July 18, 2019
Welcome David Fitzgerald!
Hiring staff for Borderlands Books is something we do far less often then once in a blue moon! So we’re happy to mark this rare occurrence and welcome our newest employee, David Fitzgerald, to the party. David is an author, editor, animal lover and sword fighter, among other esoteric talents, and so he’s a great fit for Borderlands. He’s written everything from nonfiction to science fiction to erotica & more under a few different pen names, so in addition to his solid “book knowledge”, is a great resource for aspiring writers. David was a Borderlands sponsor for years, and also volunteered doing construction work at the Haight Street building (before he started working Sundays on Valencia!) Please give him a warm hello when you’re next in the store (and ask him for a book recommendation).
Upcoming Events
Writers With Drinks (The Make Out Room, 3225 22nd St, San Francisco) with authors Natasha Dennerstein, Sarah Gailey, Helen Phillips, Troy Jollimore, Grace Lavery, and Gabby Rivera, hosted by Charlie Jane Anders, Saturday, July 13th at 7:30 pm
LitCrawl Junior with authors Kalyn Josephson, Katy Rose Pool, and Shannon Price, Sunday, July 14th at 3:30 pm
SF in SF (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina St. San Francisco) with authors Vy Kaftan and Megan E. O'Keefe, moderated by Terry Bisson, Sunday, July 21st at 6:30 pm
Charlie Jane Anders, Meg Elison, Shaenon K. Garrity, and Richard Kadrey, WASTELANDS: THE NEW APOCALYPSE (Titan Books, Trade Paperback, $14.95) Saturday, August 3rd at 3:00 pm
Gail Carriger, RETICENCE (Orbit, Hardcover, $26.00) Tuesday, August 6th at 6:00 pm
Michael Blumlein, LONGER (Tor.com, Trade Paperback, $15.99) and Paul Park, A CITY MADE OF WORDS, (PM Press, Trade Paperback, $14.00) Saturday, August 10th at 3:00 pm
Seanan McGuire, THE UNKINDEST TIDE (DAW, Hardcover, $26.00) Saturday, September 7th at 5:00 pm
LitCrawl Junior with authors Kalyn Josephson, Katy Rose Pool, and Shannon Price, Sunday, July 14th at 3:30 pm
SF in SF (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina St. San Francisco) with authors Vy Kaftan and Megan E. O'Keefe, moderated by Terry Bisson, Sunday, July 21st at 6:30 pm
Charlie Jane Anders, Meg Elison, Shaenon K. Garrity, and Richard Kadrey, WASTELANDS: THE NEW APOCALYPSE (Titan Books, Trade Paperback, $14.95) Saturday, August 3rd at 3:00 pm
Gail Carriger, RETICENCE (Orbit, Hardcover, $26.00) Tuesday, August 6th at 6:00 pm
Michael Blumlein, LONGER (Tor.com, Trade Paperback, $15.99) and Paul Park, A CITY MADE OF WORDS, (PM Press, Trade Paperback, $14.00) Saturday, August 10th at 3:00 pm
Seanan McGuire, THE UNKINDEST TIDE (DAW, Hardcover, $26.00) Saturday, September 7th at 5:00 pm
July Building Update
by Alan Beatts
Things are going well with the construction at the new building. At the beginning of the month, PG&E hooked up the new electrical service. Despite all the delays and torturous steps to get there, the actual hook-up went very smoothly. We started at nine and were done by noon. The PG&E crew were very pleasant and professional. We shared a couple of jokes at the expense of office and engineering staff, mostly along the lines of, "They don't get it, don't get it right, and waste time. Thank goodness there are people like us doing the actual work who have a clue."
We've still got two long days ahead switching out the panels for each of the apartments upstairs but, once that's done, the big electrical work is finished. We'll still need to do the wiring for the bookstore but that's a quite simple job. This week I put in four extra temporary circuits (so we can run a saw and the compressor at the same time without tripping a breaker) and it took me all of about two hours to do. The final wiring will be a bit more time-consuming but not by much.
Since that work was done, last Sunday we were able to finally tear out the big post in the middle of the store that used to hold the old service. Having that gone really opened up the space a lot and now I can actually see what it's going to look like. It's going to be awfully good. Despite being a tiny bit smaller than our current space, I think it's going to _look_ bigger.
