How has your week been? What have you been reading? I read Murder Road, Simone St. James which was fantastic. It’s almost a slow burn of a book, but it only feels that way because the main character is so calm and matter-of-fact about things. The pacing was spot on, and the mystery juicy. Then I read Bride, Ali Hazelwood – another page turner! I’m burning through my #20BooksofSummer. Now, on to the 10+ things I bookmarked this week.
one+ As usual with the start of a new month, we get the Best books of July 2024, as chosen by the Amazon Editors + Goodreads Readers’ Most Anticipated Books of July and The Goodreads Editors Share Their July Book Picks. Two books that appear on at least 2 that I’m bookmarking – Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder, Kerryn Mayne and The Great Hemisphere, Mateo Askaripur.
two+ Did you know that there’s a 2024 TikTok Book Awards? Voting for the shortlist is open now. And also Suzanne Collins Is Returning to Panem for Another Hunger Games Prequel Novel. Sunrise on the Reaping is due next year, 2025.
three+ If you’re into literary fiction, the popular The Millions Summer 2024 Preview is out! For genre lovers, you might like Lit Hub’s 21 Most-Anticipated Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books for the Rest of 2024.
four+ What are your thoughts on Generation Franchise: Why Writers Are Forced to Become Brands (and Why That’s Bad). The article is long and a bit rambly, but the title made me think about how I interact with authors on the internet. For me it’s minimally, but I do sometimes check their schedules to see if there’s a tour near me, or an Instagram feed that may tell me more about upcoming projects. I certainly don’t need them to be a “brand” but it’s nice to know a bit more about them and feel connected.
five+ The Best Audiobook Narrators Will Make You Fall in Love With Listening. I so agree! While I personally don’t like too much “extra stuff” like music and prop noises – because then to me it’s an audio drama – but when the narrators pacing, accented speech and intonations enhance the book and really put me in the moment – I’m all for that! Here’s 3 of My “Better Than the Book” Audiobook Recommendations.
six+ Currently, I’m reading an advanced reader copy of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, P. Djeli Clark, and it made me want to put more books with assassins on my reading list. Then I came across Killer Plots: Five Books Featuring Professional Assassins. What are some of your faves?
seven+ Should Libraries Be Silent? What do you think? I’m pro silent spaces in libraries, whereas other areas may be louder. WHat about eating in libraries? Should that be allowed?
eight+ The 2024 Locus Awards Winners were recently announced. This is one of my favorite genre book awards. I’m glad to see Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher, win for Best Novella.
nine+ Off the Books – What are you watching? I watched Queenie (Hulu) and loved it! This is an adaptation from the book by the same name (Queenie, Candace Carty-Williams) and I felt it did a fantastic job in capturing the essence of the character and the book. I also watched the movie The Unforgiveable (Netflix) starring Sandra Bullock. Thumbs up from me. What should I watch next?
ten+ In case you missed it, on the blog this week Kim shared 4 Books to Read for Hot Ghoul Summer.
—- Cheers to the weekend and week ahead!
