The BTB 2008 shortlist is available now at Three Percent. I don't want to comment too much on the titles that made the shortlist, although I will say that out of the 25 under consideration, I think these 10 fairly well represent the highest quality. This shortlist does include the three books that I thought were far and away the best of the bunch, and there's nothing here that I find off-base or o...

They've announced the shortlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction -- not at the official site, last we checked, of course, but in The National, for example, Karen Attwood reports: Shortlist issued for 'Arab Booker'.

Persepolis and Fun Home are reasons why people should read graphic novels. Those who follow my blog know my husband is a regular reader of graphic novels. He introduced me to them early on in our relationship, helping me to understand that graphic novels are so much more than just books with pretty pictures and blurbs. I eagerly signed up for the Graphic Novels Challenge at the end of last year, l...

At an appearance in England, Art Spiegelman publicly chafed against the term "graphic novel," saying, "I'm called the father of the modern graphic novel. If that’s true, I want a blood test," the Economist reports. " 'Graphic novel' sounds more...

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Booker Prize, and as I noted some time ago in a post that I not can't find, three judges have put together a shortlist of what they consider to be the six best Booker winners since the prize's inception. Said shortlist was annuonced this week. The lucky nominees are: The Ghost Road Pat Barker (1995) Midnight's Children Salman Rushdie (1981) Oscar and Lucind...

I’m not a shortlist junkie usually choosing to read only those titles that appeal to me.  This means that I’d never completed either an Orange or a Booker shortlist. But this year’s Orange judges produced a shortlist that was so intriguing, I simply had to become a completist. When I originally reviewed these novels I purposely omitted

Before this year, my only exposure to the graphic novel form had been the first four volumes of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, Art Spiegelman's Maus, and (unfortunately) some Jack Chick tracts. Needless to say (overlooking the tackiness of the last), I had virtually no experience in reading the graphic novel form. This year, I managed to read 15 graphic novels, 13 of them published this year (the o...

No novels and no male authors on the shortlist for Wales's top book award Novels, and men, have fared badly in Wales this year, at least according to the judges for the country's top book award, who have selected a woman-only, novel-free shortlist for this year's prize. Two short story collections and a book of poetry make up the shortlist for the Wales book of the year, with Welsh ...

I’ve been reading all sorts of groovy graphic novels recently, which have inspired me to begin a weekly graphic novel review or post. I’ve written about graphic novels for kids and teens several times before – but now it will be a regular feature. Into the Volcano by Don Wood (Scholastic/Blue Sky Press, 2008) is taller and wider than the usual graphic novel, allowing plenty of room for the e...

I am totally kicking myself in the ass right now. Why, oh why have I waited so long to read a Graphic Novel??? After all the awesome movies that have come out in the last few years based on graphic novels, I've been really intrigued. And they really seem as if they would be the type of reading I would like....lots of fantasy graphic novels are out there. And yet, never once have I picked up o...