I've got several meetings next week that will move us even further forward. First I'm meeting on Monday with an asbestos abatement specialist. I'll get a quote from him to pull all the old floor and tiles that are a problem. I'm hopeful that the price will be within reach because, after looking over the place, really the best solution is to remove the entire floor and replace it. With the asbestos out of the way, that's not actually a very hard job and it'll give us a beautiful, strong floor that will last for decades to come.
I'm also meeting with our plumber, Brian Fusco, to get the bathroom work scheduled. He's a referral from my buddy Bruno, a general contractor here in town who has never steered me wrong. I'm looking forward to meeting Brian. Based on our email conversations, he's definitely our sort of people.
The rest of this month will be mostly filled up with completing the framing for the bathroom and, if all goes well, getting a start on framing the new front of the building.
Things are going well with the construction at the new building. At the beginning of the month, PG&E hooked up the new electrical service. Despite all the delays and torturous steps to get there, the actual hook-up went very smoothly. We started at nine and were done by noon. The PG&E crew were very pleasant and professional. We shared a couple of jokes at the expense of office and engineering staff, mostly along the lines of, "They don't get it, don't get it right, and waste time. Thank goodness there are people like us doing the actual work who have a clue."
We've still got two long days ahead switching out the panels for each of the apartments upstairs but, once that's done, the big electrical work is finished. We'll still need to do the wiring for the bookstore but that's a quite simple job. This week I put in four extra temporary circuits (so we can run a saw and the compressor at the same time without tripping a breaker) and it took me all of about two hours to do. The final wiring will be a bit more time-consuming but not by much.
Since that work was done, last Sunday we were able to finally tear out the big post in the middle of the store that used to hold the old service. Having that gone really opened up the space a lot and now I can actually see what it's going to look like. It's going to be awfully good. Despite being a tiny bit smaller than our current space, I think it's going to _look_ bigger.
I've got several meetings next week that will move us even further forward. First I'm meeting on Monday with an asbestos abatement specialist. I'll get a quote from him to pull all the old floor and tiles that are a problem. I'm hopeful that the price will be within reach because, after looking over the place, really the best solution is to remove the entire floor and replace it. With the asbestos out of the way, that's not actually a very hard job and it'll give us a beautiful, strong floor that will last for decades to come.
I'm also meeting with our plumber, Brian Fusco, to get the bathroom work scheduled. He's a referral from my buddy Bruno, a general contractor here in town who has never steered me wrong. I'm looking forward to meeting Brian. Based on our email conversations, he's definitely our sort of people.
The rest of this month will be mostly filled up with completing the framing for the bathroom and, if all goes well, getting a start on framing the new front of the building.
June Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1. Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
2. Exhalation by Ted Chiang
3. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
4. The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey
5. The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
6. Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey
7. Lent by Jo Walton
8. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
9. Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder
10. A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
2. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu
3. The Sol Majestic by Ferrett Steinmetz
4. A People's Future of the United States edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams
5. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
6. The Power by Naomi Alderman
7. Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone
8. Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
9. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
10. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
2. Dune by Frank Herbert
3. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
5. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
6. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
7. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
8. Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton
9. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
10. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
1. Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
2. Exhalation by Ted Chiang
3. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
4. The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey
5. The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
6. Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey
7. Lent by Jo Walton
8. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
9. Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder
10. A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
2. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu
3. The Sol Majestic by Ferrett Steinmetz
4. A People's Future of the United States edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams
5. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
6. The Power by Naomi Alderman
7. Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone
8. Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
9. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
10. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
2. Dune by Frank Herbert
3. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
5. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
6. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
7. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
8. Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton
9. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
10. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
July News
* Overheard in the store:
"I love the smell of books. It smells so good in here! I want to bottle it and wear it as a perfume."
"I've only met one person ever who didn't like GOOD OMENS, and I didn't trust them."
"It's like people who never say the f-word, or who dislike dogs!"
"She said that worrying was like praying for something you don't want."
"She sold her soul for a toaster oven."
"So... what I'm hearing is that Wiccans shouldn't drink."
"Repeatedly forgetting your PIN is an excellent way to save money."
"I'm turning my life in a new direction: Horizontal."
"You can't discriminate against someone based on their Hogwarts' House!"
