Virtual event with Katherine Addison, THE ANGEL OF THE CROWS (Tor, Hardcover, $27.99) Wednesday, July 8th at 6:00 pm PST
Virtual event with Jo Walton, OR WHAT YOU WILL (Tor, Hardcover, $26.99) Thursday, July 9th at 5:00 pm PST
In the Middle: a virtual event with Mike Chen (A BEGINNING AT THE END, Mira, Hardcover, $26.99) and Kelly McWilliams (AGNES AT THE END OF THE WORLD, Little, Brown, Hardcover, $17.99) Wednesday, July 15th at 5:00 pm PST
Virtual event with L.E. Modesitt, Jr. QUANTUM SHADOWS (Tor, Hardcover, $27.99) Tuesday, July 21st at 7:00 pm PST
Relentless and Unconquerable: a virtual event with Kate Elliott (UNCONQUERABLE SUN, Tor, Hardcover, $27.99) and Mary Robinette Kowal (THE RELENTLESS MOON, Tor, Hardcover $30.99 and Trade Paperback $17.99) Thursday, July 23rd at 7:00 pm PST
Virtual event with Ferrett Steinmetz, AUTOMATIC RELOAD (Tor, Trade Paperback, $17.99) Friday, July 31st at 5:00 pm PST
July 05, 2020
Escape Through the Audio Hatch - Libro.fm Recommendations
By Melinda Rose
As I was compiling the list of my favorite listens of the past month, I realized these are all pure escapism. Light enough that you can do other things while listening, but meaty enough to hold your attention and distract. Turns out that's something I'm really needing right now, and maybe you are too. If so, I invite you to snuggle up with any of the following selections.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, performed by Stephen Briggs.
It's been a while since I've gone to the DiscWorld, and I'd almost forgotten how much it's like listening to a Monty Python sketch. Moist Von Lipwig is a con artist about to hang for his crimes when he's given a second chance at life. All he has to do is get the post office up and running again. Not a simple task. The mail's been piling up for decades and the postal workers are a skittish bunch of misfits. Despite his best efforts to remain cynical and aloof, Moist discovers his skill set is perfectly suited for government work, and that he really _wants_ to bring the postal service back to its glory days.
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780060824693-going-postal?bookstore=borderlands
Have Space Suit, Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein, performed by Mark Teretsky.
This classic has long been on my to-read list, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. It's hard science fiction from 1958, yet somehow it holds up. There were times it reminded me of listening to The Martian by Andy Weir, because our hero is constantly science-ing himself out of or into difficult situations. I particularly loved Kip's pragmatic, supportive father. You want to go to the moon? Sure thing kid, guess you better figure out how you're getting there.There are so many great characters and plot twists I simply couldn't put my earbuds down.
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781482964189-have-space-suit-will-travel?bookstore=borderlands
Lucky Supreme by Jeff Johnson, performed by Keith Szarabajka
I loved "Everything Under the Moon", so when I was craving something gritty I decided to explore more of Johnson's catalogue. The voice actor brings the perfect gravelly tones and pacing to this modern noir tale. The story centers around Darby Holland who runs a tattoo parlor in Old Town Portland. He's content with a simple life and an inner circle of employees and the other neighborhood proprietors. His life gets a lot more complicated when there's a sighting of a former employee in California. In order to save face Darby has to go down there, confront him, and attempt to recover the art he stole while skipping town. That endeavor escalates into a confrontation with a seedy Bay Area crime syndicate. Now Darby has to gather up all his resources to save his shop from those nefarious forces as well as a landlord ready to give into the pressures of gentrification.
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781982616137-lucky-supreme?bookstore=borderlands
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher, performed by Hilary Huber
"And I twisted myself about like twisted ones." Fair warning - you're not going to be able to stop repeating the litany of the twisted ones for weeks after listening to this book. Mouse's grandmother was not a pleasant person. And, as Mouse discovers when she agrees to clean out the house after grandma dies, she was one hell of a hoarder. Among all the useless junk Mouse finds her step-grandfather's journal, and discovers there is definitely something eerie going on in the woods. The crazy ramblings of the journal start to manifest in the world around her and things get seriously spooky. There's an excellent unraveling of a mystery here, mixed in with so much laugh-out-loud humor I had to be careful about listening to this story in public.
