Tag: Saturday Miscellany Page 2 of 54

On Tuesday, i say to myself, “No need to jot down a note about the release of my buddy Joe’s new book, I’ll remember that on Saturday.”

Saturday, almost 4 hours after posting my Saturday Miscellany, a friend (after pointing out an embarrassing typo, sadly not both of them), says: “What? No mention of Eyes of Empire being released? (which is even more mortifying). Sorry, JCM!!

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:
Can fairytales and fantasy compete with Fortnite? How to get kids reading at any age—Spoiler: Yes.
Can a Book Save Your Life?: The mega-bestselling author Matt Haig and the limits of the therapy novel.
NaNoWriMo gets AI sponsor, says not writing your novel with AI is ‘classist and ableist’—there just aren’t enough SMH emojis, Picard holding his head in his hands/Fillion grasping for words gifs in the world…
The seven kinds of friendships you find in literature: a taxonomy.
In Praise of Reference Books: Reference volumes should be valued as least as much as fiction and other nonfiction books—Yes!
Why Thrillers Matter
Three Helpful SF-Related Rules of Thumb, According to Me
Quiz: Can You Identify These Crime Novels From Their Library of Congress Subject Categories?—I could’ve done better
Top Ten Tuesday: serve and enjoy—I rather enjoyed this TTT
Fantasy and Feminism #1: Elden Ring—Before We Go Blog brings the first in a series “that provides analysis of strong female characters and their role in stories that tend toward the grim as well as dark.”
Blind Listening: When Aphantasia Meets Audiobooks—I was sure I shared this before…oops. Thanks for the reminder, Celeste!
Tough Questions with Marie Sinadjan—how does our favorite UK-Based Filipino speculative fiction author and book reviewer handle Witty & Sarcastic’s gauntlet?

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman
Bad Little Girls Die Horrible Deaths by Harry Connolly—I should revisit this collection sometime
Free Fall by Robert Crais
And my TBR was overburdened by the releases of: Hidden by Benedict Jacka; The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire; Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs; Maplecroft by Cherie Priest; Personal by Lee Child; The Drop by Dennis Lehane; and What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Eyes of Empire by JCM Berne—Rohan has his hands more than full it seems in the Fifth Turn in the Hybrid Helix. Going to be fun watching him try to deal with it all.m
Safe Enough and Other Stories by Lee Child—non-Reacher short fiction. Color me curious.
Roverpowered by Drew Hayes—a new wizard and her familiar launch a new series.
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness—I’ve read one fantastic and one pretty good book by Ness, this MG read looks fun enough to try.

Credit @thejenkinscomic (Hat Tip: @Cool_Comic)

While prepping this post, I took a glance at what books are coming out next month, so I can get on library waitlists and whatnot. Reader, I tell ya, my brain is melting. Tiffany McDaniel (one of my absolute favorite authors) is releasing a middle grade series. That’s strange enough, but the first book is described as, “a light-hearted and whimsical middle grade fantasy about a young girl who must save her witch aunt from an uncommonly voracious hat.” if you’ve read just one book by her, you’ll get what I’m saying.

Anyhow, we’ll save more thoughts about that until later next month. In the meantime:

