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Ray Bradbury, Mr. Electrico, and Me
June 8th, 2012
There are people who you may never meet, but still have a profound effect on you. There are people who can reach through time and space to touch you, and change you forever, sometimes only with words. Sometimes especially with words. Ray Bradbury was one of those people for me, and probably for a lot of people. Many people publicly expressed their feelings about Bradbury after his death on June 6, including President Barrack Obama who said this:
Read Column →The Top 10 Worst Romance Covers
June 8th, 2012
Romance novels have notoriously terrible covers. Is it intentional? It must be, right? For that, I sort of love them. They're eye-catching and their genres are easily defined. That's the pinnacle of advertising success! If you're looking for a romance novel, you don't have to read the spine or the summary to know you've found one. Just grab the most hideously covered books at the store and you're set. So yeah, they're all bad - but these are the worst.
Read Column →Library Love: Don’t Leave It All Behind: Track Information That Matters
June 7th, 2012
The information age comes with a lot of baggage! I am constantly amazed by how many emails, sound files, photos, videos, articles, and websites flow through my day. I always say that working in a research library is like standing in the middle of a raging river – it’s bigger than me, I can’t control it, and there’s no way I can be aware of everything happening around me. The Internet is the same. Every time you turn on your computer or unlock your phone, you are wading into the middle of that river. Accept this fact; it will make your life easier.
Read Column →Guess The Plot, Episode III: Jacked And Pumped
June 7th, 2012
It's time for another installment of the Internet's favorite speculative, vintage book cover-based game: Guess The Plot! Over the past two months, LiReactor has come through with some of the most creative and hilarious theories on where, exactly, these crazy books' narratives might go. They are so good, in fact, that I thought it might be fun to begin highlighting one of the most memorable comments from the previous installment.
Read Column →It's More Than Just Meth Labs and Single Wides: A Rural Noir Primer
June 6th, 2012
I think what catches most people off guard about these rural areas is the viciousness of the poverty and how it’s staring right at you…I think for a lot of readers that seems a little exotic. --Daniel Woodrell With most Americans, rural life has become exactly how Woodrell describes it: Exotic.
Read Column →Storyville: Writing Horror Stories
June 6th, 2012
In my opinion, two of the hardest genres to write are horror and comedy. Why? Because both are so subjective. What might make one person laugh will leave another unaffected, and what will scare the hell out of one person will leave another bored. So know that you are taking on a difficult task when writing horror. But as there are millions of books sold every year by the masters of the genre, there is obviously an audience for dark fiction.
Read Column →A Slap on the Wrist: Excusing the Bad Behavior of Authors
June 5th, 2012
A few weeks ago, I wrote a news post that I would hardly call news. I considered it more of an update on what had been public knowledge for some time: that Orson Scott Card, brilliant science fiction author and rampant homophobe, was at it again. Card wrote a rather inflammatory column for his hometown newspaper that can be viewed in its entirety HERE. The comments on my article were a mixed bag.
Read Column →Summer Reads: Why Cthulhu Is Not The Best Travel Companion
June 5th, 2012
I am crap at a lot of things. Figure skating, remembering birthdays, anything to do with machinery, reading maps, and failing to make eye contact with drunks are just a few items on the long list of activities at which I spectacularly fail. But if I had to single out one thing at which I am especially crap, it would be choosing which book to take on holiday.
Read Column →New Release Roundup: Recommendations for June 2012
June 4th, 2012
Every month I'll be toiling in the dank, dark mines of literary obscurity, scouring the catalogues of every major publisher to bring the LitReactor faithful a few choice titles hitting the shelves. The following is a brief look at what's worth checking out in June. Full disclosure: unless otherwise noted, none of the below books have been reviewed by myself or other LitReactor staff. These are just a few recommendations based on publisher's notes and my own opinions. Without further ado:
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