October 2025 Books and Reading Notes

October was a fantastic month both for reading and for acquiring new books. I had more quiet time than I have in any other month this year, and I also know that November will be exceptionally busy, due to it being the Month of Writing (formerly NaNoWriMo).

And this year has been very stressful, so I indulged in some retail therapy.

And finally, the Grand River Poetry Collective held an event on October 30 at The Lit (formerly the Ladies’ Literary Club), where I picked up all of the Collective’s books which I had not yet purchased.

So yeah, a good month to be a reader and collector of books.

Acquisitions

Books and journals which arrived in October 2025
Books and journals which arrived in October 2025
  1. Jeff Chang, Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America [2025.10.02]
  2. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies (And Other Stories) [2025.10.06]
  3. Shrikant Verma (Rahul Soni, translator), Magadh (And Other Stories) [2025.10.06]
  4. Efraín Kristal, Invisible Works: Borges and Translation (Vanderbilt University Press) [2025.10.09]
  5. Peninsula Poets, Spring 2025 [2025.10.15]
  6. Tim Hawkins, West of the Backstory (Fernwood Press) [2025.10.18]
  7. Peninsula Poets, Fall 2025 [2025.10.20]
  8. David T. Courtwright, The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business (Harvard University Press) [2025.10.27]
  9. Barbara Saunier, There is Room in a Horse For the Whole Boy (Grand River Poetry Press) [2025.10.30]
  10. Christine Stephens-Krieger, Love Garden at the End of the World (Grand River Poetry Press) [2025.10.30]
  11. David Cope, Moonlight Rose in Blue: Collected Poems 1971 – 2024 (Grand River Poetry Press) [2025.10.30]

Reading List

Books, journals, and magazines which I read in October 2025
Books, journals, and magazines which I read in October 2025

Books

  1. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #42 [2025.10.03]
  2. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.10]
  3. Peninsula Poets, Spring 2025 [2025.10.19]
  4. New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1 [2025.10.19]
  5. Peninsula Poets, Fall 2025 [2025.10.20]
  6. New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #2 [2025.10.22]
  7. Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.26]
  8. Dreamforge #6 [202510.28]
  9. New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #3 [2025.10.31]

