The Irresponsible Reader - I Read (a lot) and then Rant, Rave and maybe Review

Saturday is the annual celebration of Indie Bookstore Day, a day where small bookstores across the country conspire to get people like me to open up their wallets without complaining. A few weeks back, I thought it’d be fun to get some Q&As done with local shops about the store and what they were doing for Indie Bookstore Day.

Good idea, right? Well, it’d have been better if I’d sent the invitation to participate and the questions. I had them ready, just needed to copy and paste into an email and send. About a week ago, I realized I’d dropped the ball and opted for this instead–a quick look at the stores in the area that I’m most familiar with, and a list of what they’ll be up to Saturday. Locals should check all of these places out (not necessarily on Saturday, but why not?)

If you’re not a local, you should still come and check them out–let me know when you’re in town, we’ll do something. 🙂

Or, if you don’t want to travel hundreds of miles just for these bookstores, check out IndieBound.org’s Participating Stores Map and find somewhere local to support.

Rediscovered Books

Location: 1576 W Grove St, Boise, ID 83702
Website: https://rdbooks.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rediscoveredbooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rdbooks
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RediscoveredBooks
Twitter: https://x.com/rdbooks
Shop Online: https://rdbooks.org/books
Librofm: https://libro.fm/rdbooks

This is the Indie Bookshop juggernaut in the area. Well, as much of a juggernaut as an Indie Bookshop can be. They’ve been around for 20 years, are on their 3rd main location (they had one for a brief period of time closer to me, but that didn’t last). They’ve got a good stock and a knowledgeable staff—yes, I have temporarily stumped them with a question or two, but that was always a temporary thing (and along the way I typically got a recommendation that I wasn’t looking for, but ended up enjoying).

Most of the region’s author events/other literary happenings have them to thank in some way (the percentage is decreasing because other groups are stepping up, not because they’re backing down). They have a good number of book clubs and other regular happenings, too. Their new location even has an event space you can rent out.

If you’re in the area and haven’t been there, I’d question your bookish credentials, if that didn’t make me a jerk.

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

Their website states:

Golden Ticket Hunt – find the Golden Ticket in-store and get a year’s worth of audiobook credits from Libro.fm!
Bookish Flash Tattoos from local artist Deb Bryant – check out her work here – from 10 AM to 4 PM – flash sheets coming soon
Food Truck – Tango’s Empanadas from 11 AM to 2 PM
Indie Bookstore Day Exclusive Items – Special Edition books, totes, activity sheets, and more–only available in-store on April 25th

Canary Books

Location: 1403 3rd St S, Nampa, ID 83651
Website: https://canarybooksnampa.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Canary-Books/61550654169548/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canarybooksnampa/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@canarybooks
Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/canarybooksnampa

This is a tiny used bookstore that just celebrated its 2nd anniversary (or “bird-day”). Which is probably why it doesn’t have that used bookstore smell (I’m not the only one that thinks they all smell the same, am I?—it’s a nice smell, but distinct to the species). I’ve gotten away from used book stores in the past few years—but Canary Books has made me rethink that (I first went in for a special new book for a charity drive thing they did).

It’s a cozy and friendly atmosphere–stocked with “a curated selection of second-hand literary fiction, mystery/thriller, sci-fi & fantasy, narrative non-fiction, young adult, and children’s books.” Curated well, and in really good condition, too. I’ve spent double my budget for the day each time I went in there.

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

A Facebook post states: Double punches on loyalty cards, a new Treasure Valley Bookstore Crawl challenge kicking off, and search the store for the “golden ticket” for a year of free audiobooks from @librofm.

Kuna’s Book Habit

Location: 102 E 2nd St, Kuna, ID 83634 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kunasbookhabit/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kunasbookhabit/

As far as I know, this is Kuna’s first bookstore—and it needed one, especially as the community keeps growing the way it is.

It is a tiny place, practically bursting at the seams with new and used stock of a wide variety of genres/tastes. (okay, I haven’t been in their “new” location, but it’s in the same building as the old, so I have a pretty good idea what it’s like). When you walk in, you feel surrounded by friends/prospective friends (for those of us who consider books as friend material).