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:
Suspected burglar caught after sitting down with book—I’d pick up a copy of the clearly engrossing book if it was available in English (or if I read Italian), this is such a great advertisement for it. (the headline is good enough, but it’s worth reading the rest of the story)
The New Trend In Book Covers Is Old-Timey Animals—good-bye to the era of color blobs
Labors of Love: Eli Cranor on Education, Empathy and Experience —Great interview with Cranor (practically a tautology, I know), about one of those “why haven’t I read this book yet?” novels
What Lasts and (Mostly) Doesn’t Last: On the books that are remembered, rejected, repudiated, and rediscovered
20 Old Words for Ignorant People: From ‘wantwit’ to ‘dorkmunder’ to ‘ninnyhammer.’—I’m such a sucker for lists like this. I’m going to work on getting #17 into my working vocabulary first (probably directed toward my dogs), but the rest sound almost as good.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Hounded by David Rosenfelt
Robert B. Parker’s Blind Spot by Reed Farrel Coleman—Coleman’s start to my favorite run on the series (yes, that includes the original).
Lullaby Town by Robert Crais
I noted the release of: Lock In by John Scalzi, The Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter: The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire, Book 1 by Rod Duncan, and Once Upon a Rhyme: Volume I of the Charming Tales by Jack Heckel (I only got around to half of these, probably the right half for me)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
An Honorable Assassin by Steve Hamilton—I was truly worried that we’d seen the last of Nick Mason. Phew.
Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B. B. Alston—Amari’s third book promises to be action-packed. It wouldn’t suprise me if Alston get at least one of Amari’s opponents to see the light and abandon the path they’re walking. But I hope they get smacked around a little first (I’m not proud of that). Still, I’m looking forward to seeing Amari and her friends step up here.
Marvel: What If . . . Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? by Seanan McGuire—I’m not What If . . .‘s biggest fan, but “Peter Parker” and “Seanan McGuire” together override any disinclination I have.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman—this looks like a ridiculous amount of fun that I probably should’ve read before now
Kayfabe by Chris Koslowski—a humorous novel of about a brother and sister in professional wrestling.
The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard—great premise. Probably too feline-y for me, but I might get to it

There’s a good reason this is up late today*, my daughter and I started the day at The Boise Comic Arts Festival, where we met/renewed acquaintances with some local artists and writers (including, but not limited to, Jeremy Billups, Elliott P. Linker and Mrs. Courtney Linker, Gabriela Briceno, Sarah from Oroboro Lit Journal/Death Rattle, and J.C. Jackson), and spent less money than usual (yay, restraint!). We got to sit in on a fun panel about the The History of Comics in Idaho. The most important thing we learned was there that there is a history.

Anyway, if you’re a local—stop by today/tomorrow.

* Usually it’s because I can’t get out of bed at a decent time on Saturday.
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:
Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest —In case you don’t know the BLFC “challenges entrants to compose opening sentences to the worst of all possible novels.” Boy howdy, they got some doozies this year. Make the time to read down to the bottom.
Steve Hamilton gets back to his ‘old stuff,’ starting with Nick Mason—Color me happy.
Popular romance novels voted most distracting audiobooks in nation, could cause distracted driving—I’d never thought of rating a book in this way (or comparing genres by words per minute)
RinthCon, the all-online con set in 2324 filled with fictional characters from today, is going on this weekend—and is just as strange (and fun) as the premise is

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans Episode 153: Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais
And I mentioned the release of One Kick by Chelsea Cain, Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan, What Might Have Been by Matt Dunn (2 of those I actually got around to reading and enjoying)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows—this trio is back with a funky mashup of Mary Read and the Little Mermaid. Because, why not?
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto—Part of me isn’t sure that I want to read Sutanto when she isn’t being fun and cozy. But most of me figures she can do black comedy really well, too, and this just looks good.
City of Secrets by P. J. Tracy—this looks like a series I could sink my teeth into (oh, good, I need another of those)

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:
We’re Doing ‘Men Don’t Read Books’ Discourse Again. Here’s What We’re Missing—if the subtitle “The self-improvement-obsessed grindset bros who can’t spare the bandwidth to pick up a novel are the people who need literature the most.” doesn’t sell you on this piece, Jason Diamond’s first paragraph will.
PRH Pairs with Ford to Publish Brand’s First Children’s Books —uhhhhhhhh. Okay?
How Sharing Recipes Brings Fans Together: Making fictional food can be both a creative and communal activity.
The Governess, in Her Own Written Words—An interesting piece on the impace of Governesses on Victorian lit. The first sentence rocked me, “In the early Victorian era, few families in Britain hired governesses to care for their children, and few young women were employed in that job.” Few? Few?? I feel lied to.
The Tiffany Problem—I keep coming across references to this idea this week, and figured I’d share one of the pieces I read about it. Incidentally, this thankfully has nothing to do with the 80s crimson-haired singer. I don’t know if I could’ve taken it if it were.
Thirst Traps: The Return of Vampire Novel—Return? They went away??
The Road Goes Ever On: When Fantasy Sends You on Your Own Journeys
Little Free Library—Kriti K from Armed with a Book talks about starting her own.
5 Unputdownable Scottish Thrillers—if you haven’t experienced the particular vibe of a Scottish thriller, here are 5 promising ways to start
How to Overcome Reading Slump—Another good piece on this evergreen topic
TCL’s #RandomBookishThoughts #2 – Author Pairings!—I don’t know if I’ve ever thought in this category before, but now I kind of have to.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth by John Moe
Treasure Coast by Tom Kakonis
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
Black Arts by Faith Hunter
The Player by Brad Parks
Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley
The Monkey’s Raincoat by Robert Crais

