Guest Book Review: Andrew from The Pewter Wolf reviews The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Today your guest reviewer is the truly lovely Andrew who runs The Pewter Wolf. In his own words: This blog is, what I like to call, a HappyBlog or a LaughBlog. The idea of this blog was to express book reviews and short stories I wrote, but have fun, random blogs that (I hope) will put a smile on your face.

You can say this is a book blog that doesn't take itself too seriously. Imagine this as a friend who wants to makes you smile, laugh and get excited over books - good or bad.

Andrew genuinely adores books, which is great to see, and so, for his review I decided to set a challenge. I'll let him explain it...

I want to thank Amanda quickly for allowing me to write this guest review for her lovely blog!

Now, when she asked the world of Twitter if anyone wanted to write a guest review, I jumped at the chance. But then, I had a problem: what to review? After a quick Tweet chat where Amanda asked "What don't you like reading or is out of your comfort-zone?", I immediately thought of faeries.

Now, why don't I like faeries, I hear you ask? Because the first thing that jumps into my head is Tinkerbell from Disney's Peter Pan. They're not edgy like vampires, werewolves or fallen angels. They're cute and fluffy and I can't really see them as dark or dangerous.


After a few more tweets with Amanda, I threw out to Twitter a HUGE list of books (ranging from faeries, books I got from the Indigo launch, a time-slip novel to a few eBooks on my Kindle) - the faeries won and I received more votes to read The Iron King by Julie Kagawa than anything else (it was that or a copy of Wicked Lovely I won!)

So, when I went away to Portugal, I took my glittery hardback copy of the book that I own and I read it over four days straight.

Meghan Chase thinks she is a normal teenager - until her little brother is snatched and replaced by a changling. When this happens she is thrown into a world that she didn't know existed. Now, to save her little brother, she must trust her best friend (who happens to be a faery - a pretty famous faery, actually) and follow them into the faery world of Nevernever. This world, surprisingly, seems to be a place where Meghan can fit in.

Now, I read this on holiday so this is a bit of a relaxing holiday read for me - although it did take a few chapters to get over the idea of "Disney" faeries in my head and see human-sized faeries with a definite dark streak to them. Plus, I really enjoyed the ideas Julie Kagawa used from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and found them incredibly interesting.

There was a feeling of déjà vu about this book with some of the ideas presented. The creature, Grimalkin, is very similar to the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland and you sometimes get the feeling that you have read the story before. But the idea of the Iron Fey was cool and I will be intrigued to know more about this. So, in general, The Iron King was a mix of good and bad.

Now, the teams... Like most YA books, there are Teams where readers can root for the couple and their "Happy Ever After" and Iron King is no expectation - I can see from reading this that there is the beginning of Team Ash and Team Puck. I am sure we will be shown more and more as we read the sequels, The Iron Daughter and The Iron Queen.

While I'm still not a great lover of faeries, I am intrigued to see what happens next in The Iron Daughter and I won't be so afraid to read books about faeries anymore. But I still might keep my distance from them. I need another faery book or two before I get over my "phobia" of faeries.

(On my blog, I put song choices to what I was listening to while I was reading so, I hope, Amanda allows the same. I apologise for the random song choices - "Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield & "Full Moon" by The Black Ghosts)

I don't usually include songs, Andrew, but for you here they are! Thanks so much for the review!



AND



Enjoy!

Angry Robot Books Open Door Month Done

Well, 'tis done.

I was asked to read the submissions for Angry Robot Books Open Door Month in March.

944 came in and I read maybe half of these partial submissions (maybe a little less than half).

I called forward 60 full manuscripts.

Out of those I have put forward 9 manuscripts and I dearly hope that they ALL get picked up - all these authors should be exceptionally proud of what they've achieved. The manuscript titles of those novels I adored are:

1) Channel Zilch
2) The Lives of Tao
3) The Mad Scientist's Daughter
4) Grayspace
5) The Further Adventures of Cyrano de Bergerac
6) The Dead of Winter
7) Pantomime
8) Brew
9) The Corpse-Rat King

Intriguing titles, non? Based simply on the titles, are there any that you would pick up to glance at the blurb?

