A comfort book is just as the name suggests: a personally significant piece of literature, typically fiction, that brings a person solace and allows for an escape from reality.
Watching and Waiting: The Slow Rise of South Asian Representation on Screen
Even so, I was disappointed to find that Mismatched had taken a narrative by an Indian-American author about Indian-American characters, with a unique premise about growing up American yet being submersed in Indian culture, and had set it entirely in India.
Bury Your Gays (Literally): How The Haunting of Bly Manor Uses and Subverts the Trope
Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Bly Manor, the anthology series follow-up to the popular The Haunting of Hill House, may have all the makings for a classic ghost story, but don’t be mistaken—it’s actually a love story.
A Paean to Otherness: How Shirley Jackson Makes the Supernatural a Safe Haven
I saw myself and my sister in Merricat and Constance - two sisters from a deeply troubled family, survivors of traumatic experiences who rely on each other to make it through the day.
The Gender Binary of Directors and Editors: A Retrospective Look into The Twilight Saga
Crisp, icy air fills our lungs, whispering, pulling us inward into the fauna-choked landscape of Forks, Washington. Residing inside this quaint town, someone of equal brilliance: perfectly tousled hair, cold skin, brooding saunter, piercing eyes, and a slightly outdated fashion sense. Sound familiar? We’ve stepped into the glorious world of Twilight filled with fantastical vampires, bloody violence, and of course, romance.
Read Your Fear: Short Stories to Get You into the Halloween Spirit
My year-round default pastime of choice is reading horror fiction. Thus, you can imagine my excitement when October comes around and horror recommendations are in demand for 31 delightful days.
Four Sci-Fi Novels to Help Reimagine the World Around Us
In the introduction to her groundbreaking sci-fi novel The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin rebukes the claim that science fiction is about the future. “Science fiction is not predictive,” she explains, “it is descriptive.”
Queer Romances to Keep You Company in Quarantine
With a long stretch of quarantine behind us and at least a few months of virtual learning still ahead, you have probably found yourself with a free hour or two in between classes where doing your homework sounds as unappealing as looking ahead through your textbook. Why not preoccupy that hour—or three—with one of these queer romances that are guaranteed to make you swoon or maybe, just maybe bring tears to your eyes?
The Ethics of Writing Trauma – from the author of “Please, be Sensitive” in Issue 40
In my story, I supplied characters that cared for my character and asked questions when she wanted to be asked. In my world, she could choose the questions she wanted to answer.
Let’s Talk about Inclusion
For much of my young adult life, I had a secret. A secret that carried a lot of shame and disappointment. As a person that prided myself on my writing and reading ability from a young age, the circumstances of my secret was devastating. For many years I couldn't speak of it, even if I was alone.
BERKELEY FICTION REVIEW 