The proprietor is Bryan McBee, a local indie author who is very supportive of other local authors. There are signing events so often that I can’t keep track of them (and I have an unerring ability to find out about the ones that I want to attend too late, I really need to do better about checking those earlier). Kuna’s Book Habit is the local place for Indie Authors.

It’s a real, too-often-overlooked, gem of a shop.

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

They haven’t announced any particular activities for the day, however they will be having a signing by a local author and their semi-annual Fill-a-Bag Sale, which would mandate me buying a new bookshelf unit.

Oldspeak Book Bear Bar

Location: 3640 West Chinden Boulevard Garden City, ID 83714
Website: https://www.oldspeakbar.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisroomislit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldspeakbar/
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/thelitroom

This is a combo bookstore/bar/coffee shop. Technically, they “have a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages including a tea and light coffee program, NA beer options, ERTH BEV switchels, sparkling water, kombucha, etc.” I haven’t sampled deeply from their drinks menu (I tend to get stuck on something I like right away and have trouble moving on), but I’m told by the more adventuresome folks I’ve gone there with that what I haven’t tried is good.

To me, this feels like an art-house movie theater from the 90’s morphed into a bookstore. The selection isn’t large—but it’s deep and varied. I remember one time seeing these deep, award-winning literary works cramming one shelf, and just one over, they had a front-facing copy of Dungeon Crawler Carl. They feature local writers, and indie publishers. Their non-fiction section is pound-for-pound the best in the area. There’s a decent selection of translated works—just a few selections per language, but in translation from more languages than I’m used to seeing (then again, I’m not used to seeing books in translation separate from everything else).

The atmosphere is just great—you can sit and chat, play a tabletop game, talk books, or just sip a drink and read. I’ve been there with non-readers who were as eager to go back as the readers.

In my (limited) experience, you need to be in the store at the right time to talk to staff about books, so far, I haven’t been. The staff behind the counter could ring up the purchases and fetch/pour/make your drink just fine—but talking about the books, answering questions? I haven’t had that much luck (although I’ve overheard others with better timing doing well on that front)

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

Facebook and Instagram state:
• Free cake by @wickedcakes.co
• Book sales! Buy two get the third half off.
• Cool vendors! @samarchide @rollinrecsboise @thesnarkyswede

Plus, our new food vendor @lastbiteinc will be serving their tasty light bites from 11am-6pm.

Shared Stories

Location: 106 South Kimball Avenue Caldwell, ID 83605
Website: https://sharedstoriesbooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Shared-Stories-61558055019022
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/profile/sharedstoriesbooks.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@sharedstoriesbooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharedstoriesbooks
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sharedstoriesbooks
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/sharedstories
Libro.fm: https://sharedstoriesbooks.com/audiobooks

I can’t promise that I’ll make it to any of the above stores on Saturday, but I will be here. Shared Stories came to town around this time in 2024 (there’s a Q&A with the owner here) and quickly became my go-to brick-and-mortar stop for books. It’s also the host of the two book clubs I attend (and several more I don’t have time for).

Beyond selling books, gifts, and so on, their goal is to be a Third Space for the area “where we could meet, spend time and talk about our different stories.” And it’s as warm and welcoming as you’d want for that space.

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable–and ready to chat about books (and more) at the drop of a hat. They get to know regular customers and their tastes to a degree that makes you wonder if they’re using cookies on you.

They have plenty of events, too–cooking classes, craft days, local author signings, and more–including an upcoming Speed Friending event.

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

I combined an Instagram post and their event page to come up with:
✰In-Store Raffle
✰Find the Libro.fm Golden Ticket
✰Exclusive Sticker
✰Blind Date with a Book Drop
✰Snacks & Music
✰Walk Up & Craft Book Bedazzle Station
✰Flash Tattos by @magpie.mady and apprentice @posietattoos

…..& More TBA!

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WWW Wednesday—April 26, 2026

By HCNewton

On April 22, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

I’m dealing with a stupid cold this week–nothing like a cold to make me feel like I’m 12 again. Snot-nosed punk. It’s messing with me–I have a different kind of post that was supposed to go up yesterday or today–and now I’m hoping I can get it together by tomorrow. We’ll see if I can stay awake long enough.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine	The Book of Spores edited by Frasier Armitage, Eleni Argyró, Adrian M. Gibson & Ed Crocker	Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh

I’m having some trouble getting into Martine’s book (yesterday, I couldn’t get my eyes to focus…stupid cold). But what I’ve read, I’ve really dug. This world is fascinating.