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston—the Action-Adventure Fantasy you need this summer. I gushed about it recently (and could easily do so again)
The White Door by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—One of my favorite non-fiction authors launched his first novel this week. I had so much to say about it that it took me two posts—my initial take and a follow-up (and I could still do a couple more)
What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to the West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack—some behind-the-scenes stories, some comments on the series it self, and discussion of some of the ways the show has inspired the stars into service beyond acting.

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:
In praise of weird fiction, horror tales and stories that unsettle us—As a whole, this stuff does almost nothing for me—but too many of my friends love this stuff for me to dismiss it. And hey, anyone praising literature deserves a read, right?
Disability Representation in Books—This passed my notice last month. Glad I fixed that. (thanks, The Write Reads!
Favorite Book in a Favorite Series—Decision paralysis prevented me from posting a list for this Top 10 Tuesday, I was glad to see that Carol was able to make the tough choices
8 Reasons Why Books Are Important —Jo Linsdell’s Book Lover’s Day post
Bookish Trends I’ve Lived Through As a Blogger—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
Reading Delicacies blog has recently started posting Sunday Linkies, inspired by this weekly post. 1. I’m flattered. 2. I really appreciate the links back to my posts, and 3. since Laure is self-consciously not borrowing links from me, I will return the favor. So, go check out the Linkies for more good reads.
Solstitia Issue 1—I somehow didn’t notice that this came out in June (and feel really bad about not buying it yet or spreading the word), but the inaugural issue of this biannual zine is out, and you should get your hands on it. A quick glance at the Contents will almost certainly make you agree.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
FaceOff by David Baldacci, ed.—a collection that has led me to many other reads (and had some strong entries without that)
He Drank, and Saw the Spider by Alex Bledsoe—best of a beloved series
Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire—where we started to see that this series wasn’t just the Verity Price Show
And I noted the releases of :The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman; Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn; Revenant by Kat Richardson; and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by David Shafer

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
A Farewell to Arfs by Spencer Quinn—Bernie helps his elderly neighbors after they fall for a phone scam. I had some good things to say about it.
The Kill List by Nadine Matheson—DI Henley has to re-investigate a decades old serial killer case when killer starts again.
Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past by Tore C. Olsson—A look at the history depicted in the video game, as I recently wrote, it’s a compelling read for even those who haven’t played the game (or have no interest in)

