"Some people say Web 2.0 is fantasy, but this seems to be one more example of readers steering the Internet and the power of popular opinion." Thanks Terry!
"Science fiction may be one of the defining literatures of the last century, but it's rare that its products get any kind of acceptance by the academy (and when they do, they're then generally called something else)." Guardian blogger Sam Jordison decides to try out a classic science fiction novel.
Some people find it difficult to put a book down…no matter how much they dislike it. It’s hard to say if this is dedication, patience or obsessive/compulsive reading disorder. :) At what point do you decide to give up the battle when a book isn't doing it for you?
This post starts off kind of slow, but it gains momentum and is actually not a bad synopsis of the value of SF and fantasy, IMHO. It’s a reaction to the blank looks and raised eyebrows that seem to follow these two genres and a shot in the arm for what the writer prefers to call ‘imaginative literature’. And yes, it is literature. This, too, is addressed.
On the official LibraryThing "ideas" blog, Thingology, LibraryThing goes to the mattress and attacks Shelfari: "We respect our competitors with one exception: the site 'Shelfari.com.'" Then they go on to explain why.
"One of the Ten Commandments of Author Blogging is “thou must write a post explaining how thou writest thine novels.” And so, in an effort to save my immortal writerly soul from scribbler’s purgatory, I’m going to explain my process in easy numbered steps that anyone can follow."
Brian Dettmer carves into books revealing the artwork inside, creating complex layered three-dimensional sculptures. Much as I hate the idea of cutting up books, this is really cool.
Pulitzer Prize winning critic, Michael Dirda, makes a good argument for reading the classics, including the lesser known ones. While he’s at it, he makes an argument for taking bloggers who dabble in his trade with a grain of salt.
