Drowning Fuzzy Sonatas in Mists and Blood

What the staff is reading this week:

Alan: "About half-way through THE HYDROGEN SONATA, Iain M. Banks' new Culture novel.  And LOVING it!  I think he's really stepped up his game in the last three books."

Cary: "MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloan."

Claud: "ANNO DRACULA and THE BLOODY RED BARON, by Kim Newman (new editions); CATWINGS, by Ursula K. Le Guin; DEATH IN THE STOCKS, by Georgette Heyer (reread); and BY BLOOD, by Ellen Ullman."

Heather: "Finished MISTS OF AVALON Monday, finished FUZZY NATION by John Scalzi Thursday. Waiting patiently until Monday when I get get a new book."

Jude: "I am racing through LEE MILLER'S WAR by Anthony Penrose following a visit to San Francisco's Legion of Honor to see the Man Ray & Lee Miller exhibition.  Absolutely fascinating."

Naamen: "Just plowed through the entirety of the Prospero's Daughter trilogy by L. Jagi Lamplighter and absolutely loved it. A perfect blend of Shakespeare and Urban Fantasy. Still trying to figure out why none of my friends recommended these to me and getting ready to re-read the whole thing.

Also just started THE DROWNING CITY by Amanda Downum. Spies, magic and fomenting revolution. Who could ask for anything more?"

Leftover Whispered Melodies

What the staff is reading this week:

Alan: "Just finished WHISPERS UNDERGROUND by Ben Aaronovitch, which was just as good as the other two books in the series (MIDNIGHT RIOT and MOON OVER SOHO).  I'm just about to dive into Iain M. Banks' new Culture novel, THE HYDROGEN SONATA (which isn't out quite yet - I got an advance copy but it'll be on sale next month)."

Cary: "SPIRITS THAT WALK IN SHADOW by Nina Kiriki Hoffman."

Claud: "THE LEFTOVERS, by Tom Perrotta; KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST: A STORY OF GREED, TERROR AND HEROISM IN COLONIAL AFRICA, by Adam Hochschild; GOD'S WAR, by Kameron Hurley; MYRA BRECKINRIDGE, by Gore Vidal -- a reread; INFIDEL, by Kameron Hurley; and THE SEVEN WONDERS, by Steven Saylor."

Jude: "Just finished I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU by Fannie Flagg, and now reading A SIMPLE HABANA MELODY by Oscar Hijuelos."

We're Hiring

We're looking for someone to work at Borderlands Cafe.  Please note - this job is at the Cafe, not the bookstore (however, there is a possibility of cross-training in the future).  We'd really prefer to hire one of our customers, hence this post.  If you're interested, please drop Jude Feldman a line at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com and she'll give you more information.

Dark Blue Martian Girls with Fairyland Swords

What the staff is reading this week:

Alan: "Just about finish FORGE OF DARKNESS by Steven Erikson.  It's a dense book (no surprise there) and I've not had enough reading time in the past week to make me happy.  Next up is going to be Neal Asher's second Owner novel, ZERO POINT."

Cary: "DREAMS AND SHADOWS by C. Robert Cargill."

Claud:"BLUE MARS and THE MARTINS, by Kim Stanley Robinson -- *amazing* series; and IN THE SHADOW OF THE SWORD, by Tom Holland -- a fascinating look at the birth of Islam in the context of late antiquity."

Jude: "I just finished WHERE IS JOE MERCHANT?, a Carl Hiassen-esque novel by Jimmy Buffet, and now I'm reading THE GIRL WHO FELL BENEATH FAIRYLAND AND LED THE REVELS THERE by Cat Valente."

August Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1. Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson
2. Zero Point by Neal Asher
3. Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez
4. Sorry Please Thank You by Charles Yu
5. Eternal Flame by Greg Egan
6. Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce
7. Seawitch by Kat Richardson
8. Osiris by E.J. Swift
9. Redshirts by John Scalzi
10. Long Earth by Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
3. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
4. Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
5. Greywalker by Kat Richardson
6. Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
7. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
8. Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
9. Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander
10.  Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge

Trade Paperbacks
1. Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
2. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
3. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
4. Makers by Cory Doctorow
5. Empty Space by M. John Harrison

August News Roundup

* Borderlands is featured in this article from "The Bold Italic" along with lots of other great independent San Francisco bookstores: http://www.thebolditalic.com/Actavier42/stories/2201-book-ends

* The 2012 World Fantasy Award Nominees have been announced!  Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees.  http://www.wfc2012.org/pr-wfawards01.html

* Random House has confirmed that both the trade paperbacks & mass markets of George R.R. Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS come out 3/26/13, rather than 8/28/12 as announced.  The reason for the delay is unknown.

