Our two-week tenth anniversary celebration is drawing to a close! Thanks so much to everyone who has ever visited, commented, or read one of our recommended books. Your support keeps us going. And while we’d probably do this even if only a few people read it, we certainly feel bolstered by the large numbers of you who flock to our latest reviews and lists whenever they publish.
After 10 years, we took a look at our site and asked two questions. 1) What’s missing? And 2) What do we want to do next?
In answering these questions, we summoned a few new projects that will give you the same depth and criticism you expect from us, plus some fun new stuff that’ll make it easier to find your next great read.
More Reviews, As Always
All of us
First up, you can expect reviews! Nothing’s changed here. We’re still all-in on reading and reviewing the latest SFF books (and occasionally some other genres).
For a peek at which books we’re reading, check out the “Upcoming Reviews” section on the site’s sidebar. Our reviews will continue to post on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with the occasional list or thought piece sprinkled in.
QTL Crossword Puzzles
Cole
Calling all cruciverbalists! Cole here. I’ve been making and solving crossword puzzles for more than a year now, and it has become a passion that bleeds into every aspect of my life. You may have seen a few of my recent reviews of crossword puzzle books.
Starting this May, I’m going to bring you SFF-themed crossword puzzles. These will run on Mondays or Fridays to round out our review posting schedule, and you can expect one every other week. The puzzle sizes and difficulties will vary, and I’ll always include a write-up explaining my inspiration for the puzzle.
If you can’t get enough, I have great news. I publish puzzles on my Substack: The New Dork Times. Free subscribers get one free puzzle per week. Paid subscribers ($5/month or slightly less for annual subscriptions) get three puzzles every week, plus bonuses.
The QTL Crosswords will be original and exclusive, so you won’t get any duplicates if you subscribe to The New Dork Times. I’m running a special deal for new subscribers to celebrate QTL’s 10th anniversary: one month of premium puzzles for free!
Author and Series Guides
Cole and Brandee
Brandee and I have been working behind the scenes on a big project that’ll roll out over time. Our author and series guides will provide easy access to our top recommended books and crucial information about them. We’ll include suggested reading orders, Goodreads review scores, and insider insight from people who have read big chunks of an author’s work. Look out for our first guides to come this summer: Becky Chambers and Sarah J. Maas.
The Vorkosigan Reading Guide
Andrew
The logistics of reading Vorkosigan are complicated but absolutely worth it. This series is one of the QTL’s favorite science fiction stories, and not nearly enough people have read it. In order to help facilitate, we will be writing a guide to reading Vorkosigan, in the same vein that we have done for many other staple confusing series on the site. Look forward to our manual to this favorite series sometime this Summer; we just need to find time for Alex to read the last three books.
Thought Pieces
All of us
And interspersed between all of the great content we want to share with you this year, you can also expect thought pieces where we usually get a little creative, have a little fun, and share different perspectives on all things SFF.
We don’t want to give away too much, but there are some pieces to look forward to:
- Book Fan Artist Highlights
- One Quote Is All It Takes
- The Chosen Ones Don’t Live Up to Expectations
I look forward to the reading guides and the crossword puzzles.
Can’t wait for the Stephen King Author and Series Guide. I can only assume it’s high on the list.