It’s Friday, and you know what that means. Grab a cuppa, and let’s talk about what we’re reading!
It’s the first of March…I can’t believe it, can you? This year is streaking past already. I want to extend a big welcome to all the new folks who’ve recently ventured into this creative pasture. The grass is green and, hopefully, filling. Don’t hesitate to introduce yourself to the crew here in the comments or on the official Get to Know You post…
It’s been a very good week. I have excellent news: The International Thriller Writers have nominated IT’S ONE OF US for Best Hardcover, and in a shocking double-header, These Cold Strangers also got a nod for Best Short Story. The Thriller Awards are the highlight of the annual ITW conference in New York, and I’m thrilled to be nominated—and able to attend. What an amazing honor bestowed upon me by my peers. I’ve been a judge for several awards over the years, and it’s a difficult job. My deepest gratitude to all involved, and major congratulations to my fellow nominees! I mean, breathless over here. These categories are *stacked* with amazing talent. 🤯
It also gave me a midway break on my social media sabbatical to pop in and say thanks to everyone. I’ve been missing some folks badly, so it was nice to have a brief catch-up. It was a wild morning. My texts blew up, and my mom was in surgery, so I flipped for a moment. Then, I flipped again when I saw the news. (Mom’s doing great; a trapped nerve in her elbow is now released. Poor thing.)
After that lovely mid-week interlude, it was back to work (and books). I’d hoped to have a quick 22 Steps series update this weekend, but having (happily) lost most of Wednesday, I fell behind on ye old word count. Instead of Step Seven, I thought I might tackle our frenemy, Resistance, so tune in on Sunday for a look at this unique creative derailment.
I maybe have a few too many books going at once. I was heading to the kitchen for a cuppa, and realized there was an open book on almost every surface. My desk, the side table, the kitchen table, the kitchen counter, the couch. There are just so many amazing books to read right now! Here are a few I’m totally digging:
Scott Alexander Howard’s brilliant debut, THE OTHER VALLEY, is out this week! I’ve been babbling to anyone who will listen what a remarkable book this is. If you liked NEVER LET ME GO, you will love this intellectually stimulating dystopian. It’s a beautiful concept and very much an elegy on grief as well. Update: I just learned that THE OTHER VALLEY will be adapted for TV. It is PERFECT for an episodic story. Congratulations to the whole team!
I’m nearly done with THE STRANGER AT THE WEDDING by A.E. Gauntlett. What a book! Suspense with dread creeping around every vignette…
I was approved for an early look at Jesse Q. Sutanto’s YOU WILL NEVER BE ME (great title) and I am here for it. Especially after watching her live-write her last novel, I’m super curious about her thrillers!
I read Rick Rubin’s THE CREATIVE ACT: A Way of Being, a few months back, and I wanted some breakfast inspiration, so listened to the Blinkist of the book. Its koan-level snippets on creative thought are wonderful. I love the creative metaphor of the peach tree. In short: The tree puts out fruit every summer. It doesn’t *try* to produce peaches; it just does. That’s one of the best ways to think about your own creativity. You’re a writer. Why are you *trying* to write? Just write. Also, the print book is super cool—devoid of a book jacket, the title and image are printed directly on the light gray cloth. Perfectly minimalist.
I mentioned Blinkist… not a sponsor, just a fan. I love it for non-fiction. If you’ve never tried it, it summarizes books and gives you the drilled-down essence. I have gone on to buy many of the books I’ve listened to — they’re all very short, so you can get through one during a workout, or a drive to PT, and it makes you smarter. Smarter is good.
I’m gaining again on the WOLF HALL slow read, thank goodness. Though my weekends are about to be subsumed with magic (a.k .a. the revision of Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian #5), so I might fall behind again.
Speaking of magic… Over the past few weeks, there have been oodles of articles on Sarah J. Maas, celebrating the release of HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW. As you all know, I am a huge fan, and I’ve been struck by how… okay, let’s not dance around it… snide some of the articles have been. The compliments are couched in language that makes it clear that yes, she’s a phenom, but the whole idea of romantasy is <insert eye-roll here>. I think that does her a real disservice and is insulting to her fans, to boot. God forbid a beautiful, intelligent young woman writes three epic fantasy series that bring millions of fans to the genre. (where’s my sarcasm emoji?) I feel like anything that gets folks reading is valuable to the publishing world, and if it’s making both the author and publisher money? All the better. Vox at least had a nicer tone. I am waiting for my next vacation to read the new series, starting with HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD. I need a beach and some waves for a total escape. But my dad’s halfway through the third and says it’s all great!
We watched Einstein and the Bomb on Netflix this week, and I was struck by the snippets of his 1933 speech at Royal Albert Hall, so I found a copy and read the whole thing. It’s scary how prescient he was. What they skipped over in the film was his idea for deep work, to take brilliant young minds to the lonely shore or isolated countryside and let them think deep thoughts. I think this is an excellent idea.