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781508297475-the-twisted-ones?bookstore=borderlands
[Editor's Note:
Libro.fm is an audiobook purchase platform specifically designed to support independent bookstores. Unlike all of the e-book sites that have offered us partnerships, and in direct contrast to Amazon's audiobook platform, Audible, Libro.fm makes it practical and seamless to support Borderlands (or another indie of your choice) with your online audiobook purchases. It's easy to sign up and easy to use, moreso, we've been blown away by their extraordinary customer service and dedication to helping bookstores. Just go to https://libro.fm/story to learn more about them and create your free account. As part of the account set-up process, you designate an independent bookstore that you want your purchases to support. (You can use this link if you want to choose Borderlands to support right out of the gate: https://libro.fm/?bookstore=borderlands .) After that, browse more than 150,000 audiobooks and either set up a monthly membership, or buy audiobooks a la carte. ]
As I was compiling the list of my favorite listens of the past month, I realized these are all pure escapism. Light enough that you can do other things while listening, but meaty enough to hold your attention and distract. Turns out that's something I'm really needing right now, and maybe you are too. If so, I invite you to snuggle up with any of the following selections.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, performed by Stephen Briggs.
It's been a while since I've gone to the DiscWorld, and I'd almost forgotten how much it's like listening to a Monty Python sketch. Moist Von Lipwig is a con artist about to hang for his crimes when he's given a second chance at life. All he has to do is get the post office up and running again. Not a simple task. The mail's been piling up for decades and the postal workers are a skittish bunch of misfits. Despite his best efforts to remain cynical and aloof, Moist discovers his skill set is perfectly suited for government work, and that he really _wants_ to bring the postal service back to its glory days.
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780060824693-going-postal?bookstore=borderlands
Have Space Suit, Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein, performed by Mark Teretsky.
This classic has long been on my to-read list, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. It's hard science fiction from 1958, yet somehow it holds up. There were times it reminded me of listening to The Martian by Andy Weir, because our hero is constantly science-ing himself out of or into difficult situations. I particularly loved Kip's pragmatic, supportive father. You want to go to the moon? Sure thing kid, guess you better figure out how you're getting there.There are so many great characters and plot twists I simply couldn't put my earbuds down.
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781482964189-have-space-suit-will-travel?bookstore=borderlands
Lucky Supreme by Jeff Johnson, performed by Keith Szarabajka
I loved "Everything Under the Moon", so when I was craving something gritty I decided to explore more of Johnson's catalogue. The voice actor brings the perfect gravelly tones and pacing to this modern noir tale. The story centers around Darby Holland who runs a tattoo parlor in Old Town Portland. He's content with a simple life and an inner circle of employees and the other neighborhood proprietors. His life gets a lot more complicated when there's a sighting of a former employee in California. In order to save face Darby has to go down there, confront him, and attempt to recover the art he stole while skipping town. That endeavor escalates into a confrontation with a seedy Bay Area crime syndicate. Now Darby has to gather up all his resources to save his shop from those nefarious forces as well as a landlord ready to give into the pressures of gentrification.
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781982616137-lucky-supreme?bookstore=borderlands
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher, performed by Hilary Huber
"And I twisted myself about like twisted ones." Fair warning - you're not going to be able to stop repeating the litany of the twisted ones for weeks after listening to this book. Mouse's grandmother was not a pleasant person. And, as Mouse discovers when she agrees to clean out the house after grandma dies, she was one hell of a hoarder. Among all the useless junk Mouse finds her step-grandfather's journal, and discovers there is definitely something eerie going on in the woods. The crazy ramblings of the journal start to manifest in the world around her and things get seriously spooky. There's an excellent unraveling of a mystery here, mixed in with so much laugh-out-loud humor I had to be careful about listening to this story in public.
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781508297475-the-twisted-ones?bookstore=borderlands
[Editor's Note:
Libro.fm is an audiobook purchase platform specifically designed to support independent bookstores. Unlike all of the e-book sites that have offered us partnerships, and in direct contrast to Amazon's audiobook platform, Audible, Libro.fm makes it practical and seamless to support Borderlands (or another indie of your choice) with your online audiobook purchases. It's easy to sign up and easy to use, moreso, we've been blown away by their extraordinary customer service and dedication to helping bookstores. Just go to https://libro.fm/story to learn more about them and create your free account. As part of the account set-up process, you designate an independent bookstore that you want your purchases to support. (You can use this link if you want to choose Borderlands to support right out of the gate: https://libro.fm/?bookstore=borderlands .) After that, browse more than 150,000 audiobooks and either set up a monthly membership, or buy audiobooks a la carte. ]
A Special Offer
About a month ago (or was it two years? -- so hard to tell nowadays) a nice guy named Payam Salehi who runs Anam Cara (https://writewithfriends.com) emailed us. Anam Cara is part writing workshop, part social-network type of thing, and part writing/accountability group. He got in touch with us to see if we'd be willing to help promote the next session (which starts on July 14th, and is led by author, professor and speaker Faith Adiele <https://www.adiele.com>).
