We have a new advertising option I’d like to tell you about! On the longer pages, such as the main blog page, the review-by-grade archive pages, or the podcast page, the ad column is shorter than the content. In other words, there is more content than there are ads, leaving space in the ad column. In order to invite more people to advertise, we’ve created For-Every-Budget ads that will use that available space. The process is very … Continue reading New For-Every-Budget Ads at SBTB →
Jim C. Hines is the author of nine published books and many, many short stories. He’s also the author of one previously unpublished novel, Rise of the Spider Goddess. Rise was never published because it’s awful. Really, really awful. Hines says, “I wrote this one during my sophomore year in college, based on my then-favorite Dungeons and Dragons character, Nakor the Purple. A D&D character I had created based on Raymond Feist’s Riftwar books, making … Continue reading Rise of the Spider Goddess: An Annotated Novel, by Jim C. Hines →
Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic, is a delightful short story collection that will warm the darkest, coldest winter day. There’s adventure, humor, pathos, and just dash of romance in these stories. This is the book to grab when you have a precious fifteen minutes to yourself – preferably in a coffee shop. All of these stories have an element of science fiction or fantasy. The two stories with the most romance are “A … Continue reading Coffee: 14 Tales of the Fantastic, Edited by Alex Shvartsman →
When I started watching Outlander on Starz I was like “OMFG ALL THE KNITTED THINGS.” If you show a knitter a bitchin’ 18th century cowl, she’s going to want to make it. And Claire’s cowl is gorgeous. I love how chunky and slumpy it is, the perfect accessory for her everyday dress. I needed this cowl. I needed it wear it when I am picking herbs in the garden with Geillis, staring wistfully at Jamie … Continue reading The Smart Bitches Outlandish Cowl: A Knitting Pattern →
One topic I discuss a LOT – and do workshops about – is reviews. Finding them, requesting them, and dealing with them and reacting to them. I did a workshop on that topic at RWA this year (and thank you again to everyone who came). One of the points I stress is that the book and the author are separate things. I know it can be difficult to separate, because writing a book, especially one … Continue reading Pitching for Review: A Bitches Discussion →
You know how sometimes you’re on Amazon, and you go into a fugue state, and then two days later (Gotta love Prime!) boxes start arriving at your house? This was in one of those boxes. In honor of the Patron Saint of this awards season’s red carpet, Emma Thompson, Our Lady Of the No Fucks Left To Give, we will be discussing her screenplay and diaries from Sense and Sensibility. There have been posts going … Continue reading Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay and Diaries by Emma Thompson →
I wasn’t going to read this book. I heard “parasitic tapeworms” and I just nope-nope-noped my way out of the room and across the street and into the next town of Nopeville where I put up my nope flag and set out my nope-chair and opened a bag of nope-corn and let my nopetopus roam freely, as it was meant to do. You see, I am a horror wimp. Psychological horror I can do … Continue reading Parasite by Mira Grant →
I was loaned an XCOM MiFi unit for use in Australia, in exchange for a review. I know a lot of you travel for work or conferences, sometimes internationally, and we've all groused about the highway robbery that is hotel in-room internet in some locations. I knew the hotel WiFi where I was going to be in Sydney was rather expensive, and wanted to explore other options. After contacting XCOM, I was shipped a MiFi, … Continue reading Review: XCOM WiFi for International Travel →
This was an English (rhyming!) translation of a Moliere play, performed by the Bell Shakespeare Company at the Sydney Opera House. I was feeling predisposed to like this play because I was in the Sydney Opera House (COOL) and it was a perfect night to go out near the harbor. By the end, and in the days after seeing the play, I recognized it's flaws, but was so pleased to have experienced it, because I'm … Continue reading The School for Wives: Bell Shakespeare Production, Sydney, Australia →
Tai Chi Zero is a movie so gloriously, epically insane that it merits a review even on a site that almost only reviews books. Seriously, this was the most WTF crazy fun EVER. You could assume (I did) that once you are dealing with a synopsis that involves a “tai chi, kung fu, steampunk romantic comedy with self-aware comedic elements of videogame and comic book imagery” you are really beyond categories like “good movie” and … Continue reading Tai Chi Zero: A Guest Movie Review by CarrieS →
I have been cleaning my office and finding all sorts of fun things, like pictures of me as a baby, books (duh), and old journals and lists – including a list of things to do that I wrote back in 1994. I tweeted about it this morning, and the responses were very funny and inspiring, so I wanted to share them with you. This isn't about romance novels, but I love how many people had … Continue reading Something Different on Sunday: You in 1994 →