I sent it immediately to our friend Cal, who, by the way, has a new book out Tuesday called Slow Productivity. Expect a dissertation on it next week 😂
Yes, I am reading all over the place right now. I’m firmly convinced it exercises all parts of the brain, and as such, is good for writing.
And on the writing front:
I’m cooking along on #HLN. The story is fully outlined, and I’m laying down words. The constraints of the outline don’t seem to be keeping me from getting creative with the storytelling. Ergo, the experiment is declared a success. And the first draft of the new Jayne Thorne novel is now in my queue for edits. Things are getting busy again, so I’m really buckling down.
That’s it from me. How about you? Good week? What are you reading this weekend?
This post may contain affiliate links. They help defray the cost of running the site — and buys the cat her favorite treats!
Congratulations again and again on the double noms! It’s such a huge honor and SO well-deserved, my dear!
I am halfway through my bookshelf refresh, and have one shelf devoted to the books I was gifted/recommended but haven’t yet read. Up first is Gail Caldwell’s Let’s Take The Long Way Home, a memoir of her friendship with the late writer, Caroline Knapp, author of Drinking: A Love Story. It’s beautiful and devastating, best read in small, emotional bits. Just finished the audio of a post-apocalyptic novel, The Second Sleep by Robert Harris. Fabulous premise, and excellent writing, but I felt let down by the soft ending. Still, worth a read for post-apocalyptic fans.
Congratulations on the nominations, JT. Well deserved. I can't read different books at once, unless one is non-fiction. Busy working through Self Editing for Fiction Authors - Renni Brown and Dave King. If I find a book hard work, I'll leave it for a year and move onto another one.
Recently finished Field of Graves by a little know author, JT Ellison. (Ha ha.) Kendra Elliot's At the River, and James Holland's, Sicily '43. I love Taylor and the gang! At the River had me glued to my iPad until I finished the book. Sicily '43 is one of the most authoritative and detailed books written on the invasion and conquest of the island by the Allies.
Lined up for my week's reading (going away this weekend), Mark Greaney - Chaos Agent; Lisa Regan - Face Her Fear; Jennifer Chase - The First Girl.
Wow! Congratulations on the nominations, J.T. - that's fantastic!
I'm looking forward to your upcoming post on Resistance! This week I started my annual reread of the War of Art since it occurred to me, last weekend, that's a bit of what I've been mucking about with, lately.
Thanks for the link to the Einstein speech, off to read that now. Can't wait for Cal's new book!
The whole Sarah J Maas thing really makes me mad. Did you see where Rebecca Yarros did an interview on CBS Mornings? It was all about the Romantsy phenomenon. It was a great interview. It's amazing how much money people spend on romance novels and how little credit the authors receive (case on point, Sarah J Maas). I remember that you had said your Dad reads Maas and I LOVE it!
I've been meaning to watch Einstein and the Bomb and this is my kick in the pants to do it...haha
My week has been consumed with all things Abby Jimenez and Drs appts.
I read 2 of her books. Part of Your World and Yours Truely. They were both great books and laugh out loud funny. I just started The Friend Zone. Jimenez is a new to me author and just what I needed right now!
It was a great week personally!
My last 2 drains were removed and that meant I could SHOWER. Not being able to shower for 15 days was daunting....at least I was working from home and not really going anywhere. Other good news...my pathology came back and it was stage 0, which means it was caught super early and no further treatment is needed. Cancer is a roller coaster ride and I'm definitely on a "high" right now!
On that note....everyone PLEASE go in for annual check ups. Women go in for Mammograms when you get to that age. These SIMPLE things could literally save your life!!
I'll get off my soap box now. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!
Of course all of the library requests came in at the same moment so it will be a marathon weekend of Bride by Ali Hazelwood and Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. Plus all the books due back soon!
Congratulations again on the nominations!! I'm hoping they turn into wins. Also, I'm glad your mom had a successful surgery and is on the mend. I happened to see the peaches analogy on the substack feed, and it spoke to my soul too. Sometimes, I feel I complicate things when they don't need to be. Most likely due to my need to control the outcome of situations, which of course I can't control. All I can do is put in the work and live my life my way.
I had a busy first part of the week and wasn't able to start any new books until yesterday and man what a fun ride. I'm reading Sarah J Maas' book A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES. I wish I hadn't waited so long to jump on it, but it means I don't have to wait for all the books to be written and can binge.
I can't wait to hear what you think of Jesse Q. Suntanto's new thriller book. I'd been wondering about it since you mentioned her in your post.
Congratulations! That's incredible news and I'm so happy for you. Also very intrigued by the idea of SLOW PRODUCTIVITY. That sounds like the antidote to everything.
So glad surgery was a success. Nerve things are ouchy. I was SOO excited when I saw It’s One of Us and These Cold Strangers were nominated for Thriller awards!! I don’t usually love a short story, I like some of them a lot but very rarely am I just blown away by one. But that how I feel about These Cold Strangers!!! I have a few short stories left in Bobby Matthews collection and then I’m going to start Hank Phillippi Ryan’s One Wrong Word.
