August 30, 2017
When someone mentions fantasy book covers, inevitably a stereotypical image pops up. One of knights standing near dragons, perhaps a chain-mail bra-clad woman with him. Or at least, that’s what used to be the norm. As today’s standards of what’s “cool” and socially acceptable continue to shift, so do the covers of speculative fiction books. Fantasy, science fiction, and horror…
August 23, 2017
Confession time! I adore comic book movies. There’s something about the over-the-top storylines, the super powers, the suspension of belief, and the genuine enthusiasm that (usually) goes into making such projects. I am a novice comic *reader*, however. When I come across a novel that taps into those same elements that are found in the best superhero stories, I’m almost…
August 3, 2017
There exists the old adage: Don’t judge a book by its cover. This is quite true, as the inside of a book can be excellent but the cover doesn’t do the story justice. Yet at the same time, having a good book cover is very important. It doesn’t matter if you’re with a big publishing company or self-published; a top…
July 6, 2017
More and more people are discovering books that aren’t with large or small publishers. Rather, they’re print on demand, or POD. These work much differently from the rest of the books you see in the bookstore and, thanks to technology, are becoming more commonplace than ever. There are so many different POD outlets that virtually anyone can publish a book.…
June 29, 2017
The Girl with Ghost Eyes (2015) Written by: M. H. Boroson Genre: Historical Fantasy Pages: 306 (Mass Market Paperback) Publisher: Talos Press Why I Chose It: I met M.H. Boroson at the Pikes Peak Writers conference this year and took his workshop on writing better fight scenes. He was fun to listen to and seemed to have a really cool…
June 14, 2017
Caraval (2017) Written by: Stephanie Garber Genre: Teen/Fantasy Pages: 407 (Hardcover) Publisher: Flatiron Books Why I Chose It: Caraval first enticed me with its cover, then more with the magical ticket on the back cover, and then finally with the description within the jacket. I like carnivals and games and magic, and I have two sisters. While the premise itself sounds…
June 1, 2017
People can come into bookstores with some pretty odd notions. Most of the time they’re confusing the bookstore for a library. Other times they just think they know better than the booksellers. But the truth is that the customer is far from right (and whoever coined that phrase clearly never worked in a bookstore — or in any sort of…
May 10, 2017
After having such a difficult time getting through the first volume of Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower series, I had some trepidation towards volume two, The Drawing of the Three. I am pleased to report that this volume of the series goes down much easier than volume one. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987) Written by:…
May 4, 2017
When it comes to books and bookstores, it’s a bit like a revolving door. Books come in, they sit on the shelf, books go out. Oftentimes they get purchased, but sometimes they go out the back door. The shipping door. The door that customers never see. So why do they go out the way they came in? What reason is…
March 2, 2017
Mass market paperbacks are interesting creatures, as are some trade paperbacks. 99.99% of all mass markets, if they are slated for return, aren’t actually returned. Not whole, anyway. One of the most horrifying things a bookseller will ever learn to do is strip a book. Stripping a book means that the front cover — and the back too if the…