So You Want a Good Book... I Have Just the One.

The change from printed book to ebook or audiobook does imply some shift in appeal factors; an ebook is no longer subject to possible restrictions on length because of the heaviness of the book (or portability, whether or not it will fit into a purse), and an audiobook may be limited in its appeal to readers because of the style of the narrator.   This change affects our knowledge of the genre because we can no longer make snap judgments based on the publishing company’s dustjackets, blurbs, or the physical attributes of the book (font, paper type, cover material, etc.) and does not allow for browsing a shelf as easily as has been done in the past. We must learn to browse electronically and make connections through online networks (GoodReads, YouTube, various bloggers, NoveList—just for a few examples!).   The fact that readers are able to change font, line spacing, color, etc. of an ebook could have an effect on the reader’s appeal but I think individual rea...

This experience is best described as an emergency book club. We are scattered across the globe and not all of us are well-acquainted, but when Emily Wilson’s translation of ‘The Odyssey’ came out, we were all having lively but disparate conversations across several social media platforms until two of the most networked mutual friends decided to invite us to a Facebook group where we could all meet and discuss things in a more organized way. One of them I have known for many years; she has organized friend-groups very successfully before (knitting, amateur fencing, protest marching, bridesmaid activities) and is an excellent host so I accepted her invitation immediately even though I knew a decided minority of the other members and the idea of a formal online book club was initially not appealing. We had considered using Facebook as a touchstone and moving to a video group chat but meeting hours would be difficult since we are so scattered and busy, and when we di...

Science fiction is, at heart, speculative fiction; it explores what could be rather than what is. Rather than rely on magic to explain advances in societal progress it sees them gained through a logical process (Saricks 2009, p. 93). These stories are powerful and the characters in them can be inspiring to people outside their fictional setting—so much so that Nichelle Nichols of the original Star Trek series was later employed by NASA to recruit women and members of ethnic minorities to their astronaut program (NASA Archives 2014). Nichelle Nichols has since worked hard to make that element of her sci-fi world a reality. However, without an inspiring speech at the right time, this might never have happened. Nichelle Nichols remembers telling Gene Roddenbery that she was going to quit the show after one season, then going to a banquet where she met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and broke the news to him—to his dismay: “You have the first important non-traditional role, non-stereotypical...