The Trajectory of Today’s Topics

• Plenty of book anniversaries this year

• A book that mixes old Kung Fu movies with Spaghetti Westerns

• Hot releases that need to be on your TBR

Hot Off The Press

2026 Appears to be the Year of Anniversaries

This year will commemorate dozens of milestone anniversaries for books and authors, so many that I couldn’t fit them all in this newsletter. Well, I mean, I could, but then you’d get bored, frustrated, and probably unsubscribe. YIKES! (Let’s try to avoid that, shall we?) So, we’ll just highlight a few big names and titles. 

Starting off with the big Five-O… Fifty years ago, prolific mystery author Agatha Christie passed away. Be on the lookout for some Hercule Poirot reimaginings or re-releases of some of her most popular books. And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and The A, B, C Murders are some of her most popular works. Books turning 50 this year include Roots by Alex Haley and The Omen by David Seltzer. Did you know that the movie was written first, but the book was released two weeks before the movie to help boost movie attendance? Me neither 😆 until just now. 

A certain bear, all full of fluff, turns 100 this year. That’s right, the first year Winnie the Pooh was published was 1926. This little, honey-loving bear has been around longer than anyone reading this! 

Upping the ante and hitting 150 years, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer hits that amazing milestone this year. How many of you had to read this or Huckleberry Finn in middle or high school? 🙋

Hold up, don’t go anywhere because this one might blow your mind like it did mine. My jaw dropped when I found out that this book was published 200 years ago. I saw this movie on VHS tape after renting it at Blockbuster in 1992. If you don’t know what either of those things are… sigh… then I’m really showing my age here lol! It was a fantastic movie, beautiful and heartwrenching, and if you haven’t seen it, make it a point to watch it. You won’t be disappointed. Anyway, have you figured out what book I’m hinting at? That’s right, The Last of the Mohicans was published 200 years ago! I’ll admit that I have not read that book and do not own a copy, but that’s something I’ll remedy soon. (As soon as I get my massive TBR list whittled down. There’s only like a thousand books on it, nothing much really… 😬) 

The TBR Files

Legendary Swordsmen, Mysterious Monks, and Old Timey Kung Fu Feels

Take a look at this independent author—JF Lee—and his book Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Joy Part 1. This is a five-book series, and it may continue on to a sixth.

This story follows a young girl named Shu Yan, who was sold by her parents into a brothel as a serving girl. Not a fun life to be sure, so she runs away. While searching for her parents, she ends up hiring a legendary swordsman, Jun Lee. He’s on a quest to find the man who killed his master and mentor. Together, with the demon sword Sorrow, they travel across the land, uncovering mysteries and corruption, killing bandits, and feasting on dumplings. 

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. It was a fun time. The voices were great and reminded me of the classic Kung Fu movies popular in the 70s and 80s. His voice was gravely, growly, and the banter conjured up visions of those old flicks. My mind recalled flying fists, deep sword slashes, and badly dubbed English. It has me wanting to revisit some Bruce Lee flicks! 

That little bit of whimsy aside, the story was gripping; it contained plenty of swordfighting, mystery, and political corruption. I’ve never read any Wuxia (the author pronounced it ‘woo-shia’), ancient Chinese warriors, a strong justice code, and plenty of swordplay. Think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon type of storytelling. 

The story ends on a minor cliffhanger, and the original quest has to be put on hold for something much more important. It’s a fun story, and I’m excited to get into the next books. ☕☕☕☕☕

…And Then This Happened

2026 Releases to Add to Your (my) TBR List

Yes… I just complained about my mountainous TBR pile, while flippantly adding more to the list. Don’t judge, I plan to live forever. As long as you have things to accomplish, you can’t die… right? What? Are you telling me I might have been misled? Blasphemy 😅

I’ll apologize in advance for this one, but since I read the first book in the series, I have been obsessed and addicted. I have never been so excited for a book in my entire life, and I’m not ashamed of it. A Parade of Horribles–Dungeon Crawler Carl book 8 by Matt Dinniman CAN NOT get here soon enough for me. I have literally listened to and physically read this entire series 4 times (not a typo)! That’s how much I have enjoyed these books. And I’ve actually got my wife listening too! Yes, I probably annoyed the hell out of her to listen, but I can tell she’s enjoying the ride. 😎 It comes out May 12. When it does, for that entire week I’ll be doing nothing but reading that book. 

Until then, Operation Bounce House, by the aforementioned author, is coming out in February. I hope that will help hold off the DTs until the next Carl and Donut book comes out. A very quick synopsis of this standalone goes like this—Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who’ve paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.

Next up is–I Do Not Wish You Well–by Jumata Emill. This will be available on January 20th. It’s a YA murder mystery novel that sounds quite interesting. Here’s the synopsis: Five years ago, four teen boys were murdered — and the case went cold. As Pryce investigates the unsolved crime for his podcast, he uncovers crucial clues that were overlooked the first time around. 

Now this one is considered a romance… That’s not my usual cup of tea, but the story is so compelling, I feel I have to check it out. The title grabbed me as well. All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan is coming out May 12. Check this synopsis out and tell me that it doesn’t grab your attention. 

Rae is a fantasy reader who’s been transported to her favourite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far more deadly than the one she knew.

Her friends are on the run: the Cobra shelters in an eerie manor haunted by dark secrets, while Emer and Lia stoke a revolution in the gutters. Undead armies roam the kingdom, raiders camp at the city gates, and the irresistible emperor – Rae’s favourite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land – wants her to be his evil queen.

What’s a villainess to do? It’s time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone. 

Does that not sound like a fantastic time?