Allingham update: I read Sweet Danger and enjoyed it enough more than the first one that I am now reading #2 Mystery Mile. I think my unhappiness with the first one was a combination of it being a first novel (maybe not her first ever novel, but pretty unpolished and generally undecided as to what it wanted to be) and me expecting a whodunnit, which the Campion series is not. They are more thrillers, which I am not against but was not what I was expecting from the Golden Age for some reason.

I'm still not sure if I like the character Campion, or even if I am supposed to (I think so?) but I've come to the realization that he is a pop culture spouting adrenaline junkie somewhat like Jake Peralta just in the 30s so I don't know the pop culture he is referencing, which makes it a little more academically interesting in theory if still just nonsense for my reading.

A librarian friend of mine just sent me this, so sharing here on the slim chance that some Buffista doesn't know about it.

Awful Library Books

ooh ... and here's a page of bad covers for books after their copyrights expired ... with commentary

That first one, with the Frankenstein cover, made me wonder if it was some kind of Munsters in-joke.

ETA: On the Bad Covers link, I mean.

Tor.com has an interesting article on gothic YA here: [link]

I started An Empire Called Memory and then got sucked into Daniel Abraham's fantasy series. I had a little trouble picturing what some of the races look like but overall didn't get lost in who people were and I did care about the characters.

I recommend the series from what I've read so far. There are alternating POV chapters like in The Expanse books. Although so far it's only POv from the more human ones. There is one character whose wife and daughter were tragically killed but he has dealt with that and so it's not about his pain.

The women are interesting and there is no sexual assault or attempted sexual assault. At least through the 2nd book. I hate that I have to point that out but since so many writers feel they have to include women being hurt as character building or to increase their peril.

Good to know, askye, I’ll keep that in mind

I know that Seanan McGuire once posted something about being asked when Toby (October Daye in her series) would be raped and responded never ... it's become a quick and easy way to set up trauma for anyone female (as though there isn't enough other trauma in this or any other world).

I hate that I have to point that out but since so many writers feel they have to include women being hurt as character building or to increase their peril.

Thank you. I couldn't agree more.

Toddson-yeah she carries that over on all of her books. Obviously.

On Twitter someone asked about sexual assault or something like that in The Expanse (I don't remember the context) and Abraham's writing partner runs the James SA Corey Twitter account and he said they would never show it and there was no need.

I was really disappointed when Patricia Briggs used rape to traumatize Mercy Thompson.