Amazingly, I asked for three full manuscripts that were never sent through to me. I asked for them more than once to ensure that my email hadn't been lost, but, at this point, I have to say that they now count as rejected, otherwise they would have had many more months than everyone else who submitted, which is not at all fair.

Irritatingly, five of the manuscripts I asked to see have been picked up by various agents and publishers (one of which is the newly created Jo Fletcher Books imprint - congratulations Alison Littlewood!) That's the way the cookie crumbles, I guess, but I regret not being faster *grins*

Anyway, that's my job all done! If any of you have questions about the process and how it went for me, then drop them in the comments and I'll try and respond.

The Floor to Ceiling Books Awards - 2010

Hey y'all! I've seen a large number of 'Best Of' lists cropping up all over the Internet, and I figured I sort of wanted to do one, but they're so arbitrary and basically me telling you my opinion. So I've decided to go one better, and created 20 special awards for 2010. I've picked the categories arbitrarily and decided on the winners arbitrarily. But, behind the fun, these are my serious choices as to the best and worst of 2010. Enjoy!

1)Most Fun Website

This is going to be a big old tie (but the only tie in my 20 categories, promise!) I've forced myself into proper decisions in all other areas - but simply could not separate SlushPile Hell and Good Show Sir! Both are incredibly funny, wickedly sharp and highlight some of the absurdities of this publishing industry we know and love. Check them out immediately!

2) My Best Interview

Told you these categories would be totally arbitrary! I have conducted very few interviews on my blog (I like to think they come along so rarely that everyone appreciates them all the more) but, out of all the interviews I've conducted, I have to call out the 'Living With the Writer' feature I did with Deborah Beale. I was surprised and pleased that Deborah would talk to such a fledgling blog - to then receive such candid and charismatic answers made it a joy to interview her.

3) Biggest Tearjerker

There is only one book that had me in tears this year - real to goodness, bawling my eyes out tears. The ending was positively visceral, and I can't believe that this author was a) brave enough to write the book and b) strong enough to go where she did in the last twenty pages. An exceptional story - Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma.

4) Best Tie-in Novel

Okay, my tie-in novel experience has been confined so far to Warhammer 40K, but, of those, two authors have been standout - Graham McNeill and Dan Abnett. Both of incredibly talented and should not be confined or dismissed by people as JUST writing tie-in work. My absolute favourite novel, though, has been Horus Rising by Dan Abnett.

5) Breakthrough Blog

Okay, I've discovered some brilliant new blogs this year - they're doing some incredible work. Of those I've loved I'd like to recommend Tea & Tomes and A Fantastical Librarian, but my winner this year could only be Bookworm Blues, run by Sarah Chorn. Her reviews are insightful and sometimes biting; she is sarcastic and funny; and, more than anything, she is incredibly brave - fighting cancer while under a fairly public spotlight. Hopefully 2011 will bring her many books and lots of luck!

6) Novelist of the Year

It might seem strange to people that I would pick a novelist that I haven't even read yet, but I think Adrian Tchaikovsky has had an absolutely storming 2010. He's released a number of books in the Shadow of the Apt series, has signed contracts for more, been handed consistently lovely covers for his novels, and received very strong reviews for said books. I can't think of anyone else who has achieved quite the same amount in just one year - and all with a very quiet persona on the Internet. Incredibly impressive - believe me, 2011 will see me catching up on this series very soon!

7) Best Character

There honestly could be no other choice than Johannes Cabal. This sarcastic, bitter and dark character jumps from the pages of the two novels he's featured in so far - Johannes Cabal the Necromancer and Johannes Cabal the Detective. He's clever, grumpy and a total smart arse. He has almost zero social skills and, in many ways, I have no idea why I love him so much. But, truly, the books sparkled most when he was on screen.

8) Biggest Disappointment

Only one novel could win this award for me this year, and that is The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin. I know that this book will feature in many top ten lists of 2010 by other readers, but I found myself incredibly underwhelmed by this tale of Yeine and the gods. After hearing so many glowing reviews, I thought it was rather dull in comparison. Maybe if it hadn't been talked up so much, I might have liked it more? As it is, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was my biggest disappointment of the year.