The Book of Spores features a lot of stories that are not in a genre I read much of, but on the whole, they’re working for me. I think I’m going to end up being really impressed.

I haven’t found a lot o time for an audiobook this week, but the third book in Leckie’s trilogy is really strong. I’m having more fun with it than I did with the other two–which makes me pretty sure that things are going to get dark before it’s over.

What did you recently finish reading?


Worse than a Lie by Ben Crump	This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

Crump might be a great attorney, but he’s no novelist. Do yourself a favor and bypass this one.

On the other hand, Page’s book is a celebration of the life-changing power of the right book at the right time, a tribute to readers, and a love story to independent bookshops. The story might be a little on the predictable side (still, she zagged a couple of times I expected a zig–including with the resolution). A sweet read.

What do you think you’ll read next?


A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper	The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, read by Amber Faith

I have no doubt that I’m going to be in awe over A Violent Masterpiece–which is a pretty good tagline for Harper’s novels in general.

I read The Naturals a few years back, but didn’t finish the series–I think I want to tackle that this year, better start with a revisit. Okay, I just checked…”a few years” is 11 in this case. Yeah, I’d better revisit.

How are you all feeling? Is that helping or hindering your reading?

City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky: A Lot of Promise, Not A Lot of Delivery

By HCNewton

On April 22, 2026

In Fantasy, Fiction

City of Last Chances

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

DETAILS:
Series: The Tyrant Philosophers, #1
Publisher: Head of Zeus  
Publication Date: May 28, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 498 pg.
Read Date: March 12-17, 2026

What’s City of Last Chances About?

I’m tired of trying to come up with a succinct way of saying this, so I’m just going to paste the text from the back of my paperback:

There has always been a darkness to Ilmar, but never more so than now. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse. What will be the spark that lights the conflagration?

Despite the city’s refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood – that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores.

Ilmar, some say, is the worst place in the world and the gateway to a thousand worse places.

I’m not sure what I think about this…

There are several groups that oppose the occupation, each for their own reasons, too. Partially patriotic, partially something varied from group to group. And given that, there are different levels of eagerness to begin. Each group has a particular goal, a particular set of events that they’re waiting for to launch their rebellion—and each fully expects the others to join in once the fuse is lit.

That’s a mistake—some won’t when this particular fuse is aflame. Some will claim to be coming to help, but will instead hole themselves up. Others just want to bide their time.

And overcoming that is a lot for those who have thrown their hats in the ring.

This is probably very realistic—it’s never going to be as easy as a well-organized group rising up to counter the invaders/ruling class. It’s going to be various alliances and sects. So well done, Tchaikovsky. It very much makes it feel like a fantasy version of the French Revolution.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I picked this up because it was the Fantasy Book Club pick of the month.

I kept at it because there were a lot of interesting plot threads, some fascinating characters, and great scenes, and I was eager to see how they all tied together by the end.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

For one, there’s a great depiction of the utter lack of compassion and naked ambition that can befall those who are convinced they/their group are absolutely correct, the only determiner of what is right/wrong, as they try to elevate/educate/correct another group of people.

On the other side, we have a selfishness and greed that a resistance can give shelter to. “Yes, I want to push back against this oppressive regime—but not so much that it’ll interfere with my art/scholarship/business or cause me any more inconvenience than I’m currently experiencing.”

There are some who don’t seem so materialistic in their approach—I should stress, but their motives aren’t necessarily that “pure.” They’re just more intangible, while largely selfish.

There’s a lot of self-delusion to go around, basically.

So, what did I think about City of Last Chances?

There are just so many fantastic characters—on all sides of the conflict. I don’t know how many times I would get into a scene or return to a character and would’ve been content to stay in that POV for hundreds of pages. I never got that opportunity.

Some of the plot lines were just delicious—the combination of characters, their aims, and what they do to try to accomplish those aims. So close to perfection.

There were scenes that you just want to re-read to suck all the marrow out of it. Tchaikovsky phrases things so well, and crams so many ideas into the book that it can make your head swim. There are bits that are so sweet and heartwarming, there are bits that will make you chuckle, some incredibly gross moments, too—and your pulse will pound more than once. And you will frequently bask in Tchaikovsky’s cleverness in how he orchestrates scenes/events/plotlines.

