Posts

Scott McCloud – Understanding Comics I’m going to start off with Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics because it is a classic for good reason. McCloud uses the comic form to brilliant effect to pull apart the structure of comics, how they work and why they can be such an effective way to communicate complex ideas and emotions. McCloud takes time to define exactly what could and should be described as a comic and the way in which the form of his text reflects its content helps bring his arguments to life....

1: She talks about the realest issues, like how to fight childhood depression while keeping your mother alive, or how to hold in your IBS while trying to sexually impress a half-ass dude, or why anyone would ever, ever want to be on the reality TV show, The Bachelorette. 2: She talks about these very real issues in the grittiest, most realistic and hilarious style. Her tone makes these sometimes-intense subjects easily accessible....

Arkham Asylum is home to many of the Batman’s worst enemies— including the most dangerous one of all: The Joker. No one has ever been able to break through the insanity of the Joker’s mind. Many have been broken themselves in the attempt. But Dr. Ben Arnell is sure that he will be the one to finally cure him. From the creative team of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino comes Joker: Killer Smile, a terrifying tale of psychological horror that explores the madness within The Joker— and the family man who will risk it all to gaze into the abyss....

The holiday season is upon us! We know just how hard it can be to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. These titles make the perfect gift for friends that loves a dark thriller, moms who love reading historical fiction, brothers who can’t stop talking about the Stranger Things finale, and more. Check out Simon & Schuster’s #BooksILikeToGive holiday gift guide to find something for all of your fellow bookworms!...

Just like the rest of society, ableism exists within the bookish community. Publishers produce far too few books by disabled people. Print readers keep questioning whether audiobooks actually count as reading. Bookstagrammers complain that adding image descriptions to their captions ruins their “aesthetic.” YouTubers and TikTok creators insist that adding captions to their videos just takes too much time to make it worthwhile. The truth is that, both in and outside of the book community, dismantling ableism takes effort....

Most of the time, I’m okay with this cycle. My book-buying habit supports authors and bookstores, even as it drains my discretionary income. And it hasn’t quite yet led to buying a bigger house. Still, my TBR pile is so big, I should start charging it rent. And if I don’t change my habit, that rent would just go toward buying more books anyway. So, I’ve decided to fight fire with fire....

This isn’t due to some long-standing grudge against the genre. I know there are plenty of fantastic horror novels and films that are almost definitely worth my time. I am just, for lack of better words, kind of a scaredy cat. My fear reflex is way too elevated for me to take in scenes filled with gore and jump scares. And anything involving killer clowns? Forget about it. That being said, as I work on breaking out of my reading comfort zone, I’ve realized I do enjoy certain tamer elements of horror that can also be found in a good mystery and other genres — the building of suspense, an unexpected twist, or even a creepy villain on the loose....

There are some brilliant Hunger Games fan fiction writers out there; despite nominally using the same characters, and often the same world as well, they produce works that would be almost completely unrecognisable as a derivation. Partly that’s because they usually slip in certain fan fiction tropes – ones I tend to like. For example, I enjoy reading about dark heroes, so all the fics where Peeta is now amoral are total catnip to me....

Erika T. Wurth’s White Horse is a gritty, vibrant debut novel about an Indigenous woman who must face her past when she discovers a bracelet haunted by her mother’s spirit. That isn’t to say that we don’t still have a long way to go. In the United States, for example, October 12 is still officially known as Columbus Day. Many people have explained why this is offensive and a celebration of colonization, including Professor Susan C....

Why memoirs? Because they are tender and heartfelt. Because they are relatable and powerful. There’s nothing like reading a memoir and opening your eyes to the experiences of another person. To empathize with them and see yourself in their thoughts. To explore your own identity and your sense of self through their words. Memoirs are some of the most honest pieces of literature you’ll read. And while memoirs by nonbinary authors are hard to find, they most certainly do exist....

Thankfully, since 2016 when she wrote that piece, we’ve had quite a few novels set in that world. However, in at least one way, they are still lacking: we definitely need more novels about gymnastics by authors of colour. The sport has been increasingly diverse in the U.S. in the last decade or so. All three gymnasts on the podium in this past summer’s National Championships were Black women, and in 2021, Sunisa Lee was the first Asian American to win Olympic gold in the all-around competition....

If you’re not familiar with the term new adult, it refers to the genre of books with characters at an age between YA and adult, thus: new adult. The characters are typically in their 20s, sometimes in college, sometimes working, almost always trying to figure out how the heck to handle this thing called adulthood. It’s a highly relatable genre that has sometimes struggled to find a place in publishing, but the unique experiences of readers that age makes it one I hope will continue to grow and find success in the future....

The first season of Serial — co-produced by Koenig and Julie Snyder and developed by This American Life — investigated the 1999 death of Hae Min Lee and the 18-year-old Adnan Masud Syed who was convicted of her murder. This first season of the podcast, which was released in 2014, remained at the top of the iTunes charts for months. The New York Times called Serial “podcasting’s first breakout hit....

His experiments have proven Einstein wrong. Now he’ll pay the price for being right. It turns out that quantum physicist Matt Bronik’s prodding of the quantum universe is giving him seizures… and perhaps threatening humanity. Then, in the midst of another seizure, Matt disappears. When foul play is feared, there is no shortage of suspects, from China to the Department of Defense. With Matt’s life in clear danger, his wife Brigid sets out to find him....

Andrea Hairston’s award-winning alternate history adventure transports readers to turn-of-the-20th-century America, where diverse audiences hunker together in dark theatres to marvel at flickering images.Redwood, an African American woman, and Aidan, a Seminole Irish man, journey from haunted Georgia swampland to a “city-of-the-future” Chicago. They’re gifted performers and hoodoo conjurors, struggling to call up the wondrous world they imagine, on stage and screen, and in wounded hearts. The power of hoodoo is the power of the community that believes in its capacities to heal....

When I scour the internet for more books to add to my TBR, I browse shelves and scroll through recommended reading lists, always hoping to see someone like me whose body just works a little differently. While I still don’t spot as many as I would like, disabled people of marginalized genders have written and published some incredible books in the last several years. Authors like Jenny Lawson and Samantha Irby use their wit and humor to describe their lives....

#1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Forleo has helped thousands achieve their dreams through her award-winning show MarieTV. Now, whether you want to leave a dead end job, break an addiction, learn to dance, heal a relationship, grow a business, master your money, or solve world hunger, Marie’s highly anticipated new book, Everything Is Figureoutable, will train your brain to think more creatively and positively–especially in the face of setbacks....

When I was teaching in NYC public schools, I used to commute on the always crowded crosstown bus. One afternoon, I looked up from the high school essays I was reading and noticed a caregiver and a child reading a book aloud together. I heard them notice details on each page and laugh at the characters’ antics. How special, I thought. Such a private moment on display for all these tired commuters to hear or tune out....

That’s why reading Calvin and Hobbes and other comics to young readers is such a good idea. It makes sense: the comics page of a newspaper used to be a beloved section for kids. The writing is short, there are pictures, and the characters are funny. Most kids are visual learners, so why not include pictures with words? In the past few years, graphic novels have surged in children’s publishing....

These are the kinds of stories that make national news. If you follow the Dolly news ticker, however, you’ll notice a steady stream of smaller stories from local outlets. They’re often service journalism pieces letting area residents know that local kids can now benefit from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the program that sends free books to children from birth to age five. You might have seen Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in the news in 2018 when the program donated its 100,000,000th book....