9) Best International Choice

By this, I mean Best International Blog - and my decision was incredibly easy. Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews is always entertaining, informative and has a unique focus on the artwork of novels. His interviews with heavyweights of the artwork are conducted incredibly well, and give real insight into the process behind producing the art for novels. At the moment his blog is a little quiet, but this is for the best of reasons - Mihai recently introduced a baby Wolf into the world, so congratulations to him!

10) Most Innovative Publisher

Honestly, there could be no other choice. Angry Robot Books are at the forefront of innovative new publishing choices - eBooks, electronic ARCs, picking up daring authors and mashing up genre. They have linked up more effectively with bloggers than any other publisher, creating a Robot Army that aims to spread the word about the books being released. Good job all round.

11) Breakthrough Novelist

Difficult choice, this one. There have been some outstanding novelists coming to the fore in 2010, but I think key among them is Stacia Kane. Props to Voyager for releasing her Downside trilogy in three quick months during 2010, but Ms. Kane is as much the architect of her success as her publishers on both sides of the pond. She has created a little Downside community, reaching out to her readers, creating a two-way communication and even producing merchandising. It has been an incredible year for Stacia Kane, and I wish her all the best for 2011.

12) Worst Book

I've had a small handful of truly awful reads this year (thankfully they've been in a real minority!) but worst of them was Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich. Here is my closing lines from my review of the book:

Wicked Appetite can be equated to eating candy floss – seems like a good idea at the time, but leaves you unfulfilled and with a great sense of disappointment.

Very, very poor - unfunny, ill-considered and a bad advertisement for such a popular novelist.

13) Breakthrough Publisher

Funnily enough, considering they published Wicked Appetite, I have decided to list Headline as my Breakthrough Publisher. I don't mean, in this case, NEW publisher. Rather, I mean the publisher that has fully embraced the new world of blogging and were the first to try and create a community by inviting the bloggers into their world. They are also picking up some creative new series - such as the Lex Trent novels, the Johannes Cabal novels. They stride across many genres, and have a proven track record in all of them.

14) Best Fight

There can be only one!

Many of the reviews about Sykes' first novel complained about the fight scene that went on for some 200 pages. It was, however, wildly imaginative and exciting. Everytime you thought it had reached a breathless climax, Sykes brought in another adversary and dialled up the action to another level. Just brilliant.

15) Blogger of the Year

This is going to be a little ode to a blogger who has now departed. His final post was dignified and moving. But we all know he has gone onto better pastures - pretty much the pastures that all of us bloggers aspire to. I'm talking, of course, about James from Speculative Horizons. His blog was always professional; he raised a number of pertinent issues; and his occasional rants were controlled. His reviews were second to none, and I think everyone in the blogosphere will miss him keenly. Here's hoping he's enjoying his new role at Orbit as Editorial Assistant!

16) Best Duo

This is a bit of a cheat, since I have not yet read the whole book or reviewed it *grins*. I'm currently reading Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson, and Icarium and Mappo are just brilliant. Achingly sad, always mysterious and gentle humorous. I love all of their conversations, and I want them on-screen all the time.

My next two awards will feel a little repetitive, so I'm just going to list them rather than go into details:

17) Best Kiss - Chess and Terrible, from the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane.

18) Best New Series Discovered - the Johannes Cabal novels, by Jonathan L Howard

And now to the two big awards....

19) Best Publisher

Seriously, this publisher is right at the top of their game right now. From having three contenders on the Arthur C Clarke shortlist to being the publisher of such fantasy greats as Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and Patrick Rothfuss. Their success with Charlaine Harris cannot be quantified. This year they've branched into the lucrative YA market with some excellent titles. I've read a large number of their books this year and, even when not directly engaged, have either found something to like or been challenged by.

And 2011 looks like being more of the same, with The Quantum Thief having a great chance of being shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke award, and some massive releases on the way. I can't wait to join them on the journey.

20) Best Novel

This is by far my biggest cheat, but when I sat down and thought about all the books I'd read this year there was only one that I could feasibly put in the number one slot. I was blown away by the quality and the imagination. This is the start of something big. You guys will have to wait until March 2011 - but, seriously, it's worth the wait.

