Book Birthdays, December 8: Elizabeth Day, Dean Koontz, Christopher Buckley

It's the anniversary of NAFTA, Buddha's enlightenment, and America's entry to World War II. Years later, we'll remember December 8, 2015, as the day these books hit the shelves:

The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley coverThe Relic Master by Christopher Buckley: "A writer known for his satires of Washington, D.C., takes aim at religion in 16th-century Europe, where a relics trader is forced to steal one of Catholicism’s most coveted objects. Buckley (But Enough About You, 2014, etc.) roams far from his usual inside-the-Beltway turf while tilting at earlier establishment types in this comic historical novel, his 16th book." - Kirkus

Paradise City by Elizabeth Day: "Elizabeth Day’s third novel is her most accomplished yet. Paradise City possesses a propulsion that her earlier novels, for all their emotional courage, lacked. The narrative is divided between four interweaving characters: the self-made millionaire Sir Howard Pink; Beatrice Kizza, a Ugandan asylum seeker; Carol Hetherington, an unassuming widow; and Esme Reade, a young journalist." - The Guardian (refers to the UK Edition published in May)

Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz: He's still at it. In an interview about his new book, Koontz said, "I’m not sure it’s a good thing that so many writers are going to school to become writers. When I became a writer, people like John D. MacDonald and a lot of writers I admired never went to school to be writers; it was just something they wanted to do because they loved books. I’ve often wondered if, over time, the writing programs will lead to a homogenous kind of fiction that isn’t very healthy.”

Also, happy birthday, James Thurber, who based on this quote likely wouldn't have supported Donald Trump:

“Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around us in awareness.”

I apologize if I'm starting to sound like Garrison Keillor. The Facebook app is brainwashing me with its constant birthday notifications.

Be well, do good work, and don't shoot anybody.

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