However (yes, sorry, there’s a however). You put it all together and…it just flops. It might be that there’s just too much of a good thing; it could be that everything doesn’t have the chance to breathe and get fully fleshed out; I just might not have the attention span for it all (I would note that most at our Book Club meeting shared my sentiment here, though); it might be the conclusion of the novel wasn’t as satisfying as it could’ve been (I will not get into that more).

It’s entirely likely to be something else, too. I dunno—I just walked away more than ready for my next read.

Oh, and the fact that we don’t get back to this city until (as I’m told) the 5th book in the series? That makes it really hard for me to think about trying Book Two.

Your results may vary, obviously. The book and series have received plenty of honors. The fact that Tchaikovsky has released four books in the series so far, suggests that there is an audience for it. And if one of those wants to fill up my comments with all the reasons I should read on in the series—I’m all ears.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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MUSIC MONDAY: “Golden” by Puddles Pity Party

By HCNewton

On April 20, 2026

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

This is how you do a cover.

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2026 Plans and Challenges—1st Quarter Check-In

By HCNewton

On April 20, 2026

In Books, Calendar Items, Miscellany, News/Misc.

I thought I’d get this up no later than the 3rd. Oh, well.

Last year was a disaster for my plans and goals…both those stated and unstated. That only bothers me a little—I had too much fun with what I did accomplish, and was so tired because of everything else in life that perspective is easy. This is a hobby—I didn’t hobby the way I wanted to. But, still, hobbying was done.

This year, I think my plans (at least the stated ones) are more achievable…I fell back on the ol’ SMART Goal model, and cut myself a lot of slack (see below)–even stating upfront that I expected to fail with at least one goal. I do really wish my Literary Locals thing had a bit more life to it–I’ve got three Q&As in the works and hope for more soon. I’ve got some pitches for HC Chats, too–I just need to actually send them out. Grandpappy’s Corner has gathered more dust than I like–but I have a stack of those I need to make time for. I’m thiiiis close to just devoting a week to them.

How’s the perennial, “Cut down on my Goodreads Want-to-Read list and the unread books that I own” goal going? It could be better, but overall…?

	Audio	E-book	Physical	Goodreads Want-to-Read	NetGalley Shelf/ARCs/Review Copies
End of 2025	4	89	112	192	11
End of the 1st Quarter	4	88	118	202	10
End of the 2nd Quarter	2	–	–	–	–
End of the 3rd Quarter	1	–	–	–	–
End of the 4th Quarter	4	–	–	–	–

2026 Book Challenges

Goodreads Challenge

I honestly don’t care about them, I talk about them just as an indicator of how I spend my time (for myself), although it often comes across as something else. I’m also tackling some more thought-provoking and slower reads this year, but it’s not reflecting in that number (so far). I’m okay with that.

My TBR Range Challenge

As the table above suggests, there’s not really a lot of change on the pre-20206 heights—and that 2026 bar is higher than I want. Still…

Reading with Wrigs

A book with a building or cityscape on the cover: City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky
A book with a color in the title: Black Bag by Luke Kennard

I could be doing better on this one—but I’ve read two this month, and I have the titles for some of the others already picked. I’m feeling okay.

The 2026 Booktempter’s TBR Challenge

January–It’s a classic task for a reason: Read the very last book to enter your TBR pile. TBRs come from the habit we have of not reading books because we put them off. You have my permission to indulge yourself—Lit by Tim Sandlin
February–Partners in crime?: For the month of Valentines you can choose a book about a partnership be it friends, lovers or whatever combination comes to mind—Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg
March–First Bloom: As Spring arrives for this change I’d like to read a book that is the debut of an author. Who knows this may become someone you’ll follow forever!—Nav’Aria: The Marked Heir by K.J. Backer

Haven’t hit a stretch goal yet, but there’s still time.

25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25 Years
Whoops, I stumbled a bit here. But I’ve recovered this month.