My book of 2010 is Department 19 by Will Hill.

Here is a key quote from my review (which will go up nearer the release date):

This book is going to be a phenomenon – you heard it here first. To all those publishers looking for the “next Harry Potter”? Harper Collins have found it in the form of Will Hill’s debut novel Department 19. This is going to be huge. Get in there from the very beginning.

There you have it - the inaugural Floor to Ceiling Books Awards! Hope you enjoyed.

Embarrassment About Books

This is a first for me. Since starting my blog, I am unsure whether to review one of the books that I've read. I've just finished Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy. Since discovering her novels age fifteen, I've read and re-read her tales about provincial Irish towns, usually set in the 1950s. The stories intertwine the varied eccentric characters of the village - dealing with alcoholism, friendship, childhood, love, abortion (against all the commandments of the Pope and Catholicism). These books are warm, lovable, gossipy and I adore them.

But I'm also vaguely embarrassed by them. I sat here for an age wondering whether ANY of the followers of my blogs would have any interest at all in reviews of these books - so instead decided to open up the question of embarrassment in books you read. Do you experience this at all? Are there novels you would never review, never recommend, hide to yourself? Would you want to see a review of Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy?

I'm embarrassed in this case because of the slightly aged nature of them, the rife gossiping, the degree of cutesy Irish charm. The covers of many are twee and pastel. And yet I can't resist diving in whenever I am in need of comfort - in this case, the snowy weather that has kept me housebound had me reaching for a book that celebrates the nature of village life.

So, what makes you embarrassed about books?

A Discovery of Witches Sneak Peek!

Okay, I announced just how excited I was about A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, which is out 8th February 2011 from Headline. Here is a picture of the delicious final cover:

I'm also happy to report that Book Chick City, My Favourite Books, Dot Scribbles and I are all posting a sneak peek of the first chapter! Start with Carolyn over at Book Chick City, then come to me, then over to Dot and finally to Liz at My Favourite Books.

Here is my excerpt (PART TWO OF CHAPTER ONE) - enjoy!

My mother would instinctively have known the answer, had she been standing in my place. Most members of the Bishop family were talented witches, but my mother, Rebecca, was special. Everyone said so. Her supernatural abilities had manifested early, and by the time she was in grade school, she could outmagic most of the senior witches in the local coven with her intuitive understanding of spells, startling foresight, and uncanny knack for seeing beneath the surface of people and events. My mother’s younger sister, my Aunt Sarah, was a skilled witch, too, but her talents were more mainstream: a deft hand with potions and a perfect command of witchcraft’s traditional lore of spells and charms.

My fellow historians didn’t know about the family, of course, but everyone in Madison, the remote town in upstate New York where I’d lived with Sarah since the age of seven, knew all about the Bishops. My ancestors had moved from Massachusetts after the Revolutionary War. By then more than a century had passed since Bridget Bishop was executed at Salem. Even so, rumors and gossip followed them to their new home. After pulling up stakes and resettling in Madison, the Bishops worked hard to demonstrate how useful it could be to have witchy neighbors for healing the sick and predicting the weather. In time the family set down roots in the community deep enough to withstand the inevitable outbreaks of superstition and human fear.

But my mother had a curiosity about the world that led her beyond the safety of Madison. She went first to Harvard, where she met a young wizard named Stephen Proctor. He also had a long magical lineage and a desire to experience life outside the scope of his family’s New England history and influence. Rebecca Bishop and Stephen Proctor were a charming couple, my mother’s all-American frankness a counterpoint to my father’s more formal, old-fashioned ways. They became anthropologists, immersing themselves in foreign cultures and beliefs, sharing their intellectual passions along with their deep devotion to each other. After securing positions on the faculty in area schools – my mother at her alma mater, my father at Wellesley – they made research trips abroad and made a home for their new family in Cambridge.

I have few memories of my childhood, but each one is vivid and surprisingly clear. All feature my parents: the feel of corduroy on my father’s elbows, the lily of the valley that scented my mother’s perfume, the clink of their wineglasses on Friday nights when they’d put me to bed and dine together by candlelight. My mother told me bedtime stories, and my father’s brown briefcase clattered when he dropped it by the front door. These memories would strike a familiar chord with most people.

