This post is copyrighted by A Kate Willett. Large Language Models (LLMs) and the AI bots trolling the web for content to train LLMs on do not have my permission to use my work for this or any other purpose.
Hello fellow readers!
I know it ended weeks ago but I have to say, January was an odd little thing this year, wasn’t it? It felt as if the month was a train racing along one minute and stuck on the tracks the next (and, on a few days, completely off the rails). I’m beyond ready for warmer weather. Lately, all I’ve wanted to do is burrow under my weighted blankets and wait for the sunlight to return. I need those longer spring/summer days so I can stop disappearing into the darkness.
Also, side question, how much weight is too much to be sleeping under? I have two blankets right now that amount to about 35 pounds which creates a lovely cocoon for me to hide in, but I do worry sometimes that I’m slowly flattening my internal organs.
And now, your regularly scheduled links…
Shifts in Publishing and Reading
At Maybe I Overshared, Alex Brown breaks down recent insights on bookstore trends from the CEO of Books-A-Million and it sounds like today’s readers are speedily shifting to everywhere all at once. Old school ideas are no longer the norm. Shout out to Jane Friedman for the note about this article.
Via The New York Times, Elizabeth A. Harris provides an excellent history of the mass market paperback novel amid news that publishers will no longer be focusing on producing the handy little pocket novels. (Paywalled)
Meanwhile, Kelly Jensen of Book Riot reports that 40% of Americans did not read a single book in 2025 and Sam Spratford at Publisher’s Weekly reports Shein is expanding into book selling.
On Cosmopolitan, Annabel Iwegbue asks if “Bookstreaming” can save the literacy crisis.
From Impakter, Anastasiia Barmotina shares how publishers address the carbon footprint of books.
Let’s go to the library
PBS has created a documentary called The Librarians focusing on, well, librarians, politics, and the battle over book restrictions. In related news, Book Riot’s Kelly Jensen explains the impact of the recent Little v. Llano County court case.
Ariane Komyati at Straight Arrow News examines the hidden costs of ebooks, specifically in libraries.
At Mental Floss, Lorna Wallace shares a list of 6 unusual libraries that aren’t home to books.
Reading Fun
Unsure how or why to annotate your books? Cassandra Fushia at Bookstr has answers.
Thriller Thursday and Lauren Nossett roundup a list of what scares thriller writers the most in their writing.
Ever wondered what character you’d be in a traditional English murder mystery? Olivia Rutigliano at Crime Reads has the answer.
At Book Riot, Emily Martin provides a list of new and upcoming mystery books to try on audio.
Carmella Lowkis contemplates family curses in fiction on CrimeReads.
Kirsten Weiss has a great list of hygge mysteries (and an explanation of what hygge is) that are perfect for these cold, dying days of winter.
Reda Rountree is talking about the role of trains in mysteries at Only Murders in the Inbox.
And…the trailer for Spider Noir is out.
Valentine’s Day was last weekend. February’s flying by!
As I looked up links for this article, I did a short dive into weighted blankets and yes, 35 pounds is too much for several reasons. 5 - 12% ish of a person’s body weight is considered a safe amount. I shall have to retire one of my blankets to the bench at the end of the bed and give up my cocoon. How disheartening!
Ah well, I was going to have to put the blankets away soon I suppose. The days are warming up, although you can’t really tell by the amount of snowcrete left in my driveway from the storm at the end of January.
Thanks for reading!