Off the bat we were _very_ skeptical. There are an awful lot of on-line "writing classes" and they are usually, to some degree, a scam. They over-promise, the "experts" actually aren't, they charge too much, and so on. But Alan gave him a call anyway and he seemed like a nice, sincere guy. After that, Alan did some digging and talked to both some prior participants and some other folks who are promoting it. In the end, we decided that it was legit.
Though it has the usual elements that you'd expect from an on-line writing class, the thing that stands out to us is the peer-support element. At the outset, participants are added to a group and, further, assigned a writing partner. The expectation is that, in addition to the class element, the group and especially your writing partner will be helpful and supportive of your work. Based on the people Alan talked to, that idea actually functions as intended.
That seems to us to be a big plus over the typical writing group where the level of engagement within the group often leaves a bit to be desired, especially within groups that consist of mostly less-experienced writers.
Bottom line, if you're interested in trying it out, Payam is offering Borderlands folks a discount on the program. The base cost is $390 ($290 each if you sign up with a friend) for the five-week course, but, if you use promo code "borderlands", you'll get $20 off of either price. Further, he's agreed to extend the refund period through the entire class so it is essentially a no-risk deal. If you don't feel like it was worthwhile, you'll get a refund.
Full disclosure: Anam Cara's side of the promotional deal is that Borderlands will get 15% of any signups that come in through our promotion code. We're not really focused on the income but, if the program is good and legit, it might be a nice little bit of extra cash for the shop. The most important thing to us, however, is that it is, in fact, good and legit. So, if you do decide to try it out, please let us know what you thought.
Off the bat we were _very_ skeptical. There are an awful lot of on-line "writing classes" and they are usually, to some degree, a scam. They over-promise, the "experts" actually aren't, they charge too much, and so on. But Alan gave him a call anyway and he seemed like a nice, sincere guy. After that, Alan did some digging and talked to both some prior participants and some other folks who are promoting it. In the end, we decided that it was legit.
Though it has the usual elements that you'd expect from an on-line writing class, the thing that stands out to us is the peer-support element. At the outset, participants are added to a group and, further, assigned a writing partner. The expectation is that, in addition to the class element, the group and especially your writing partner will be helpful and supportive of your work. Based on the people Alan talked to, that idea actually functions as intended.
That seems to us to be a big plus over the typical writing group where the level of engagement within the group often leaves a bit to be desired, especially within groups that consist of mostly less-experienced writers.
Bottom line, if you're interested in trying it out, Payam is offering Borderlands folks a discount on the program. The base cost is $390 ($290 each if you sign up with a friend) for the five-week course, but, if you use promo code "borderlands", you'll get $20 off of either price. Further, he's agreed to extend the refund period through the entire class so it is essentially a no-risk deal. If you don't feel like it was worthwhile, you'll get a refund.
Full disclosure: Anam Cara's side of the promotional deal is that Borderlands will get 15% of any signups that come in through our promotion code. We're not really focused on the income but, if the program is good and legit, it might be a nice little bit of extra cash for the shop. The most important thing to us, however, is that it is, in fact, good and legit. So, if you do decide to try it out, please let us know what you thought.
July News
* As above, so below. . . a photographer captures the Milky Way and bioluminescent waters together: https://mymodernmet.com/bioluminescence-milky-way/
* Author L.L. McKinney discuses the role publishers play in commodifying black pain, and how the focus of the industry must move beyond just "Issue" books: https://www.tor.com/2020/06/17/the-role-publishing-plays-in-the-commodification-of-black-pain/
* Customer Adam M. pointed out Bright 21st, a sci-fi short-story contest for "inspiring futures and positive alternate realities". They have posted the winners of the most recent contest, and they're all free to read on the site (with free registration) and will be turned into audio plays this fall: https://www.bright21st.com/
* Kate Warne, Pinkerton agent and America's first female private detective, was a pioneer in her field who also helped protect Abraham Lincoln: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/606901/kate-warne-first-female-detective
* Wow. An "Untethered Miniature Origami Robot that is able to self-assemble, walk on various surfaces, swim in shallow water, carry small items, and climb up different grades" - https://laughingsquid.com/dissolvable-miniature-origami-robot/
* This hotel room has a secret library door that opens when you pull out a specific book in the room! https://mymodernmet.com/bella-vista-bb-hidden-room/
* Shut down during the pandemic, these museums are competing online for the creepiest object in their collection: https://www.boredpanda.com/creepiest-objects-curator-battle-yorkshire-museum/
* One point scored against dystopia! A machine that sucks up smog and turns it into diamonds: https://ideas.ted.com/this-tower-sucks-up-smog-and-turns-it-into-diamonds/
* Night of the Living Dead. . . Crickets? https://www.popsci.com/living-dead-excerpt/
* A bit of cryptographic history is up for auction: an Enigma encryption machine -- https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/second-world-war-enigma-coding-machine-on-offer-at-vienna-s-dorotheum
* Two terrifying trailers for the new "Candyman" movie, directed by Nia DaCosta and written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele, and Win Rosenfeld -- the theatrical trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlwzuZ9kOQU and DaCosta's haunting puppet trailer, that shows the Candyman's tragic origin story, here: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/candyman-short-puppet-origin-story-1234640739/
