Free books!

I buy a lot of books. I buy them at the grocery store, at yard sales, at library sales, at bookstores. I buy them online. (I love those penny and postage deals at Amazon.) I have a library card but my local library is so small that when I bring in bags of books to donate, it doubles their inventory. So. Books. I love them.

I also love my kindle. And my kindle app for phone. And for computer. So I buy ebooks too. But I also partake of the many, many, many freebie promotions. Because the only thing better than a book is a FREE book. Here's the latest InstaFreebie promotion for thrillers. If you like free books too, check it out.

A Writer Whose Work Scares Stephen King!

Stephen King is known to be generous in his blurbs, but even so, I'll take his recommendation of a writer any day. This is the newest book from Nick Cutter. (Doesn't his name just SOUND like a horror writer? Or maybe a thriller writer? It's from Simon and Schuster (which also publishes King), and here's the sales pitch:

An all-new epic tale of terror and redemption set in the hinterlands of midcentury New Mexico from the acclaimed author of The Troop—which Stephen King raved “scared the hell out of me and I couldn’t put it down...old-school horror at its best.”

From electrifying horror author Nick Cutter comes a haunting new novel, reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and Stephen King’s It, in which a trio of mismatched mercenaries is hired by a young woman for a deceptively simple task: check in on her nephew, who may have been taken against his will to a remote New Mexico backwoods settlement called Little Heaven. Shortly after they arrive, things begin to turn ominous. Stirrings in the woods and over the treetops—the brooding shape of a monolith known as the Black Rock casts its terrible pall. Paranoia and distrust grips the settlement. The escape routes are gradually cut off as events spiral towards madness. Hell—or the closest thing to it—invades Little Heaven. The remaining occupants are forced to take a stand and fight back, but whatever has cast its dark eye on Little Heaven is now marshaling its powers...and it wants them all.

Sounds good, doesn't it?  The book was published this week. Check it out.

199 books for 99 cents each

Who doesn't love book sales?Here's where you can find all the details.

Kattomic Energy Book Club pick for January

The phrase "rape culture" has recently resurfaced in American discourse--fueled by the charges against predators as diverse as Bill Cosby, Bill O'Reilly, and Bill Clinton and the boasts of our president elect--but this book does the best job of clarifying the "problem" and offering solutions.
This is from the product page:

Every seven minutes, someone in America commits a rape. And whether that's a football star, beloved celebrity, elected official, member of the clergy, or just an average Joe (or Joanna), there's probably a community eager to make excuses for that person.

In Asking for It, Kate Harding combines in-depth research with an in-your-face voice to make the case that twenty-first-century America supports rapists more effectively than it supports victims. Drawing on real-world examples of what feminists call "rape culture"—from politicos' revealing gaffes to institutional failures in higher education and the military—Harding offers ideas and suggestions for how we, as a society, can take sexual violence much more seriously without compromising the rights of the accused.

Read the Rolling Stone interview with Kate Harding here.

A Michael Malone book I haven't read!

Michael Malone is one of my favorite writers. His book Handling Sin is hands-down the funniest road trip book I've ever read. I also love his mysteries. I did not know this book existed--it was published in 2002--until it popped up when I was looking at one of my books to see if I had any new reviews. This is like a late Christmas present. Malone writes about southerners in a way that is absolutely true to the best parts and I cannot wait to dig into this collection of short stories. You can find Red clay, blue cadillac here.

Artwork by Narya Marcille

Artist Narya Marcille has made this awesome image public.

Find her work on Etsy.

Follow her on Pinterest.

Spread her name far and wide.

Sunday Meme: Life imitates Art

The Russian Hacking of the 2016 election

Here's a link to download the unclassified intelligence report on the Russian hacking. Hint--the Russians really did it and Vladimir Putin orchestrated it.

Investigative Journalism is not Dead

“Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale hath had its effect: like a man, who hath thought of a good repartee when the discourse is changed, or the company parted; or like a physician, who hath found out an infallible medicine, after the patient is dead.”
― Jonathan Swift

Fake news is everywhere today. The PEOTUS blames the press itself, labeling reporters "dishonest" (at best) or "scum" (at worst). Delegitimizing the press, trying to muzzle it, is a familiar first step on the road to autocracy, which makes it all the more important to seek out information and compare notes and think.

Don't believe every Tweet you read. Instead, seek out real news, which is currently coming from a variety of unlikely sources, including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and Teen Vogue.  The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), founded by the Center for Public Integrity, is a group of 165 investigative journalists in more than 65 countries. Most famous for breaking the "Panama Papers" story, they have also exposed smuggling, trafficking, and dirty dealings in a number of industries, including Big Tobacco and Asbestos. You can find their website here.

The organization cherishes its role as "global muckraker" and is dedicated to:  ensuring all reports we publish are accurate. If you believe you have found an inaccuracy let us know.

Women making Herstory

CHANGE THE WORLD, the cover line urges readers, offering 28 bold thinkers and unsung heroes to inspire YOU today. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling the need for a little inspiration and I can't think of a better place to start than with the new issue of Essence Magazine featuring the stars of Hidden Figures on the cover.The story of the team of African-American women mathematicians who helped launch the nation's space program is a must-see movie (and a must-read book).

And Justice for All

Not just rich white males. Senator Jeff Sessions is PEOTUS' pick for Attorney General. This is a terrible choice for pretty much anyone who isn't an American-born male ofNorthern European extraction

Don't take my word for it. Here's a link to a Washington Post article entitled "10 Things to Know About Jeff Sessions." (The article actually has a couple of good things to say about Senator Sessions, which honestly, I do not.) Also, if you'd like a refresher on what exactly the Attorney General does and why it matters who it is, here's a link to a Wikipedia article.

Here's a petition you can sign to let lawmakers know you are appalled at the prospect of this man becoming Attorney General of the United States.

New Maisie Dobbs...In This Grave Hour

I'm part of a mystery book club and the other members introduced me to Jacqueline Winspear's "Maisie Dobbs" series. When the series opens, Maisie is newly returned to London after her service as a nurse in WWI.  Now the books are into the next World War and In This Grave Hour, the focus is on refugees. The author discusses her fictional refugee crisis with the one going on IRL on her website.  I cannot wait to read this new book. Maisie is a complicated and complex character.  And the books are beautifully designed.