I am an inveterate book thief. I don’t steal from bookshops or libraries – I’m not a complete monster – but if a family member or a friend leaves a book unattended, I’ll pick it up and begin to read it. When I was a child, this habit got me into all sorts of trouble.… Continue reading Life as a Book Thief
Just as some readers turn up their noses at young adult fiction, many sneer at romance novels. But these books aren’t simply trashy bodice rippers filled with swooning and ridiculously attractive heroes. They may also increase self-reflection and empathy in readers. (There is often still swooning though. Lots and lots of swooning.) Romance novels can help… Continue reading Understanding Others: The Benefits of Romance Novels
I have a warm place in my heart for newly published writers – there is something special about fresh blood – so I want to highlight some of the most exciting debut novels of 2016. As with most of my lists, these novels are in no particular order and are listed here only because I… Continue reading The Best Debut Novels of 2016
To ring in the start of 2017, what is better than a book related beverage? (Lots of things probably, but I can only help with the drinks.) If you are less a bookish beer person and more of a wine fancier, this post is for you. I’m highlighting just a few wines that have in… Continue reading Just a Tipple: Booze with Literary Flair, Part 2
Sometimes the books that make the most impact come from a little farther afield than right around the corner. With that in mind, I want to spend a moment to celebrate some of the best books in translation of 2016. But first, a disclaimer. I obviously have not read all of the 3% of books… Continue reading The Best Books in Translation of 2016
As I hinted several weeks ago, I am beginning an interview series with editors, marketing folks, designers, writers, and other people in the books industry. It is with great excitement that I present the inaugural post in this series with the brilliant Alison Hennessey, Editorial Director of Bloomsbury’s Raven Books. She provides some great insight… Continue reading Thrillers, Suspense, and International Publishing: An Interview with Editorial Director Alison Hennessey
Modern book design focuses on typography, cover art, and internal flourishes, but several hundred years ago book designers also added art to the sides of pages. This type of art is called fore-edge painting, and it refers to a painted design on the edges of book pages. When looking at the edge of a single… Continue reading Fore-edge Painting: Images on Book Edges
My recent foray into the Diversity Baseline Survey made me realize that I could do a bit better about these things as well. With that in mind, I want to highlight an exciting publishing opportunity. The Deaf Poets Society, an online journal not restricted to poets or members of the deaf community, is holding open submissions for works… Continue reading Publishing Opportunity: Poetry, Art, and Prose
“As an adult I have often known that peculiar legacy time brings to the traveler: the longing to seek out a place a second time, to find deliberately what we stumbled on once before, to recapture the feeling of discovery. Sometimes we search out again even a place that was not remarkable itself – we… Continue reading Friday Quick Quote: Elizabeth Kostova’s ‘The Historian’
Though I’m sure many of you already have busy weekends planned, I want to share another great writing contest. Tethered by Letters, a nonprofit literary group out of Denver, Colorado, is hosting its F(r)iction Fall Literary Competition. Participants can submit works to the short story, flash fiction, or poetry categories, and judges are Matt Gallagher, Sari… Continue reading Writing Contest: Tethered by Letters, $1000 Prize
Kristen Twardowski 