Friday Reads 1.24.25

Who Doesn't Like Dragons?

This month is certainly scampering along, isn’t it? Happily, that means the days are getting longer. No more having to set alarms to remind me to stop working and make dinner; nightfall is at a reasonable time and feels much more normal. It’s the perfect sort of weather for a cozy sweater and some blissful winter-scented simmer on the stove. My dearest Laura gave me a package for Christmas, complete with rosemary, sliced oranges, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. It smells amazing and releases some much-needed humidity into the house.

All right, all right. You know what I’ve been doing this week.

Dragons!

I am trying very hard not to consume ONXY STORM in just one day. I blocked off Tuesday-Friday on my calendar so I could do just that, but now that it’s here, I’ve been taking it slow. It’s a beautiful book with delightful sprayed edges. When it showed up on my doorstep (and on my Kindle) Tuesday, it took all of my willpower not to drop everything and get reading. I’ve been successful so far, because I started a new book last week, so I have a deal with myself. If I can make a thousand words appear, I am allowed to shut down and read.

This book isn’t disappointing me. It picks up literally moments after the previous book ends, launching us right into the story. It is so great, and is setting up an entirely new storyline, which the middle book of a series absolutely must do. There is one weird thing I’m having an issue with, just a point of magic that I’m not sure translates, but it’s given me an idea for a craft post, so I’ll discuss it there. Regardless, I am INVESTED.

But it’s not just dragons for us this week. James Rollins has a new book out in his Moonfall Saga, so I bought THE CRADLE OF ICE and THE STARLESS CROWN to have as backups when I finish.

I snagged a research book called THE PSYCHOPATH INSIDE, about a neuroscientist who was trying to understand the minds of psychopathic murderers only to realize his own personality traits fit much of the criteria he had laid out. I’m making some decisions about my main character, you see, and it fits with the theme of the new book quite well.

From the paid side of this newsletter, Step Fourteen, The Copyedit went up earlier this week. It ended up being more complicated to discuss than I expected. This entire process of live-writing a book is complicated. It’s challenging me to think differently about each stage of the process, to try and untangle my own process while making it accessible and informative for those who are already writing, or finding their way to the page for the first time, or readers who are following along because they’re interested in seeing how the sausage is made.

Because writing books really is a lot like making sausage. You have to take all the bits and grind them up, add in spices and salt, put everything into a seamless package, then send it to market, where it will be bought, and hopefully enjoyed. With luck, you’ll get some repeat customers who come back time and again.

And…now I’m hungry. Anyway, here you go…

Big congrats to all the Edgar nominees, especially the amazing

Ariel Lawhon

whose excellent short story about the mother of modern forensics, Barriers to Entry, was nominated! I was happy to see THE GOD OF THE WOODS on the best novel list, too, as it was one of my favorites last year.

Oh, and one last thing… I’m moving the

Joss Walker's Dispatch

monthly newsletter over to Substack, so any of you fantasy lovers can check it out here. Lots of sales going on right now.

Busy week, considering I wasn’t supposed to do anything but read….

That’s it from me today. What are you reading this weekend? Do you have any great recommendations?

---