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Tell Me a Differently Shaped Story: SFF That Plays With Form

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Mark as Read

A weekly column from Molly Templeton on the culture of reading — covering everything from what we read and why, to the ways we organize our bookshelves.

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Photo of an open book with extra letters spilling from the pages

Tell Me a Differently Shaped Story: SFF That Plays With Form

By
Comment number: 18
Impressionist style painting of a woman seated in a chair reading a book (Detail from "Woman Reading" by Torajiro Kojima, c. 1921)

Taking the “Shoulds” Out of Reading

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Comment number: 13
Cover of Boon's Geillustreerd Magazijn (Boon's Illustrated Magazine) No. 7, depicting a woman reading a magazine with an illustration of herself on the cover reading a magazine. Art by Johann Georg van Caspel, c. 1899-1909

Reading Writing About Reading and Writing

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Comment number: 6
Oil painting of a young girl sleeping with her head resting on an open book

Trying and Failing to Figure Out “Escapism” in Books

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Comment number: 15
Close-up photo of a pile of wrapped gift boxes

The Art of Buying Books for Other People

By
Comment number: 5
Photo of an open book with extra letters spilling from the pages

Tell Me a Differently Shaped Story: SFF That Plays With Form

By
Comment number: 18
Impressionist style painting of a woman seated in a chair reading a book (Detail from "Woman Reading" by Torajiro Kojima, c. 1921)

Taking the “Shoulds” Out of Reading

By
Comment number: 13
Cover of Boon's Geillustreerd Magazijn (Boon's Illustrated Magazine) No. 7, depicting a woman reading a magazine with an illustration of herself on the cover reading a magazine. Art by Johann Georg van Caspel, c. 1899-1909

Reading Writing About Reading and Writing

By
Comment number: 6
Oil painting of a young girl sleeping with her head resting on an open book

Trying and Failing to Figure Out “Escapism” in Books

By
Comment number: 15
Close-up photo of a pile of wrapped gift boxes

The Art of Buying Books for Other People

By
Comment number: 5
Photo of block letters, numbers, and symbols used in printing.

Small Press SFF Might Sometimes Be Harder to Find — But It’s More Than Worth the Effort

By
Comment number: 17
A bookstore seen through a circular gap in a bookshelf

It’s a Really Good Time to Get Loud About the Books You Love

By
Comment number: 8
abstract painting of a seated woman reading a book next to a table with books, papers, a bottle and glass, and a vase of flowers

A Modest Request for a Little More Genre Chaos

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Comment number: 8
Painting of a woman sitting on a lawn with a parasol and a book

In Praise of Things Being Just Plain Good

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Comment number: 14
Watercolor painting of the earth

Coming to Terms With Climate Fiction

By
Comment number: 0
Photo of a leather bound travel journal and a square book of maps

The Road Goes Ever On: When Fantasy Sends You on Your Own Journeys

By
Comment number: 1
Painting of an old woman wearing glasses and a head scarf; she is seated at a table and holds an open book. Three candelsticks and a plate with two apples rest on the table.

When It’s Time To Change Your Reading Habits

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Comment number: 11
Painting of St Catherine seated at a table, reading a book that rests on a tasseled cushion

What Happens After the World Gets Saved?

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Comment number: 51
Oil painting of a woman seated at a table, reading a book. The woman rests her elbow on the table with her head resting on her fist.

The Joy of Reading Books You Don’t Entirely Understand

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Comment number: 29
Illustration of a woman weeping, kneeling at a desk with her head down near an open book.

In Search of Big Feelings

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Comment number: 19
Painting of a man sitting at a desk, bent over a pile of papers and books, writing on one of the papers

To Write or Not to Write (In Your Books)

By
Comment number: 24
Painting of three children seated at a table, reading.

Can a Book Really Be For Everyone?

By
Comment number: 0
Photograph of a bookshelf, looking up at an angle. A ladder leans against the shelf.

On Letting Go of the Idea of “Keeping Up”

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Comment number: 13
Photograph of a bookshelf with old hardback books stacked at various angles.

Bookish Death Cleaning: On What We Keep, and What It Means

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Comment number: 27
Photograph of two open books beside a candle. An additional stack of books and blankets or other cloth are visible in the background.

Coming to Terms With “Cozy” Fiction

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Comment number: 45

“We are all stardust and stories.”

Erin Morgenstern, The Starless Sea

TPG 2025 • Site Credit