Congratulations again and again on the double noms! It’s such a huge honor and SO well-deserved, my dear!
I am halfway through my bookshelf refresh, and have one shelf devoted to the books I was gifted/recommended but haven’t yet read. Up first is Gail Caldwell’s Let’s Take The Long Way Home, a memoir of her friendship with the late writer, Caroline Knapp, author of Drinking: A Love Story. It’s beautiful and devastating, best read in small, emotional bits. Just finished the audio of a post-apocalyptic novel, The Second Sleep by Robert Harris. Fabulous premise, and excellent writing, but I felt let down by the soft ending. Still, worth a read for post-apocalyptic fans.
Congratulations on the nominations, JT. Well deserved. I can't read different books at once, unless one is non-fiction. Busy working through Self Editing for Fiction Authors - Renni Brown and Dave King. If I find a book hard work, I'll leave it for a year and move onto another one.
Recently finished Field of Graves by a little know author, JT Ellison. (Ha ha.) Kendra Elliot's At the River, and James Holland's, Sicily '43. I love Taylor and the gang! At the River had me glued to my iPad until I finished the book. Sicily '43 is one of the most authoritative and detailed books written on the invasion and conquest of the island by the Allies.
Lined up for my week's reading (going away this weekend), Mark Greaney - Chaos Agent; Lisa Regan - Face Her Fear; Jennifer Chase - The First Girl.
Wow! Congratulations on the nominations, J.T. - that's fantastic!
I'm looking forward to your upcoming post on Resistance! This week I started my annual reread of the War of Art since it occurred to me, last weekend, that's a bit of what I've been mucking about with, lately.
Thanks for the link to the Einstein speech, off to read that now. Can't wait for Cal's new book!
Amazing authors!
What an honor to be nominated...congrats!!
The whole Sarah J Maas thing really makes me mad. Did you see where Rebecca Yarros did an interview on CBS Mornings? It was all about the Romantsy phenomenon. It was a great interview. It's amazing how much money people spend on romance novels and how little credit the authors receive (case on point, Sarah J Maas). I remember that you had said your Dad reads Maas and I LOVE it!
I've been meaning to watch Einstein and the Bomb and this is my kick in the pants to do it...haha
My week has been consumed with all things Abby Jimenez and Drs appts.
I read 2 of her books. Part of Your World and Yours Truely. They were both great books and laugh out loud funny. I just started The Friend Zone. Jimenez is a new to me author and just what I needed right now!
It was a great week personally!
My last 2 drains were removed and that meant I could SHOWER. Not being able to shower for 15 days was daunting....at least I was working from home and not really going anywhere. Other good news...my pathology came back and it was stage 0, which means it was caught super early and no further treatment is needed. Cancer is a roller coaster ride and I'm definitely on a "high" right now!
On that note....everyone PLEASE go in for annual check ups. Women go in for Mammograms when you get to that age. These SIMPLE things could literally save your life!!
I'll get off my soap box now. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!
Of course all of the library requests came in at the same moment so it will be a marathon weekend of Bride by Ali Hazelwood and Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. Plus all the books due back soon!
Congratulations again on the nominations!! I'm hoping they turn into wins. Also, I'm glad your mom had a successful surgery and is on the mend. I happened to see the peaches analogy on the substack feed, and it spoke to my soul too. Sometimes, I feel I complicate things when they don't need to be. Most likely due to my need to control the outcome of situations, which of course I can't control. All I can do is put in the work and live my life my way.
I had a busy first part of the week and wasn't able to start any new books until yesterday and man what a fun ride. I'm reading Sarah J Maas' book A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES. I wish I hadn't waited so long to jump on it, but it means I don't have to wait for all the books to be written and can binge.
I can't wait to hear what you think of Jesse Q. Suntanto's new thriller book. I'd been wondering about it since you mentioned her in your post.
Congratulations on the nominations! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey
Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
The City of the Living by Nicola Lagioia
Congratulations! That's incredible news and I'm so happy for you. Also very intrigued by the idea of SLOW PRODUCTIVITY. That sounds like the antidote to everything.
FYI... I'm having a glitch on the backend and I can't reply to comments individually. I've sent a note to Substack and they're working on it.
Brandee, I have Liz's book - I would love to hear your thoughts. I was going to read it at the beach and got sidetracked...
So glad surgery was a success. Nerve things are ouchy. I was SOO excited when I saw It’s One of Us and These Cold Strangers were nominated for Thriller awards!! I don’t usually love a short story, I like some of them a lot but very rarely am I just blown away by one. But that how I feel about These Cold Strangers!!! I have a few short stories left in Bobby Matthews collection and then I’m going to start Hank Phillippi Ryan’s One Wrong Word.
Congratulations! (I somehow missed this one... so behind with Substack.) I want you to win! 🏆