Tag: Saturday Miscellany Page 3 of 62

The sheer number of basic html errors this week that I’ve made (and thankfully caught) is enough to make my head spin. Including in this largely copy-and-paste post. I figured by this point, I’d have come up with a punch-line or something to follow up that opening observation, but inspiration seems to be striking someone else. So, I’ll just leave this here as another sign that the ol’ gray matter isn’t quite 100% this week. Thankfully, here are a handful of examples of people that should be publicly posting:
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:
“Reading is a subversive act”: Shenandoah interviews Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor–Elect Ghazala Hashmi—Shared for the ideas nothing else. Politics aside (I know nothing about hers), this is what I want in an office holder. As Sam Seaborn says, “I look for anything. I look for a mind at work.”
Reintroduction of Federal Right to Read Act Aims to Bolster Literacy, School Libraries
The New York Public Library’s Most Checked Out Books in 2025
Why stay so narrowly focused, though? LibraryThing (and others) have a cool graphic showing The Most Popular Books in US Public Libraries for 2025.
How Translation Works, Book Title Edition
The Art of Buying Books for Other People
Ways You Can Help Your Fellow Book Bloggers This Holiday Season—it would be classless of me to suggest that you can take care of #4 on Jo’s list by using the Bookshop.org button to the right. So I won’t.
Where Do You Promote Your Book Blog in 2026?—This is something I’ve never worked that hard on (and it shows). Some of the comments to the post have inspired a thought or two. Will I take advantage of that? Who knows…but I should. (or, better, I should hire one of my underemployed kids to do it for me)
Curating a Library for a Young One—good stuff here.
Books that made a bigger impression over time—oooh, I like this idea. And a couple of these books have been on my “eh, maybe” list for a bit. Given their impact, I’m a little more inclined to get them.
It’s time for a few more Best Of ’25 lists, so hold on to your wallets.
CrimeReads gave us: The Best Books of 2025: Traditional Mysteries and The Best Books of 2025: Noir Fiction
Public Books’ Public Picks 2025
Tom Bookbeard’s Top Reads of 2025
Favorite Books Read in 2025—from Pages Unbound’s Krysta
C. J. Daley’s Top Reads of 2025
746 Books has three lists (it’s not just me that has to break them down!) My Favourite Books of the Year: Part One – The 746!. Part Two – The Irish!, and Part Three – New!
and this only sorta fits here, like last week, The Hard Word’s Top Twenty-Five for First Twenty-Five Years (20-16)
And then we have people looking ahead to 2026 (good grief, I’m barely planning the next 11 days! (yes, I’m jealous of their level of organization))
Wolfmantula’s The Unofficial 2026 TBR—the amount of effort behind this post’s graphics alone…
A Jam’s list to 2026 releases – Part 1
Get Ready! Readers’ Most Anticipated Books of 2026—

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Book Berne-ing #22 Breaking Into Booktube!

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
An Unwelcome Quest by Scott Meyer
Indexing: Reflections, Episode Ten: Untold Truths by Seanan McGuire
Santa 365 by Spencer Quinn
Winter and Night by S. J. Rozan
And I mentioned the release of Bryant & May and the Burning Man by Christopher Fowler

This Week’s New Release that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Dogged by Michael R. Fletcher—”In the final days of the Demon Empire a lone wardog goes in search of the answer to the only question she cares about: Who murdered her mate? Utterly unqualified to solve a mystery, Dogged Determination has but one advantage: She never, ever gives up.” The cover alone grabs my attention (it’s almost like that’s the point), the premise sounds cool, and the hype from early reviews around this is palpable. It’s the next novel I’m tackling.

Yeah, this is late. Was busy grandparenting, so I don’t feel too bad. Priorities for the day: Grandcritter #1. Several steps down: You, dear reader. One step lower: Reading something. (well…maybe a half-step, maybe a quarter-step…possibly the same step…somewhere in the general vicinity anyway). A few steps lower: everything else (Hi, wife and kids!)

