Christine, wholly foolish

@sgj.bsky.social, just finished Killer on the Road (read The Babysitter Lives a month ago). Thank you, thank you for all your wonderful work. You write the best acknowledgements—told my former theology professor this on Substack. King is a great writer, but you are my go-to horror writer these days.

This is the first book I’ve read this fast in a while. Thank you for such a heartfelt read. I’m going to buy a copy since this one has to go back to the library.

Photo of Killer on the Road cover of Stephen Graham Jones’s latest novel, which a Saga Double publication—two books in one.

Now that I am holding it, I see that this book is even cooler than I anticipated, @sgj.bsky.social.

I can tell!

Photo of Wearing the Lion, a fantasy novel by John Wiswell.

Finally got to check out Wearing the Lion from my local library, @wiswell.bsky.social. LOVE the first line—great hook.

Front cover of Imagining Argentina by Lawrence Thornton

Photo of the back cover of Imagining Argentina by Lawrence Thornton.

Friday Night Fiction: Imagining Argentina, Lawrence Thornton, 1987.

I subscribe to Used Books Monthly— it’s like a blind date with one or more books by mail.

Imagining Argentina came this week. I’ve never heard of the author or this novel, but apparently it won awards.

www.usedbooksmonthly.com

Instead of Friday Night Fiction for the solstice, it’s Friday Night Classic Movie—Hitchcock’s Vertigo, for the first time. Then maybe Harvey. I do love Jimmy Stewart.

Photograph of 4 library books, side-by-side: Anima Rising, by Christopher Moore; Water, Water, poems by Billy Collins; Absolution, by Jeff VanderMeer; and When the Moon Hits Your Eye, by John Scalzi

“Reading should feel a little subversive… because it is! To sit around and read a novel in the year 2025 is an act of resistance.”

—Austin Kleon, “On Reading Novels”(austinkleon.com/category/reading/)

I’m not hardy enough for a street protest, but I will support my local library & read today.

From red.penrebel on Threads. “Writer” Lauren Cate Leake is a plagiarist. Probably used AI, as usual.
If not, even worse. Anyway:
1. Not Amazon’s fault, you thief
2. Fuck JKR and Lauren
3. Don’t use “indies” as a shield
4. Yes, Lauren, please “give up” and let real writers work

Photo of the novel City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Friday Night Fiction:
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. I’m finally getting around to reading his first series—his other two are among my favorites. Excellent worldbuilding, engaging characters and intriguing story are hallmarks of his work.

At least ten armed officers blocked a lone young woman from trying to get home. The best idea to defuse the situation the ten could think up was to yell at her for a few seconds and then shoot her with rubber bullets.

Does The Empire Strikes Back count?

Odin’s Day treasures from the Austin Public Library. 5 borrowed and Pachinko was on the Recycled Reads for sale shelf. I’m excited about all of them, but will probably begin with The River Has Roots. Although Sister, Sinner, about Aimee Semple McPherson has the lure of the unknown.

I’ve finished The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, @sgj.bsky.social. Thought I would binge it as soon as I opened it, but my heart needed time for the words to go where they needed to, to absorb the sorrow. I’m still sniffling a little. Always love the afterwords. Thank you for this book.

I’m eagerly awaiting Is a River Alive, by Robert Macfarlane. Field Notes has this set of little memo books. They feel so good in the hand. The list of practical applications on the back inside cover makes me smile. I’ll have fun figuring out how to play with them. @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social

'What Are They Doing Illegal?' Officer Says Before Arresting Pro-Palestine Students Audio reveals an officer admitting University of Texas students weren’t breaking the law before they were arrested during a pro-Palestine protest.

EXCLUSIVE: A police officer questioned the legality of arresting peaceful student protesters without probable cause at a pro-Palestine demonstration at the University of Texas at Austin, audio from body camera footage provided to Rolling Stone shows.

Friday night fiction! It’s finally time to read @sgj.bsky.social Graham Jones’s latest novel, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Wanted to be able to devote my whole being to this highly-anticipated work. He is one of my favorite writers, horror and otherwise. Almost halfway through.

Good Friday Night Fiction

Post a movie from the year you turned 18.

I much prefer to wade through my memory rather than heading to a search engine right away.

I’m so sorry, Matt. I’ve enjoyed your posts about time spent with your parents.

I keep holding my copy of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, unwilling to break the anticipation, so I’m reading Acceptance, the last in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy. Watching a marathon of Barney Miller over the air on Antenna TV.

Mo-NA-ca, a suburb of Pittsburgh, as opposed to Mon-a-ca.

You are awesome!

I picked The Buffalo Hunter Hunter up last Thursday. I find myself nursing the anticipation. Once I crack the spine, I’ll binge the book, which will be a good, deep water experience, but then I’ll have to return to the surface. @sgj.bsky.social

Theft.

I think my favorite is New York 2140.

Many of my faves. Is that Kim Stanley Robinson in the middle?

Also, I love the books I can see in the background.

Ooh, that’s going on my TBR list, I think.