Wow, I’m running behind today.
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:
Why you should buy physical copies of your favorite books—Odd territory (if you ask me) for Popular Science, but hey…
Florida’s Commissioner of Education thinks Jane Austen was an American.—one of those stories that short circuits the brain as you read it. To be fair, we all make mistakes like this from time to time, and it feels mean to draw attention to it. But when I do something like this, I don’t have a staff checking over my material or posting it. Surely, someone could’ve caught this.
At My High School, the Library Is for Everything but Books: The administration has rebranded our library as a communal space for doing almost everything except reading.
Why don’t straight men read novels?—beyond the headline which threatened to tell me things about myself that were news to me, there’s some good stuff in this piece.
Defining Grimdark Fantasy and SF: Moving to an Inclusive Future
Free George R. R. Martin from The Winds of Winter—there’s something to this, a lot to it, really.
Maximize Your Reading Budget: 5 Tips for Free Reading—none of these include piracy, which is nice
Speak your damn mind – or why you should write opinionated book reviews
Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week 2024 wraps up today (frequent visitors to this site may not have realized it was going on this week, oops). If you, like me, are really behind on the posts—what better time to catch up?
“Toss a Coin To Your Bard” by Bjørn Larssen—One of my favorite pieces from the week was this guest post on Sue’s Musings.
Tough Questions Featuring Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann—Joel C. Flanagan-Grannemann felt the pressure in the latest of Witty & Sarcastic Book Clubs’ series
After Narnia: Books That Will Remind You of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles (your results may vary)
Blogiversary #7—Reading Ladies Book Club turned the big 0-7 yesterday!
The Problem of the Unpunished Protagonist—as you read this post, you’re going to start compling your own list of this type of protagonist

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta—a fantastic stand-alone thriller by Koryta
The Rise & Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman—”a lovely little book I can’t really talk about without over explaining”
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith—Cormoron Strike’s second outing
And I mentioned the release of two installments in favorite series: Hounded by David Rosenfeldt and The Forsaken by Ace Atkins

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham—Detective Miller is back, and might have just been given the leverage he needs over his wife’s suspected killer. But of course, it’s not that easy, especially once you “Sprinkle in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder, and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg.”
Domestication by Shannon Knight—anything I say about this book without reading it will be wrong. But for a creepy-looking time, this will fit the bill.
The Recruiter by Gregg Podolski—”When bad guys need good help, they call Rick Carter.” After spending a decade helping Europe’s worst criminals get things done, Carter has to play the hero to save his family.
The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu—The author of Moxie makes her adult fiction debut with a look behind the scenes at a Texas High School.

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:
How Much Time Do Americans Spend Reading Per Day?—Let’s start on a depressing note, shall we?
“This Generation’s Homer”: How Penguin Has Changed Marvel Comics
I couldn’t put a boring book down. Now I take pleasure in saying enough is enough—an argument for DNFing
100 of the Greatest Posters of Celebrities Urging You to Read—Is some of the snark too heavy (and forced)? Yes. Otherwise this is fun to read. Even better, just look at the posters and enjoy the nostalgia.
What Happens After the World Gets Saved?—yes, it’d be good to have more books like this (and Templeton gives some good books to start with if you want to read this type)
How NOT to market your self published book… from a book reviewer.—yes
How Did You Get Into Reading?—who doesn’t like a good reader origin story?
Let’s Talk About Book Genres | Are There 5 or 5,000 Different Genres?
FBC’s Critically Underrated Reads—Fantasy Book Critic created a new section on their site “for standalone titles & series. We love these books & believe that they don’t get the exposure & fanfare they should.” So many good looking things here. Some of which I’ve read (and am glad to see here), some I’ve meant to (and appreciate the reminder), and some new temptations…
7 Unconventional Magic Systems—I have nothing but love for the conventional systems, but stepping outside the norm is fodder for fun, too.
On Fantasy, Its Racist Roots, and Transformation
Amazon Prime Day Has Become Too Commercialized by Maggie Phenicie—it’s a little late, but too good to pass up. “When I think about Amazon Prime Day, it saddens me to see how the holiday has become so cheapened. It’s all about getting the best deals, and no one stops to think about the true reason for the season: absolutely destroying independent bookstores.”

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner—a novel that also fell down
Shield and Crocus by Michael R. Underwood—need more fantasy like this in my life
Shattered by Kevin Hearne—the seventh in the Iron Druid Chronicles wasn’t my favorite, but it had some great moments
I noted the publication of Half a King by Joe Abercrombie, Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell, MindWar by Andrew Klavan, and The Outsorcerer’s Apprentice (and haven’t read any of these somehow)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos—more excitement in the Nevada high desert with Porter Beck. I talked about it recently, and am getting impatient for the third book (to be released next year, so I’m trying to fix that)
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman—trying to recapture the magic of Camelot after Arthur’s death. I really, really wish I’d planned my summer reading better so I could dive in now.
The Bang-Bang Sisters by Rio Youers—a pulpy thriller about a touring rock band who happen to be vigilantes when they’re not on-stage. Right there, that’s enough to get me to read. But throw in a vengeful mobster pitting them against each other, and you’ve added an extra layer of fun.
Bottled Secrets of Rosewood by Mary Kendall—contemporary Southern Gothis Thriller, what there doesn’t entice?

