Bestselling novelist Marian Keyes recently called the term “chick lit” derogatory, and now other female writers are expressing how much they dislike the term. READ MORE: These Female Writers Want To Stop “Chick Lit” Being Used To Describe Work By Women | BuzzFeed
Tag Archives: fiction
Genre Books by Women Authors | Flavorwire #books #women
Eclectic list with some great recommendations!
Potboilers, fantasy lands, murders, noir triumphs, supernatural creatures, and the twisted, thrilling, and dark imaginations that devise them are hardly a male-only literary province. Since Mary Shelley imagined Frankenstein on a night in Switzerland, women have been creating genre fiction alongside men, playing with vampires, dragons, detectives, unreliable narrators, and denizens of outer space. So pack some of these classic genre novels by women in your canvas tote and enjoy reading them this summer at the beach, the pool, or just snuggled up to your air conditioning unit. READ MORE: Genre Books by Women Authors | Flavorwire.
The Top Fantasy Books To Get Any Beginner Interested In The Genre | Huffington Post
The fantasy genre can be daunting — magic, creatures, and unpronounceable names can seem, well, a bit weird to people who haven’t read those kinds of books before. However, as millions upon millions of fans know, there’s something to be said for the escapism and sense of wonder that a fantastical novel can provide.
There’s also the question of size to consider. One glance at hefty high-fantasy series like Lord of the Rings (approximately 1,200 pages altogether) and Game of Thrones (4,228 pages and counting) can intimidate even the most avid of readers. But rest assured, not all fantasy novels are as massive and terrifying.
Whether you’re new to fantasy, or even new to reading for pleasure, there is always a point A from which to start. In this hypothetical scenario, consider “Game of Thrones” point D.
Here are some fantasy trilogies, series and standalone novels that can get you to point B (or point D, if you’re feeling ambitious). READ MORE: The Top Fantasy Books To Get Any Beginner Interested In The Genre | HuffPo
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These are my fantasy genre recommendations. There is a mix of classic, historical and romance fantasy novels listed.
- The Hobbit & the Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Ysabel and the Under Heaven series by Guy Gavriel Kay
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
- Life of Pi by Yann Martel
- Inheritance series by N. K. Jemisin
- The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
- All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- Study Trilogy by Maria V. Snyder
- Tairen Soul series and Weathermages of Mystral series by C.L. Wilson
You may also like:
▶ Madame Bovary – Official Trailer | YouTube
Mia Wasikowska is beyond amazing! If I could only ever watch her and Keira Knightley’s movies, I would still die happy. The upcoming gothic horror film she is cast in, Crimson Peak by Guillermo del Toro, sounds creepy and intriguing…to be released October 2015 and also stars Chastain, Hiddleston and Hunnan.
James Patterson’s New Book Will Self-Destruct In 24 Hours | Co.Create
I have not read any Patterson books in the last decade or so, as I’m not a fan of his collaborations with other authors to churn out titles. That being said, this is a fantastic book promotion concept. Very creative…and ‘thrilling’ idea.
He’s got bazillions of fans, sold hundreds of millions of books, and has been called the best paid writer in the world. But this is probably the first time James Patterson will release a book that will actually explode.
READ MORE: James Patterson’s New Book Will Self-Destruct In 24 Hours | Co.Create | creativity + culture + commerce.
Margaret Atwood Ruins a Marriage, Talks Memes, Politics in Reddit AMA | Jezebel
Just from reading some of Atwood’s answers to the reddit AMA, I feel I have been enlightened and transported to a surreal world!
Margaret Atwood, high priestess of an oracular temple deep in the digital Canadian woods, did a Reddit AMA Monday. Its great: she was asked all of the questions you might expect (Where do you see political dystopia today? Whats your ~process~?) and some you might not (Who is your fictional boyfriend?). Read on for the best bits. READ: Margaret Atwood Ruins a Marriage, Talks Memes, Politics in Reddit AMA | Jezebel
A Better Way to Think About the Genre Debate | The New Yorker
A very thoughtful essay questioning the distinction between genre versus literature, using Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel as an example. Well worth the read.
