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?
Artificial Condition is the follow-up to Martha Wells's Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Award-winning, New York Times bestselling novella, All Systems Red.
It has a dark past--one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself "Murderbot". But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don't want to know what the "A" stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks...
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
Martha Wells on writing an anxious, relatable killbot -- Transfer Orbit
Short Stories and Sad Endings: A Conversation with Martha Wells -- Clarksworld Artificial Condition by Martha Wells -- SFBook Reviews
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Becky has a background in performing arts, and grew up in a family heavily involved in space science. She spends her free time playing video and tabletop games, watching bugs, and looking through her telescope. Having hopped around the world a bit, she has settled down (for the moment) in Humboldt County, California, where she lives with her wife. She hopes to see Earth from orbit one day.
So, what's the book about?
It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They're going to need to ask it a lot. Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
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
A Monk And A Robot Meet In A Forest...And Talk Philosophy In This New Novel -- NPR
The SFF Librarian Reviews: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers -- Ancillary Review of Books A Psalm for the Wild-Built -- BookPage Interview With an Author: Becky Chambers -- Los Angeles Public Library Important Strangers: A Conversation with Becky Chambers -- Clarkesworld Is Becky Chambers the Ultimate Hope for Science Fiction? -- Wired.com
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?
In this stunning follow-up to Hollow Kingdom, the animal kingdom's reluctant hero is back with a renewed sense of hope for humanity, ready to take on a world ravaged by a viral pandemic.
When the world last checked-in with its favorite Cheeto addict, the planet had been overrun by flesh-hungry beasts, and nature had started re-claiming her territory from humankind. S.T., the intrepid crow, alongside his bloodhound-bestie Dennis, had set about saving pets that had become trapped in their homes after humanity went the way of the dodo. That is, dear reader, until S.T. stumbled upon something so rare--and so precious--that he vowed to do everything in his power to safeguard what could, quite literally, be humanity's last hope for survival. But in a wild world plagued by prejudiced animals, feather-raising environments, new threats so terrifying they make zombies look like baby bunnies, and a horrendous dearth of cheesy snacks, what's a crow to do? Why, wing it on another big-hearted, death-defying adventure, that's what! Joined by a fabulous new cast of animal characters, S.T. faces many new challenges plus his biggest one yet: parenthood.
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, ASU campus excluded). 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 meeting! Reviews & Interviews
“We Survive When We are Seen:” An Interview With Kira Jane Buxton, Author of “Feral Creatures” -- Chicago Review of Books
"Feral Creatures" Continues Adventures of Post-Apocalyptic Animal Kingdom -- KATU.com Review: Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton -- The Nerd Daily Book Review: Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton -- The BiblioSanctum 
This month's book club pick is a continuation of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern! We will be meeting on Thursday, July 28th at 6:30 in an online video chat!
Just like last month, this meeting is slightly different than usual, because we will only be discussing the second half of the book, from page 250 to the end. Remember to bring a list of book recommendations to the July meeting, as we will be choosing our books for the rest of the year! Erin Morgenstern is a writer and multimedia artist who describes all her work as being "fairy tales in one way or another." She lives in Massachusetts. You can find more about Erin on her website. So, what's the book about?
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Reves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway--a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love--a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
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
The Night Circus - NYT
The Night Circus - Publisher's Weekly Erin Morgenstern Interview -- Bill Kenower YouTube Erin Morgenstern: A Three-Ring Debut -- BookPage
So, what's the book about?
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Reves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway--a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love--a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
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
The Night Circus - NYT
The Night Circus - Publisher's Weekly Erin Morgenstern Interview -- Bill Kenower YouTube Erin Morgenstern: A Three-Ring Debut -- BookPage
So, what's the book about?Beth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they'll never face the same fate. Robbie lives by his gun and one hard-learned motto: other people aren't safe. After a brutal accident entwines the three of them, this found family of survivors must navigate murderous TERFs, a sociopathic billionaire bunker brat, and awkward relationship dynamics--all while outrunning packs of feral men, and their own demons.  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 OnlineWe 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 & InterviewsIn 'Manhunt,' a virus turns anyone with enough testosterone into a feral beast -- NPR.org
Gretchen Felker-Martin's 'Manhunt Is a New Kind of Horror Novel-- Shondaland.com Manhunt-- Bookpage.com
So, What's The Book About?
Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space--and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe--in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.
Rosemary Harper doesn't expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she's never met anyone remotely like the ship's diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain. Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy--exactly what Rosemary wants. It's also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn't part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary's got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs--an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn't necessarily the worst thing in the universe. 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-6pm 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-6pm. 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!
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This month's book club pick is Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler. We will be meeting on Thursday, January 27th at 6:30 in an online video chat. You can RSVP to the event & get the chat link here.
Octavia Butler was an acclaimed African American author who received a Macarthur "Genius" Grant and PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work. Born in Pasadena in 1947, she was raised by her mother & grandmother and she died on February 24, 2006. She was the author of several award-winning books, including Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. Her work is known for her lean prose & strong protagonists, while exploring themes of global warming, Black injustice, women's rights, and political disparity. Her work is now taught at over 200 colleges & universities and her impact on literature cannot be understated. |
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!
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
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
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Join us on Google Meet to chat each month:
meet.google.com/zgi-ninn-kvz
meet.google.com/zgi-ninn-kvz
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