It’s getting to be That Time of Year, dear readers…the holidays are a difficult time for a lot of people, and the stress of shopping and traffic and the endless loop of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree everywhere you go….
So I think it’s time we dip into our files of “things to make you smile”, and see if we can’t do something to make this frigid day a little better:
- This plushie grilled cheese sandwich:
2) Corny Dewey Decimal System jokes:
3). This Guide from The Toast: “How to Tell If You Are In A Stephen King Novel”
My favorite line: Abandoned building issues aside, you’ve learned by now to trust any wizened old man who speaks slowly and issues warnings to passerby, especially if they’re wearing overalls.
4) This new version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” that emphasizes consent, hooray!
5) New books! Let’s meet some of them now!
The Way of the Writer: Charles Johnson, a National Book Award winner, Professor Emeritus at University of Washington, has made the art of storytelling into his life’s pursuit. In this fascinating, and surprisingly useful book, he offers tips and advice developed from thirty years of mentoring students, and a lifetime of academic and literary pursuits. Organized into six easy-to-digest sections, he runs through sentence structure and word choice before moving on to dialogue, plot and storytelling , as well as the very nature of human creativity, creating a work that is invaluable for aspiring writers and devoted readers alike. Library Journal gave this book a starred review, saying ““All writers will welcome the useful tips and exercises, but the book will also appeal to readers interested in literature and the creative process. Johnson’s wonderful prose will engage readers to think more deeply about how to tell a story and consider the truth-telling power of the arts.”
The Secret History of Twin Peaks: This book has been making a whole lot of headlines recently, not only because of the planned reboot of this series, but because it’s one of those awesome fiction-masquerading-as-reality books, with articles and pictures and illustrations that enlarge the world of the original series, placing the unexplained phenomena that unfolded there into a vastly layered, wide-ranging history, beginning with the journals of Lewis and Clark and ending with the shocking events that closed the finale of the original show. I was always made to go to bed before the original show aired, but this seems like the perfect primer to get ready for the return. Entertainment Weekly was delighted with this book, calling it “A treasure trove of town secrets…Plus, Frost (finally!) tackles unanswered questions from the show’s finale.”
The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell: In December of 2000, FBI Special Agent Steven Carr of the bureau’s Washington, D.C., office received a package from FBI New York: a series of coded letters from an anonymous sender to the Libyan consulate, offering to sell classified United States intelligence. The offer, and the threat, were all too real. A self-proclaimed CIA analyst with top secret clearance had information about U.S. reconnaissance satellites, air defense systems, weapons depots, munitions factories, and underground bunkers throughout the Middle East. Rooting out the traitor would not be easy, but certain clues suggested a government agent with a military background, a family, a dire need for money, and dyslexia. Leading a diligent team of investigators and code breakers, Carr spent years hunting down a dangerous spy and his cache of stolen secrets. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee has brought this fascinating story to life with impressive details and a knack for narrative that Kirkus called “A well-written…tale of thwarted amateur treason underscoring the disturbing vulnerability of today’s intelligence systems.”
The Blood Mirror: It’s getting very close to blanket fort time, dear readers, our favorite time to indulge in dense series and longer books that we might not otherwise find time to enjoy. And with this almost-conclusion of Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer Chronicles, it’s safe to say that this series is an ideal candidate for your blanket fort reading. At the opening of this book, the fourth in this epic fantasy series, the Seven Satrapies have collapsed into four-and those are falling before the White King’s armies, leading to some intense battle scenes and pitched political intrigue. For those who have come to love these characters, there are also growing relationships and character development that will keep fans turning the pages for more….and that’s all I can say for fear of spoilers. Publisher’s Weekly loved all the layers and twists in this hefty installment, saying “Bestseller Weeks keeps the pot simmering with many secrets revealed and much verbal sparring in this fourth volume…[he] deftly moves the pieces around his chessboard, snapping them with assured feeling onto their new squares in preparation for a climactic confrontation. Readers will need to pay careful attention to catch all the political and social machinations.”
Out of Bounds: World-class crime novelist Val McDermid is back in this taut tale featuring a twenty-year-old cold case that comes to light when a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car and ends up in a coma, and a routine DNA test reveals a startling revelation. Assigned to take up the case, Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie finds herself drawn out of the grief of a recent tragedy by the mystery…and a supposedly closed terrorist case in which she has no business investigating…but Pirie is not one to believe in coincidences, and this one is far too big to ignore. McDermid is always gives readers what they are looking for in terms of complex characters and twisty, emotionally-fraught mysteries, and this 29th novel is no exception. Booklist gave it a starred review, saying “Readers will easily connect with Karen, whose unwavering confidence is tempered by a strong dose of kindness and sense of justice . . . Satisfying investigative detail, swift pacing, and realistic mysteries steeped in the intricacies of Scottish law; a sure fit for fans of Tana French and of Denise Mina’s Alex Morrow series.”
Until next week, dear readers, keep smiling, and happy reading!