September News

* One of our customers has a question, and we're hoping y'all can help!  He says: "I'm looking for science fiction (novels, preferably) which use physics as their central premise.  Best is nuts & bolts SF of the Campbell variety which explain physics concepts in a fictional context; Mission of Gravity would be a good example.  These books will be posted on The Tech Challenge website <https://www.thetech.org/thetechchallenge>, included in our list of student resources.  Fiction's a great gateway for kids who seemingly have no interest in science or engineering.  Here's the challenge: we're not interested in astrophysics, nuclear physics, quantum physics or relativity.  We're looking for books that touch on gravity or the laws of motion - pretty strictly Newtonian or classical.  Our program's for 4-12 graders, so books appealing to any age group are fine.  I'll scan everything for "inappropriate" content, so people can suggest anything and I'll just remove any later Heinlein or Pohl from the list."  Do you have any suggestions that will help?  Please email them to office@borderlands-books.com, and we'll pass them on!

* Frances Glessner Lee's "Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death" will be on display at the Smithsonian!  (Jude absolutely loves the book of the Nutshell Studies. . . you can check it out on her "Recommended" shelf.) https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dollhouse-death-scenes-are-being-refurbished-for-smithsonian-exhibit/2017/08/26/d7d6cec4-89be-11e7-961d-2f373b3977ee_story.html

* "How Great Science Fiction Works" -- a college-level course for science fiction fans from Gary K. Wolfe: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/how-great-science-fiction-works/

* We're sorry to report the death of Tobe Hooper, director of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist". https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/27/movies/tobe-hooper-texas-chainsaw-massacre.html

* Unfortunately, science-fiction legend Brian Aldiss has died at age 92.  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/books/brian-aldiss-author-of-science-fiction-and-much-more-dies-at-92.html

* A steampunk Venus rover! https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6933

* This is a pretty wild story.  We wondered what was going on when we got a cryptic email from the New York Times' reporting folks -- it looks like a highly improbable group of people worked together to unfairly place a book at the #1 spot on the Young Adult list.  http://ew.com/books/2017/08/24/handbook-for-mortals-pulled-new-york-times-bestseller-list/amp/ (Sidenote: if one of us ever dies suspiciously, we want YA Twitter to investigate!)

* Build your own incredibly deadly dinosaur theme park! https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/20/jurassic-park-evolution/

* 18 space suits, ranked from worst to best: https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/19/16104004/science-fiction-space-suit-worst-best-the-martian-alien-sunshine-gravity

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Award News
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* Local author Dominica Phetteplace is one of six winners of the 2017 Rona Jaffe Award for "women writers of exceptional talent," with emphasis on those "in the early stages of their writing careers".  Check out all the winners and learn more about the purpose of this cool award here: http://www.ronajaffefoundation.org/index.html

* UNDERGROUND AIRLINES by Ben Winters has won the 2017 Sidewise Award for novel: http://www.uchronia.net/sidewise/

* "The Blue Widow" by J.P. Sullivan has won the 2017 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. http://www.baen.com/baenfantasyaward2017

* Congratulations to this year's Hugo Award winners; N.K. Jemisin took home the Best Novel award for the second year in a row! http://www.thehugoawards.org/