Columns

Footnotes: 'King Lear' and 9 More Books Masquerading in Other Genres

October 20th, 2014

Patrick Magee as Cornwall and Paul Scofield as Lear in the 1971 film adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. Kids begging for candy on your doorstep and college girls begging for it at the bar aren't the only things you'll find in costume this time of year. Browse a bookshelf and chances are you'll find several titles that aren't exactly as they appear — books in costume, masquerading in one genre when they're really something else entirely.

Read Column →

Five Terrifying Things About Getting Published

October 17th, 2014

After years of writing journal entries only you ever read, book and music reviews seen only by you, or novels and short stories with an audience of precisely one, you finally hit one out of the park: you’re about to be a published writer! But more often than any of us care to admit, we’re far from joyful at the prospect. We’re terrified. As the wretched day approaches when the magazine comes out, or the website puts your work up, or the books are due to arrive at the bookstores, all you want to do is hide. And possibly scream.

Read Column →

Let’s Get Critical! How Book Reviewing Can Make You A Better Storyteller

October 17th, 2014

About a month ago, writer and editor Sheldon Lee Compton posted on Facebook: “I don’t just want to be a better writer, but a better reader.” I’m, of course, paraphrasing, because the statement is of the type that most writers make on a occasion (okay, constantly) on social media, and to be blunt, I’m feeling a little lazy and don’t feel up to scrolling through Compton’s FB feed to find the actual quote.

Read Column →

Edit My Paragraph! Episode Five

October 16th, 2014

In this edition we’ve got reptilians, zombies, and aliens. Perfect for Halloween, right? Right. First up, a user emailed the following paragraph:

Read Column →

Caffeinated Lit: 9 Coffee and Book Pairings

October 16th, 2014

You have the day off, and you decide to spend it participating in one of the most luxurious activities imaginable: reading a book at a café while enjoying a cup of coffee. You arrive at your favorite spot, order your drink in a “for here” cup, and sit down at a quiet corner table. Tell me this doesn’t sound like heaven on earth.

Read Column →

Locked Up: Books For My Father

October 14th, 2014

Allowable property includes 2 books, 2 faith group items, 1 eyeglasses/case, authorized hygiene items, legal papers, 5 photographs, 1 plain wedding band & 1 pair of shower shoes. —Colorado Department of Corrections Offender Orientation Handbook My father probably wears shower shoes in prison. He's always been conscious of hygiene. He was a doctor, an anesthesiologist if you want to get picky.

Read Column →

BookShots: 'Mr. Mercedes' by Stephen King

October 13th, 2014

Bookshots: Pumping new life into the corpse of the book review Title: Mr. Mercedes Who Wrote It?: I think it's going to get a lot darker, more violent, and more intense if it heads in the direction I think it might. The king of horror, Stephen King, author of more than 50 books.

Read Column →

Top 10 Ways To Make 'The Strain' Less Stupid

October 13th, 2014

The first season of The Strain just came to end. And, well, that certainly was a television show. 

Read Column →

Things to Consider Before Signing a Publishing Contract

October 10th, 2014

Writing a novel is damn hard. Selling one to a publisher, in its own distinct way, is even more difficult because you're essentially convincing a company to gamble on you and your work. This is part of the reason self-publishing is booming right now. Searching for a publisher is both a hassle and a blizzard of heartbreaking rejection, so when you actually do get an offer, it's a huge moment. So euphoric that emotion can often blind the writer to those important details on what's on the actual contract.

Read Column →

What The Huge Success Of ’Gone Girl’ Says About Us As A Society (Hint: It Isn’t Good)

October 10th, 2014

My problem with Gone Girl isn’t the book or the writer or the film. My problem with Gone Girl is us. Let’s start with this: Gone Girl is a great book, a really great book; one of those rare works of craftsmanship that make even we battlehardened correspondents from the front line of book reviewing drop our habitual sneers of ennui and let slip a small nod of respect.

Read Column →