Everyone who chances upon this blog post should immediately venture forth and
read my review of Potter's Field 3, for two reasons. First, it's a great anthology ... handsome, full of scary stories and nicely priced. It's available through
Sam's Dot Publishing. If you're a fan of speculative fiction and you are not familiar with this publisher - you should be.
Reason No. 2 is more self-serving. I was recently informed that the
Literary News section of Tampa Bay Newspapers is in danger of being discontinued due to low traffic. Furthermore, it was suggested that people aren't reading as much anymore. For some time, book reviews in the printed editions of Tampa Bay Newspapers' weeklies have been rare. Many daily newspapers also have transplanted their book review sections to the Internet or have eliminated them altogether.
I find the trend discouraging, particularly because book reviewers have the ability to take books like
Potter's Field 3 and introduce them to a broader audience. While I do
review mainstream books from big publishing houses, I prefer to balance that with titles from lesser known companies - books by authors and editors whose skill and dedication rival bestselling literary figures but whose works have not yet reached the peak audience.
So, I'm hoping that some of those devoted readers - who aren't reading as much anymore - will take a moment to check out the Literary News section at Tampa Bay Newspapers, or visit their own hometown newspaper to see what their own local book reviewer is recommending these days.