Short Prose

  1. Kameron Hurley, “Living the Old Stories” (Patreon supporter reward) [2025.10.01]
  2. Tobias Buckell, “The Grove’s Lament” (Patreon supporter reward) [2025.10.01]
  3. Sarah Langan, “You Have the Prettiest Mask”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #42 [2025.10.02]
  4. Nicole Kimberling, “Nostalgia in a Box”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #42 [2025.10.03]
  5. Vandana Singh, “Sticky Man”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #42 [2025.10.03]
  6. Stewart Moore, “Madeline’s Wings”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #42 [2025.10.03]
  7. Jack Larsen, “Bright and Shabby Buses”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #42 [2025.10.03]
  8. Kristin Yuan Roybal, “Separation Theory”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #42 [2025.10.03]
  9. Alisa Alering, “The Night Farmers’ Museum”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.05]
  10. Ayşe Papatya Bucak, “Half-Papatya”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.05]
  11. Erica Clashe, “The Shine of Green Floors”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.06]
  12. Leah Bobet, “The Mysteries”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.07]
  13. Joanne Rixon, “Wires from the Same Spool”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.07]
  14. Quinn Ramsay, “The House of the Gutter-Prince”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.07]
  15. Kirk A. Johnson, “Carnivora”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.1 [2025.10.08]
  16. Jim Marino, “Acting Tips for Remaining Unknown”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.09]
  17. Zack Moss, “If You Had Been Me Then What Would I Have Been?”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.10]
  18. Kathleen Jennings, “Gisla and the Three Favours”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.10]
  19. Nicole Kimberling, “Time Travel Self-Care System”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.10]
  20. Gillian Daniels, “King Moon’s Tithe to Hell”, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #43 [2025.10.10]
  21. Margaret Killjoy, “Come Lay the Crone to Rest”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.1 [2025.10.11]
  22. Bryn Hammond, “Sister Chaos”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.1 [2025.10.16]
  23. Jesús Montalvo (Gonzalo Baezra, translator), “Chak Muuch”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.1 [2025.10.19]
  24. Sarah A. Macklin, “Tears of Eb”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.1 [2025.10.19]
  25. Prashanth Srivatsa, “The Pillars of Silence”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.1 [2025.10.19]
  26. Michael Moorcock, “The Folk of the Forest”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.1 [2025.10.19]
  27. Daniel Quiogue, “The Demon of Tashi Tzang”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.2 [2025.10.19]
  28. Jacquie Kawaja, “Fang”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.2 [2025.10.20]
  29. Gemma Files, “Revelstroke”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.2 [2025.10.21]
  30. Jeremy Pak Nelson, “A Debt Forgotten, A Debt Unpaid”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.2 [2025.10.21]
  31. J.M. Clarke, “The Eyes of the Demon”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.2 [2025.10.22]
  32. T.K. Rex & L. Ann Kinyon, “Water, Which Laughs At All Things”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.2 [2025.10.22]
  33. David C. Smith, “Atonement for a Resurrected God”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.2 [2025.10.22]
  34. June Orchid Parker, “How Many Deaths Till Vengeance?”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1.2 [2025.10.22]
  35. Scott Edelman, “Answered Prayers”, Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.22]
  36. Deborah L. Davitt, “Pterrors of the Caribbean, part 1”, Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.23]
  37. Henry Szabranski, “Climbing the Motherman”, Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.23]
  38. Jamie Munro, “Counterclockwise”, Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.23]
  39. Floris M. Kleijne, “Summit Attempt”, Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.24]
  40. M. T. Reiten, “Robot Princess”, Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.24]
  41. H. Orion Kim, “The Dryad’s Smile”, Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.25]
  42. Robert Silverberg, “House of Bones”, Dreamforge #5 [2025.10.26]
  43. Deborah L. Davitt, “Pterrors of the Caribbean, part 2” Dreamforge #6 [2025.10.26]
  44. Nyla Bright, “Mothers Know Buttons” Dreamforge #6 [2025.10.26]
  45. Ronald D. Ferguson, “Never the Twain” Dreamforge #6 [2025.10.27]
  46. Scot Noel, “Pangenesis” Dreamforge #6 [2025.10.27]
  47. Alexandra Seidel, “The Shepherdess, the Roc, and One Errant Sheep” Dreamforge #6 [2025.10.27]
  48. James Verran, “Silent Partnership, part 1” Dreamforge #6 [2025.10.27]
  49. Jane Linskold, “The Problem with Magic Rings” Dreamforge #6 [2025.10.28]
  50. Matt John, “Beating Stars, Dying Hearts”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery #3 [2025.10.28]
  51. Premee Mohamed, “The Betrayal of the Rhinoceros”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery #3 [2025.10.29]
  52. Thomas Ha, “St. Fario’s Feast”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery #3 [2025.10.30]
  53. John R. Fultz, “Gravediggers of Carsonne”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery #3 [2025.10.30]
  54. Oliver Brackenbury, “Something Oathlike”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery #3 [2025.10.30]
  55. Molly Tanzer, “Jirel and the Mirror of Truth”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery #3 [2025.10.31]

September 2024 Books and Reading Notes

In contrast with last month, September was an excellent month for short fiction. I have dozens of issues of various magazines and journals lying around my house unread, as well as probably close to 100 anthologies and short story collections awaiting my attention.  Any progress is better than no progress.