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:
Sophie Kinsella, ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ Author, Dies at 55
PW’s 2025 Person of the Year: Nihar Malaviya—for his efforts countering book-banning, censorship, etc., PW named Penguin Random House CEO, Nihar Malaviya, their Person of the Year.
New Kindle Feature Uses AI to Answer Questions About Books—And Authors Can’t Opt Out—this is ridiculous (and more than a little maddening)
The Empty Lab, in Science and in Fiction
To New Beginnings: Growing Past Percy Jackson: On aging past our childhood heroes, and leaving room for the next generation of fans—(this can apply to other fandoms, too, not just Percy)
FFA’s Most Anticipated Titles of 2026 (so far)—oh, 2026 is going to be a busy year for my TBR.
746 Books is 12 today!—heckuva landmark.
Over on Bluesky, Adam Holcombe posted his 2025 Wrapped: Author Edition—a fun way to look at his year. By the way, if you haven’t checked out his Bounty, Inc., you really should.
And now, it’s time for some more Best Of ’25s:
The Best Debut Crime Novels of 2025—according to Crime Reads
Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2025—Reactor’s Reviewers have a veritable cornucopia of books to tempt you with
20 Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Authors Pick Their Favorite Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books of 2025—io9 got a bunch of authors to do the same
The Hard Word is going for something a bit more ambitious, but I’ll lump them in with this anyway: Top Twenty-Five Crime Novels of the Last Twenty-Five Years (20-25)
A.J.’s Completely Random Book Awards: 2025—I love these categories (and agree with several of the choices)
Book’d Out brings us Five Books Best Nonfiction Books of 2025
Best Books of 2025 TFF To-Read Festivus Guide—from The Forgotten Fiction
Jo Linsdell compiled Book Bloggers’ Picks: One Must-Read Book We Loved This Year
And with a few shopping days left before Giftmas/Santaween/whatever you call December 25th (or your gift-giving holiday of your choice), here’s a couple of more gift guides
The 2025 CrimeReads Holiday Gift Guide
Gifts for Readers: 50+ Ideas Book Lovers Actually Want —another great compilation from Jo Linsdell

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
The Four Beardsmen’s Big Fat Bookish Quiz of the year!—this looks like a blast.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Dry Bones by Craig Johnson
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall—I’m kicking myself for not continuing with this series (didn’t realize it’d been this long since I’d dabbled)
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes—another series that I should’ve stuck with…
Stepdog by Nicole Galland
And I mentioned the release of The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon (and one from last week that I forgot about):
Lit by Tim Sandlin—a twisted-looking cozy mystery
The Wizard’s Cat by Nathan Lowell—I had a lot of fun with the first in the series, looking forward to dive in.

I’ve once again been taught the lesson that I’m not in my early 20s anymore (you’d think the two grandchildren and that all of my children have reached 21 would teach men that…). I went to the theater last night for a 4 hour and 40 minute movie and thought I could accomplish things when I got home.

So anyway…this is running late 🙂

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:
South Korea’s Experiment in AI Textbooks Ends in Disaster—I’m shocked–shocked!–I tell you.
Autism is not a genre—this is good enough as it is–but you can fill many, many things in that title for “Autism,” and make it so much better.
What Keeps You Reading?—Molly Templeton talks about the difference becoming a reader and staying a reader.
3 things readers need to STOP doing—some good thoughts, fun video–but don’t expect me to follow in lockstep.
How to Get the Most out of Your Time on BookSky—I need to work on this if I’m ever going to break away from that one site like I want to.
The Indie Author Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror New Release List: December 2025—I keep intending on sharing AJ’s monthly posts, and think I succeed 1-2 times a year. Shame on me.
Another Batch of the Best of 2025
The 10 Best Books of 2025: According to Slate’s book critic.—I’ve heard of few of these. Slate and I do not share algorithms.
Crimereads: The Best Books of 2025: Crime Fiction, Mysteries, and Thrillers—on the other hand, I’ve heard about most of these, read a couple (and have got some new TBR entries)
Scientific American’s Best Nonfiction of 2025—their first such list, and it looks great!
AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2025
Find out the New York Time’s Best Books of 2025!—Books of Brilliance was nice enough to provide the list without having to get through a paywall.
Best of 2025 reads—from reader@work
It’s also the time of year for Gift Guides, like these:
The 2025 Whatever Holiday Gift Guide, Day Two: Non-Traditional Books—The rest of Scalzi’s Holiday Gift Guides are worth your time, but this is my favorite
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas: The 2025 Adult Books Edition—from our pal, Jodie at Witty & Sarcastic Book Club
Books as Gifts 2025—from another pal, Carol, at Reading Ladies Book Club
More Bookish Gift Ideas… What to Get Your Favourite Bookworm—The Organgutan Librarian has some good ideas, too.
Feeling less-than-good about how much you’ve read this year? This video should help