I don’t know everything that’s going on during Self-Published Author Appreciation Week (July 21st-27th), but from what I’ve seen/heard from Witty & Sarcastic Book Club and Sue Bavey–and what I’ve got in store–you’re going to want to make some room on your TBRs, folks. Mine has already grown just in preparation.

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:
Where Is All the Sad Boy Literature?—”‘Sad girl lit’ is everywhere, but young men are glaringly absent from the contemporary canon of popular authors writing about sex and intimacy. Could that be about to change?”
How to pick the perfect book to read on a plane—There’s some really solid advice here (I hate flying enough that I only focus on the first one, but well-adjusted readers might appreciate the rest)
The Second Coming of the Sports Novel—never been a sportsball kind of guy, but a good sports novel has always clicked with me.
History’s Footnotes—in case you were interested in the practice…(really a lot more interesting than you’d think at first blush)
The Rise of Cozy Fantasy
Die Laughing: Humor in Serial Killer Novels
IF JACK REACHER COULD SING trailer—a trailer for the upcoming documentary for the Jack Reacher-inspired album from a couple of years ago. Really looking forward to this.
American dream turns to nightmare in new, Springdale-set crime thrillertitle—a quick interview with Eli Cranor about his new book.
Open Book: Justin Taylor—I don’t think I’d heard of Justin Taylor or his latest book before, but after stumbling across this interview, I’m anticipating getting to know the both of them
Lev Grossman Takes His Time—I’d been eager to get my hands on Grossman’s take on Arthur already, but this profile has amped that eagerness up.
M.W. Craven gives a brief account of his recent brush with AI-generated fiction
If you haven’t seen it this week, there’s some new (renewed) discourse on indie publishing numbers. Some people—like Michael Roberti, Krystle Matar and C.M. Caplan—have been sharing their numbers to show. Check— out the replies and others doing that, too. Some fascinating reading.
One more dip back into the morass of Twitter where, Marie Sinadjan kicked off a thread of books with original songs/soundtracks
Are you reading right?
Summer’s One Must Read Book 2024—Carol, from Reading Ladies, has come up with a great list of Summer Reading recommendations from 20 bloggers (19 of them are worth listening to, and the other accidentally had a good recommendation)
Guest Book Review from a Teen Reader: Hamlet—I always enjoy reading this particular Teen Reader’s take on his reading. This time, he’s got a great post on a play you just might have heard of.
Bookshop.org’s Social Media poster (who is the best (only?) reason to check Threads) had a great Movie Pitch for a You’ve Got Mail remake. I’d chip for the Kickstarter…

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross
Skin Game by Jim Butcher—the opening paragraph contains the phrase, “You’ve got about a year ’til Peace Talks comes out.” Excuse me while I go laugh myself into unconsciousness for a minute…
The Martian by Andy Weir—talking about The Martian and Skin Game in the same week? I was having fun…
I also mentioned the releases of Tail of Vengeance by Spencer Quinn, The Competition by Marcia Clark, and Landline by Rainbow Rowell

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Itching Against Ignorance by E.N. Crane—Cyn and Winnie are back for more madcap mystery fun in their 8th novel. (I’m only 6 behind!)
All This and More by Peng Shepherd—there’s sort of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure vibe to this novel about a Reality Show Contestant who gets to use Quantum Technology to rewrite her life’s mistakes. This is going to be a good one

As is typical of a holiday week, this is a short post. Less to distract you from your Saturday reading, right?