* We extend congratulations to all of the 2012 Hugo Award winners, many of whom we consider our friends, but most notably to our long-time friend and constant supporter of the store, John Picacio, who won the Hugo for Best Professional Artist.  Alan met John at the World Fantasy Convention in 1999 when he was just getting started and it is with great pleasure that we congratulate him on this most recent milestone in his career.
The Awards were presented at ChiCon September 2nd, 2012. For a complete list of the winners, click here: http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2012-hugo-awards/

* There's a site where you can see a 360 degree panorama from Mars rover Curiosity! http://www.panoramas.dk/mars/curiosity-first-color-360.html

* Library Journal is hosting a webcast panel on forthcoming science fiction titles on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific Time, featuring Norman L. Rubenstein, Managing Editor, JournalStone Publishing; Jeremy Lassen, Editor in Chief, Night Shade Books; Elizabeth Fabian, Associate director, Random House and Kelly Coyle Crivelli, Library Marketing Manager, Random House. The panel will be moderated by Library Journal's Fiction Editor Wilda Williams.  You can sign up here: https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=511272&sessionid=1&key=E8880935A9E0654BA78097E95424C027&partnerref=ljemailscifi09182012&sourcepage=register

* We're very sorry to report the death of astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, at the age of 82: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/25/13478643-astronaut-neil-armstrong-first-man-to-walk-on-moon-dies-at-age-82?chromedomain=usnews

September Upcoming Events

Richard Kadrey, DEVIL SAID BANG (Harper Voyager, Hardcover, $24.99) Saturday, September 8th at 3:00 pm

Seanan McGuire, ASHES OF HONOR (DAW, Mass Market, $7.99) Saturday, September 8th at 6:00 pm

Brent Weeks, THE BLINDING KNIFE (Orbit, Hardcover, $25.99) Thursday, September 13th at 7:00 pm

SF in SF at The Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building (582 Market St.) with authors Roz Kaveney, Malinda Lo, and Cindy Pons, Saturday, September 15th at 7:00 pm

Steven Erikson, FORGE OF DARKNESS (Tor, Hardcover, $27.99) Saturday, September 22nd at 3:00 pm

Cory Doctorow, PIRATE CINEMA (Tor, Hardcover, $19.99) Thursday, October 4th at 7:00 pm

SF in SF LitQuake event at The Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building (582 Market St.): Epic! Legends of Fantasy with Ken Scholes, Andrew Mayer and Tad Williams, Friday, October 12th at 7:00 pm

LitQuake Litcrawl at Borderlands Books and Borderlands Cafe, Saturday, October 13th at 7:15 pm, with authors Cassie Alexander, S.G. Browne, Seth Harwood, and Seanan McGuire in the bookstore and authors Terry Bisson, Claire Light, Madeleine Robins, and Naamen Tilahun in the Cafe.

Gregory Benford and Larry Niven, BOWL OF HEAVEN (Tor, Hardcover, $25.99) Monday, October 22nd at 7:00 pm

More information after the break.

Debt, Mist, Darkness, Speculums and Flimflam

What the staff is reading this week:

Alan:"I'm burning through FORGE OF DARKNESS by Steven Erikson.  It's the first novel in his new trilogy set in the ancient past of the world of the Malazan Empire.  And it is just fabulous.  The setting and cast of characters are smaller than his previous work (the ten volume Malazan Book of the Fallen) but still as complex and rich and I've come to expect from him.  And, for a reader of his other work, the backstory elements that fill in the history of major characters are just so very cool.  Fer example, I now know how Anomander Rake and Caladan Brood met and I even know what Brood _is_.  On top of all that coolness, I can't wait for Steve's event later this month."

Cary: "Just finished THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS by Claire Legrand, a creepy young adult novel.  Currently reading an advance copy of DREAMS AND SHADOWS by C. Robert Cargill."

Claud: "GEMINI, by Dorothy Dunnett; and DEBT: THE FIRST 5,000 YEARS, by David Graeber -- an anthropology of money, and one of the best damn books I've read in years."

Heather: "Just started on the third part of MISTS OF AVALON.  I think Gwenhwyfar needs a swift kick to the ovaries.  Pious twit that she is.  Grr."

Jude: "I just finished CHARLATAN: AMERICA'S MOST DANGEROUS HUCKSTER, THE MAN WHO PURSUED HIM, AND THE AGE OF FLIMFLAM by Pope Brock, a nonfiction which was terrifying in addition to being darkly funny (did people _really_ jump on the goat-gland-to-human transplant wagon?!), and now I'm reading an advance copy of MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloane, which is great so far."

Naamen: "Just finished Alison Bechdel's amazing graphic memoir ARE YOU MY MOTHER? about her relationship with...you guessed it, her mother. It also involves the life and study of the psychoanalyst Winnicott and the life and work of author Virginia Woolf with minor cameos from Adrienne Rich and Sylvia Plath. A complex read, a lot of psychology of mother/child subject/object variety, but well worth it. Already started on my re-read of it.  And started Luce Irigaray's SPECULUM OF THE OTHER WOMAN, a really crunchy book about the creation of woman as a psychological, as a subject, as a sexual being by men - especially in the West - but elsewhere too as "disadvantaged men", the idea that women are men with some sort of lack. She's ripping some Freud papers and other theories to well-deserved shreds. Pretty awesome if dense with psychoanalyst language at times, plus I have to wonder if something gets lost in its translation from French to English."