* Locus Magazine is hosting a Writing Master Class with author Andy Duncan! July 21, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Locus Magazine HQ in downtown Oakland. The cost is $150.00. Details and sign up here: https://locusmag.com/locus-bay-area-writers-workshop-writing-master-class-with-andy-duncan-july-2019/
* Local author (and Borderlands sponsor) Charlie Jane Anders did a marvelous interview with the Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/charlie-jane-anders-crosses-the-divide_n_5cdc281ae4b0437438c5290e
* Congratulations to Irene Gallo, who has been promoted to Vice President, Publisher of Tor.com! https://www.tor.com/2019/06/20/irene-gallo-promoted-to-vice-president-publisher-of-tor-com/
"I love the smell of books. It smells so good in here! I want to bottle it and wear it as a perfume."
"I've only met one person ever who didn't like GOOD OMENS, and I didn't trust them."
"It's like people who never say the f-word, or who dislike dogs!"
"She said that worrying was like praying for something you don't want."
"She sold her soul for a toaster oven."
"So... what I'm hearing is that Wiccans shouldn't drink."
"Repeatedly forgetting your PIN is an excellent way to save money."
"I'm turning my life in a new direction: Horizontal."
"You can't discriminate against someone based on their Hogwarts' House!"
* Locus Magazine is hosting a Writing Master Class with author Andy Duncan! July 21, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Locus Magazine HQ in downtown Oakland. The cost is $150.00. Details and sign up here: https://locusmag.com/locus-bay-area-writers-workshop-writing-master-class-with-andy-duncan-july-2019/
* Local author (and Borderlands sponsor) Charlie Jane Anders did a marvelous interview with the Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/charlie-jane-anders-crosses-the-divide_n_5cdc281ae4b0437438c5290e
* Congratulations to Irene Gallo, who has been promoted to Vice President, Publisher of Tor.com! https://www.tor.com/2019/06/20/irene-gallo-promoted-to-vice-president-publisher-of-tor-com/
Upcoming Events
Ferrett Steinmetz, THE SOL MAJESTIC (Tor, Trade Paperback, $16.99) Saturday, June 22nd at 3:00 pm
Writers With Drinks (at the Make Out Room, 3225 22nd St, San Francisco) with authors Natasha Dennerstein, Sarah Gailey, Helen Phillips, Troy Jollimore, Grace Lavery, and Gabby Rivera, hosted by Charlie Jane Anders, Saturday, July 13th at 7:30 pm
SF in SF with authors Vylar Kaftan and Megan E. O'Keefe (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina St. San Francisco) Sunday, July 21st at 6:30 pm
Charlie Jane Anders, Meg Elison, Shaenon K. Garrity, and Richard Kadrey, WASTELANDS: THE NEW APOCALYPSE (Titan Books, Trade Paperback, $14.95 ) Saturday, August 3rd at 3:00 pm
Gail Carriger, RETICENCE (Orbit, Hardcover, $26.00) Tuesday, August 6th at 6:00 pm
Michael Blumlein, LONGER (Tor.com, Trade Paperback, $15.99) and Paul Park, A CITY MADE OF WORDS (PM Press, Trade Paperback, $14.99) Saturday, August 10th at 3:00 pm
Writers With Drinks (at the Make Out Room, 3225 22nd St, San Francisco) with authors Natasha Dennerstein, Sarah Gailey, Helen Phillips, Troy Jollimore, Grace Lavery, and Gabby Rivera, hosted by Charlie Jane Anders, Saturday, July 13th at 7:30 pm
SF in SF with authors Vylar Kaftan and Megan E. O'Keefe (at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina St. San Francisco) Sunday, July 21st at 6:30 pm
Charlie Jane Anders, Meg Elison, Shaenon K. Garrity, and Richard Kadrey, WASTELANDS: THE NEW APOCALYPSE (Titan Books, Trade Paperback, $14.95 ) Saturday, August 3rd at 3:00 pm
Gail Carriger, RETICENCE (Orbit, Hardcover, $26.00) Tuesday, August 6th at 6:00 pm
Michael Blumlein, LONGER (Tor.com, Trade Paperback, $15.99) and Paul Park, A CITY MADE OF WORDS (PM Press, Trade Paperback, $14.99) Saturday, August 10th at 3:00 pm
June Building Update
by Alan Beatts
Despite not having much time to work at Haight St. last month (because, closing up the cafe), we made some solid progress in May. Perhaps the biggest thing is that we finally (Finally? Finally!) passed the last inspection with PG&E for the new electrical service. We're all set to have the actual service hooked up on the 2nd of July, and that will be the first construction permit of this whole project that is completely finished. To say that I'm looking forward to it is a hell of an understatement.