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
SFF Addicts Ep. 183: Our Favorite Reads of 2025 LIVE (with Talking Story & OWWR Pod)—I enjoyed this, but my TBR is upset with me

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker
Indexing: Reflections, Episode Nine: Feline Cobbling by Seanan McGuire
Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke
Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
Unseemly Science by Rod Duncan
I talked about the release of the updated version of The Revolution was Televised by Alan Sepinwall (one of the best books on TV you’ll ever read)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Ace Atkins—You’ve gotta read the whole blurb at the link there, but let this whet your appetite: “Elmore Leonard meets Robert Ludlum in a rollicking comedic thriller set in 1985 from acclaimed author Ace Atkins, in which a suburban teen suspects his mom’s new boyfriend is the ultimate bad guy—a KGB agent.”
Only Way Out by Tod Goldberg—”A luckless thief’s wrong turn becomes a crooked cop’s fortune in a wild ride of a thriller”

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:
Napoleon’s Kindle: See the Miniaturized Traveling Library He Took on Military Campaigns—Ooooh! I want one! I want one! Sure my tablet is a technological marvel that I could’ve only dreamed about as a kid, but…come on. This is just cool. (yes, Samuel T. Cogley, is possibly my favorite ST:TOS character)
The best mystery novels of 2025—I learned ages ago that when Oline Cogdill speaks, I should listen
Does Rating a Lot of Books Low Mean You’re “Bad at Choosing Books?”—With all due respect to Pages Unbound, this is a stupid question. But if you’re going to answer one of those, this is a good way to approach it.
Captivating Characters of November—I’m enjoying these posts…I just need to contribute 🙂
It is that time of year:
Manga Gift Suggestions—from the Firsty Duelist via Wity and Sarcastic Book Club
2025 Holiday Gift Giving Guide—from This Dad Reads (so you know it will be a little heavy on a particular fandom based in a galaxy far, far away)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Get It Write talks to Mike Chen about writing for existing IP.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple—note to self: read this again
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
Funny Girl by Nick Hornby
The Burning Room by Michael Connelly
Hit by Delilah S. Dawson—I’m glad Dawson put this out a decade ago, it was harrowing then. Updating it to fit 2025 would be…well, I dunno, “worse” seems obvious and not stark enough.
Indexing: Reflections, Episode Eight: Holly Tree by Seanan McGuire
And I mentioned the releases of: Luke Skywalker Can’t Read by Ryan Britt; Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe; and Santa 365 by Spencer Quinn

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Robert B. Parker’s Showdown by Mike Lupica—”Spenser may have uncovered an explosive secret that threatens the career of a controversial figure” (which is mostly correct). I enjoyed it, and have a post drafted for Monday about it.
Queen of the Dead by Sarah Broadway—”Speaking with the dead is nothing new for Lou. It’s a curse she’s learned to hide from everyone – sometimes even herself. After running away from a past that took advantage of those abilities, Lou finally carves out a normal life for herself. That is, until she receives a mysterious message from a ghost – the Veil is thinning – and a cult of necromancers infiltrates her small town.””

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:
Forget Running Groups and Work Socials. Find a Book Club
In a reading rut? How to get back into reading for fun
Those blurbs on book covers? Don’t believe what you read.—this isn’t the point of the piece but Kate DiCamillo looks exactly like someone who writes her books should.*
Self-publishing trends for 2026
It’s Time To Put The “Where Are All The Male Novelists?” Debate To Bed—Yes, please.
It’s started already, Top X Books of 2025. P.L. Stuart names his Best Non-SFF Trad/Indie Published Books Read in 2025 and Top Indie & Top Trad SFF Books for 2025—the only book that didn’t tempt me there was one I’d already read. Hold on to your wallets.
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? NOT ME! Postmodern Picturebooks and Deconstructed Fairy Tales—This looks like a fun bunch
My Oddly Specific Bookish Traits—We all have them, few of us are self-aware enough to enumerate them.

* Be sure to follow me for more tips on how to stereotype!

