Category Archives: Recommended Reading

If You Like Chess….

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

…you should definitely check out Arunava Sinha’s translation of “The Game,” by Humayun Ahmed. Here’s an excerpt: At babu Nalini Ranjan’s farewell on the rainy July afternoon, therefore, the subject of chess cropped up repeatedly. And at the end Suruj Mian – … Continue reading →

Posted in Recommended Reading | 1 Comment  

“My Kind of Girl,” by Buddhadeva Bose – A Kind of Canterbury Tales Writ Small

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I’ve just finished reading My Kind of Girl, a novel by Buddhadeva Bose, an important 20th century Bengali writer. In addition to the books he wrote in his native language–he was a fiction writer, a poet, a playwright, and an essayist–Bose also … Continue reading →

Posted in Recommended Reading | 2 Comments  

RIP, Ray Bradbury

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Grace Annam

RonF has commented twice, now, that Ray Bradbury’s passing has passed without comment here. I have to admit I’m a little puzzled, myself. Here we celebrate, among other things, creative endeavor, including writing and speculative fiction. If this non-commentary state … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, In the news, Popular (and unpopular) culture, Recommended Reading, Uncategorized, Writing | 14 Comments  

UNICORN PEGASUS KITTEN CONTEST! And, announcing Clash Of The Geeks!

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Ampersand

We have a very cool contest for “Alas,” “TADA,” and “That Which Deranges The Senses” readers this week, relating to the new and spectacular chapbook Clash Of The Geeks. First, a bit about Clash of the Geeks from John Scalzi: … Continue reading →

Posted in crossposted on TADA, Recommended Reading | 16 Comments  

Review: Soulless, book one of the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger (Orbit, 2009)

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Mandolin

When I first laid hands on Gail Carriger’s Soulless (Orbit, 2009), I began to wonder if the book had been written specifically to irritate me. 1. To start out, the novel is urban fantasy. Already we’re on bad terms. 2. … Continue reading →

Posted in literature, Recommended Reading | 4 Comments  

And Now For Something Completely Different: Classical Iranian Poetry

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

From antisemitism to condoms to….classical Iranian poetry. I was all set to finish the third part of my Thinking About Condoms series (here and here), which I do still plan to complete, when I realized that giving time to that … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, literature, Recommended Reading | 3 Comments  

Mandolin Reads: "Run Of The Fiery Horse"

Posted on April 15, 2008 by Ampersand

The current episode of PodCastle features “Run Of The Fiery Horse,” by Hilary Moon Murphy, read aloud by our own Mandolin. Plus, the intro is by science fiction and fantasy writer K. Tempest Bradford, who is probably better known to … Continue reading →

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"Heartstrung," feminist-themed fiction by Mandolin, On Pseudopod!

Posted on March 28, 2008 by Ampersand

Pseudopod, the biggest podcast of horror fiction, is currently featuring “Heartstrung,” a short story by Rachel Swirsky — who “Alas” readers know better as Mandolin. (Mandolin’s fiction appears regularly in professional venues, but this is the first time one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Mandolin's fiction & poems, Recommended Reading | 1 Comment  

A Bird In The Garden Of Angels is out!

Posted on February 10, 2008 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

If you’re a fan of Rumi, this new anthology, on the poetry sections of which I collaborated with primary author John Moyne, is one you will want to get. A Bird In The Garden Of Angels is also a wonderful … Continue reading →

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Recommended Reading, Week One

Posted on February 5, 2008 by Mandolin

Hey y’all, I thought I’d post some recommended reading as my science fiction writing class and I work our way through it. This semester I’m only assigning work that can be found online so y’all can follow along, if you … Continue reading →

Posted in Recommended Reading | 15 Comments