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:
This is Why Book Marketing Doesn’t Work
‘Really I just want to stay home and make art about my dog’: An interview with Sara Varon—I’m pretty sure I’ve never run across Varon before, but this interview makes me interested in checking out her stuff.
7 Thrillers With Shocking Twists
10 Must-Read Authors for Fans of First-Person Adult Urban Fantasy—This is a very narrow category…but can’t argue with most of this picks.
Tough Questions with Left on the Shelf—the latest in the Tough Questions series

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week? (not much, really)
Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto by Matt Kibbe
I noted the release of Premonitions by Jamie Schultz and Artful by Peter David

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Broiler by Eli Cranor—I dunno…it’s by Cranor, isn’t that enough? It’s about revenge, power, economic disparity in the most American of places—a chicken processing plant.
Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt—Marcus asks Andy for a favor and gets him to represent a suspected mass-shooter. I really enjoyed this one, as I said recently.
Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel by Lisa Jewell—Jessica Jones travels to England to investigate some teens who are too-perfect. It’s hard to explain in a phrase or two…but these are creepy kids and something has to be making them that way.
Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski—the new edition of this explosive thriller
The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song—a new retelling of the story of Mulan.
Junkyard Roadhouse by Faith Hunter—Shining Smith is neck-deep in trouble—that’s nothing new, sure, but it’s a different kind of trouble.

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:
Kinky Friedman, Alt-Country Musician and Celebrated Humorist, Dies at 79—from his mysteries to his music and beyond, Friedman was a unique voice (that should’ve been heard by more)
How the ‘Owner’s Guide’ Became a Rare Book
How to Tell a Great Campfire Story
The Literary Power of Hobbits: How JRR Tolkien Shaped Modern Fantasy
Rob Hart on ‘Assassins Anonymous’ and the Dark Appeal of the Assassin Genre—Nick Kolakowski chats with Hart about his latest book, the genre, and the sequel (squee!!!!)
The Joy of Reading Books You Don’t Entirely Understand: It really should be acceptable and normal to say “I don’t entirely understand what I just read, but I loved it.”—There’s a few books I’ve read in the last few years that fall under this category. Glad to see I’m not alone (and I know that I really should read more things like this, but do enjoy the comfort of understanding things)
Traditional publishing vs. Self-publishing: Should There Be A Conflict?—I haven’t finished this yet, but there’s some good stuff to chew on in this conversation
2000th Post and 6 Years Blogiversary Q&A—Sifa Elizabeth Reads celebrates two landmarks with a Q&A (and some decent advice)
Bookmark Chat: Organization
Idle Thoughts on Fantasy Stereotypes: The Big Man—a good follow up to the Idle Thoughts on The Mentor

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Little Tiny Teeth by Aaron Elkins—Gideon Oliver and John Lau enjoy an Amazon River cruise (until the obligatory dead body shows up)
The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy—the second in this very fun MG Fantasy series
Dead Connection by Alafair Burke—I remember really liking this first Ellie Hatcher book (and, sadly, almost nothing else about it).
I also noted the release of The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Don’t Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins—”A Memphis woman hires a PI to find her missing husband, only to discover that he is involved in a dangerous web of international intrigue–and she and her children are now at risk.” I think the promo line, “S.A. Cosby meets Don Winslow,” is a bit odd (kinda seems like using too many words to say “Ace Atkins”), but eh…it is catchy.
The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman—Galva’s backstory in “set during the war-torn, goblin-infested years just before The Blacktongue Thief.” The prequel nature of this really doesn’t intereste me. But I do like the concept, I really enjoyed my first exposure to Buehlman early this year, and that podcast I featured last week did pique my curiouslty. Which is me using too many words to explain why I’ll be listening to this soon (probably explaining to myself more than anyone…)
Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell—”An aimless young woman starts writing to an accused serial killer while he awaits trial and then, once he’s acquitted, decides to move in with him and take the investigation into her own hands.” If this wasn’t described as a black comedy, I’d stay far away from it (while understanding why others race to it). But I gotta admit, I’m intrigued…