Snip
It’s hard to talk in a clear-headed way about genre. Almost everyone can agree that, over the past few years, the rise of the young-adult genre has highlighted a big change in book culture. For reasons that aren’t fully explicable (Netflix? Tumblr? Kindles? Postmodernism?), it’s no longer taken for granted that important novels must be, in some sense, above, beyond, or “meta” about their genre. A process of genrefication is occurring.
That’s where the agreement ends, however. If anything, a divide has opened up. The old guard looks down on genre fiction with indifference; the new arrivals—the genrefiers—are eager to change the neighborhood, seeing in genre a revitalizing force. Partisans argue about the relative merits of “literary fiction” and “genre fiction.” (In 2012, Arthur Krystal, writing in this magazine, argued for literary fiction’s superiority; he fielded a pro-genre-fiction riposte from Lev Grossman, in Time.) And yet confusion reigns in this debate, which feels strangely vague and misformulated. It remains unclear exactly what the terms “literary fiction” and “genre fiction” mean. A book like “Station Eleven” is both a literary novel and a genre novel; the same goes for “Jane Eyre” and “Crime and Punishment.” How can two contrasting categories overlap so much? Genres themselves fall into genres: there are period genres (Victorian literature), subject genres (detective fiction), form genres (the short story), style genres (minimalism), market genres (“chick-lit”), mode genres (satire), and so on. How are different kinds of genres supposed to be compared? (“Literary fiction” and “genre fiction,” one senses, aren’t really comparable categories.) What is it, exactly, about genre that is unliterary—and what is it in “the literary” that resists genre? The debate goes round and round, magnetic and circular—a lovers’ quarrel among literati.
READ MORE: A Better Way to Think About the Genre Debate | The New Yorker
An African Reading List | BOOK RIOT
If you’re like me and are trying to diversify your reading, then you know that discoverability is an issue. I want to start reading more books by non-U.S. and UK authors, but where do I start? Well, if you’re interested in African authors, here’s what I’ve got.
Through extensive Googling and suggestions from fellow Rioters, I’ve compiled the following list. These are fiction books by African authors, sorted by country. Not every African country is represented here, though I did my best. All of these books are available for purchase in the U.S. If an author has written multiple books such as Achebe or Adichie, I listed just one so you’d have the author’s name. I also did not have any sort of genre/format restriction, so though most of these are adult literary fiction, not all of them are.
I can’t necessarily recommend these books one way or another because many of them I haven’t read though I have read a good number, but hopefully this list will get you started. I absolutely know I missed books on this list, so please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments, as well as provide recommendations if you have read some of these books.
SEE THE LIST: An African Reading List | BOOK RIOT
Where to Find Speculative Fiction Online | Kirkus
Science fiction, fantasy and horror fans in particular have a wealth of online fiction venues that they can visit. But not every destination is worth the time it takes to type in the web address. Let’s take a look at some of better online speculative fiction venues.
Read: Where to Find Speculative Fiction Online | Kirkus.
Reviews various online and print magazine resources for speculative fiction.
Penguin Canada to release YA novel based on life of Lucy Maud Montgomery | Quill & Quire
Article in Full
A newly announced YA novel, based on the life of Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery, has the support of the beloved author’s family.
In a press release, Penguin Canada’s Lynne Missen, publishing director of the young readers’ group, says, “The idea for this book came up at a lunch with representatives of the heirs of L.M. Montgomery and we were all immediately smitten.”
Scheduled for release in 2015 under the Razorbill Canada imprint, the novel will be written by debut author Melanie J. Fishbane, who holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. The story will focus on Montgomery’s life from age 14 to 18, including her time as a student in Cavendish, PEI, to her year living with her her father and “difficult stepmother” in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
“My family is excited to be involved with another innovative literary project with Penguin Canada on the subject of my grandmother, L.M. Montgomery,” says Kate MacDonald-Butler. “Only a young adult novel could envision the dizzying romantic highs and the agonizing lows of finding one’s place in the world. We are looking forward to the creative talents of Melanie Fishbane in bringing the teenaged Maud to life for a new generation of readers.”
via Penguin Canada to release YA novel based on life of Lucy Maud Montgomery | Quill & Quire.
infophile 