Other recollections of my parents would not. My mother never seemed to do laundry, but my clothes were always clean and neatly folded. Forgotten permission slips for field trips to the zoo appeared in my desk when the teacher came to collect them. And no matter what condition my father’s study was in when I went in for a good-night kiss (and it usually looked as if something had exploded), it was always perfectly orderly the next morning. In kindergarten I’d asked my friend Amanda’s mother why she bothered washing the dishes with soap and water when all you needed to do was stack them in the sink, snap your fingers, and whisper a few words. Mrs Schmidt laughed at my strange idea of housework, but confusion had clouded her eyes.

That night my parents told me we had to be careful about how we spoke about magic and with whom we discussed it. Humans outnumbered us and found our power frightening, my mother explained, and fear was the strongest force on earth. I hadn’t confessed at the time that magic – my mother’s especially – frightened me, too.

By day my mother looked like every other kid’s mother in Cambridge: slightly unkempt, a bit disorganized, and perpetually harassed by the pressures of home and office. Her blond hair was fashionably tousled even though the clothes she wore remained stuck in 1977 – long billowy skirts, oversize pants and shirts, and men’s vests and blazers she picked up in thrift stores the length and breadth of Boston in imitation of Annie Hall. Nothing would have made you look twice if you passed her in the street or stood behind her in the supermarket.

In the privacy of our home, with the curtains drawn and the door locked, my mother became someone else. Her movements were confident and sure, not rushed and hectic. Sometimes she even seemed to float. As she went around the house, singing and picking up stuffed animals and books, her face slowly transformed into something otherworldly and beautiful. When my mother was lit up with magic, you couldn’t tear your eyes away from her.

‘Mommy’s got a firecracker inside her,’ was the way my father explained it with his wide, indulgent grin. But firecrackers, I learned, were not simply bright and lively. They were unpredictable, and they could startle and frighten you, too.

My father was at a lecture one night when my mother decided to clean the silver and became mesmerized by a bowl of water she’d set on the dining-room table. As she stared at the glassy surface, it became covered with a fog that twisted itself into tiny, ghostly shapes. I gasped with delight as they grew, filling the room with fantastic beings. Soon they were crawling up the drapes and clinging to the ceiling. I cried out for my mother’s help, but she remained intent on the water. Her concentration didn’t waver until something half human and half animal crept near and pinched my arm. That brought her out of her reveries, and she exploded into a shower of angry red light that beat back the wraiths and left an odor of singed feathers in the house. My father noticed the strange smell the moment he returned, his alarm evident. He found us huddled in bed together. At the sight of him, my mother burst into apologetic tears. I never felt entirely safe in the dining room again.

Any remaining sense of security evaporated after I turned seven, when my mother and father went to Africa and didn’t come back alive.

If this excerpt (and my excitement in the novel) have sufficiently piqued your interest, I'm also delighted to announce a competition being hosted by our four blogs!

First of all Headline are offering 3 signed copies of A Discovery of Witches - but the main competition prize is an opportunity for a UK-based reader to come and have a cup of tea and a chat with Deborah Harkness in either London or Oxford. You will meet Deborah, receive a signed copy of the book and a bottle of wine recommended by the author (who is well-known over in the States as a wine connoisseur). Headline will pay travel expenses, but not overnight accommodation. This will take place on either Monday 7th, Tuesday 8th or Wednesday 9th March. I do have to say that this competition is for over 18s only!

To enter, please send me an email with WITCHES as the subject line, stating that you would like to be included in this competition and providing contact details. I will randomise all the entries I receive and send one name through to the lovely Caitlin at Headline, who will pick a name from the four provided from each of our blogs! Very easy! Good luck!

Some additional places you can find Deborah:

www.deborahharkness.com

http://www.adiscoveryofwitches.co.uk/

On Twitter as @DebHarkness

The Future of Publishing

Okay, so this is going to be a fairly free-form blog post - something I shall try to articulate, but will likely fail. It is a point that occurred to me earlier while writing my post on Recent Press Releases.

