For several years now, YA fantasy authors have carved out a beloved and celebrated niche in the world of fantasy and science fiction literature. YA fantasy books stand on their own in this crowded genre, attracting fans new and old. However, like its parent genre, YA fantasy has also become a bustling space. Thus, separating …
Boys’ love manga (BL manga), like other romance manga, is an all-encompassing genre. You will find anything from fantasy to your standard slice of life stories. As the name suggests, the stories in Boys’ Love manga are always about a romantic relationship between two boys (or men). These manga often also often have a larger …
Sci-fi novels lend themselves particularly well to the audiobook format. The atmosphere that can be created so elegantly by a single voice in your head really enhances the sci-fi tropes of isolation, artificial intelligence, and discovery. This also means that sci-fi audiobooks are something of a double-edged sword. Unless they’re performed perfectly by the right …
Of all the world’s literature, the works of Argentine writers represent some of the most punk and political; some of the most diverse, surreal, groundbreaking, and beautiful novels and short stories. Essential Argentine Novels by Argentine Writers As a reader, I cannot sing the praises of Argentine writers and Argentine novels enough. These authors have …
When we think of fantasy books, a few ideas and images start popping off in our minds like fireworks: war, politics, magic, adventure. The best fantasy audiobooks are imbued with enough energy and bombast to carry those big ideas. We also think of length. Most fantasy books are of a pretty impressive length (the word …
Neil Gaiman is one of the world’s most visible, most successful, and most celebrated authors alive today. Almost all of the best Neil Gaiman books have been adapted to film, the stage, or one of those fancy audiobooks with a celebrity cast. Neil Gaiman is also a jack-of-all-trades kind of writer, having cut his teeth …
Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the world’s most revered and beloved living authors. His books have been adapted to the big screen, have established him as king of the unreliable narrator, and have explored complex but relatable and human themes. The Japanese-born British author has never written a bad book. Every one …
Year after year, we are treated to more incredible Japanese books in translation. After the fantastic turn-out of Japanese books in 2020 — especially Mieko Kawakami’s breakaway hit Breasts and Eggs — 2021 has a lot to live up to. Luckily, all signs point to 2021 being an even better year for new Japanese books …
Arab literature is a world that contains multitudes. From a Western perspective, you might expect Arab stories to provide you religious or political perspective on a world you know little about. Sometimes that’s true and sometimes it isn’t. While the Arab world is home to revered classic novels and modern works of brilliance, one of …
2020 was a really excellent year for literature in translation, with some stand-out new Korean books that included the spectacular Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo (tr. Jamie Chang). 2021, however, is looking to top last year’s offering of Korean books by offering us a refreshing selection of genre fiction and queer fiction. Until …
