I managed to show a bit more restraint last month, though I couldn’t help succumbing to some random whims. I really don’t know how it is that you can decide for years that you don’t need certain books, that it doesn’t matter to you if you read them, and then suddenly your mind completely changes—for arbitrary reasons, no less.

Enough talking around it, let’s check out these books.

New Books

On a bizarre whim, I decided to buy the first two novelizations of the sequel trilogy Star Wars films. I bought The Rise of Skywalker by Rae Carson when it came out since the film left me less than satisfied, and for years since I was happy with the idea of only reading that novelization. Then, I came across a hardcover of The Force Awakens at a thrift story for $5. At first, I left it there, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. With it having wormed into my head, I became determined to pick it up after all. Then, I naturally needed The Last Jedi. Thus, I now own the entire trilogy of these novelizations. Nice to have, I suppose, even if I take my time getting to them.

Begotten: A Gothic Novel by Kate Cherrell is a book I’ve had on preorder since last year. I’m familiar with the author through a number of podcasts, so I wanted to show my support when this novel was announced. I’m not very far at the moment, but I’ve since started reading it as well.

The Dark Tower by Stephen King is the seventh and final novel in the Dark Tower series. I actually finished that series years ago, but this is the cover for the seventh book I had always wanted. I had to settle for a newer printing that didn’t match the rest of my books, but with this final novel being the last to be corrected, I decided to just snatch up a copy online to have the books as I always wanted them. Now, I kind of want to reread this series, ideally reading them all much closer together. Maybe I’ll start that next year.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a book I’ve been keeping an eye out for for a while now. To be honest, I don’t remember much about the particulars, except for its killer opening line. I just now this book is often raved about, and I thrifted a copy in acceptable condition, so hopefully I can see what it’s all about for myself soon.

Novel Discoveries

The Hike by Drew Magary caught my attention because it sounds weird in exactly the ways that I like. Essentially, a man who decides to go on a simple jaunt finds himself pulled into an otherworldly journey where he must contend with fantastical threats out to get him. In order to get back, he must complete a quest with the help of a profane crab and magical objects. I want to know little else about this before I read it.

I’d be lying if I didn’t point out that the main things that attracted me to Strange Pictures by Uketsu are the cover and the title. My gravitation towards factors like these may lead to disappointment sometimes, but I am just too much of a sucker for a good, ominous title and cover art. It’s a collection of short stories with the involvement of strange drawings tying them all together. I keep wanting to read more Japanese fiction, and this one looks like a great foray into horror.

Slither by Stephen S. Hall I came across at my favourite local bookstore while I had some time to browse while waiting for the bus. I don’t know that I’ll actually buy this book, but I typically like nonfiction books about nature more than others, and I particularly love reptiles, so this new book that seems to be focused on fostering a deeper appreciation for snakes sounds like a nice read to me, though it’ll certainly be preaching to the choir.

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Until next time, thank you for reading!