2026 Speccy Fiction Challenge

A speculative novella (less than 250pgs)—Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
The first book in a speculative fiction duology/trilogy/series—Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Speculative fiction that features a creature (animal/monster)—Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson
A fantasy based on myth, legend or folklore—The Lost Daughter of Sparta by Felicia Day, Rowan MacColl
A scifi that takes place on a spaceship or space station—Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Cutting Myself Some Slack

I added one goal after the year started. My “To Write About” pile was out of control–seriously. And it was eating away at the back of my mind. So I did two things–I started those Monthly Leftover posts–requiring myself to write a catch-up post at the end of the following month for the books I haven’t gotten to yet (e.g., At the end of February, write about January books; at the end of June, write about the May). I also removed every book from 2003-5 from that list–unless I’d promised someone (an author, publicist, NetGalley) a much-overdue post or the Lewis books from last year I hadn’t tackled yet.

That cut 252 books from my list, and so much anxiety. It’s down to 29 at the moment–which is still daunting, but it’s really doable if I focus a bit (and a couple of those are going to be three-fers, tackling an entire trilogy in one post, etc.) Who knows, I might be back saying the same thing at this point next year…but hopefully not.

20 Books of Summer
Assuming that this is done again—hopefully last year’s hosts are up for it—I’ll be there. It’s a fun tradition.

How’re your reading goals/plans going so far this year?

The image for the Picture book list is taken from the article. The Book stack image by yeliao521 from Pixabay. The “finger scissors” image is from Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay.

Fantasy with Friends: My Favorite Fantasy Subgenres

By HCNewton

On April 20, 2026

In Books, Fantasy with Friends, News/Misc.

Fantasy with Friends is a weekly meme hosted by the good people over at Pages Unbound. Fantasy with Friends poses questions each Monday about fantasy, either as a genre as a whole or individual works.

This week’s prompt is:

Do you have any favorite subgenres of fantasy such as urban fantasy, historical fantasy, etc.?

Well, I think cozy fantasy is becoming a real favorite—cozy/cozy adjacent books. There’s the pure escapism, the warmth of friendship, family, the nigh-obligatory romance (not always that heavy, so even gruff guys like myself can handle it).

Shining Examples: Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons (etc.), Legends and Lattes (etc.), The Guard in the Garden, Cursed Cocktails (etc.); Mrs. Covington’s.

Are portal fantasies considered a sub-genre? If so, I’d say I have a real soft-spot for them, ever since I read what happened to Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace after they got sucked into that painting of a ship. I can’t say that I’ve read a lot of them—but they’re practically an automatic-like for me.

Examples that jump to mind: The Great Way series (it’s a portal fantasy involving two non-Earth realities, which adds to the cool-factor), The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, The Guardians of Aandor series, The Blackwood Saga, the Nav’Aria series, and the Wayward Children series.

But really, when it comes to sub-genres, it’s all about Urban Fantasy for me. Those who spend too much time looking at the Fiction categories at the top of my page will note that I have 2 for Fantasy—Urban and everything else. I read some things as a child that I think qualify (don’t ask me what—I wish I could remember, I want to re-read them), but moved on to “regular Fantasy” because there wasn’t a lot of options. Then TV’s Buffy Summers came along and reminded me just how great the idea was. A few years later, I met Harry Dresden, and that was so much better than anything Buffy could do (no UPN/WB budget constraints)—and I discovered the genre had a name. Harry was quickly followed by Rachel Morgan and her crew, then Kitty Norville, and a few others I’ve largely forgotten. Soon after that I met Simon Canderous, Mercy Thompson, Toby Daye, Peter Grant and the Folly; the Iron Druid Chronicles, Alex Verus, The Twenty Palaces, InCryptid, The Spellmason Chronicles, Jane Yellowrock/Soulwood; Fred, the vampire Accountant; An Inheritance of Magic series, The Unorthodox Chronicles, The Chronos Chronicles, The Inner Circle…and so many others. One of my sons got me hooked on Skulduggery Pleasant, I should hasten to add—UF is a thing even in the Middle Grade world.

Why does it have an appeal? I think a lot of it comes from the way they ultimately become some sort of detective novel—which is my first love when it comes to storytelling in any format. Throw in magic and the other goodies that come along with fantasy, and I’m as happy as a well-fed ogre.