We've all been wondering about the future of publishing - how it is going to work out with eReaders, eBooks, self-publishing, small publishers. And then it occurred to me that we were seeing the root of where publishing is going to go...

Those press releases announced a new small publisher that was selling chapbooks from both well-known and up-and-coming authors; two authors who had decided to collaborate, and no doubt discussed their plan via social media of some kind; and a new eBook-only company who would donate profits made to charity. New authors are being given more of a chance through the fresh initiatives of companies such as Morrigan Books, with their eBook-only branch.

This is both so promising, but also scary! For someone like me, who is yet to embrace the eReader - am I being left behind? Are the traditional publishers who are failing to embrace both social media and eBooks already losing a race that seemed as though it had barely started? There are reports that eBook sales are up MASSIVELY on the same period from last year. NetGalley is a whole new principle on receiving ARCs that has been on the rise in a big way.

The new environment allows so much freedom - it seems as though anyone (with the right contacts and editorial experience) can begin a publishing company or a literary agency. A website, some contracts drawn up and off they go... Is it as simple as this? Are we destined to see many endeavours fail because we aren't quite accustomed to the new way of working?

I have already ordered that chapbook with the click of a Paypal button. If the charity eBook comes in a format I can use, I will no doubt buy that too. I am being access to work that would, previously, have either remained unpublished or found its way into one of the few anthologies that made the rounds. Some of the novellas/novels I'll be able to read will be edited by those with little traditional experience.

We open ourselves to the risk of diminishing returns in terms of quality. We will no doubt see god-awful self-published tomes that would never had seen the light of day without the Amazon Kindle store. Some of us traditionalists may be forced to embrace eReading technology before we ever really wished to in order to stay caught up with new goings-on.

And yet.... I feel positive. The future of publishing looks bright, albeit very, very different.

What do you think?

Dark Fiction Magazine

I had the following press release bounce into my inbox today and I'm thoroughly excited by the idea. Check it out!

Dark Fiction Magazine (www.darkfictionmagazine.co.uk) is pleased to announce the launch of a new service for fans of genre fiction. Beginning Oct 31st (Halloween), Dark Fiction Magazine will be launching a monthly magazine of audio short stories. This is a free service designed to promote genre short fiction to an audience of podcast and radio listeners. A cross between an audio book, an anthology and a podcast, Dark Fiction Magazine is designed to take the enjoyment of short genre fiction in a new and exciting direction.


Dark Fiction Magazine publishes at least four short stories a month: a mix of award-winning shorts and brand new stories from both established genre authors and emerging writers. Each episode will have a monthly theme and feature complementary tales from the three main genres – science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Co-founder Del Lakin-Smith said: "I love reading short stories, and with the increased uptake of mobile and portable devices this really is a growth area. But like many I find I don't have as much time as I would like to read, so I tend to listen to many podcasts on the go. The idea of replacing my podcasts with high quality, well performed audio short stories is something I find highly appealing, so Sharon and I set about making that a reality."

Sharon Ring, co-founder of Dark Fiction Magazine, said: “From technophobe to technophile in less than two years; I spend a great deal of time working online. To while away those hours, I like to listen to podcasts and drink copious amounts of strong coffee. Now, while I don’t recommend you drink as much coffee as I, I do recommend you check out what Del and I have created. We love podcasts; we love genre fiction; we built a site to bring the two together.”

The theme of Dark Fiction Magazine’s first episode is The Darkness Descends and will feature four fantastical stories:

* ‘Maybe Then I’ll Fade Away’ by Joseph D’Lacey (exclusive to Dark Fiction Magazine)
* ‘Pumpkin Night’ by Gary McMahon
* ‘Do You See?’ by Sarah Pinborough (awarded the 2009 British Fantasy Society Short Story Award)
* ‘Perhaps The Last’ by Conrad Williams

Lined up for future episodes are Pat Cadigan, Cory Doctorow, Jon Courtenay, Grimwood, Ramsey Campbell, Rob Shearman, Kim Lakin-Smith, Ian Whates, Lauren Beukes, Mark Morris, Adam Nevill, Gareth L Powell, Jeremy C Shipp, Adam Christopher, and Jennifer Williams, among others.

