May 29, 2020
Some people like their book club books to be the kind of literature they would never read on their own: books they need to be goaded into reading. Others like book club books to be challenging — in either a socially-conscious way or in provocative writing style. There is nothing wrong at all with those approaches; I’ve enjoyed book clubs…
May 2, 2020
Hail and well met, strangers! This week marked the beginning of the fabled Golden Week in Japan, a series of multiple holidays in close proximity to each other that make for a nice, long break. April 29 was Shōwa Day, and then we’ve got the rest of the holidays aligning in a way that makes it a five-day weekend: Constitution…
April 28, 2020
For the first time since the challenge started, I thought about not doing the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge this year. I haven’t been thrilled with the most recent prompts and the challenge had started to feel like a chore. Then I perused the list and much like the mafia, just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in…
October 15, 2019
The journey of the White Witch to the Beast’s Garden is a fraught and perilous trek through the beginnings of the realm of Faery, starting out at the dawn of humanity, with the first feminist fairy tale, that of the Animal Bride/Groom, in which, according to noted folklorist Terri Windling, “a human man or woman is married to an animal,…
November 26, 2018
They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week we sit down with one of our newest Content Editors, Kristina Elyse Butke! What…
September 3, 2018
They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Meg Kassel, whose latest book, Keeper of the Bees, comes…
June 26, 2018
Much has been said recently in honor of Anthony Bourdain. The world is poorer for his absence, because Bourdain wasn’t just a “food guy,” but we are richer for his existence and his enthusiasm. For examples of the kind of fellow he was, I refer you all to his shows, to the Internet at large, to his books, and to…
June 19, 2018
There are many tour guides to the map of speculative fiction – that wondrous realm of space, time, and horror, and more than a few writers who function as both guides and gods, creating and leading tour groups. From J.R.R. Tolkien, to Gary K. Wolfe, from C.S. Lewis to Farah Mendlesohn, these (sometimes grizzled and serious, sometimes light and amusing)…
March 30, 2018
I had the flu a few weeks ago and while I lay in bed groaning, I thought, “This is the perfect time to catch up on some reading.” Except I only wanted to read one thing and it definitely wasn’t what I was supposed to be reading. But I knew it would make me feel better. A comfort book, if…
February 14, 2018
As you might have noticed, this month is February. And if you’ve been in a store or anywhere in public, you’ve also noticed today is a special day. That special day is Valentine’s Day. For once, I’ve decided not to ignore this holiday and am, in fact, dedicating my post this month to a list of some of my favorite…