Acquisitions

  1. Cassie Hart, Sloane Leong (editors), Death in the Mouth, vol. 2 [2024.09.12]
  2. Neil Kaufman, Darkness Is as Light To You [2024.09.21]
  3. Dorothy Roberts, Killing the Black Body [2024.09.26]
  4. Jack Ridl, All at Once (CavanKerry Press) [2024.09.28]

Reading List

Books

  1. Fleur Jaeggy, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  2. Dreamforge #2 [2024.09.14]
  3. Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.16]
  4. Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.22]
  5. Neil Kaufman, Darkness Is as Light To You [2024.09.24]

Short Prose

  1. Fleur Jaeggy, “I Am the Brother of XX”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.01]
  2. Fleur Jaeggy, “Negde”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.02]
  3. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Last of the Line”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.02]
  4. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Gentleman and the Lizard”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.03]
  5. Fleur Jaeggy, “Agnes”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.03]
  6. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Aseptic Room”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.03]
  7. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Heir”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.03]
  8. Fleur Jaeggy, “Portrait of an Unknown Woman”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.03]
  9. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Black Lace Veil”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.04]
  10. Fleur Jaeggy, “An Encounter in the Bronx”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.04]
  11. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Aviary”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.04]
  12. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Visitor”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.04]
  13. Fleur Jaeggy, “Adelaide”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  14. Fleur Jaeggy, “Tropics”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  15. Fleur Jaeggy, “Cat”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  16. Fleur Jaeggy, “Osmosis”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  17. Fleur Jaeggy, “Names”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  18. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Hanging Angel”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  19. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Perfect Choice”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  20. Fleur Jaeggy, “FK”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  21. Fleur Jaeggy, “The Saltwater House”, I Am the Brother of XX [2024.09.05]
  22. Alyssa Eckles, “Home”, Dreamforge #2 [2024.09.06]
  23. Andrew Jensen, “Sid”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.08]
  24. Marie Vibbert, “Loitering with Mathematical Intent”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  25. Tyler Tork, “Tea with Gibbons”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  26. L.P. Melling, “Luna’s First Eclipse”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  27. Blake Jessop, “I See Punk Elephants”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  28. G.M. Periera, “Sudan”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  29. Gregory L. Norris, “Hysterical”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  30. Michael McCormick, “Snow, 2562”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  31. Adam Fout, “We Are Cherished”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  32. Mark Gallacher, “Pioneer”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  33. Lif Strand, “Being Me”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.09]
  34. Davide Mana, “Sapiens”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.10]
  35. Deborah L. Davitt, “Arcology”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.10]
  36. Lucy Stone, “Haunting the Present”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.11]
  37. Emily Mah, “Wrath of a Lightweight”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.13]
  38. L. Deni Colter, “The Weight of Mountains”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.14]
  39. David Weber, “A Certain Talent”, Dreamforge#2 [2024.09.14]
  40. Jane Linskold, “A Question of Truth”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.14]
  41. Gustavo Bondoni, “A Sip of Pombé”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.15]
  42. Isaac E. Payne, “Esclados the Red”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.15]
  43. Hal Y. Zhang, “The Specular Boy”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.15]
  44. Scott Paul Hallam, “Fire in the Sky”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.15]
  45. Mary Soon Lee, “Wrong Turn”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.15]
  46. Jennifer R. Donohue, “Fundamentals of Search and Rescue”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.15]
  47. Josh Rountree, “Revolutions Per Minute”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.16]
  48. George Nikolopoulos, “Our New Home in the Stars”, Dreamforge #3 [2024.09.16]
  49. Jim C. Hines, “On the Efficacy of Supervillain Battles in Eliciting Therapeutic Breakthroughs” (Patreon) [2024.09.16]
  50. John Jos. Miller, “The Ghost of a Smile”, Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.17]
  51. Marie Croke, “Cessation of Civilization”, Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.17]
  52. Kurt Pankau, “Autoimmune”, Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.18]
  53. Gary Kloster, “Hot Times in Shady Pines”, Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.18]
  54. Anna Madden, “The Last Petal”, Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.21]
  55. Sally Wiener Grotta, “Beyond Our Hidden Stars”, Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.22]
  56. Robert E. Harpold, “Extremophile”, Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.22]
  57. Donald S. Crankshaw, “Dreamforger”, Dreamforge #4 [2024.09.22]

January 2023 Books and Reading Notes

Starting in 2023 I am combining my annual book acquisition list and my monthly readings lists into a single monthly post. Ideally my rate of reading will be greater than my rate of book acquisition. This month, however, I went to ConFusion, and while I did not grab as many books as I usually do, I still picked up four new titles.

