Posts

A Definition of Digital Literature Like speculative fiction or slipstream, digital literature is a vague concept. The definition changes depending on who you ask. Some say it is made up of texts that were created digitally, and that are (usually) meant to be read on a computer. The Electronic Literature Organization (ELO) has another definition for it: “[W]ork with an important literary aspect that takes advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the stand-alone or networked computer”....

Radio plays made their first appearances in the late 1920s. Soap operas began as radio shows, and even Superman began as a popular after-dinner radio show. Serials made listeners gather together to catch up on their favorite characters week after week. As we’ve moved away from radio plays, audio dramas have become a special treat, often as adaptations of books or popular films. Audio dramas are often available to download or purchase after they’ve aired....

Un-Notable Transcription A prime example for me is Kate Atkinson’s 2018 release, Transcription. One of my favorite things about Atkinson is her versatility as a writer. She is a master of taking traditional tropes and elevating them into literature. Transcription had some elements of an epistolary novel, since it was partly told through transcriptions of conversations. It also fell within the historical fiction genre while walking the line of a spy novel....

I’m half-French and also a former teacher of my mother tongue, so I’ll leave it up to you to imagine how much the show hurts both my heart and my ears. Did I still hate-watch the second season the same week it dropped? Obviously. Do I hope more people will be unironically drawn to learning about authentic French culture as well as the language? Of course. If that’s you, then I wanted to recommend some books....

Fatphobic Picture Books Honestly, children’s literature hasn’t done much to combat this concept. For centuries, the able-bodied, slim, white, binary-obeying child was the only image ever shown in any book. While the lack of fat representation is a problem in itself, the explicit mockery of fat people and children in particular is present in many picture books. The biggest disaster I’ve come across is a book by two heroes of the picture book genre, Rosemary Wells and Marc Brown....

Who is Captain Marvel? Several characters have taken on the name Captain Marvel throughout the years (for further reading, check out this deep dive), but today, the title belongs to Carol Danvers. As a full bird colonel in the Air Force, Carol outranks Captain America in the comics, and she frequently enjoys reminding him of this fact. Before taking on the title Captain Marvel, Carol used several different aliases, including Binary, Warbird, and her original moniker, Ms....

Despite all of those different sizes, though, almost all books have a certain proportion. From books that could hang off your keychain to dictionaries you can hardly lift, they are almost always rectangles taller than they are wide, at around the same proportions (width:height of about 5:8). And this isn’t a new invention of mass printing: according to The Book by Keith Houston, the oldest books in the world have about the same proportions, though they were often slightly taller than our books now....

One recent afternoon, I drove my son to a gymnastics party. I signed a waiver, watched my son hurl himself into a giant pit of foam blocks, and then rushed out the door whispering in a very Gollum-esque voice, “My time, two hours, my precious.” The gymnastics party was very close to the public library. As anyone who thinks in voices resembling Tolkien characters would, I carried myself to the library reveling in the idea of spending all of my time adding to my TBR stack....

When I’m talking about “weird” in this context, I’m generally speaking about erotica that involves nonhuman species in sexual relationships with human or other nonhuman species. Context independent of species can influence the weirdness level, too, whether that is regarding setting, rituals, what happens during sexual relations — the more out of the box, unusual, or strange compared to what we typically see as a conventional sexual relationship, the weirder the erotica....

But where they lost me was when I saw the reaction to this particular article in both the comment section and on social media. The overwhelming response was, “Wow, wish I could read that much!” or “teach me your ways, oh wise one!” And it was triggering for me in a way that, as an avid reader from the crib, I feel like we don’t discuss enough as bookworms. To borrow a popular phrase from Nick and Charlie in Heartstopper: why are we like this?...

As challenging as Goodreads can be, it’s still one of my favorite tools as a reader, and no matter how much people want to convince me to switch to another way, I’m not sure I’ll be ready to jump ship any time soon. Instead, Goodreads is about recording my life in reading. I do keep a spreadsheet with information about everything, one modified from the annual reading log created here at Book Riot....

But, here’s the thing: we should be reading on the job, and more than that, at the circulation desk. Reading is an important part of my job, and when that reading is done on a computer, doing research for example, it’s often found more acceptable than reading a physical book visible by patrons. Reading books looks like we are reading for pleasure instead of working. Hopefully, both can be true....

One of the aspects of the book world we don’t think enough about is the very thing that serves as the backbone to publishing: paper. Ebooks have certainly caused a shift in reading habits, but they haven’t eliminated the need for print books to be printed on paper. Increasingly, though, sourcing paper for the production of books has proven challenging. “There’s basically four different types of paper that are out in the world right now, and it’s freesheet, coated groundwood, uncoated freesheet, and uncoated groundwood....

Reading is usually such a solitary endeavor and I know many readers find themselves surrounded by non-readers in their daily lives. (I still shudder when I think of multiple coworkers not knowing who Ray Bradbury was.) Festivals not only give you the chance to connect with your favorite authors, but also readers who care about books as much as you do. There is a magic in being surrounded by people who have read your favorite books and can recommend your next favorite book....

We have a $200 gift card to Half Price Books up for grabs for one lucky Book Riot reader, courtesy of HarperCollins Christian Publishing’s Page Chaser Deals newsletter. Save up to 80% off e-Books, get amazing deals on Christian books, and find opportunities to discover your new, favorite book! This sweepstakes is open to residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and all other US territories). Entries will be accepted until 11:45pm, May 31, 2019....

Admittedly, writing that sentence made me cringe a little even as a woman well into her 20s. As a tween, I already knew that writing fanfic wasn’t something to boast about. Fan fiction didn’t count as “legitimate” writing; I was just leeching off of someone else’s ideas! Plus, my work was on this relatively new platform called the “Internet”, where all the weirdos hung out. But fiction was a way to escape reality, and now I could be an active participant, too....

Dealing with grief when you’re younger, for example, can look quite different from grieving as an adult. This is why it’s more important than ever that there are young adult novels that portray grief and loss, and show us the ways in which teens deal with the grieving process. Thankfully, there are many YA books that portray grief and loss in a multitude of ways. They range from grieving family members, friends, and partners, and show how grief can look vastly different for different people....

Book Riot is teaming up with Inkyard Press to giveaway one YA Fantasy & Sci-Fi book bundle! Want more 3 on a YA Theme? We’ve got you covered!

Choose your faves…wisely. Wait, What is My Hero Academia? It’s a super-popular Japanese manga about people with superpowers. Only thing is, superpowers are pretty much everywhere. About 80% of the population have superpowers, or quirks. Except our main character, Izuku Midoriya. He has no quirks. And in a world that caters to those with quirks, being ‘normal’ is anything but. Naturally, there are some with quirks who have become Heroes…and some who have become villains....

Just a few days later, on June 6, a Muslim family in London, Ontario were the victims of a hate crime. A driver intentionally struck them as they were out for an evening walk, killing four members of the five-person family. Authorities have confirmed that the family was targeted because they were Muslim. Many white settler Canadians think that racism does not exist here, or that it’s “not as bad” as it is in the United States....