Link: “Please don’t let anyone Americanise it!”
Seems like even Douglas Adams’ letters are fun to read! This one is from 1992, when he wrote to an American comic book publisher with some objections to one of their adaptions of his work.
Posts categorised ‘Books’
Link: “Unsettling Futures - Brandon Sanderson, fame, and the failure of the Long Tail” by Matthew Claxton
Found myself metaphorically nodding along at almost every word of this piece. The internet was supposed to “democratise” media consumption, but for the most part it’s resulted in bestsellers selling ever better and the midlist declining. It does mention indie, self-pubbed authors but only in brief, and at any rate they suffer from the same discovery problem as the midlist (just even more intensely).
Link: “Behold, the Book Blob”
An article on those generic samey covers that are everywhereeee on those kinds of books that make the bestsellers’ list.
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
Teixcalaan is threatened by an uncommunicative armada. Mahit Dzmare is brought in to help. (★★★★)
Do Men Avoid Books by Women?
I read an interesting discussion on Reddit yesterday morning. It started with an article suggesting that most men are really reluctant to read female authors. The article’s author commissioned a poll comparing the readers of the top 10 bestselling male literary authors, and the top 10 bestselling female literary authors. The men’s …
On Book Localisations for the US Market
Earlier today I read a Reddit thread about book localisations for the US market , and while it’s not like it was all new information for me, I did come away somewhat annoyed. I just don’t think it’s necessary to change terminology all over the place, not even in children’s books.
There were people in the discussion arguing that “torch” had …
Arkady Martine’s new book, A Desolation Called Peace (the follow-up to A Memory Called Empire) has finally come out in Australia, just two months after seemingly the entire rest of the world! I’ve slacked off on reading so much lately, but for this I need to make an exception. 📚
The Sleep Room by F.R. Tallis
James Richardson, a young psychiatrist, takes up a position at a remote facility in East Anglia, where six of the patients are kept unconscious at all times under a controversial treatment regime. Inexplicable things start happening. (★★★★)
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Casiopea, an impoverished relative of a wealthy family, accidentally crosses paths with a Mayan death god and embarks on a quest to restore him to his throne. (★★½)
Like of “Guilt-Tripped by a Chalkboard Sign” by Cheri
Bookstores rarely carry the book I’m shopping for (I often read older, backlist titles and indie published books). But heck if they aren’t fun to browse!
If bookstores don’t service my needs (insert sex joke here) as a reader or as an author, what’s left? Nostalgia?
Jessica Smith is a left-wing feminist who loves animals, books, gaming, and cooking; she’s also very interested in linguistics, history, technology and society.