Top Five Fantasy Comics (For People Who Don’t Read Comics)

April 7, 2015 by Caitlin

When asked the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions comic books, I’d warrant a guess that many people think “superheroes.” You know the type – square jawed and muscular, super-human talents and tights. I mean, this association isn’t wrong, but it’s where many literature enthusiasts I know often draw the line between books and comics – the superhero thing just doesn’t do it for those who get swept up in fantasy and folklore. Good news, everyone – […]

Categories: Best Of • Tags: Bill Willingham, Bone, comic books, Fables, fantasy, folklore, graphic novels, Hellboy, Jeff Smith, Neil Gaiman, Sandman, wonder woman

Sort of Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark – Trigger Warning Review

February 11, 2015 by Caitlin

Title: Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances Author: Neil Gaiman Published: February 2, 2015 Genre: Fiction, Short stories Rating: ★★★★☆ One can always expect the same thing from Neil Gaiman: he’s going to take you on a weird ride. Trigger Warning, his newly release book of short stories is no different. Comprised of 23 of Gaiman’s short stories and poems, this compilation was inspired by one of the most, in my humble opinion, misused terms on the internet: “Trigger warning.” […]

Categories: Book Review • Tags: creepy, doctor who, fiction, Neil Gaiman, poetry, sherlock holmes, short stories, Trigger Warning

No Blue or Pink Here – Literary Happy Hour

May 29, 2014 by Caitlin

What to read: The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (for a new take on an old classic); TheSleeping Beauty by Trina Schart Hyman (for a gorgeously illustrated bedtime story), Anne Rice’s The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (for erotic and weird), or La Belle au bois dormant by Charles Perault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm (for the straight up classics) What to drink: a Stinger Disney has done it again and is releasing yet another live […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: Charles Perault, classics, cocktails, Disney, fairy tales, Neil Gaiman, Sleeping Beauty, Trina Schart Hyman

Literary Liaisons – California Bookstore Day

May 5, 2014 by Caitlin

Where: Independent bookstores across California What: Extraordinary exclusive books and literary posters and swag; as well as events at local stores, all celebrating the art of the independent bookstore. Details: http://cabookstoreday.com/ The scoop: Ok, this isn’t our typical destination outing, but it’s one I think we will look forward to for years to come. In an age where retail giants dominate the market, it’s becoming rare that people peruse tiny locally owned shops for their literary needs. I know I’m […]

Categories: Events, Libraries • Tags: book lovers, bookstores, California, Lemony Snicket, literary tourism, Neil Gaiman

Drop Everything and Listen to Neverwhere from BBC Radio

April 1, 2014 by Erin

Neverwhere is a six part radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 1996 fantasy novel of the same name. It was dramatized by Dirk Maggs. Fun fact! Neil Gaiman originally wrote Neverwhere as a companion book to a BBC television miniseries that he co-created. I suppose this radio version more accurately should be called an adaptation of a televised production instead of a novel, but I’ve never seen the miniseries and it generally is not as well-known as the book. We’ll just forget […]

Categories: Adaptations • Tags: adaptations, books on the radio, fantasy, fiction, Neil Gaiman, sexy british accents

On The Graveyard Book and Comic Book Adaptations

February 12, 2014 by Caitlin

While I often have a bone (or several) to pick with film adaptations of my favorite books, I find that I am generally more forgiving of comic renditions of my favorite literature. I get that this might sound a little ridiculous and/or biased (comic book fan here). In both movies and graphic novels, you are getting a visual interpretation of the written word. However, I feel that comic variations generally stay closer to their literary parent than movies do, and, […]

Categories: Adaptations • Tags: "The book is better than the movie", adaptations, graphic novels, Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman