Tag: Saturday Miscellany Page 4 of 61

Hate to let the streak end (although it was for a worthy cause), especially because I had the biggest list I’d come up with in a few weeks.

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 authors who make millions through self-publishing: Three British writers reveal how they built successful careers without agents or conventional publishers
C.S. Lewis in the Age of Bleakness: Awe, Wonder and the Power of Enchantment
Our Golden Age of Reading (Online)
Review Bomber Review Bombed—hate to see it (no, not really)
Book Review: ‘Mississippi Blue 42’ takes readers into excesses and corruption in big-time college athletics—some review, some profile, generally good stuff about Cranor and his latest
We All Miss Mass Market Paperbacks: It’s partly nostalgia, but there really is something special about those books…—Templeton makes it hard for me to finish the post I’ve been playing with about Mass Market Paperbacks
5 Fun Tips and Tricks To Focus on Your Physical TBR: Feeling overwhelmed by your physical TBR piling up all around you? Here are fun tips and tricks to dwindle your physical TBR.
How I Read Star Ratings—some good thoughts from Pages Unbound’s Krysta
Blogiversary #8—Carol’s Reading Ladies Book Club hit a milestone last week. Congrats!
When Fiction Meets Reality: I Guessed the Inspiration for a Book and Now It’s Living Rent Free in My Mind
Dungeons and Dragons Romance Books—I can think of a few people who’d like these

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
How I Library Episode 20: Penn Jillette—Fun in general, and Jillette offers one of my favorite anti-book ban arguments

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
Indexing: Reflections, Episode 1: Forbidden Doors by Seanan McGuire
Spell or High Water by Scott Meyer
The Redeemers by Ace Atkins
Hidden by Benedict Jacka
The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire
And I mentioned the releases of: Indexing: Reflections by Seanan McGuire; You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day; Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner; and The End of All Things by John Scalzi

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Final Vow by M.W. Craven—If there’s a book I’ve been looking forward to more this year, I can’t think of it. Just waiting on international shipping. Oh, right, about the book—Poe and Tilly are on the hunt for a sniper who is on a spree of random shootings.
The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford—Ford tries his hand at epic fantasy, “a wild band known as the Bone Raiders harness the power of gigantic, fire-breathing lizards to defend their homeland.”
The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown—”a trio of seemingly everyday people are members of a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects—ordinary items with extraordinary properties. “

Image credit: Grammarly

Happy Book Lover’s Day, everyone!

Got a short list this week–I don’t know if I’m just missing posts (very likely), or if everyone’s got the August blahs (even liklier), or a societal collapse ennui (incredibly understandable)–but I did find a few things that I wanted to be sure to share.

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:
Jane Austen was a satirist – why isn’t she treated like one?—This is a great question. Maybe if I’m prodded into re-reading her, I’ll focus on that part. (and it would take something like John Cena shouting in my ear while shoving the collected works into my chest to prod enough). Would love to read comments by Austen-appreciators about this piece
What happens when Stephen King and Maurice Sendak join forces? Joe Hill has some thoughts.—I’ve had this book on my radar, and was already planning on actually purchasing a Stephen King book (something I haven’t done since the 90s!), but I enjoyed this video enough to save it for today. Also, Mina Moo Bozic’s comment should make you smile.
“Reading,” a Poem by Emily Skillings

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Fiction Fans The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald feat. Krystle Matar—”Your hosts are joined by Krystle Matar to discuss The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They wonder why no one talks about Gatsby being a crime lord, throw around wild F. Scott conspiracy theories, and rank the characters from least shitty to most shitty. (It’s all of them. They’re all the most shitty)” I haven’t had a chance to listen to this yet, but I’m looking forward to it, I just have to make the time. Although, “no one” talking about Gatsby being a crime lord is a bit of an exaggeration. It’s not terribly suprising that podcast hosts that focus on SF/F don’t read Crime Reads (or similar places) regularly, as shown in one example or two regularly.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe—One of the best Tufa novels (which is saying something)
Thank You, Goodnight by Andy Abramowitz—another absolute banger of a novel
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
I mentioned the release of a handful of books: Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn; Veiled by Benedict Jacka; Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat by Anastacia Marx de Salcedo — This book looks great, but man…I tell you, I’m not sure I want to learn what she has to say.; School for Sidekicks by Kelly McCullough; Con Academy by Joe Schreiber; Whirligig by Magnus Macintyre; and A Better Way to Die: The Collected Short Stories by Paul Cornell

