Upcoming Events

Carter Scholz, GYPSY (PM Press, Trade Paperback, $13.00) Saturday, November 14th at 6:00pm -  with special guest Kim Stanley Robinson!

Small Business Saturday with guest bookseller Richard Kadrey, Saturday, November 28th from 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Mira Grant, CHIMERA (Orbit, Hardcover, $27.00) Saturday, December 5th at 3:00pm

Sisters in Crime / Mystery Writers of America Northern California Holiday Party, Saturday, December 12th from 2:00 - 4:00 pm

A Great Idea

by Jude Feldman

Customers frequently ask us how they can buy e-books, and still support Borderlands.  Now there's a way.  It's not precisely the way we would choose -- we'd rather you could purchase e-books directly from us -- but it's the best solution we've found so far, and it's really pretty smart.  There's an additional benefit, too: you can also get free or inexpensive digital versions of the paper books you already own!  BitLit <www.bitlit.com> is the company working on making this possible. 

Brandon Sanderson (many of whose books are available through the BitLit app) was the one who told us about this.  The basic idea is that you get the app, which is free for iOS and Android.  You snap a well-lighted picture of your bookshelf (cleverly called -- what else? -- a "Shelfie",) and the app will let you know which of your books are available for free (or pretty cheap) download.  Select the book(s) you want.  Sign & photograph the copyright page(s) (or take a pic of your bookplate) to easily prove it's actually your book.  Send BitLit the photos, and they'll email you the e-book, which you can read on your existing e-Reader: Kobo, Nook, Kindle, or just in .pdf on your computer or phone.  It doesn't matter where your purchased your books, how long you've owned them.

October Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1. SHADOWS OF SELF by  Brandon Sanderson
2. WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor
3. A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS by George RR Martin
4. KILLING TITAN by Greg Bear
5. THE CINDER SPIRES by Jim Butcher
6. SILVER ON THE ROAD by Laura Anne Gilman
7. LUNA: NEW MOON by Ian McDonald
8. ELANTRIS: 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION by Brandon Sanderson
9. THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT by Seth Dickinson
10. THE THREE BODY PROBLEM by Cixin Liu; translated by Ken Liu

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir
2. THE FLUX by Ferrett Steinmetz
3. THE MIRROR EMPIRE by Kameron Hurley
4. THE THOUSAND NAMES by Django Wexler
5. A RED-ROSE CHAIN by Seanan McGuire
6. THE ABYSS BEYOND DREAMS by Peter F. Hamilton
7. AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman
8. ON THE STEEL BREEZE by Alastair Reynolds
9. DRAGONS OF HEAVEN by Alyc Helms
10. THE TERRANS by Jean Johnson

Trade Paperbacks
1. ANCILLARY MERCY by Ann Leckie
2. ANCILLARY JUSTICE by Ann Leckie
3. WOMEN UP TO NO GOOD by Pat Murphy
4. THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M.R. Carey
5. EMPIRE ASCENDANT by Kameron Hurley tie with SONGS OF A DEAD DREAMER AND GRIMSCRIBE by Thomas Ligotti

November News Roundup

* Overheard in the store:
"Why didn't anyone tell me that the 'True Blood' tv show was just an R-rated 'Buffy'?!"

* Someone sent us an absolutely lovely bottle of Scotch from New York.  We think it might be an Anniversary present, but we're not sure, since there was no note included with the bottle.  If you were kind enough to send us this present, could you please let us know so we can thank you?

* Sadly, Crossed Genres Magazine is going to be closing their doors at the end of this year.  Crossed Genres will continue to publish novels.  http://crossedgenres.com/announcements/crossed-genres-magazine-to-close-after-december-issue/

* The newest Marvel Netflix series "Jessica Jones," will premiere in November.  As old-school Jessica Jones fans, after seeing the full trailer,  we find ourselves really looking forward to it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWHUjuJ8zxE

* Borderlands' owner Alan Beatts was on the Publishers Weekly podcast talking about the way the sponsors helped keep the store alive.  Listen here; Alan's segment starts around 9:40: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/podcasts/index.html?channel=8&podcast=494

* A map of Middle Earth annotated by JRR Tolkien himself is up for auction after having been discovered in a copy of LORD OF THE RINGS owned by late acclaimed illustrator Pauline Baynes.  It is on display and on sale for 60,000 GBP.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/23/jrr-tolkien-middle-earth-annotated-map-blackwells-lord-of-the-rings

* The trailer for the "Warcraft" film has been released, and if nothing else it looks like some good pulpy adventure fun.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rxoz13Bthc

* For those who haven't discovered the joy of Secure, Contain, Protect -- it is a wiki with each entry a supposed item/artifact/person that is supernatural, inter-dimensional, or just plain weird.  Some entries are sad, some fascinating, and others not to be read alone at night.  http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-series .  (One of our personal favorites is SCP-1000, Bigfoot.)

* Charlie Jane Anders over at io9 posted a great infographic from Orbit of the compliment of the ships in Ann Leckie's amazing Ancillary trilogy, which was completed last month: http://io9.com/get-to-know-the-incredible-starships-of-ann-leckies-anc-1733743808

* SETI has been listening to star KIC8462852, (the one with the strange light patterns that people think might be aliens,) for two weeks and have heard nothing, but they're not giving up yet.  The Mary Sue has a full post on it: http://www.themarysue.com/seti-finds-no-sign-of-giant-alien-spaceships/

* "Supergirl" premiered, and as a treat for superhero movie adaptation fans, this iteration's parents are played by Lois & Clark's Dean Cain and "Supergirl" film's Helen Slater.

* Ann Leckie gave Publisher's Weekly her list of Top Ten Science Fiction Novels and there are some great, usually ignored gems on her list.  http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/68381-the-10-best-science-fiction-books.html

* A new "Star Trek" television series is in the works for 2017!  We're simultaneously thrilled and terrified, and already busy creating that Dream Cast in our heads.  (Jude wants Angela Bassett to play the Captain.  And Dame Judi Dench should definitely be in there somewhere, too!)  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/arts/television/a-new-star-trek-tv-series-will-debut-in-2017.html

* Congratulations to editor (and Borderlands sponsor) John Joseph Adams.  Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt just announced that they're launching a new science fiction and fantasy line called John Joseph Adams Books/HMH that will be edited by JJA.  According to Shelf Awareness, the line's "first three titles are simultaneous hardcover and paperback editions of SHIFT, DUST and BEACON 23 by Hugh Howey, which will be published in February [2016]."  http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=2630#m30432

* Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface in 1974's iconic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," has died at age 68.  http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/08/entertainment/gunnar-hansen-texas-chainsaw-massacre-obit-feat/index.html

* Happy Birthday to Ms. Ursula K LeGuin, one of the greatest authors of our time!  http://www.tor.com/2015/10/21/on-this-day-ursula-k-le-guin/

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Award News
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* Congratulations to this year's World Fantasy Award Winners!  http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/

* The 2015 British Science Fiction Award Winners have been announced!  http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/british-fantasy-awards/winners-of-the-british-fantasy-awards-2015/

* The Inaugural 100 Year Starship (100YSS) Canopus Awards, which celebrate interstellar writing, have announced their winners.  http://100yss.org/news/press