Hello friends. We know there was extra sportsball this past weekend, and we hope you took advantage of that TV time to sneak off and get some reading done. We’ve got some more goodies for your TBR pile.
First up is Nita Prose’s The Mystery Guest, the follow-up to her smash debut, The Maid. This time around, Molly Gray (who has been elevated to Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel) must investigate the suspicious death of a world-famous mystery author who had the audacity to drop dead in the hotel’s tea room. The high-profile murder threatens to trim a few stars off the hotel’s five-star rating unless Molly can get to the bottom of the mystery. Of course, the detective assigned to the case—Molly’s nemesis—has his eye on the Head Maid, suspecting there’s something in her past that plays a part in this crime.
And speaking of secrets and investigations, classic Boston-area PI Spenser is back this week with Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust. Mike Lupica has been writing these books for awhile now, and we feel like he’s finally getting into the groove as Spenser is hired to investigate a brilliant billionaire who may have gone off the rails. Spenser pokes around for skeletons, and what he finds may not be as dead and buried as everyone thought.
We’re in a festive mood—it is that time of year, after all—but that won’t stop us from asking the burning question: What’s the possessive doing on the cover? Did Lupica finish Parker’s incomplete novel? Are we talking about Parker’s series character Spenser with that -'s?
For instance, here is Fodor’s New York City 2024. Pretty straight forward, right? It’s a 2024 guide to an American city, as put together by Fodor. Everyone can track that.
But then we have Tom Clancy Red Winter. We’ve learned that this means the book is neither about Tom Clancy, nor was it written by Tom Clancy, but Tom Clancy fans are willing to overlook these distinctions because they like seeing “TOM CLANCY” on a book cover.
But then we also have Tom Clancy’s The Division: Hunted: An Operation Crossroads Novel, written by Thomas Parrott. This book—TCTD:H:AOCN—is a media tie-in novel novel about a video game that Clancy had his name on. Licensor - Property - Title - Subtitle. This all tracks, right?
Except, look closely at that cover. It's "An Operation: Crossroads Novel," which is TECHNICALLY the correct way to note a military operation. Therefore, the most accurate title of this book is: Tom Clancy's The Division: Hunted: An Operation: Crossroads Novel.
There are four colons in that sentence. That's got to be a record. But at least the apostrophe is in the right place.
Which makes still-quite-dead William W. Johnstone’s book covers downright quaint. These aren’t complicated at all. “Look, I just want a stagecoach and a dude with a Remington rifle on the cover? Is that too much too ask?”
Well, normally, they would slap both on the cover, just so there is no confusion, but since William W. Johnstone has two books out this week, you get a stagecoach on one and a dude with a rifle on the other.
You may feel like they’re forcing you to choose, but that’s not the case at all. You buy both.
And speaking of light reading, here’s a new edition of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations.
What? It’s a pretty book edition. These sorts of things are F-L-Y-I-N-G off the shelves.
Speaking of flying, we might have stumbled across a secret stash of Rebecca Yarros’s Iron Flame with black page edges. FYI. YMMV. GGG!*
By the way, did you know that the Oxford English Dictionary has a Word of the Year recommendation? They do, and the 2022 Word of the Year was “Goblin Mode,” which—to be perfectly pedantic—is actually two words, but let’s not get all worked up about semantics.
Anyway, the reason we bring this up is Chartwell’s “Let’s Seize This Moment While We Can” publication of Goblin Mode Guide to Life. “Let go, embrace your imperfections, and reject unrealistic standards with this accessible workbook full of prompts, quizzes, quotes, and tips to inspire your inner goblin.”
Naturally, we have to point out that “prompts, quizzes, quotes, and tips” may very well be TOO MUCH structure for when you’re attempting to loaf on the couch and have no responsibilities whatsoever. As always, plan accordingly.
And finally, here is Jakob Free and Will Tempest’s Cities of Magick, an eye-catching, fantasy-infused, weird-Western graphic novel. Show up for the fabulous architecture! Stick around for the showdowns in the streets as gangs battle it out for the secrets of the universe! Lev, a mysterious drifter with secrets, has to figure out which side he’s on before the ultimate showdown levels the entire city.
*For Your Information. Your Mileage May Vary. Going, Going, Gone!