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Blameless by Gail Carriger
Any Other Name by Craig Johnson
The Promise by Robert Crais
The Shootout Solution by Michael R. Underwood (which is also the only book’s release I talked about)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Time God Warlock by Shami Stovall—I can’t tell you about this because I’m using this release as a reminder to read the last one. But it’s probably pretty cool.
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz—”Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right-hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—not as the fearsome Thornwitch, but as someone kind. Someone better. Someone good.” Looks cute.

I really thought I had a long list for today, but…not so much. I do have an eclectic one, however. And that makes me just as happy. Hopefully there’s something here that strikes your fancy. (and if not, come back in 7 days)

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:
Steve Hofstetter recently gave a speech to the American Association of School Librarians that’s worth your time (in my non-humble opinion). He was nice enough to provide both the full video and the text version.
Bones & Betrayals: A Chat with Andi Ewington, Erica Marks and Calum Alexander Watt—loved this.
Caffinated Reader’s 13th Annual Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon Sign-up—may intrigue some of you
Eileen Mueller and several other fantasy authors have a dynamite-looking giveaway up: November 2025 Win Deluxe Edition Epic Fantasy Books Giveaway—(and yes, you entering via that link gets me more entries, so, you know…help a guy out)
EVEN MORE Unusual and Riveting Retellings!—The Orangutan Librarian has tempted me to take the rest of the month off to work through this list
I Have An Agent—I know there’s a long gap from this to us getting to hold a Peat Long tome in our hands, but this is a great step.

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Crime Writers of Canada Joel Nedecky, The Broken Detective—I enjoyed it, you might to. Also, let me remind you to read The Broken Detective

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Indexing: Reflections, Episode Seven: False Love’s Kiss by Seanan McGuire
X by Sue Grafton
The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
Never Tell by Alafair Burke
And I mentioned the releases of: The Promise by Robert Crais; Winter by Marissa Meyer; Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke; Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker; Home by Matt Dunn; Mad Men Carousel: The Complete Critical Companion by Matt Zoller Seitz

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree—by far the least cozy of the series, but fans won’t mind. Greatest breadknife in literary history. I finished this yesterday and relished every second of it.
Guns Of Brixton by Paul D. Brazill—Fahrenheit Press has this great looking book out in it’s Pocket Noir series (I need to do a separate post just about that series one day). How do you turn down “a hard-boiled black comedy packed with crooked cops, washed-up crooks, and the kind of dialogue that snaps like a switchblade.” in an attractive package? (I sure don’t)
There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm—”Humanity is under assault by malevolent ‘antimemes’—ideas that attack memory, identity, and the fabric of reality itself—in this whip-smart tale of science-fiction horror, an entirely reimagined and expanded version of the beloved online novel.”

That lack of an “s” on “BOOK” is really going to drive me nuts

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:
Two Ways of Disliking Poetry—I would’ve guessed there were more…
Fisher the Bookseller Explains How Bookstores Decide Which Books to Sell: The ins and outs of how books are bought and sold in bookstores
In Conversation with Susan Grossey, Author of Historical Crime Fiction
Manual Labor: A new generation of deaf writers reimagines language, text, and sound
The Accidental Completionist—that last paragraph…
7 fantasy book villains more terrifying than Sauron from The Lord of the Rings—I haven’t run into any of these villains, I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.
Eight Ways to Celebrate Bram Stoker on his November 8th Birthday by LindaAnn LoSchiavo—a Guest Post over at Witty & Sarcastic Book Club for those who are still making plans for Bram’s Big Day (or want to get an early start for next year)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
The Bookish Diaries Podcast Season 2, Episode 6: Cozy fantasy or Dark Fantasy: Pick your Poison!

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
The Lobster Boy And The Fat Lady’s Daughter by Charles Kriel—the beginning of my beautiful friendship with Farenheit Press
And I mentioned the releases of: The Crossing by Michael Connelly; Made to Kill by Adam Christopher; The Builders by Daniel Polansky; The Ark: Children of a Dead Earth Book One by Patrick S. Tomlinson; Black Wolves by Kate Elliott; and Mystic by Jason Denzel

