Maria Haskins's Blog, page 54

Aliens, mathematical harmony & otjize – my review of BINTI, by Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor’s science fiction novella Binti is a suspenseful and exhilarating read that plunges you headlong into a future world where space ships are living creatures, and humanity is just one of many space-faring civilizations. It also plunges you into the mind and life of Binti, a Himba girl, raised in the African desert, who has a … Continue reading →

Twisting the fabric of reality – my review of DARK ORBIT by Carolyn Ives Gilman

Carolyn Ives Gilman’s mind- and space-bending novel Dark Orbit transports the reader into a uniquely imagined future universe, and it is one of the most original science fiction stories I’ve read in years. It received high praise from the great Ursula K. Le Guin, and after reading it, I totally understand why. Dark Orbit takes place in … Continue reading →

Lost and found in translation: translator thoughts on poetry & the weight of words

Words can carry such different weights in different languages. This is something I’m being forcefully reminded of these days, as I’m in the final stages of translating all of my published Swedish poetry into English, aiming for publication before the end of the year. One example of what gets lost: The Swedish word “himmel” means both “sky” and “heaven”. This means … Continue reading →

A fierce spirit & a new perspective on the world – my review of ‘I Am Malala’

I started reading I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb) because I was intrigued by, and interested in Malala: this fiercely well-spoken and outspoken girl who has become world-famous and an almost impossibly inspirational crusader for education, this youngest Nobel Peace Prize … Continue reading →

9 helpful tools for social media, blogs, websites, graphics & more

Since I self-published my book Odin’s Eye in March this year, I’ve been scrambling up a rather steep learning curve. I knew it would be a learning experience, and I’m not surprised that I am still scrambling and learning. I’m learning to use social media to promote my work and connect with readers and other authors. … Continue reading →

Ursula K. Le Guin on the craft of writing

Interview Magazine has a new interview with author Ursula K. Le Guin, and it’s a must-read if you’re a writer. Much of the interview concerns the craft of writing, something that Le Guin certainly knows a thing or two about. I’ve just added her recently updated book on writing – Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide … Continue reading →

Writing & listening – style, flow & rhythm

Writing is a kind of way of speaking, and I hear it and I think a lot of readers hear it, too. And so the sounds of the language and the rhythm and the cadence of the sentences are very powerful. – Ursula K. Le Guin, in an interview with NPR Style is a very … Continue reading →

Hard sci-fi, a dark vision & a soft-ish heart – my review of CIXIN LIU’S ‘The Dark Forest’

The first half of Cixin Liu’s novel The Dark Forest (a follow-up to his Hugo Award-winning book The Three Body Problem) is a very good science fiction story. It’s well-written, it begins with an intriguing, ant-centric (you’ll see) prologue, and it gives the over-worked “alien invasion” plot an original twist: what would happen if human beings knew ahead of time … Continue reading →

7 great quotes about the power and peril of perfectionism

“Perfectionism is very addictive because it is very seductive. It’s so great to think ‘There’s a way I can do things where I can never be held in judgment by other people, that I can totally escape criticism.’ But it doesn’t work.” Brené Brown, The Power of Vulnerability “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the … Continue reading →

Reading CIXIN LIU’S ‘The Dark Forest’

A while back I won a first-read copy of Cixin Liu’s science fiction novel The Dark Forest. It’s the follow-up to his book The Three Body Problem, which just won a Hugo Award. I haven’t read The Three-Body Problem yet, and it took me a while longer than I had hoped to get around to reading The Dark Forest … Continue reading →