There was a time—shortly after Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks joined Harry, Murph, and Bob in my “I have to read more like this” list that UF is all I looked for—new-to-me Urban Fantasies—in bookstores and in my library. This led me to read a lot of things that I’d just as soon forget (and largely have)—but it also got me to read some things I really enjoyed, and wish I could remember. But it’s the series that really stuck with me—the way they all deal with the same ideas in very different ways. For example—the Dresden files has 3 types of werewolves, Kitty Norville has multiple lycanthrope species, Mercy Thompson/Alpha and Omega have just one—and they don’t match Dresden’s (but do come close to Kitty’s werewolves); the Iron Druid’s weres seem more like Kitty’s, but aren’t quite; The Cronos Chronicles‘ are along those lines—but significant differences remain. There’s also the way that they depict the non-supernatural world around them. Are some/all of the types of magical/fantasy types known to normies? How do they react/relate to them? Can electronics survive in the presence of a mage/wizard? And so on. Don’t even get me started on the variety of Fae represented by the above, or we could be here a long time. You can get that variety in Fantasy—you can’t come close in the muggle-world detective novels.

So there you go–my favotie subgenre is Urban Fantasy, but it has some competition. Especially if that Nobledark thing takes off.

I’m really looking forward to some of the <a href=”https://pagesunbound.wordpress.com/2026/04/20/my-favorite-fantasy-subgenres-fantasy-with-friends/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener>other posts in response to this prompt–if only because I expect a good recommendation or six.

Do you have responses to this? (either for the comment section below or from your own post)

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Saturday Miscellany—4/18/26

By HCNewton

On April 18, 2026

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Three things make a list, right?
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet The Rise of Nobledark Fantasy and What It Says About Us Right Now—Please, oh please, let this subgenre blossom.
bullet The Book News Isn’t All Bad—Molly Templeton points out the good news under the bad headlines
bullet In the same vein, Bookish Diversions: Anything Better than a Bookshop?

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
”…the entire building burst into flames. It was not a gradual combustion. One second, the building was a normal not-on-fire warehouse. Then it was all fire, as if it were the head of a match that had been struck.”—Soul Fraud by Andrew Givler

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet Once a Crooked Man by David McCallum
bullet Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire
bullet And I mentioned the release of Strike by Delilah S. Dawson.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn—”Chet the dog is less than enthusiastic about the Little Detective Agency’s next case. Chet and his human partner, PI Bernie Little, have been hired to find a missing person—only the missing person is a cat. Miss Kitty, an internet sensation, has disappeared, and Chet and Bernie have been hired to find her before her many followers realize something is wrong.” I enjoyed talking about it recently.
bullet Electric City Switches by M.D. Presley—Corbin has his hands full trying to track down a thief, keep her safe from bounty hunters and her (estranged) family, while his mentor is confined to their hotel. I tried to talk coherently about it yesterday.
bullet Paranormal Payback edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes—A solid collection of Urban Fantasy revenge tales. I wrote something about it earlier in the week–and forgot to mention that the last story is a must read for the names of the two protagonists alone! (the rest of the story was pretty good, but I want an explanation of the names)
bullet First Mage on the Moon by Cameron Johnston—An “innovative space fantasy, where wizards race to be the first on the moon – also known as the land of the gods.”
bullet Go Gentle by Maria Semple—I don’t know what it’s about (honest!), all I need to read is “Maria Semple.”
bullet Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell—”[A] breathtakingly honest novel about a woman who lost everything — and isn’t sure she wants it back.”
bullet The Signal Beneath the Sand by Hank Garner—I’ve spent so much time listening to Garner talking to authors of every stripe, I’m eager to see what he can do. Also, who doesn’t like a first contact SF adventure?
bullet Spies and Other Gods by James Wolff—A “darkly funny”, possibly Mick Herron-esque, “cat-and-mouse spy thriller, an anonymous whistleblower sends British Intelligence into a frenzy, threatening to reveal secrets that could bring the establishment to its knees.”
bullet Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse, translated by Florian Duijsens—”In this zen and zany crime debut, a shady lawyer transforms his life through mindfulness—and uses his newfound techniques to kill his way to the top.” Oh, and it’s apparently on Netflix.

Electric City Switches by M.D. Presley: This Is Why Some People Can’t Go Home Again

By HCNewton

On April 17, 2026

In Urban Fantasy

Electric City Switches

by M.D. Presley

DETAILS:
Series: The Inner Circle, #3
Publication Date: April 18, 2028
Format: eARC
Length: 311 pgs.
Read Date: April 8-9, 2026

What’s Electric City Switches About?

