Features

Here at The Book Smugglers, we have a number of regular weekly, monthly, and annual features. Here’s a look at our current roster:

Ongoing Features

Smuggler Army
Regular essays from our Smuggler Army contributors.

Trash & Treasure
Monthly column from Foz Meadows about pop culture, books, gaming and everything else under the sun

Women to Read
Monthly column from A.C. Wise highlighting female authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place for their work

X Marks the Story
Finding excellent short SFF can often feel like hunting for buried treasure. Sometimes it takes a guide to help fill in the map, connecting readers with fantastic fiction and showing where X Marks The Story–a monthly column from Charles Payseur

Old School Wednesdays
A regular Book Smuggler feature in which we take a break from the never-ending inundation of the New and Shiny, and embark on a mini-vacation into the past. On Old School Wednesdays, we review books that are at least 5 years old

On the Smugglers’ Radar
Weekly feature in which each Smuggler discloses upcoming titles they cannot wait to read

SFF in Conversation
Regular feature in which we invite guests to talk about a variety of topics important to speculative fiction fans, authors, and readers. Our vision is to create a safe (moderated) space for thoughtful conversation about the genre, with a special focus on inclusivity and diversity in SFF

Trope Anatomy 101
Column in which familiar tropes, particularly in speculative fiction and pop culture, are broken down and discussed by new regular contributor and author Carlie St. George

Joint Reviews
Conversational-style joint reviews

Inspirations & Influences
Authors whose books we have reviewed talk about their writing inspirations and influences

From the Page to the Screen
Reviews of books that have made it to the big screen

Decoding the Newbery
Decoding the Newbery is a column in which Newbery Medal winners are examined and deconstructed by regular contributor and author Catherine Faris King

Food & Horror
Food & Horror was an award-winning monthly column in which contributor and author Octavia Cade examined the relationship between food and horror. We collected the essays in a book which can be found here.

The Time Travel Project
Ana is going to read ALL the time travel books. This might take some time.

Chat With an Author
Interviews with authors whose books we have reviewed.

Learn, Grow, Improve: Progressive Publishers Doing Cool Things
Feature in which we spotlight new ventures, content creators and publishers that are doing awesome things – awesome, defined as something smart, admirable, and most importantly, progressive.

The Dare
Sometimes we “dare” each other (and guest reviewers) to read & review books outside of our comfort zones.

What She Said
Feature in which each Smuggler reads and reviews a book that the other has already reviewed.