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Bones & Betrayals: Silence of the Dead by by Andi Ewington/Erica Marks—a buddy PI novel in a fantasy world. Worked for me on several levels, it’s one of those books I’m telling everyone about—along the lines I did here
Mississippi Blue 42 by Eli Cranor—this is a “series debut starring a rookie FBI agent who finds herself caught in the tangled web of a college football empire—and the bloody greed that fuels it.” I’m halfway through this now…and I’m vaguley annoyed I have to do anything else until I’m done.
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz—1. Fantastic cover. 2. “You don’t have to eat food to know the way to a city’s heart is through its stomach. So when a group of deactivated robots come back online in an abandoned ghost kitchen, they decide to make their own way doing what they know: making food—the tastiest hand-pulled noodles around—for the humans of San Francisco, who are recovering from a devastating war.” Then there’s some sort of pushback. Mike Finn argues against this being classified as “cozy” and makes me more interested than I already was.
That Christmas and Other Stories by Richard Curtis (yes, that Richard Curtis), Rebecca Cobb (Illustrator)—I really enjoyed the movie based on these stories and was curious what they looked like in their original form–now I can (but I’ll probably wait until December to do more than skim it).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I clearly didn’t spend that much time online this week. This is probably a good thing when it comes to my mental health, but as I’m trying to put this together today, I find myself rather annoyed. Seriously, mental health is overrated, anyway, what was I thinking?

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 truth behind the endless “kids can’t read” discourse: Is there a literacy crisis? Or am I just old?—Ugh. Nuance. Who has time for that?
An Interview with Mary Jo Bang on Translating Paradiso by Dante Alighieri—if she only did a prose translation, I might be able to get my way through the trilogy. Nothing like Dante to show me how deficient my education (formal or self-) has been in teaching me to read verse. But this interview makes me want to try again.
Writing Advice and Literary Wisdom from the Great E.B. White—This was posted in honor of his birthday yesterday, and reminds us why people still care about White (and offers some good advice for the writerly-types out there)
11 Summertime Books to Read When You’re Not Feeling Very Sunny: Once the seasonal malaise hits, these novels will help you unwind.—I really don’t know how a listicle from Marie Claire ended up on one of my feeds. But hey, some good looking reads here.
Michael Robotham On Why We Love Stories About Gangsters
The REAL Lion King!—The Orangutan Librarian takes a break from being insightful and whatnot to sharing some old cartoons. Start here with Part 1.
5 Books Adults Recommended I Read as a Child that Didn’t Resonate with Me at All—An interesting approach to books from childhood (can’t help but agree with the last one)

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week? (I was weirded-out about how brief these posts were…I’ve gotten talky over the years)
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Corsair by James L. Cambias
Stay by Victor Gischler
The Snapper by Roddy Doyle
And I talked about the releases of a handful of books: Splintered by Jamie Schultz; The Fraud by Brad Parks; Time Salvager by Wesley Chu; Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine; Letters to Zell by Camille Griep; The Six by Mark Alpert; Bum Rap by Paul Levine; Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer — looks to be as inventive and fun as his Magic 2.0 series.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch—Sheep get eaten, the Folly heads to Scotland, and…well, that’s all I know, but that’s a strong start.
Yellow Medicine by Anthony Neil Smith—”starts with one of the most memorable and engaging anti-heroes in recent memory. Mix in bent cops, a psychobilly band called Elvis Antichrist, meth cookers in the Minnesota sticks, and a truly nasty pack of wannabe jihadists. Add a liberal helping of guns, knives and explosives.” I’m sold.
The Silver State by Gabriel Urza—”When a public defender receives a letter from a client on death row, he is forced to reexamine his role in the murder case he cannot shake; a gripping and thought-provoking legal thriller that redefines the genre”
The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully—”A brilliant Boomer detective and her ambitious Gen Z assistant try to get along in this delightful feel-good mystery.” Looks fun.
Heal the Beasts: A Jaunt Through the Curious History of the Veterinary Arts by Philipp Schott—”Sharing the stories of 22 different animal healers and veterinarians from across eras and continents, Dr. Schott examines the always fascinating, often unexpected, and sometimes hilarious veterinary methods employed to treat all manner of creatures. From healing dogs and horses to gorillas and even dragons, at the heart lies the evolution of the human-animal bond, which has been more cyclical than linear.”
Hour of the Pumpkin Queen by Megan Shepherd—One year after their wedding, “Sally must embark on a time-bending adventure to save Halloween Town–and her beloved Jack Skellington.” Okay, I’m probably not going to read this follow-up to The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I’m putting it here to remind me to buy it for my daughter (and, who knows, maybe one of you will find it intriguing)

Despite my furry companions’ certain conclusions, we survived the night/morning (who needs to set off celebratory explosions at 1:30 am??). Hope my fellow USA-ers did, too. And I envy the rest of you your sleep.

