Ecce Sigum

Immanentize the Empathy

Tag: Todd Goddard

January 2026 Books and Reading Notes

John Winkelman

January was a low-acquisition month until the last two days, when I drove to Novi to help run Magical ConFusion, and picked up half a dozen new books from the attending authors. I also picked up a beautiful new print from the 2026 ConFusion Creative Guest of Honor Megen Leigh.

Acquisitions

Books and other media acquired in the month of January 2026.
Books and other media acquired in the month of January 2026.
  1. Geetanjali Shree, The Roof Beneath Their Feet (And Other Stories) [2026.01.17]
  2. In Formation #3 [2026.01.21]
  3. Jordan Kurella, The Death of Mountains (Lethe Press) [2026.01.31] – Inscribed
  4. D.M. Beucler, Memory and Magic (Luna Press) [2026.01.31] – Inscribed
  5. Steph Campbell, A Constructs’ Nature: A solo-journaling TTRPG – [2026.01.31]
  6. Maurice Broaddus, The Knights of Breton Court (JABberwocky Literary Agency) [2026.01.31]
  7. The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Summer 2025 [2026.01.31]
  8. Asimov’s Science Fiction, November 1993 [2026.01.31]
  9. Ashley Castañόn, Submerged [2026.01.31] – Inscribed

Reading List

Books

Books and magazines I read in the month of January 2026.
Books and magazines I read in the month of January 2026.
  1. Stephen Leigh, A Fading Sun [2026.01.02]
  2. New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.04]
  3. David T. Courtwright, The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business [2026.01.17]
  4. Todd Goddard, Devouring Time: Jim Harrison, A Writer’s Life [2026.01.23]
  5. New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5 [2026.01.25]

Short Prose

  1. Kameron Hurley, “The Flesh of Memory” [2026.01.02]
  2. Jeremy Pak Nelson, “Gaze Upon the Beating Dark”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.01]
  3. Jonathan Olfert, “White in the Eye”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.02]
  4. Kirk A. Johnson, “The Concord of the Outhar”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.03]
  5. Michael Moorcock, “A Portrait in Ivory”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.03]
  6. Oliver Brackenbury, “Hunter”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.03]
  7. Harry Turtledove, “The Jesting Jann”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.03]
  8. Dariel R. A. Quiogue, “Battle of the Nine Waters”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.04]
  9. June Orchid Parker, “A Serpent From the Ash”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #4 [2026.01.04]
  10. Audrey Stollings, “The Dissolving City”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5 [2026.01.09]
  11. Samir Sirk Morató, “In Perfection’s Shape I Writhe”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5 [2026.01.10]
  12. Luana Saitta, “Staku-Ra’s Hoard”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5 [2026.01.11]
  13. Timaeus Bloom, “The Lament of a Shieldman”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5 [2026.01.11]
  14. Premee Mohamed, “The Maiden of the Serpent Moon”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5 [2026.01.25]
  15. Bryn Hammond, “The Change”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5 [2026.01.25]
  16. Molly Tanzer, “Jirel Meets Death”, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5 [2026.01.25]

November 2025 Books and Reading Notes

John Winkelman

November is ostensibly the Month of Writing, and to be fair I did more writing this month than in all of the past year including last November. However life, as usual, had its way, so the amount of time and energy I had available for writing dwindled away to nothing. Unfortunately so did my time for reading, though I did manage to finish two books.

Acquisitions

Book I acquired in the month of November 2025.
Book I acquired in the month of November 2025.
  1. David Steffen, Chelle Parker, Hal Y. Zhang (editors), The Long List Anthology, volume 9 (Diabolical Plots, L.L.C.) [2025.11.12]
  2. Ivan Turgenev (Charles and Natasha Hepburn, translators), A Sportsman’s Notebook [2025.11.15] – I ordered this book from Books & Mortar back in May of this year, and then promptly forgot about it when life suddenly went sideways. Turns out the book had been on back-order with the publisher for months. I had recently ordered another book from Books & Mortar, and on a whim stopped in to see if it had arrived yet. The clerk said it hadn’t but this one from six months ago had suddenly appeared. And the best part was I had already paid for it!
  3. Todd Goddard, Devouring Time: Jim Harrison, a Writer’s Life [2025.11.20] – purchased from Books & Mortar. I had no idea this book was even in the works until about the end of September, and since then I have been awaiting it eagerly. And here it is.

Reading List

Books I read in the month of November 2025.
Books I read in the month of November 2025.

Books

  1. Efraín Kristal, Invisible Work: Borges and Translation [2025.11.26] – I will straight-up say I loved this book! Kristal discusses Borges’ approach to translation – his own translations, translations of his works, and translation as a subject in his fiction and nonfiction. I came out the other side of Invisible Work feeling compelled to re-learn Russian so I could finally read some of the books I picked up in Saint Petersburg back in 1994.
  2. Barbara Saunier, There is Room in a Horse for the Whole Boy [2025.11.28] – One of my recent acquisitions from the Grand River Poetry Collective. The poetry within is excellent, and – perhaps because like the author I too grew up on a farm – made me feel a sense of nostalgia.

Short Prose

  1. Kameron Hurley, “The Safe House” [2025.11.02]