Columns
Showing 3539 Columns
10 of My Favorite YA Books from 2021
December 29th, 2021
The year is waning. Finally, after months of being a terrible year, 2021 is coming to a close. Long live 2022! But first — there were a few good things about this year. And yes, you guessed it: those things were books! Specifically, YA novels, ones that were released this year and that I was lucky enough to read as they were published. In no particular order, my 10 favorite YA books released in 2021 are below.
Read Column →Cheers for Fears: 10 Book and Cocktail Pairings to Celebrate the New Year
December 27th, 2021
I decided to pair some of my favorite 2021 reads with a cocktail recipe for the New Year. I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t matter when a book was released (they’re never too old to be enjoyed), so some of my favorite books this year are previously released titles.
Read Column →Conservative vs. Liberal Book Bans
December 23rd, 2021
Because everything is so great right now, I figured why not talk about an issue we can all disagree on: book bans. Especially: the different, mutually disgusting flavors of conservative and liberal book bans. Let’s look at both and uncover how they’re different and how they’re alike. Spoiler: they’re alike because they’re both stupid. What Is A Book Ban? A book ban is any action you take with the intented or unintended effect of creating a barrier between the book and its reader.
Read Column →Can’t We Just Get Some Peace?
December 22nd, 2021
Can't we just get some peace? And look, there is a lot more than this sentiment going on in the superlative short story collections Deadheading by Beth Gilstrap, The Cult in My Garage by Duncan Birmingham and JERKS by Sara Lippmann, but I keep coming back to it anyway.
Read Column →LitReactor Staff Picks: The Best Books of 2021 - Part III
December 20th, 2021
Original image via Rodnae Productions Another year has come and gone. You know what that means, don't you? Time for a bunch of strangers to tell you what was good! And why should you care what the LitReactor staff thinks are the best books of the year? Trick question! You shouldn't. But what they have to say might interest you nonetheless, because they are good-looking and knowledgeable and they read like the wind.
Read Column →Writing Lessons Learned from 80s Horror Movies
December 17th, 2021
Header image via In October, I did a month of movie watch parties, watching a different horror every day live on Twitch. The movies ranged from releases from the 1930s through movies that came out this year. The quality varied widely. Sometimes the poorer quality movies were the most fun to watch with viewers as we shared our suffering together in the chat.
Read Column →Make eBooks Into Decent Gifts
December 16th, 2021
eBooks weigh nothing, they don’t get stuck on cargo ships, and they allow people to read hardcore erotica without anyone nearby being the wiser. I guess that last one could’ve just been “they’re discreet,” which would have been a discreet way of saying it. But I’m not known for my discretion.
Read Column →6 Romantic Books to Cozy Up With This Holiday
December 15th, 2021
Header image via Vincenzo Malagoli We’re smack in the middle of winter holiday season — Thanksgiving food comas have come and gone, Hanukkah candles were lit, and Christmas and New Year’s are fast approaching.
Read Column →LitReactor Staff Picks: The Best Books of 2021 - Part II
December 14th, 2021
Original image via Rodnae Productions Another year has come and gone. You know what that means, don't you? Time for a bunch of strangers to tell you what was good! And why should you care what the LitReactor staff thinks are the best books of the year? Trick question! You shouldn't. But what they have to say might interest you nonetheless, because they are good-looking and knowledgeable and they read like the wind.
Read Column →