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka—Not that this series has been filled with brightness and breeze, but it looks like things are getting a little more serious for our friend, Stephen.
Love the Stranger by Michael Sears—Boy howdy, this sequel delivers on all the promise of its predecessor–and then some. Out in paperback this week, I just finished and need to talk about it soon. Don’t wait for me, though, just go get it.
The Christmas Tree Killer by Chris Frost—DI Tom Stonem is sure to be very unwelcome around the holiday season (for people he works with/serves anyway) if he keeps finding himself entwined in murder cases like this one. Creepy Christmas Crime, if you’re in the mood.
Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite—”A young woman must shake off a family curse and the widely held belief that she is the reincarnation of her dead cousin in this wickedly funny, brilliantly perceptive novel about love, female rivalry, and superstition from the author of the smash hit My Sister, the Serial Killer“
Bruised Not Broken: The Autobiography of Katie Hodges by Katie Hodges—This Literary Local has been through a lot and is here with a story of perseverence and hope.
I Am a Highly Dangerous Warrior! by Raquel D’Apice, illustrated by Heather Fox—”a hilarious take on developmental leaps exploring the bravery it takes to tackle the next big thing–with some help from the things in life that make us feel safe.”

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:
The Case for Whole Books: You can’t get better at reading until you care about a text.—Part advertisement for a new book, part critique of what Common Core has done to English classes, part argument for how things should be. All the kind of thing I could read about for hours.
SoA calls for transparency around ‘unsung’ ghostwriters behind celebrity-authored children’s books—an overdue idea.
Sounds like George R.R. Martin’s OpenAI suit is going pretty well for him—(and for other authors, too, but Martin’s name will bring more readers, I guess)
The Infection is Coming…—AJ Calvin talks about the upcoming Kickstarter for The Book of Spores and the book in general.
How to build a reading routine for fall that actually sticks—some good advice here
Yeah, it’s November, but we can still talk about creepy/spooky reads, right? Like Sara Reads did in a few posts: Halloween.1, Halloween part 2., and Halloween part 3.
The Womble has some, too, in: Tis the season of Terror!
Captivating Characters of October—Once again, I’ve forgotten to get anything written for this particular blog party/linkup thing. So I’ll just point to the mothership.
My Blogging Anniversary: The Seven Year Itch—The Witty & Sarcastic Book Club is 7?? (also, how is it only 7?). Regardless, congrats on the milestone!!

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
The Chronicles of Prydain – Fantasy’s Forgotten Epic —I haven’t watched this yet, but I really enjoyed Ezekat’s short video on Prydain, so I can’t wait to dive in. And you know me, this is one of those topics I have to share any think I stumble across that covers it.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
If I Fall, If I Die by Michael Christie
Indexing: Reflections, Episode Six: Frostbite by Seanan McGuire
Reflecting the Sky by S. J. Rozan
The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone
And I mentioned the paperback release of The Burning Room by Michael Connelly

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Locks & Keys: A Fantasy Anthology by Bill Adams, Tom Bookbeard, L.M. Douglas, Bella Dunn, Dave Lawson, Sean O’Boyle, R.E. Sanders, R.A. Sandpiper, Alex Scheuermann, G.J. Terral—(at least) 8 banger short stories and 2 that are worth your time. Overall, a strong anthology (as I wrote recently)
Supernatural Crimes Unit: NYPD by Keith R.A. DeCandido—I always enjoy time in DeCandido’s worlds, this “When a drug-dealing wizard dominates the city, only one squad can stop them”