With a team of dedicated and passionate narrators, a central recording facility and a love of genre, Dark Fiction Magazine delivers a truly outstanding aural experience.

Dark Fiction Magazine will also be producing special editions with seasonal stories and topical issues, competitions, flash fiction episodes and novel excerpts. Each episode aims to shock and delight, to horrify and confound as Dark Fiction Magazine takes its listeners on an aural tour through the world of genre fiction.

Dark Fiction Magazine is a collaborative project, created and developed by Del Lakin-Smith and Sharon Ring. For further information, contact Del or Sharon at
editorial@darkfictionmagazine.co.uk

***END***

Good, huh? I wish Sharon and Del all the best in their new endeavour!

Comfort Reading

Following on from my post yesterday, a lot of people have been suggesting to me that I pick up a comfort read - something familiar and beloved, that I am able to read and yet not read at the same time.

My main comfort read is David Eddings - fun, with little comedic flourishes, and a happy ending. Not a single challenge to be found within the pages. The good guys are good and the bad guys can be recognised by their black hats.

My question is: what are your comfort reads and why? Those books you return to in times of heartache?

Not Reading

Those who know me in a more personal capacity will have realised by now that I've been left pretty devastated by some news from the weekend.

I'm going through the usual not eating, not sleeping routine. What is more disturbing to me is I'm also struggling to read.

It is almost amusing that there have been times in recent weeks when I would have given anything for more time to myself to read - and now I don't want to.

Over the years reading has always been a massive source of comfort to me. It is what I turn to when I want to just forget the world and escape elsewhere. To not be able to do that leaves me feeling a little lost.

What I want to ask you, my readers, is: have there been times when you have lost the reading mojo? If it isn't too private, what caused it? How did you get it back?

P.S. I hope you can all understand that the blog might suffer for a few weeks. I hope to keep up posting, but, if there is less to read, I do hope you'll stick around and be back when I feel more capable.

Is it not time to kiss and make up?

Okay, I'm fed up. In the last few days (actually, weeks, months and years) there have been discussions like this and statements like: Proposition: We read SF to show how clever we are. We read litfic to show how clever we *think* we are. I've seen people ask: Are we, as SFF readers, our own worst enemy in marginalising our own genre?

At the same time, I've also been looked down on for participating in X Factor discussions on Twitter. People sneer at the fact I like entertainment shows. They've also said (not the same people) that I feature far too much literary fiction on my blog (which is odd considering my blog is called Floor to Ceiling Books!)

I think it is time for us to kiss and make up! I recently wrote this post, declaring my love for all books, and struck a chord with a few people. I also did a review of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - a literary book rather than SF but one that absolutely should be read as widely as possible.

There are awesome literary books. There are fabulous SF books. In my opinion X Factor has as much merit as Newsnight in entertainment terms. I want us to join collectively and declare our love for BOOKS. (You don't need to declare your love for X Factor - I just want you to accept that everyone likes different things!)

All books are literary - they are literature. I am tired of having my book choices analysed and criticised. I am tired of all these barriers. Some authors such as Michael Marshall Smith are writing fabulous novels that cross all genres and enrich the lives of anyone who reads them. They might never win an award (although I think MMS has?) but who cares? I recognise them for being excellent, thought-provoking and enjoyable.

Okay, it seems as though it is my turn to rant! But I reiterate: can't we all kiss and make up?

The Dreaded TBR Pile

So, recently I revealed how many series I was currently reading and asked y'all to do the same, which you did in droves (well, there were a few blog posts *grin)

The reason I was poking around in my stacks was to find out the definitive number of my TBR pile. And I finally have it. The number of books waiting to be read and reviewed for the blog is *drumroll*

1770

Crazy, non? I hasten to add that the bulk of these books are those I owned before I started this blogging lark - I've always been a bookworm!

What scares me is I have books in there that I can remember buying over ten years ago that I was absolutely bound and determined to read - and then they got put to one side in favour of my latest shiny...

Anyway, that's my naughty number - dare you share?