I hesitate to do this…it seems like a lousy time to bring this up. But we’ve launched a GoFundMe to raise money for travel expenses for my son’s impending kidney transplant (impending=hopefully anytime in the next 3 years).

Now, on with the miscellany.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
The Top 10 Bestselling Books of 2025 (So Far)—from Publishers Weekly
The Emoji Tongue: If 😂 was a word, would that make emoji a language?
Sprayed Edges Are Everywhere and I Hate Them—Not sure I can co-sign this (he says looking at the edge of his copy of Five Broken Blades), but I get it
12 Must-Read WebToon Series
Urban Fantasy Starter Pack: 24 Must-Read Books That Bite Back—Because I need more UF to read? (actually, yeah, I do). Beth Tabler’s list combines stuff well-loved (or at least liked) here, and bunch of things I’d never heard of.
Yes that was six months of your reading year! Holiday Temptations Time!—Runalong the Shelves provides great TBR fodder for those looking to fill theirs out
Celebrating National Crime Reading Month – 30 days of crime recommendations!—a couple of weeks back, I’d pointed to Raven’s twitter thread listing their Crime Fiction Month reading recs. Well, here it is, nicely collected into one easy-to-reference list!
But Is It Marketable? Why I Gave Up on Traditional Publishing—one writer’s story
How do You Read so Many Books?—handier tips than mine. “Start with the first word, move on to the second, then the third, and so on.”

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Splintered by Jamie Schultz
Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond
Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
And I mentioned the release of three books that I didn’t read, much less remember, but they looked pretty cool: The Dragons of Heaven by Alyc Helms, Ghost Fleet by P.W. Singer and August Cole, and Linesman by S. K. Dunstall

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt—this prequel looks at Andy’s first big case as a defense lawyer is just great. I should be expanding on that soon.
The Grimdwarf, Vol. 1: Cursed by J.C.M. Berne—A “classic fantasy with a wisecracking cursed dwarf, a water witch, and a very good dog.” The short stories collected into one volume. And free for a week or two. Worth it at thrice the price!!!
Infinite Archive by Mur Lafferty—The physical embodiment of the Internet arrives on Station Eternity, bringing chaos and murder. I can’t wait to catch up with Mallory and the rest.
Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji by Keith Houston—there’s an excerpt above. This book “follows emoji from its birth in 1990s Japan, traces its Western explosion in the 2000s, and considers emoji’s ever-expanding lexicon.” I enjoyed Huston’s book on punctuation marks, this promises to be interesting, too,.

I get it…publications need to make money to pay authors, but man…too many things I had set aside for today’s list were behind them. Rats. Still, found a few things for the budget-strapped amongst us.

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:
“Bookworm, Cliché, Deadline…” And Other Unexpected Etymologies
Former Auburn football player turned novelist to receive top state literary award
The 144 Most Read Books of the 2025 Reading Challenge (So Far)
Jim Butcher WRITES WOMEN WELL?—this interview made me crack up (just the rules laid out at the beginning make this worth it)
What a Five-Star Review Means to Me—this is really close to my thoughts, phew, one thing I don’t have to write
Competitive reading needs to calm down—indeed
Captivating Characters of June—Another tantalizing entry in this series. I have my pick for the month (like I have every month I haven’t participated), will I get something put together? Oooh, the suspense.
Monthly Manga Mania Featuring Firsty Duelist: Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba—if I read enough of Firsty Duelist’s stuff, I’m hoping I can convince my kids I’m fluent in Manga.
Who’s moving to Germany with me—never been more tempted to emigrate

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson
The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu
And I mentioned the release of one book I read and two books I don’t ever remember hearing about (probably my loss) The Cartel by Don Winslow; Tin Men by Christopher Golden; and The Leveller by Julia Durango

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Wraith and the Revolution by A.J. Calvin—was in my notes for last week, but I somehow overlooked it. It’s still available, believe it or not, however. This SF novel looks great.
Bookish Words & Their Surprising Stories by David Crystal—this also came out last week, but I didn’t know about it until I read the excerpt linked above.
The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart—this sequel to last year’s Assassins Anonymous is just dynamite, as I’d have written convincingly if I’d found the energy this week. Just take my word for it (or nag me until it shows up on the blog)
Pride and Pompousness by Katie Cook—the third volume in her Nothing Special series follows up the story from Vol. 2, where the appearance of a long-lost heir (our pal, Declan) threatens the succession of power in fairy royalty.

