This is pretty much straightforward. I read a lot of books this year, and a huge proportion of those books were fiction. Sometimes realistic, some fantasy, some sci-fi, and some historical—but, in any case, a lot of fiction. These are—in no true order—my top five fiction picks of the year. The Dog Stars, by Peter […]
Okay, so My Books is not doing an awards thinggummy this year (hopefully one day). Basically, there are just too many great books out in the world and not enough people to properly keep tabs on them. And I’d rather not give short shrift, you know? So in lieu of a proper AWARDS type thing, […]
Being a 20something human with an intact soul and a love for the idea of children reading, it pretty much goes without saying that I love Harry Potter. I don’t love it as much as other people I know–I can’t name all the minor characters, nor can I recite any of the Sorting Hat songs–but […]
David Mark’s debut, The Dark Winter, is a stout, hardy, character-driven mystery that treats what is an introductory novel as a satisfying, whole, stand-alone work, complete with office politics, fleshy back story, and a series of seemingly random murders—as well as an interesting question posed concerning mercy and justice. The Dark Winter features the mysterious […]
Father Gaetano’s Puppet Catechism is the latest effort from dark dream team Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola. It’s a little darker, a little more claustrophobic than their previous effort (Joe Golem And The Drowning City), and I had more mixed feelings about it. But if you can stand a little work, Father Gaetano’s grows into […]
Comic Con isn’t just about comics anymore. This year at NYCC I had quite a bit of bookish fun. First things first: I got to see Sir Terry Pratchett talk about his latest novel, Dodger. This was both awesome and rather heartbreaking all at once. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—I love […]
New York Comic Con can feel like something of a circus. It’s loud and crowded with a whole lot of visual stimulus. So in the midst of the spectacular promotional efforts on the show floor (there were cars, and arcades, basically), it’s nice to remember the little quiet booths where people promoted real-life heroics. Some […]
NYCC is primarily a Culture Con, but it does definitely have some aspects of a professional convention. On Thursday, Oct 11, the first few hours of the Con were reserved for Pros (comic book creators, sellers, and other professionals, like teachers, using comic books in a creative way). But NYCC’s commitment to comic book professionals […]