March 28, 2013

Link from a Student

This is a bit unusual!  A student from Ms. Ward's classroom in Indiana is working on a website information-sharing project.  She used some links from Borderlands' site as a resource, so in exchange she gave us this link about Stephen King's work, which she thought might be of interest to our customers:

http://www.best-horror-movies.com/news?name=horror-legend-stephen-king-his-best-novels

Thanks to the student and Ms. Ward - we wish you success with your project!

March 20, 2013

Bloody Murder in the Garden with Sisters, Devils, and Shadows of the Sun and Moon

What the staff is reading this week:

Alan: "BLOOD AND BONE by Ian C. Esselmont.  In addition to being a great story, it's also a coda of sorts to Steven Erickson's THE CRIPPLED GOD and is also a great accompaniment to Steve's recent FORGE OF DARKNESS.  I'm still pleased and surprised by the richness of the world that the two of them have created.  Individually their books stand on their own but when you combine them the sum is much greater than the parts."

Cary: "An advance copy of SHADOWS OF THE NEW SUN - STORIES IN HONOR OF GENE
WOLFE edited by J.E. Mooney and Bill Fawcett."

Claud: "BRAIN THIEF, by Alexander Jablokov; MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, THE NINE TAILORS, GAUDY NIGHT, BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON, LORD PETER, and THE DOCUMENTS IN THE CASE, by Dorothy Sayers; OSCAR MICHEAUX AND HIS CIRCLE: African-American Filmmaking and Race Cinema of the Silent Era, by Pearl Bowser, Jane Marie Gaines and Charles Musser; CENTURY 2009 (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), by Alan Moore; ON TO GENESIS (Unwritten #5), by Mike Carey; THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, by Erik Larson; KISS ME, JUDAS and PENNY DREADFUL, by Will Christopher Baer; THE WORLD UNTIL YESTERDAY, Jared Diamond; THE PATRICK MELROSE NOVELS and AT LAST, by Edward St. Aubyn (*phenomenal* contemporary English novelist); CALICO PALACE, by Gwen Bristow; ROLE MODELS, by John Waters; MINDSTAR RISING, A QUANTUM MURDER, and NANO FLOWER, by Peter F. Hamilton; DEATH BY SILVER, by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold.and WILDE STORIES 2013, Steve Berman, ed."

Cole: "GARDENS OF THE MOON by Steven Erickson."

Heather: "DANCE WITH DRAGONS by George R.R. Martin - finally!"

Jude: "POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET: MURDERERS, CHEETAHS, AND BINION'S WORLD SERIES OF POKER by James McManus, and GANGS OF CHICAGO by Herbert Asbury."

Naamen: "Reading SISTER MINE by Nalo Hopkinson and it is amazing."




March 12, 2013

February Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1. A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
2. Homeland by Cory Doctorow
3. Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
4. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
5. A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan
6. The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett
7. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
8. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
9. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
10. Gun Machine by Warren Ellis tie with Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
2. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
3. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
4. Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5. The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
6. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
7. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
8. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
9. Moonshifted by Cassie Alexander
10. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan

Trade Paperbacks
1. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
2. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
3. The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination edited by John Joseph Adams
4. Redshirts by John Scalzi
5. For the Win by Cory Doctorow tie with Makers by Cory Doctorow

February News Roundup

* Clarion West presents one-day writing workshops with Daryl Gregory, Mary Rosenblum, and John Crowley!  See the link for details: http://www.clarionwest.org/one_day_workshops

* John Scalzi's unconventional (and delightful) response to a persistent troll caught the attention of The Guardian UK: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/feb/05/trolls-prompt-author-charity-donation

* Check out this 1968 "it gets better" letter . . . from Mr. Spock http://www.buzzfeed.com/leonoraepstein/spocks-advice-to-a-teenage-girl-will-make-you-cry

* Spot the Tuckerization in this blog post about Mary Robinette Kowal's new novel -- thanks, Mary!: http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/without-a-summer-schomberg-house/

* We're trying to help local Precita Eyes raise $3000 to rent the scaffold they need to finish the gorgeous mural they've begun on the side of Borderlands' building (facing into the Mission Playground).  We've got a collection box in the store if you can help out.  And, crazy extra special thanks to Laura, who helped out with the design of the mural and included Ripley in it!  The next time you're by the store, see if you can find the hairless cat in the painting.

* Our friends at The Other Change of Hobbit have moved.  Watch their website for updates on their new address and re-opening. http://www.otherchangeofhobbit.com/

* Borderlands Cafe will be hosting another free University of the Commons class starting in May.  We're still nailing down the details and dates, but the theme will be "Zombie Apocalypse and the Utopian Tradition".  (How cool is that?!)

* Borderlands will be hosting the Mass Autographing Session at this year's Nebula Awards in San Jose in May.  We're excited to take part and hope you'll be able to attend.  We'll have more details about the Awards and the autograph session coming soon.

* Random House promotes a pretty evil new style of contract for ebooks, gets called out by John Scalzi & The Science Fiction Writers of America and backs down.  Check out these links in order to get the context of the story -

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/03/06/note-to-sff-writers-random-houses-hydra-imprint-has-appallingly-bad-contract-terms/

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/03/06/a-contract-from-alibi/

http://www.sfwa.org/2013/03/sfwa-response-to-hydra-letter/

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/56316-random-house-modifies-contracts-for-its-digital-imprints.html

March Upcoming Events

Allison Moon, HUNGRY GHOST (Lunatic Ink, Trade Paperback, $15.00) Friday, March 29th at 7:00 pm

Dana Fredsti, PLAGUE NATION (Titan Books, Mass Market, $7.99) Saturday, April 20th at 3:00 pm

SF in SF featuring Rick Klaw and Mary Robinette Kowal, at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Saturday, April 20th at 7:00 pm

Karen Joy Fowler, Rick Klaw, and Pat Murphy, THE APES OF WRATH (Tachyon, Trade Paperback, $15.95) Sunday, April 21st at 3:00 pm

Mark Oshiro, MARK READS HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (Mark Does Stuff, Trade Paperback, $15.00) Sunday, April 21st at 5:00 pm

Nova Albion Steampunk Convention at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, Friday April 26th - Sunday April 28th

The Pub From Another World Preview, Sunday, May 12, at 3:00 pm

Details after the break