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:
Identity Stamps: Two new startups, Books by People and Amlet, aim to certify a book’s authenticity in the AI era—It is so sad that this needs to be a thing. It’s also enheartening that it finally is.
Federal judge says Texas law requiring book ratings is unconstitutional
How the Hardy Boys Book Series Cracked the Case of Getting Kids Hooked on Reading
Barnes & Noble’s 2025 Book of the Year Finalists—Ugh. Is it this time of year already? Still, some good-looking books. I’ve read 2 of these finalists, and yeah, they belong on the list.
ABC Radio National named their Top 100 Books of the 21st Century.—as well as the books that didn’t quite make the Top 100
My Conversation with Fake Dan Brown—Lee Goldberg talks about the chat he had with “Dan Brown” last week.
Acquiring My Work: A Primer—Scalzi’s primer might not apply to the author of your choice, but it does give some grounds to consider
Influences – Joe Abercrombie
Exclusive Interview: “Against All Odds” Author Jeffery H. Haskell
Z.B. Steele put together a great (and visually appealing) thread of SFF Book Recs Based on Your Favorite D&D Class—two indie and one trad book per subclass.
A two-fer from The Orangutan Librarian this week: If you like this, try that… Halloween Edition and If you didn’t like this, try that… Halloween Edition
Monthly Manga Mania Featuring Firsty Duelist: Ultraman by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi—I have memories of watching (not understanding, because I was like 5 or 6) Ultraman decades ago. It was just undeniably cool–a manga about him is definitely appealing from the outset. Firsty Duelist made it moreso.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
Updraft by Fran Wilde
A Serpent’s Tooth by Craig Johnson
And I mentioned the releases of two very different kinds of PI books: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith and The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke—A nice sequel for the ghost and roommate amateur sleuth pair. I made a case for reading it last week.
Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow—The book is best summed up by this “it’s not just you—the internet sucks now. Here’s why, and here’s how we can disenshittify it.” I read it, and am glad I did. Even if I despair of any of his suggested solutions happening.
The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays by Harper Lee—”a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces, offering a fresh perspective on the remarkable literary mind of Harper Lee.”
The Broken Detective by Joel Nedecky—”Private investigator Jake Joelsen is going to prison for assaulting his sick mom’s abusive boyfriend, but thanks to a suspended sentence, he has two weeks to earn as much money as possible so he can financially support his mom when he’s inside.” All he has to do is find one missing woman, fight some powerful people, and stay sober.
Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs—”When the deadly werewolf Asil is gifted five blind dates by some anonymous ‘friends,’ his reclusive life will never be the same, in this enthralling novel in stories.” I’ve read one or two of these stories before, and figure I’ll enjoy the others.
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly—I’m not sure how I didn’t know about a new Lincoln Lawyer book until 2 days after it came out, but this should be as compelling as usual.
Batman: Revolution by John Jackson Miller—I love the idea of a series following up on Burton’s Batman, in this second novel (third if you count the novelization of the movie), we get to meet The Riddler.
Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines—”Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Golden Girls in this humorous contemporary standalone fantasy about a group of former Chosen Ones coming out of retirement to save the world one last time… it’s a novel about community, second chances, and the healing power of scones.”
Futility by Nuzo Onoh—Okay, this “monstrous, gleeful, bitingly funny tale of murder, body-swapping and bloody vengeance” doesn’t actually sound like my cup of tea (but will appeal to some of you). But that cover is one that I both really want on my shelf and never want to see again. Click to see what I mean.

For the second time this year, I’m doing this late. Humbug. I was out of town last week spending time with my favorite person. So, I didn’t have a lot of time to be looking around for things to put here (and I got really behind with everything, leading to the belatedness of this). But I hate to break a streak (and there’s a bunch of new releases to mention)

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye last week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
58 Books You Need to Read (Recommended by People Who Know) Or: 42 Writers, Editors, and Booksellers on the Best Books They’ve Read in the Last 25 Years—this is a great list
Enchanting Imposters: Johns Hopkins University’s Bibliotheca Fictiva Collection of Literary and Historical Forgery shows that humans have been creating fan fiction and fake news for millennia—”more than 2,000 items—rare books, manuscripts, and ephemera.” It sounds fascinating.
Killer Reads: Books About Serial Killers You Need to Read—another great list
Spooktacular Books for All Ages: 2025—and a third list of books that you should peruse, this time from Witty & Sarcastic Book Club

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Last Week?
Is Fat Bob Dead Yet? by Stephen Dobyns
Walking the Perfect Square by Reed Farrel Coleman
A Bitter Feast by S.J. Rozan
The Drop by Dennis Lehane
Whirligig by Magnus Macintyre
And I talked about the release of Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Last Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Bounty Inc. by Adam Holcombe—Bounty hunters in space. Epic battle scenes. Found family. Oodles of Fun. I enthused about this recently, and I’d gladly do so again.
Fallen Star by Lee Goldberg—Eve Ronin’s latest finds her in the middle of a new (and yet old) tangle of corruption
And to All a Good Bite by David Rosenfelt—The new Andy Carpenter holiday mystery. A bit of cleverness and a warm-fuzzy are both sure to ensue.
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman—”A sentimental advertising creative and a blunt, no-nonsense bar owner find a second chance at love while binge-watching iconic holiday movies in this poignant and heartwarming romance.”
Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry—”A poignant, heartfelt, and funny memoir about how, in 1985, Michael J. Fox brought to life two iconic roles simultaneously—Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties and Marty McFly in Back to the Future. An amazing true story as only Michael J. Fox can tell it.” Draws upon interviews with cast and crew of both projects.