Corbin and Isaac are sent to the Carolinas, basically where Isaac’s origin story begins. Isaac’s former flame is headed there with some sort of recently stolen item. One of the Inner Circle’s best enforcers, January, is also on her way to retrieve the item (and whatever happens to Sheena, happens).

Once there, they have to deal with the local magic establishment, others trying to capitalize on Sheena’s impending arrival, and, of course, January. Thankfully, there’s a motel that caters to magicians and they strictly enforce no-conflict.

And, I have to admit, after a couple of drafts, I still don’t think that’s the best way to describe it. But it’ll do.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I started this because the first two Inner Circle novels were really strong and entertaining—how could I not?

I stuck with it because it got into my bloodstream almost right away—it’s got all the elements of the other two books, but the type of story isn’t the same (ditto for the other two).

What does this book tell us about humanity?

Presley deals with themes of family, duty, family duty, and other obligations. Some people evade one—or more—of these (because of their character); some embrace them wholeheartedly (and that shapes who they are); some outwardly comply/support, while inwardly rebelling or resenting (which reflects and further shapes who they are). We don’t see any of these characters on their first steps along these lines—most of them have been in their position for years, and they’re brought together (in many cases and configurations, brought back together) here to react with or against each other.

None of this is uncomplicated (not unlike that rambling paragraph)—but the combination of motives, character, morals (or lack thereof), and desires provides reactions that possibly only someone as Machiavellian as Mister could predict. But none of the characters did.

Sure, there’s the magic society stuff—and other magic shenanigans—which are not to be underappreciated. But the heart of this book is that list above—the magic is just the dressing.

So, what did I think about Electric City Switches?

This is my favorite entry in the series thus far. Okay, it’s only the third, so that probably doesn’t sound so impressive. But it’s going to take some work by Presley to top this (work I expect he’s capable of).
Presley isn’t afraid to jam a lot of things into his novels, but this one seems super-loaded (the advantage of doing a pretty good job of building the world in the first two books—he can focus on other things): there’s a network of hotels for the magicians in the U.S. that serve as “Accorded Neutral Ground” (to borrow a label from someone else); it’s possible for non-magicians to wield magic? Oh, that’s cool; magicians can actually go to college and get a degree (even one that’ll work for mundane interests). A novella/novel about any one of these things would be cool—and these are just background material or things that come up along the way.

The fight scenes in this book are fantastic—magic and bladed weapons are generally a fun mix—especially when you put them in a contemporary setting. I don’t think Presley has given us anything like this in the series so far (yes, there’ve been exciting scenes—but not at this level).

And it’s just a lot of fun watching Corbin discovering Indian food—and a touch of the family’s culture, too. In the midst of all the drama, just this little bit of joy really stands out.

Our cast of characters is really pared down—we’ve got two or three of our regulars (depending how you want to count), and that’s it. Honestly, we don’t need more—as much fun as I’ve had with them around. Mister is not around, but his presence is felt throughout the book. We get some good backstory on Isaac that expands our understanding of him. And Corbin finally makes some decent headway on his magic education. Everyone else is new, and all of them—well, the ones that survive—are ones I’d enjoy seeing again. Particularly Sheena, who could easily become my favorite character in the series.

At several points, people ask Corbin why Isaac keeps him around, given his lack of proficiency with anything but dowsing—and honestly, there are other ways to get that result. But over and over again, Corbin shows himself to be more clever and resourceful than they are (with a few blunders, he’s not perfect). Growing up where he did—and without abilities—he learned to outthink those around him. He’s observant, a fast thinker, and doesn’t see things in the same way as those in the magic world. His approach to things is what justifies keeping him around and helps him keep coming up on top of messes.

And now that he’s leveled-up (a bit)…he’s going to have a big future. Assuming he keeps his head.

This would work as a jumping-on point to the series for those who haven’t tried The Inner Circle yet, but you’d probably be better off with the first book, Rites of Passage. If you’ve dabbled in this world before, you’ll be more than pleased with this one. Go grab it now that it’s out!