* Scientists say conspiracy theorists have a fundamental cognitive problem: https://www.inverse.com/article/37463-conspiracy-beliefs-illusory-pattern-perception
* Probably in my list of Top Ten Best Headlines Ever -- "The monstrous blobs near Earth's core may be even bigger than we thought": https://www.livescience.com/core-mantle-ulvz-blobs-enormous.html
* What do you call the world's only pink manta ray? Inspector Clouseau, of course. . . . https://mymodernmet.com/pink-manta-ray-kristian-laine/
* Author L.L. McKinney discuses the role publishers play in commodifying black pain, and how the focus of the industry must move beyond just "Issue" books: https://www.tor.com/2020/06/17/the-role-publishing-plays-in-the-commodification-of-black-pain/
* Customer Adam M. pointed out Bright 21st, a sci-fi short-story contest for "inspiring futures and positive alternate realities". They have posted the winners of the most recent contest, and they're all free to read on the site (with free registration) and will be turned into audio plays this fall: https://www.bright21st.com/
* Kate Warne, Pinkerton agent and America's first female private detective, was a pioneer in her field who also helped protect Abraham Lincoln: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/606901/kate-warne-first-female-detective
* Wow. An "Untethered Miniature Origami Robot that is able to self-assemble, walk on various surfaces, swim in shallow water, carry small items, and climb up different grades" - https://laughingsquid.com/dissolvable-miniature-origami-robot/
* This hotel room has a secret library door that opens when you pull out a specific book in the room! https://mymodernmet.com/bella-vista-bb-hidden-room/
* Shut down during the pandemic, these museums are competing online for the creepiest object in their collection: https://www.boredpanda.com/creepiest-objects-curator-battle-yorkshire-museum/
* One point scored against dystopia! A machine that sucks up smog and turns it into diamonds: https://ideas.ted.com/this-tower-sucks-up-smog-and-turns-it-into-diamonds/
* Night of the Living Dead. . . Crickets? https://www.popsci.com/living-dead-excerpt/
* A bit of cryptographic history is up for auction: an Enigma encryption machine -- https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/second-world-war-enigma-coding-machine-on-offer-at-vienna-s-dorotheum
* Two terrifying trailers for the new "Candyman" movie, directed by Nia DaCosta and written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele, and Win Rosenfeld -- the theatrical trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlwzuZ9kOQU and DaCosta's haunting puppet trailer, that shows the Candyman's tragic origin story, here: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/candyman-short-puppet-origin-story-1234640739/
* Scientists say conspiracy theorists have a fundamental cognitive problem: https://www.inverse.com/article/37463-conspiracy-beliefs-illusory-pattern-perception
* Probably in my list of Top Ten Best Headlines Ever -- "The monstrous blobs near Earth's core may be even bigger than we thought": https://www.livescience.com/core-mantle-ulvz-blobs-enormous.html
* What do you call the world's only pink manta ray? Inspector Clouseau, of course. . . . https://mymodernmet.com/pink-manta-ray-kristian-laine/
June Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1. The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
2. Network Effect by Martha Wells
3. Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore
4. House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
5. The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
6. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
7. Angel of the Crows by Katharine Addison
8. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
9. Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
10. The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow
2. Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisinn
3. Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger
4. The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
5. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
6. Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
7. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
8. Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
9. Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
10. City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Dune by Frank Herbert
2. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
3. The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
4. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
5. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire
7. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
8. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
9. Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
10. Rosemary & Rue by Seanan McGuire
1. The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
2. Network Effect by Martha Wells
3. Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore
4. House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
5. The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
6. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
7. Angel of the Crows by Katharine Addison
8. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
9. Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
10. The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow
2. Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisinn
3. Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger
4. The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
5. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
6. Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
7. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
8. Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
9. Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
10. City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Dune by Frank Herbert
2. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
3. The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
4. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
5. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire
7. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
8. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
9. Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
10. Rosemary & Rue by Seanan McGuire
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