Acquisitions

  1. Hieu Minh Nguyen, Not Here (Coffee House Press) [2023.01.08] – I picked up Not Here on a whim, during a visit to Books & Mortar.
  2. Adrain Collins and Mike Myers (editors), The King Must Fall (Grimdark Magazine) [2023.01.10] – This is from a Kickstarter.
  3. Sheree Renée Thomas (editor), Sorghum and Spear (Outland Entertainment) [2023.01.12] – This is from a Kickstarter
  4. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #46 [2023.01.16] – Published by the excellent Small Beer Press.
  5. Catherine Stein, Eden’s Voice (self-published) [2023.01.21] – Acquired from the author at ConFusion 2023
  6. Catherine Stein, The Courtesan and Mr. Hyde (self-published) [2023.01.21] – Acquired from the author at ConFusion 2023
  7. Rami Ungar, The Pure World Comes (self-published) [2023.01.21] – Acquired from the author at ConFusion 2023
  8. Todd Sanders (editor), The Librarian (Air and Nothingness Press) [2023.01.21] – Acquired from one of the authors, Storm Michael Humbert, at ConFusion 2023.
  9. Shalash the Iraqi (Luke Leafgren, translator), Shalash the Iraqi (And Other Stories) [2023.01.24] – This is an arrival from my subscription to And Other Stories
  10. Johanna Hedva, Your Love Is Not Good (And Other Stories) [2023.01.24] – This is from my subscription to the catalog of And Other Stories.

Reading List

Books and Journals

  1. Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.02]
  2. Poetry [2023.01.03]
  3. Nicole Sealey, Ordinary Beast [2023.01.04]
  4. Kathe Koja, Velocities [2023.01.12]
  5. Ananda Devi (Jeffery Zuckerman, translator), Eve Out of Her Ruins [2023.01.15]
  6. Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel (Jethro Soutar, translator), The Gurugu Pledge [2023.01.23]
  7. Ho Sok Fong (Natascha Bruce, translator), Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.31]

Short Prose

  1. Sarena Ulibarri, “The Spiral Ranch”, Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.01]
  2. Terra LeMay, “Glass Roses”, Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.01]
  3. Barbara Barnett, “Z-Spot”, Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.01]
  4. Steven Brust and Skyler White, “Smith’s Point”, Dreamforge #1 [2023.01.02]
  5. Kathe Koja, “At Eventide”, Velocities [2023.01.05]
  6. Kathe Koja, “Baby”, Velocities [2023.01.06]
  7. Kathe Koja, “Velocity”, Velocities [2023.01.06]
  8. Kathe Koja, “Clubs”, Velocities [2023.01.08]
  9. Kathe Koja, “Urb Civ”, Velocities [2023.01.08]
  10. Kathe Koja, “Fireflies”, Velocities [2023.01.09]
  11. Kathe Koja, “Coyote Pass”, Velocities [2023.01.09]
  12. Kathe Koja, “Road Trip”, Velocities [2023.01.10]
  13. Kathe Koja, “Toujours”, Velocities [2023.01.10]
  14. Kathe Koja, “Far and Wee”, Velocities [2023.01.11]
  15. Kathe Koja, “The Marble Lily”, Velocities [2023.01.11]
  16. Kathe Koja, “La Reine D’Enfer”, Velocities [2023.01.12]
  17. Jim C. Hines, “144th Contact” (Patreon story) [2023.01.12]
  18. Kathe Koja, “Pas De Deux”, Velocities [2023.01.12]
  19. Ho Sok Fong, “The Wall”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.25]
  20. Ho Sok Fong, “Radio Drama”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.26]
  21. Ho Sok Fong, “Lake Like a Mirror”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.28]
  22. Ho Sok Fong, “The Chest”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.29]
  23. Ho Sok Fong, “Summer Tornado”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.29]
  24. Ho Sok Fong, “Aminah”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.29]
  25. Ho Sok Fong, “Wind through the Pineapple Leaves, through the Frangipani”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.29]
  26. Ho Sok Fong, “October”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.30]
  27. Ho Sok Fong, “March in a Small Town”, Lake Like a Mirror [2023.01.31]