The Street Is Hers: Quality Over Gender In Noir

Column by Keith Rawson September 13, 2012 3 comments
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The Street Is Hers: Quality Over Gender In Noir

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Sexism and the arts (hell, sexism and anything really) is an unfortunate reality. Particularly for us critic-y types, who've had it drummed into our heads that we need to marvel in wonder at any piece of film, literature, sculpture, canvas, photography, etc., created by anyone nonwhite and not in possession of a penis. We're taught that we need to mention, in fact, glorify that the piece of art was made by someone who's Mexican or black or a woman, and that this is the sole thing we need to judge the art on.

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The Fantasy Novel Back To School List

Column by Rajan Khanna September 12, 2012 3 comments
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The Fantasy Novel Back To School List

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It’s September, which means back to school time for a lot of folks. That got me thinking about classic fantasy stories that continue to be taught in schools. I thought it might be interesting to expand on some of those classics and take a look at more current works that play with similar themes and ideas. Here, then, is a list of both - the original classics along with their modern counterparts. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but just a sampling of some of the better known works. I welcome debates and other recommendations in the comments.

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Art and the Aphorism

Column by Jon Gingerich September 12, 2012 3 comments
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Art and the Aphorism

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Even if you’ve read only a handful of books in your life, you’ve invariably stumbled upon an aphorism, those pithy and clever philosophical adages writers are prone to drop on the page if they want to draw attention or invoke reflection on a particular line of thought.

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Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Dark Carnival, Berkeley, CA

Column by Jon Korn September 11, 2012 2 comments
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Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Dark Carnival, Berkeley, CA

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ADDRESS: 3086 Claremont Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705

HOURS: Monday - Saturday: 10:30am - 7pm, Sunday: 12pm - 6pm

ON THE WEB: Site

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You’ve Probably Never Heard Of This Book: STRANGE ANGEL

Column by Meredith Borders September 11, 2012 4 comments
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You’ve Probably Never Heard Of This Book: STRANGE ANGEL

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Welcome to a new feature at LitReactor, in which we introduce you, the reader, to a must-read book that is perhaps unfamiliar to you. I’d like to kick off this feature with a book I have long loved, the fascinating biography Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons by George Pendle.

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Guest Blog Post by Jack Ketchum: 'That Word'

Column by Jack Ketchum September 10, 2012 2 comments
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Guest Blog Post by Jack Ketchum: 'That Word'

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When Lucky McKee and I sent I’M NOT SAM to our agent, Alice Martell, it took her a few days to respond.

This was not at all like her.  She’d always been johnny-on-the-spot with our stuff, bless her heart.  But you didn’t want to push her.  Hell, no.  I’d been an agent myself.  I knew that pushing your agent is as likely to get you what you want as throwing a tantrum in Times Square is likely to get you a cab.  When she finally did respond, she called and said she’d actually lost sleep over the thing.

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The Top 10 Best Closing Lines Of Novels

Column by Meredith Borders September 7, 2012 29 comments
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The Top 10 Best Closing Lines Of Novels

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Editor's Note: the following article not only contains the closing lines of ten great novels, but also delves into plots, climaxes, and endings. Though most of the books discussed were published many years ago, those who wish to be surprised be warned: here there be spoilers.

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Five of the Best Books I Ever Reread

Column by Ed Sikov September 7, 2012 13 comments
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Five of the Best Books I Ever Reread

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Too many people get so caught up in what the art critic Robert Hughes called “the shock of the new” that they miss one of my favorite aspects of reading: the shock of the old. Rereading a book I’ve loved before is like refreshing a longstanding friendship. The same pleasure returns, but something unexpected pops out – a character whose wisdom suddenly makes sense, or a once reasonable action that turns unexpectedly foolish. We change as we age, or at least we like to think we do; so do our perspectives on what we read.

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Don't Write Comics: How To Write Comics Part 4

Column by Kelly Thompson September 6, 2012 2 comments
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Don't Write Comics: How To Write Comics Part 4

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Don't Write Comics is a multi-part essay about writing comics, understanding what your options are, finding the right artist, and everything you need to do to get a strong comic book pitch package together.

We’re in the home stretch!

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The Blagger's Guide to Gore Vidal

Column by Cath Murphy September 6, 2012
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The Blagger's Guide to Gore Vidal

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To blag (v): to sound like you know what you’re talking about when you don’t

The Blagger’s Guide to Literature (n): an invaluable resource for those who wish to blag about books without actually reading them.

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