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Enemy of My Enemy (Audiobook) by Alex Segura, read by Michael David Axtell: A Lot of Devils in Hell’s Kitchen

By HCNewton

On April 16, 2026

In Audiobook, Comics, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Enemy of My Enemy

by Alex Segura, read by Michael David Axtell

DETAILS:
Series: Marvel Crime, #2
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date: March 24, 2026
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 28 min.
Read Date: April 8-13, 2026

What’s Enemy of My Enemy About?

I don’t need a lot of words to describe this—Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, is dead. Shot in his own home, and all the evidence points to Frank Castle as the shooter. Well, most of the evidence, anyway. Castle even lets himself be arrested without incident and seems ready to take the fall. Matt Murdock knows the facts don’t match up (for one, a police officer was also killed in Fisk’s office and Matt knows the Punisher wouldn’t do that), and can’t let him get railroaded. So he basically forces Castle to accept his representation.

It’s up to Matt Murdock and Daredevil to make sure Castle goes free and that the right killer is identified.

This was cleverly released shortly after the launch of Daredevil: Born Again season 2, but it’s not that much of a tie-in to the television series. This is the comic book version of Daredevil and the rest. It’s a minor point, but it does explain things like why we get someone so cartoonish* as Hammerhead and why certain characters are dead/alive.

* This is not a criticism, but a description. I enjoy the character.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I picked this up because I like the idea of this Marvel Crime series, the strength of the Jessica Jones novel, and Segura’s reputation.

I kept at it because this is a smart mystery/legal thriller with some great comic book action. There are plenty of twists, some good curve-balls, and more uses of the word “internecine” than I typically see in a book.

How was the Narration?

There’s only one other voice I’d like to hear as Matt Murdock/Daredevil than Michael David Axtell, but I think it was good for them not to cast Charlie Cox. This was just great—he handled every character in a way that fit perfectly. I was as entertained by his performance as I was the by text.

Really well done.

So, what did I think about Enemy of My Enemy?

I had a lot of fun with this one—for everything I just said in that last paragraph.

Segura nailed every character—well, I’m not sure about [surprise name withheld] because I haven’t read much about them, but given the way he dealt with everyone else, I figure he did right by them. And the cast of characters is large. Segura dove deeply into Marvel’s Hell’s Kitchen here.

Also, he wasn’t shy about killing off characters. It’s clearly outside the Marvel canon.

There’s not much else to say—it’s a solid thriller, a captivating superhero story, and you won’t see what’s coming. Enemy of My Enemy is a heckuva ride that I easily recommend to fans of any of the characters I mentioned.

WWW Wednesday—April 15, 2026

By HCNewton

On April 15, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

I literally just remembered it was Wednesday. Better get this done.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


Guns of Brixton by Paul D. Brazill	Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach

My first Brazill book will not be my last. This is fast, frenzied, and oh so fun (and not nearly as bloody as I thought it would be when I started…although I still have 40 pages to go, so I could be wrong).

Replaceable You is your typical Mary Roach–packed with a lot of info, some interesting conversations, some quality jokes, and jokes I wish she’d lost in editing.

What did you recently finish reading?


Soul Taken by Andrew Givler	Enemy of My Enemy by Alex Segura, read by Michael David Axtell

I had a blast with Soul Fraud, as I mentioned a few times earlier today.

Enemy of My Enemy was a great mix of Crime Fiction and Super-Heroes. I should have a post up about it tomorrow.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Worse than a Lie by Ben Crump	This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

I’m in the mood for some Crime Fiction with a conscience. I’m glad I have Crump’s book sitting on my desk.

This book from Page is either going to annoy me greatly with how treacly it is, or will make me swoon.

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

Announced activities for Indie Bookstore Day

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

How are you all feeling? Is that helping or hindering your reading?

What’s City of Last Chances About?

I’m not sure what I think about this…

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

What does this book tell us about humanity?

So, what did I think about City of Last Chances?

How’re your reading goals/plans going so far this year?

Do you have any favorite subgenres of fantasy such as urban fantasy, historical fantasy, etc.?

What’s Electric City Switches About?

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

What does this book tell us about humanity?

So, what did I think about Electric City Switches?

What’s Enemy of My Enemy About?

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

How was the Narration?

So, what did I think about Enemy of My Enemy?

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Are you using a book to distract yourself from Tax Day? Or are you too busy scrambling to get them done for something that frivolous?