Over the last few weeks we've also made major progress on the bathroom. Three of the five walls are framed and in place. The next two will follow shortly and then we can get the plumber in to do the rough work. With luck that will go quickly (depending on his schedule) and then we can get the finish work done. Still no firm ETA for all that but we're getting close to a point when I feel like I can make something other than a wild-ass guess.
The garden is really coming into its own with the spring and thanks to all the rain this winter. I know I've been promising pictures for months now but I truly will try to get some up by the next newsletter.
With the work of closing (and running) the cafe behind me, I'm really looking forward to putting my full attention into getting our new "house" ready for move in.
Despite not having much time to work at Haight St. last month (because, closing up the cafe), we made some solid progress in May. Perhaps the biggest thing is that we finally (Finally? Finally!) passed the last inspection with PG&E for the new electrical service. We're all set to have the actual service hooked up on the 2nd of July, and that will be the first construction permit of this whole project that is completely finished. To say that I'm looking forward to it is a hell of an understatement.
Over the last few weeks we've also made major progress on the bathroom. Three of the five walls are framed and in place. The next two will follow shortly and then we can get the plumber in to do the rough work. With luck that will go quickly (depending on his schedule) and then we can get the finish work done. Still no firm ETA for all that but we're getting close to a point when I feel like I can make something other than a wild-ass guess.
The garden is really coming into its own with the spring and thanks to all the rain this winter. I know I've been promising pictures for months now but I truly will try to get some up by the next newsletter.
With the work of closing (and running) the cafe behind me, I'm really looking forward to putting my full attention into getting our new "house" ready for move in.
May Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1. Exhalation by Ted Chiang
2. A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
3. The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
4. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
5. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
6. Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey
7. In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
8. How Long 'Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin
9. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
10. Empire of Grass by Tad Williams
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
2. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu
3. A People's Future of the United States edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams
4. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
5. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
6. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
7. Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
8. The Power by Naomi Alderman
9. Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
10. New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color edited by Nisi Shawl
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Dune by Frank Herbert
2. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
3. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
4. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
5. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
6. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
7. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
8. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
9. Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
10. The Thousand Names by Django Wexler
1. Exhalation by Ted Chiang
2. A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
3. The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
4. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
5. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
6. Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey
7. In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
8. How Long 'Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin
9. The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
10. Empire of Grass by Tad Williams
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
2. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu
3. A People's Future of the United States edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams
4. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
5. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
6. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
7. Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
8. The Power by Naomi Alderman
9. Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
10. New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color edited by Nisi Shawl
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Dune by Frank Herbert
2. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
3. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
4. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
5. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
6. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
7. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
8. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
9. Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
10. The Thousand Names by Django Wexler
June News
*Overheard in the Store:
"You can't discriminate against someone based on their Hogwarts' House!"
"The clerks were whimsical and the customers were insane."
"You FOOL! We're all English teachers and there were BOOKS back there!"
"You care about something, and you're not an idiot."
"Well, when you put it THAT way, it is _definitely_ creepy."
* R.I.P. Dennis Etchison, acclaimed horror author and editor and recipient of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award, who died at the end of May. https://locusmag.com/2019/05/dennis-etchison-1943-2019/
* Babylon 5 was one of the most innovative SF shows of its time, and here are 5 things that it did that changed science fiction forever. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/5-things-babylon-5-did-that-changed-science-fiction-forever
"You can't discriminate against someone based on their Hogwarts' House!"
"The clerks were whimsical and the customers were insane."
"You FOOL! We're all English teachers and there were BOOKS back there!"
"You care about something, and you're not an idiot."
"Well, when you put it THAT way, it is _definitely_ creepy."
* R.I.P. Dennis Etchison, acclaimed horror author and editor and recipient of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award, who died at the end of May. https://locusmag.com/2019/05/dennis-etchison-1943-2019/
* Babylon 5 was one of the most innovative SF shows of its time, and here are 5 things that it did that changed science fiction forever. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/5-things-babylon-5-did-that-changed-science-fiction-forever
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