Self-defense storytelling is only a little younger than storytelling itself. Shahrazad is the most famous victor of such a contest, but Egil Skallagrimsson did it in Iceland’s famous Egil’s Saga, and there are fairy tales and legends from across the globe that feature getting creative with a narrative to save your neck. And it’s no …
Families are weird. You love them, but they’re weird. And this time of year, you have to find presents for these strange people you’re somehow related to. If you’re looking for books (and PS, support your local indie bookstore!), here are recommendations for all the loveable weirdoes in your life. Crazy Rich Auntie – She …
Zombies, ghouls, and all the rest of the night’s ilk might be the least frightening things about 2020. I, too, have an approximately once-monthly freakout and want to howl at the moon. I, too, want to dissolve into mist or frantically flap around squeaking at frequent intervals. And I, too, shuffle around mindlessly in search …
In the ongoing tire fire that is 2020, supply chains are still messed up and the postal service is still struggling—as are local bookstores. Independent retailers have begun asking that people start their Christmas shopping early, so that everyone can properly and safely manage the influx. If you can do so, I encourage you to …
Please excuse my love of puns as I use this opportunity to shout: THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY. IN FACT, BUY TWO. Thank you. It’s not just a pun that makes me want to yell about this book, though. Ring Shout is a magnificent, no-holds-barred triumph of a novel. P. Djèlí …
In 2020 perhaps more than all the other years combined I’ve wondered if being human was really such a good thing. Not that I have a choice in the matter. Does anyone? Well…maybe Natsuki, the protagonist of Earthlings, has an inkling. Natsuki, who we see as both a young girl and a grown woman at …
Fall! Finally, an excuse to pretend we’re inside by choice. Cozy blankets, hot cider, and the kind of scares that stay safely within the frame of a TV set or the pages of a book. If you’re looking to feel a chill down your spine that pairs well with the spooky season and maybe some …
I first read Kushiel’s Dart when I was too young for it, which was, in fact, the perfect age. I must have been about 14 when I picked the thick paperback from the shelf at my local Barnes and Noble. Most paperbacks were thick back then—there’s since been a shift to softcover—but this one was …
Every time I start a Jenn Lyons book I’m immediately overwhelmed and intrigued, and every time I finish a Jenn Lyons book I’m overwhelmed and desperate for more. It’s a very particular delight that comes with books so long and dense that the multiple glossaries and references at the end are not so much a …
When you deal with bad people, sometimes there are no good choices. And if you keep dealing with them, well, you might just find it’s no longer about bad choices, but the choice to be bad. To be monstrous. Monstrousness has always been the heart of this trilogy, and the question of what makes a …