Fantasy & Science Fiction Book Club
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Fantasy & Science Fiction Discussion Group
Final Thursday Every Month Via Google Meet 6:30pm |
So, what's the book about?
Gideon the Ninth meets Black Sun in this queer, Māori-inspired debut fantasy about a police officer who is murdered, brought back to life with a mysterious new power, and tasked with protecting her city from an insidious evil threatening to destroy it.
The port city of Hainak is alive: its buildings, its fashion, even its weapons. But, after a devastating war and a sweeping biotech revolution, all its inhabitants want is peace, no one more so than Yat Jyn-Hok a reformed-thief-turned-cop who patrols the streets at night. Yat has recently been demoted on the force due to "lifestyle choices" after being caught at a gay club. She's barely holding it together, haunted by memories of a lover who vanished and voices that float in and out of her head like radio signals. When she stumbles across a dead body on her patrol, two fellow officers gruesomely murder her and dump her into the harbor. Unfortunately for them, she wakes up. Resurrected by an ancient power, she finds herself with the new ability to manipulate life force. Quickly falling in with the pirate crew who has found her, she must race against time to stop a plague from being unleashed by the evil that has taken root in Hainak.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in-store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public with our new winter hours: Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri: 11am-1:30pm & 2pm-6pm; Wed: 11am-3pm; and Sat: 11am-6pm. You can pickup orders at the register, or using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We ask that you call ahead when coming to get your order!
We also offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can add the event to your calendar from ours (check the event page) to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Reviews & Interviews
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach, Read by Anna Coddington -- LitHub
Fungal Houses & Queer Paladins: The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach -- Every Book A Doorway Episode 290: Māori Science Fiction and Being Joyously Weird (with Sascha Stronach) -- Spirits Podcast
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So, what's the book about?
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She's not sure what she will find--her cousin's husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She's a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she's also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin's new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi's dreams with visions of blood and doom. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family's once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in-store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm so you can pickup orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We're available for pickup Mon-Sat from 9am-7pm. We simply ask that you call ahead when coming to get your order!
We also offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can add the event to your calendar from ours (check the event page) to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Reviews & Interviews
'Jane Eyre' Meets 'Dracula' In This Sharp, Inventive 'Mexican Gothic' Tale - NPR.org
This Haunting New Bestseller Is Part du Maurier, Part del Toro -- Slate The PEN Ten: An Interview With Silvia Moreno-Garcia -- PEN America 100 Why white supremacy is a cult, according to novelist Silvia Moreno-Garcia -- Vox
So, what's the book about?
Lauren Olamina's love is divided among her young daughter, her community, and the revelation that led Lauren to found a new faith that teaches "God Is Change". But in the wake of environmental and economic chaos, the U.S. government turns a blind eye to violent bigots who consider the mere existence of a black female leader a threat. And soon Lauren must either sacrifice her child and her followers -- or forsake the religion that can transform human destiny.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public again (Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm) so you can pickup orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! You can also add it to your personal calendar--check out the event page to see our Google event calendar where you can RSVP! Reviews & Interviews
Parable of the Talents -- Publisher's Weekly
Why So Many Readers Are Turning to Octavia Butler’s Apocalypse Fiction Right Now --Slate.com VISIONS: IDENTITY; 'We Tend to Do the Right Thing When We Get Scared' -- nytimes.com Review: Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler -- Utopia State of Mind 
This month's book club pick is The Deep by Rivers Solomon. We will be meeting on Thursday, October 28th at 6:30 in an online video chat. You can RSVP to the event & get the chat link here. Rivers Solomon is the author of An Unkindness of Ghosts, and was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award finalist for Best New Writer. They graduated from Stanford University with a degree in comparative studies in race and ethnicity and hold an MFA in fiction writing from the Michener Center for Writers. Though originally from the United States, they currently live in Cambridge, England, with their family. Find them on Twitter @CyborgYndroid. So, what's the book about?
Yetu holds the memories for her people--water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners--who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly is forgotten by everyone, save one--the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.
Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities--and discovers a world her people left behind long ago. Yetu will learn more than she ever expected about her own past--and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they'll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity--and own who they really are.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public again (Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm) so you can pickup orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! You can also add it to your personal calendar--check out the event page to see our Google event calendar where you can RSVP! Reviews & Interviews
'The Deep' Sings With Many Voices -- NPR.org
Book Review - The Deep by Rivers Solomon -- medium.com An Interview with Rivers Solomon -- pen.org Interview: Rivers Solomon -- lightspeedmagazine.com
So, what's the book about?
A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in this New York Times-bestselling paranormal YA debut.
Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public again (Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm) so you can pickup orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! You can also add it to your personal calendar--check out the event page to see our Google event calendar where you can RSVP! Reviews & Interviews
Cemetery Boys - Kirkus
Review: Cemetery Boys - Rich in Color Family, Identity, and a Hot Ghost - NPR Interview with Author Aiden Thomas - GeeksOut
Keep reading to find the summary, reviews of the book, interviews with the author, and info about how to buy your book from us in various formats.
The Summary
When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions.
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. This title is also available from our audiobook partner, Libro.fm, as a DRM-free audiobook--buy it here.
You can pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We also offer free media mail shipping & local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! Reviews & Interviews
Octavia Butler’s Prescient Vision of a Zealot Elected to “Make America Great Again”
-- The New Yorker Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (Book Review) -- Black & Bookish Parable of the Sower -- Publisher's Weekly An Interview with Octavia Butler, 2004 -- by Joshunda Sanders for Africana.com & In Motion Magazine Octavia Butler: Writing Herself Into The Story -- for Code Switch by NPR  For September, we decided on a debut novel, Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. Rebecca is a Nebula, Hugo, and Sturgeon Award Finalist. She has written several short stories published in Apex Magazine and Uncanny Magazine, and is a contributor to several collected works including New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color and Invisible 3: Essays and Poems on Representation in SF. Trail of Lightning is the first book in her The Sixth World series, followed by her newest release, Storm of Locusts. Trail of Lightning received the 2019 Locus Award for Best First Novel. The story follows Maggie Hoskie, a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine. Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unraveling clues from ancient legends, trading favors with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology. As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive. Welcome to the Sixth World.  If this sounds like something you'd like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store with a 15% discount until the end of September. Relevant Reviews & Interviews"Rebecca Roanhorse on Which Aspects of Dine Culture Are Featured in Trail of Lightening" -- Tor.com "Trail of Lightning" -- Kirkus Review "Rebecca Roanhorse: From Legend to Fantasy" -- Locus Magazine "A Breathtaking Native American Urban Fantasy Adventure" -- The Verge "Rebecca Roanhorse Interview: Natives and the Future" -- Females in Fantasy Podcast We'll meet at Foggy Pine Books on September 26th at 7:30pm. There will be free wine and snacks for book club members to share. Bring a friend and come discuss the book with us, even if you weren't able to completely finish it or if you didn't like it. You can see the Facebook event & RSVP here.
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AuthorsMax Ruthless (they/them) Event LinkJoin us on Google Meet to chat each month:
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