency, vaccines, dental care, clean water, education, and a particularly strict form of morality–and all the people of Taranoke had to do was to embrace the benefits and let their culture be methodically wiped out.

Baru is an exceptionally bright child and is enrolled at a local school–despite what that does to her family–and through that education, she understands what’s happening. She decides to destroy the Empire, who “could not be stopped by spear or treaty, she would change it from within.” She’s bright and she also has a pretty good ego. And a vengeful streak wider than her body.

I’m not going to walk you through what happens after school in detail–she’s sent to another conquered land to act as the Imperial Accountant. And she does a great job of manipulating the economy to the benefit of the Empire, and does many, many other things to prove that she deserves to get close enough to the center of Imperial power that she can change it from within. She cuts herself off (almost as much as she thinks she does) from emotions, concern for others, and basic decency to accomplish her goals.

But Baru doesn’t do this through the traditional means of a Fantasy novel–she takes a quiet (at least for her), cerebral approach. The book is full of places where she’s quietly thinking by herself. The reader gets to know some of her thoughts and feelings–but not all of them (especially her thoughts). She seems always to be a few steps–if not miles ahead–of her opponents. She has the driven focus of Darrow of Lycos and the cunning of Darrow of Lykos, Sand dan Glokta, Zhu Chongba, and Baldrick combined. That’s probably underselling it–but it’s the best I can come up with. Basically, do not cross her. Your doom won’t come from her hand–but she’ll be behind it, I can promise you.

She’s not perfect. Baru frequently stumbles–part of that is due to her (young) age and lack of experience, part of that is due to her ego, and part of it is that she frequently forgets that other people will not necessarily act the way she thinks they will or that she wants–more than once, she forgets to account for the agency of others. Watching her recover (mostly) from those moments and pivot to a new plan is really quite something.

One quick quotation from one of her biggest times of self-doubt shines a lot of light on her as a character:

The terror that took Baru came from the deepest part of her soul. It was a terror particular to her, a fundamental concern—the apocalyptic possibility that the world simply did not permit plans, that it worked in chaotic and unmasterable ways, that one single stroke of fortune, one well-aimed bowshot by a man she had never met, could bring total disaster. The fear that the basic logic she used to negotiate the world was a lie.

Or, worse, that she herself could not plan: that she was as blind as a child, too limited and self-deceptive to integrate the necessary information, and that when the reckoning between her model and the pure asymbolic fact of the world came, the world would devour her like a cuttlefish snapping up bait.

(a few pages later, and you’ll have trouble believing she ever thought this)

Now, I’ve only read one book of the three published (with at least one to come) about Baru–so I don’t know where all she’s going. But the deepness, the richness, the unique way she’s depicted all makes her my captivating character of the month.

What character would you name for last month?

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Captivating Character of March: Ruslav

On March 27, 2026

It’s the last Friday of the month, so it’s time for my Most Captivating Character of the Month post. This month, I’ve decided to go with Ruslav, a thug from Adrian Tchaikovsky’s City of Last Chances.

When we meet Ruslav, he’s a despicable person. Truly. And by the close of the novel… he’s still a despicable person, but we’ve discovered a vein of decency in him, and he’s prevented from acting on most of his despicability.

Ruslav makes his money by beating people up for a pair of crime lords–well, doing more than beating people up, but let’s just leave it at that. It’s not just his profession–it’s his passion; he really enjoys inflicting pain. Off the clock, Ruslav falls for women–hard. Once he “has his way with them” (a phrase that makes my skin crawl, but it’s the best I’ve got), he falls out of love with them and really doesn’t give them another thought. He doesn’t love and leave them, because leaving seems to indicate a lot more active distancing from the women than I think he’s capable of.

This is spoilery, so feel free to skip down to the final paragraph, but I don’t think it’s that bad. In the pursuit of his latest “true love,” Ruslav goes to an art show put on by some college students. One painting there catches his eye–he buys it, and is later seen in his quarters staring at it. I don’t think we’re supposed to get the idea that this is great art–maybe not even good art. But it speaks to Ruslav in a way that I don’t think he knew art could. It doesn’t change him–but it reminds him of a younger version of himself and what motivated him then.

What does change him–at least his actions, but not his core–is a deal he unwittingly entered into with a deity. I won’t get into the details, but he literally has to change careers permanently. There’s no change of heart, no road to Damascus moment, nothing like that at all–he just has to stop hurting people if he wants to live.

While remaining a vile person, there’s a moment when he has a heart-to-heart conversation with the man who made that painting. Ruslav opens up to him in a way I doubt he has to anyone in years–if ever. He’s able to talk to the artist about what that painting meant to him and to remind the painter what of him was represented there. It’s probably the best version of himself that Ruslav has been in years, if ever.

And it’s all possible because of the way a piece of art–likely a kitschy painting–struck him in just the right way. In a way that nothing else could. A way that reminded him of something more than being a brute. I find that captivating.

What character would you name for last month?

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Reading “Firsts” for 2026 Book Tag

On March 20, 2026

Reading “Firsts” for 2026
I had fun with this back in ’23, but keep forgetting to do it since then. Thanks to Witty and Sarcastic Book Club for reminding me to tackle it.

First Book Read in 2026

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Till We Have Faces
by C.S. Lewis

I started this year by wrapping up my 2025 project of reading Lewis works with his final novel.

First Review of 2026

I really don’t like calling my posts reviews, but for the sake of this tag, I’ll swallow that. I’m a little fuzzy about what they’re asking for, was that the first review of the year? Or was it the first book from this year that I reviewed? Eh…I’ll do both, just because.

Mississippi Blue 42
by Eli Cranor

Cranor’s series premier about a rookie FBI agent was plenty of fun and the first book I posted about this year.(my original post about the book)

Everybody Wants to Rule the World
by Ace Atkins

It took me a few weeks longer than it should’ve to read it, but Atkins’ 80s set spy thriller with a sense of humor was the first book I read and posted about this year.(my original post about the book)

First Debut Read in 2026

She Who Became the Sun
by Shelley Parker-Chan

This did not read like a debut novel–but according to the Internet (the repository of only truth), it was. (my original post about the book)

First “New to Me” Author of 2026

All the Best Dogs
by Emily Jenkins

This charming MG novel about the best dogs was my introduction to Emily Jenkins.(my original post about the book)

First Book of 2026 that Slayed Me

Twelve Months
by Jim Butcher

Twelve Months
I’m still recoving from reading this book back in January.(my original post about the book)

First Book of 2026 that I Wish I Could Get Back the Time I Spent Reading It

A Particularly Nasty Case
by Adam Kay

This was just…pointless, generally unpleasant (and not just because of a unsavory protagonist), and a mess. It erased a lot of the respect I had for the author after his memoir.

First 5 Star Book of 2026

Everybody Wants to Rule the World
by Ace Atkins

I’m known for enjoying Atkins’ books, but this is probably the most fun I had with one of his books. Fast, clever, and funny. (my original post about the book)

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

Captivating Character of February: DS George Cross

On February 27, 2026