I keep a record of what I read in LibraryThing. I haven't recorded every book I've ever read, because I don't remember (boy, I wish I had started keeping a list at the age of 5 or something). But I have recorded almost 1,200 books, so I thought I'd take a look at my authors … Continue reading Most influential authors…
I have been rearranging my books, necessitated by a large Christmas haul of mostly beloved classics. I hate to admit it, but I mostly organize my bookshelves based on aesthetics-- books all the same height together, for instance, or a publisher's similar designs together. In this latest rearranging, I noticed how many black and white … Continue reading Vintage vs. Penguin: On being seduced by book covers…
I don't like to write down my thoughts about a book or draft a review immediately after I've finished the book. Instead, I like to let the book sit with me for a few days, or even a few weeks. That's because one of the most important qualities for me in deciding how much I … Continue reading Some thoughts on book “stickiness”…
The kind of fiction I like to read the most, and that I tend to focus on here, falls under the broad umbrella of "speculative fiction." I've never been entirely comfortable with the traditional genre labels of science fiction, fantasy and horror. The definitions that are most often applied to these genres seem so limiting, … Continue reading What is speculative fiction?
