Friday Reads 11.22.24

Food and Arthurian Legends and Crime Fiction, Oh My!

What a week it’s been! I hope this missive finds you happy and well, gearing up for the holidays! Hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week (for those of us in the US). I work in an industry that slows down tremendously over the holidays, so today feels like the last real work day of the year. Starting Monday, it’s officially the “holidays”. I immediately went to look up the etymology of holidays — holy days, of course, but instead typed in “entomology holidays” and got some cool insect entries, including this calendar. So if you are looking for an esoteric holiday giftie… Did I mention it’s been a week? 😂

I’m a bit worn out, actually, so having some slower days ahead sounds very appealing. Five more PR events for A VERY BAD THING tour, three of them between now and Tuesday, and that’s a wrap for this book’s promotional schedule. My team has done an amazing job of helping get the word out. If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, there’s signed stock at Parnassus and Poisoned Pen, and they, along with your new insect calendar, make great gifts.

Jayne #5 comes out next week, so there’s been a bit of backend work getting that ready to rock, including a Goodreads Giveaway that goes through the 26th, if you’re interested. And Jayne #6 is finished! I was weirdly emotional about the ending of this series. I’ve never “finished” a series before. There have always been thoughts and plans to continue on all the previous ones I’ve done, but this one had a six-book arc from the beginning, and now, that arc has been completed. I cried when I originaly planned the ending and cried when I wrote the ending and when I revised the ending, and I’ll cry a few more times as it goes through the editorial process. With change comes loss, right?

I’m also at that strange stage in a new standalone that I’m not quite writing yet but I can’t help myself from doing work on it. Remember, I am loathe to write synopses because things change. Naturally, things have changed. Nature of the beast, I know. But an opening scene came to me, and I couldn’t help but sketch it out. It’s creepy. Very JT.

OK, I’ll stop teasing. On to books you can read right now!

I’ve actually been so looking forward to writing this week’s Friday Reads because I have a very different recommendation, but one primed for the impending doom holidays. It’s called WHEN SOUTHERN WOMEN COOK: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes, with conversations from 70 women writers. It’s by Morgan Bolling and Toni Tipton-Martin, both with Cook’s Country and America’s Test Kitchen. I got to interview these amazing ladies, and I trust me; I have bookmarked at least 100 of the 300 recipes, including one for sweet potatoes that I’m totally making next week. The essays within are also fascinating. Really cool reading.

I also almost finished with Sara Blaedel’s new one that I mentioned last week, and I’m deep into book 2 of Signe Pike’s Lost Queen series, THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM. The next book comes out on December 3, so I’m playing catch-up so I can jump into THE SHADOWED LAND next week.

My pal John Charles sent me a fantastic selection of joy-making holiday titles, too, which I can’t wait to dig into. I’ll start sharing as I finish them.

Yes, my TBR is teetering. I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to fix the bookshelves. Obviously, the easiest thing is to cull some more books to make room for the new ones, but that’s… sacrilege. There are plenty I haven’t read yet, and I don’t want to be parted from. I’m looking at a stack of books on the floor that is topped by Madeline L’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME and John Le Carre’s TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, among other classics, so you can understand how I’d like to integrate them into my current shelves.

On the watching front: LIONESS continues to rock, and we started LANDMAN last night, and wow, the characters are really well-cast.

That’s it from me. How about you? Reading anything fabulous this weekend? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

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