2 Steps Forward

Tue 18 Oct 2022 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , , , | Posted by: Gavin

[Previously] A few months ago I was texting my hilarious, sardonic,  pragmatic doctor brother telling him I’d dropped off the slow improvement line I’d been on and he said something like, “Oh, that’s a shame . . . it’s the old two steps forward, one weekend in bed.” It was a throwaway line he didn’t remember a couple of months later — “uh oh, worrying when people listen to me” — and while at first it was a bit much to take in I’ve found it to be increasingly helpful this year especially times such as last week when I had my legs cut out from under me once again for no reason I could see and am in good running, as it were, for a gold medal in the Western Mass Couch Lying Event for a couple of days running.

Before that my daily steps report had been slowly rising and one day I spent 2 hours at Book Moon, not really doing anything but enjoying being there. Still a bit exhausting but also a little exhilarating. I was in as we had two people out, one with Covid (they tested positive for 18 days . . . ) and one sick. They’re both back now, phew, and Book Moon is getting busier, phew. All orders appreciated!

So now I’m slowly building my steps back up. Often times I think I am doing things slowly enough I am wrong and have to slow down again. It is incredibly frustrating. The difference between where I am and being able to pull 1,500 pounds of books on a pallet jack is unmeasurable. At the moment carrying a box of books upstairs is impossible, ack. Thankfully Small Beer tiptoes along as the booksellers at Book Moon are mailing out the Advance Reading Copies of Ayize Jama-Everett’s Heroes of an Unknown World this week and Kelly and I have a new cover for the Advance Reading Copy of Sarah Pinsker’s Lost Places.

Over the weekend I read Naomi Novik’s fabulous pageturner The Golden Enclaves. I could not read it all at once, too tiring (woah, annoying), but it was great fun and much more than that. Highly recommended.

Do me a favor, wear a mask to protect yourself and everyone around you,

Cheers!
Gavin


Big, Ambitious, Wildly Inventive and Full of Heart

Thu 13 Oct 2022 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Posted by: Gavin

Heroes of an Unknown World cover We’re in the process of sending 100+ galleys of Ayize Jama-Everett’s forthcoming final Liminal novel Heroes of an Unknown World to indie bookshops — it’s also available through the Advance Access program, downloadable on Edelweiss, and there’s a 10-copy giveaway over on LibraryThing. You can get a start on the series  right here.

While all that’s going on I got a fabulous email from superstar Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling and many other good things (books, comics, TV!) which just jumpstarted my tiny slow heart. Here’s the latest word on the book — comes out in February:

“The Liminal Books deserve a place on the bookshelf alongside ambitious fantasy series like Marlon James’s Dark Star Trilogy and N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy. Big, ambitious, wildly inventive and full of heart. Heroes of an Unknown World displays the voice and verve that are staples of Ayize Jama-Everett’s work. Dive in, you will love what you discover.”
—Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling


Truly Original

Fri 7 Oct 2022 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet No. 45 cover - click to view full sizeI enjoy reading Locus, finding books for Book Moon or for me, and generally keeping half an eye on what’s going on. This month Paula Guran reviewed the latest issue of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, #45, and said:

“If you are looking for unique literature, you can’t beat LCRW.”

 


First thing for the holidays

Fri 7 Oct 2022 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Posted by: Gavin

The Adventurists cover Woah it is too early for me to get my head around it but Publishers Weekly have published their Holiday Gift Guide and sharp eyes will note Richard Butner’s collection is included:

“This powerhouse fabulist collection melds ghosts, virtual futures, and the intricacies of friendship into 16 breathtaking, intimate stories that will delight readers of Ray Bradbury, John Crowley, and Sally Rooney alike. In these stories, Butner examines a broad range of interests—the aging process, acts of remembering, overreliance on technology—all in elegant prose, unique imagery, and with keen and generous human insight.”