Halfway and Then Some... Stories

If there's one thing the pandemic has shown us, for those fortunate enough to have the opportunity, it's that we are in the golden age of media. Between books, music, movies, games... the supply is endless. Compounded by the high-stakes competition between streaming services, the push to bring quality entertainment to the masses is purely on fire. And we reap the benefits. While there are always  shows, books, and the like we constantly return to (I should be an honorary cast member of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the amount of new material thrust into the world is remarkable. In books alone the number is staggering. According to a UNESCO study (data from 2013) it is estimated that 2.2 million books are published world wide. It goes on to break down that number by country and by self/traditional publishing but holy shit, right? If you can't find something you love in that pool then, well, I don't know what to tell you. If you are looking for something new to read, here's a few suggestions from my favorite books so far this year.

Originally published in 2017, I'm a few years late to Eleanor's party, but what a freaking party it was. Recommended to me by my writer friend/critique partner Liz Delton after she beta read a recent manuscript for me, I delayed reading it for a few months - I mean, we all do that with recommendations, right? Mistake. This book, it's examination on society, interpersonal relationships, family trauma, and mental health? Damn. This is what a good book is and if you haven't read it, check it out. If you're fashionably late to the conversation it's better than not being in it at all, right?

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For the non-fiction fans or history/culture buffs in the crowd, I can't say enough good things about Say Nothing. Capturing an unbelievably raw and honest look at Northern Ireland during the Troubles, this account will leave you, for lack of better words, a little shook.

​Keefe does an unreal job at making the lives and personalities of those in this book exactly the opposite of that: unbelievably real. Labeled one of the NYT best books of 2019, there's a reason. 

Read for a book club, Anxious People, wasn't on my radar. What a nice little surprise. I don't think I've ever highlighted as many amazing quotes as I did with this book.

"Expensive restaurants have bigger gaps between the tables. First class on airplanes has no middle seats. Exclusive hotels have separate entrances for guests staying in suites. The most expensive thing you can buy in the most densely populated places on the planet is distance."

"Did your parents by any chance have the same surname before they met?"

Read Anxious People and follow a dysfunctional group of people as they are inadvertently taken hostage by someone who is almost, probably, maybe not robbing a bank.

Current recommendations all said and done, here's one more in a slightly different light: I'm thrilled to say I've had a short story accepted into Redwood-Press's horror anthology: The Lost Librarian's Grave. The story, Valhalla is a Lie, follows a trio of mercenaries as they make their way from Buffalo to Boston while being hunted by Valkyries. Little bit of Norse-inspired horror before Halloween. Can't go wrong there. I'm excited to see other acceptances roll in and the project taking off. More to come as it becomes available. 

Until next time, cheers and all the best. Stay safe and well!