One of the things that I love most about this time of year is that I do have time to read through a few books. I try and keep reading through the year, of course. However, when things get busy it’s far too easy to let the daily reading hour…
Read MoreBook review by Matt S. I have previously reviewed Kirino Natsuo’s Grotesque, but with Out, she has solidified herself as my favourite modern Japanese author. Out was actually the first Kirino novel to be translated into English, and if you’ve not had the opportunity to read it yet, you should…
Read MoreBook review by Clark A. Masashi Kishimoto, author of one of the biggest names that springs to mind when hearing terms like “anime” and “manga” (that being Naruto), has gone from writing about ninja to writing about samurai. There’s no denying that Kishimoto’s new Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru…
Read MoreLiterature by Matt S. Kirino Natsuo is one of the most important figures in modern Japanese literature – right up there with Murakami. Kirino’s writing isn’t exactly pleasant to read, and you’ll walk away from Grotesque feeling more than a little deflated, but the way she structures her writing, and…
Read MoreArticle by Matt S. I’m a big fan of reading. I recommend it to all people. As much as the world seems to be moving away from the written word and books in favour of “in-depth” tweets at a whopping 280 characters, video games, YouTube videos of tasering rats, and…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. The other day I was in a book shop (I’ll admit that, thanks to my Kindle and online shopping, I don’t support the local bookstores as much as I might like to and should), and I was, oddly enough reminded on just how completely different our…
Read MoreBooks by Matt S. We talk a lot about Japanese games, films, anime and manga in western culture, but we talk about Japanese literature far less frequently, and that’s a pity, because as with all those other mediums, Japan has produced many of the world’s finest writers, and literature gives…
Read MoreYou may remember that last week I announced that I was participating in a Kickstarter, along with five other incredibly talented authors, in which we will be producing a series of books about works of art that have had a powerful and lasting impact on us. Other authors in our…
Read MoreWell… I totally am. A good friend and utter genius, Phil, is gearing up to start publishing a series of books about works of art that a group of authors have had a deeply personal reaction to. The first series of books will comprise of six volumes, and I am…
Read MoreThe good folk over at PopMatters have run a review of Game Art, and saw it worth a very positive 8/10 score. As the author, Christopher Williams, writes: “Put simply, I’m rather taken by this book and the approach that Sainsbury has taken to his subjects and subject matter. This…
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