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:
Could the Semicolon Die Out? Recent Analysis Finds a Decline in Its Usage in British Literature and Confusion Among U.K. Students
Why Read: Seven Books About Our Passion and Need for Reading
Books About Books: Why We Write Them and Why We Read Them: On the charms of the bookish mystery.
While we’re on the topic, Carol at Reading Ladies posted this check-in yesterday: Bookish Books
Bad People, Good Art—James Lloyd Dulin wrote a very good guest post on a (sadly) evergreen topic. I think he’s onto something with his approach, FWIW.
My School Experience Barely Seems Reflected in Books
Maggie Stiefvater’s The Subtle Terror of Rereadability and the joys of turning pages slow, not fast might be the best thing I read online this week (says a life-long fast page turner)
Places with Teeth: Genius Loci and The Living Worlds of Speculative Fiction—Which isn’t to cast aspersions on Tabler’s work here (would love her to revisit this in an expanded version)
Coffee Table Books- Books You Can Dip into and Savour in Small Sips—you can never have too many of these around (sadly, due to my grandkids, dogs, and lack of coffee-table mean that mine are tucked away on shelves)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
Schmudgeon of Curmudgeon talked to JCM Berne (video link/audio link)—they covered a lot and had a lot of fun. Berne may have convinced me to revise my opinion of the opening of Wistful Ascending, too. (I think that means that I have nothing bad to say about the book at all)

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz
Crossed Blades by Kelly McCullough—Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea by Helen Lewis—”a timely and provocative interrogation of the myth of genius, exploring the surprising inventions, inspirations and distortions by which some lives are elevated to ‘greatness’ – and others are not”
I Think I’m in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre—A “quirky sci-fi rom-com” where “alien meets adorkable” looks like silly fun. Which sounds really appealing right now.

A small list this week, with an accidental (but appreciated) focus. I clearly didn’t spend much time online this week.

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
The Real Jay Gatsby: Did F. Scott Fitzgerald model his titular character after his real-life Princeton school-mate?—huh.
S.A. Cosby’s newest book was released this week, and I’m enjoying all the interviews/features I’ve run across. For example:
S.A. Cosby on “King of Ashes,” Crime Epics, and the Softer Side of Monsters—Kowlakowski’s interview/look at the book (I’m going to have a hard time not stealing from this when it comes time for me to post about the book)
Southern Culture on the Skids: S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes—that first sentence should give Cosby’s readers pause.
S.A. Cosby’s New Thriller Blends Southern Noir with Family Drama
The Ultimate Summer 2025 Reading List: Sun, Fun, Math, and Counting—I really enjoy LitHub’s Lists of Lists like this
In civilized nations that do things like this, June is National Crime Reading month. In honor of that Raven Crime Reads (one of my favorite accounts to follow) is posting a recommendation a day in the genre. Follow this thread and you will find more good books to read than you can handle (or you can enjoy when your tasts match up with Raven’s well-developed palate)

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
The Conversation with Nadine Matheson Coffee Break with S.A. Cosby: King of Ashes—a fun chat about Cosby’s new book (and a little more)
The Thriller Zone Why You Shouldn’t Miss Thomas Trang’s Debut: Dark Neon Dirt

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest (Kali Ciesemier, Illustrator)
Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn
The Fold by Peter Clines
Premonitions by Jamie Schultz

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
A Graveyard For Heroes by Michael Michel—as my dialogue coach Trent would say, “It is so money, baby.” This is the second of five installments in the Dreams of Dust and Steel series that is likely to end up on my all-time favorites list.
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby—hey, did I mention that Cosby has a new book out? Southern Crime and Family drama come together and bring us something dark—and likely spectacular. Hopefully I get to start this bad boy today. If not, Monday can’t come soon enough.
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall—the writer/creator of Broadchurch‘s first novel looks like a great time. (if you’re into moody, dark, police procedurals)