by Jude Feldman
I was delighted to see that most retailers this year actually waited until Thanksgiving was over before putting out their holiday decorations (or worse, turning up the holiday music)! Last year, I swear, it seemed like a bunch of stores were moving in Christmas lights, menorahs, and New Year's noisemakers on July 5th, so I appreciate the restraint this time 'round. However, winter is well and truly here now, and I'm personally thrilled that the gift-giving season has arrived, because there are just so many absolutely wonderful books to brighten the days of your friends and family.
We here present our usual Opinionated (and Digression-Filled) Gift Guide to help you out. However, if you don't see something appropriate here, we're always happy to make custom suggestions for you or anyone in your life. We'll even wrap 'em for you! (A special note to those of you purchasing presents: we're glad to gift wrap upon request, although our typical caveats apply: first, if we're busy, you may have to wait a bit to have things wrapped, and, second, some staff members are MUCH better than others at it. It is possible that your package may resemble a brightly wrapped Lovecraft-ian, batrachian, rugose, Thing of No Human Shape. For some customers, this is not a problem . . ."better than I can do!," they say. However, if you are concerned about our, ahem, abilities, we're also happy to just hand you the gift wrap, scissors and tape.)
Now, onward!
Let's start with a huge selection of signed books. We're quite spoiled with all the marvelous local authors who have dropped by to sign their work recently, and we currently have signed books from Charlie Jane Anders, S.G. Browne, Gail Carriger, Richard Kadrey, Ellen Klages, Nick Mamatas, Seanan McGuire (no longer local, but still in our hearts and willing to sign books on the tailgate of the store's truck in a random parking lot in San Lorenzo in a giant rush, which surely looked like the world's strangest drug deal), Christopher Moore, Annalee Newitz, and many, many more! Also, Marie Brennan and Becky Chambers be around in the next week or so, so feel free to request personalized copies -- we'll make it happen if we possibly can.
December 05, 2017
Upcoming Events
Sisters in Crime / Mystery Writers of America Northern California Holiday Party, Saturday, December 9th at 2:00 pm
Writers With Drinks (at the Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St, San Francisco) with authors Becky Chambers, Alyssa Cole, David D. Levine, Dean Rader, Lauren Sanders and Danna Staaf, Saturday, December 9th at 6:30 pm
SF in SF (at the American Bookbinders' Museum, 355 Clementina St. San Francisco) with authors Ben Loory and Ken Scholes, Sunday, December 10th at 6:30 pm
Steve Ryfle, ISHIRO HONDA: A LIFE IN FILM, FROM GODZILLA TO KUROSAWA (Wesleyan, Hardcover, $32.95) Saturday, January 6th, 2018 at 3:00 pm
Seanan McGuire, BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY (Tor.com, Hardcover, $17.99) Thursday, January 11th at 6:00 pm
Kate Elliott presents "Do Not Be Satisfied With Stories: Narrative Structure and Expectations" Friday, January 12th at 6:00 pm
Special Announcements
Help with Our New Building
As you're probably aware, we've just bought a 1902 building on Haight Street that will be the permanent home for Borderlands. The place needs a fair amount of work and we're happy to accept help doing the work, if you'd like to give it. You'll be working with a pretty fine group of people and you'll have a chance to learn a bunch about how buildings are put together and restored. If that sounds interesting, please drop Alan a line at abeatts@borderlands-books.com or you can just reply to this email.
There's another sort of help we're looking for as well. And, if you're a long-time SF resident, you might have what we need. Alan and Zach (our historian) are looking for pictures of the south side of Haight Street between Masonic and Central. The older the better but even shots from as short a time as five years ago would be very welcome. We're putting together a history of the building and finding photographs has been surprisingly difficult. If you've got something, please let Alan know.
Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Hoodie
We unveiled the special Borderlands Books 20th anniversary hoodie last month at our party, and we still have some left for sale. They feature a lovely silk-screened design courtesy of sponsor Michelle Rapp, and will only be available for a limited time. We're happy to ship them world-wide or you can stop by the shop to pick one up. If you'd like one shipped, please call the shop during business hours toll-free at 888 893-4008 or you can email us to make arrangements. The hoodies are $55 each, plus any shipping charges, and they are sized from small to XXXL. One note about sizing -- they are quite a trim fit, and so you might want to go a size larger than usual unless you like your clothing snug.
Check out Alan modeling one here - https://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/2017/12/20th-anniversary-hoodie.html (There's also a bonus picture of a Sponsor wearing one of the first ones sold, positioned to dominate our fair city).
As you're probably aware, we've just bought a 1902 building on Haight Street that will be the permanent home for Borderlands. The place needs a fair amount of work and we're happy to accept help doing the work, if you'd like to give it. You'll be working with a pretty fine group of people and you'll have a chance to learn a bunch about how buildings are put together and restored. If that sounds interesting, please drop Alan a line at abeatts@borderlands-books.com or you can just reply to this email.
There's another sort of help we're looking for as well. And, if you're a long-time SF resident, you might have what we need. Alan and Zach (our historian) are looking for pictures of the south side of Haight Street between Masonic and Central. The older the better but even shots from as short a time as five years ago would be very welcome. We're putting together a history of the building and finding photographs has been surprisingly difficult. If you've got something, please let Alan know.
Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Hoodie
We unveiled the special Borderlands Books 20th anniversary hoodie last month at our party, and we still have some left for sale. They feature a lovely silk-screened design courtesy of sponsor Michelle Rapp, and will only be available for a limited time. We're happy to ship them world-wide or you can stop by the shop to pick one up. If you'd like one shipped, please call the shop during business hours toll-free at 888 893-4008 or you can email us to make arrangements. The hoodies are $55 each, plus any shipping charges, and they are sized from small to XXXL. One note about sizing -- they are quite a trim fit, and so you might want to go a size larger than usual unless you like your clothing snug.
Check out Alan modeling one here - https://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/2017/12/20th-anniversary-hoodie.html (There's also a bonus picture of a Sponsor wearing one of the first ones sold, positioned to dominate our fair city).
Building News
by Alan Beatts
Well, there's a lot in this month's newsletter, so I'm going to keep this short. Don't worry though, I'll have much more news and information about our new building in the next newsletter. But, here's the quick version. The previous owner and occupant of the retail space has packed all his stuff and is out. I've met both of the residential tenants, and they both seem like lovely people. I've also met most of the neighbors, and they're equally nice.
So now we're really digging into getting the work done. Weekend before last we removed the decades of ivy from the backyard and cleaned it up. Turns out that, under a foot of leaves, mulch and dirt, there's a concrete pad that covers most of the yard. One of our next outside jobs is going to be breaking that out and hauling it away. Once that's done, we can start the hardscape (probably dry-laid brick), and then get working on the planters and plantings. Our gardener and designer, Melinda Rose <http://botanikagardens.com/index.html>, and I will be working on the layout over the next few weeks.
Inside, it's demolition time. Last weekend we took out the ill-advised acoustical ceiling and much of the drop ceiling as well. There's still a bit more to go, but most of the "bones" of the building are visible, and they look pretty good. Beams are oversized by current standards, a full 2" thick, and old-growth, clear fir. There don't seem to be any notable problems other than some fire damage in the stairway area (probably dating to 1973). I still need to open up the walls in a couple of places to see what's there, but the building looks to be as solid as I thought it was.
I met with our architect, Kevin Short <https://kjs-arch.com>, today and he agrees with me that the place looks really good. I'm still "learning" the building -- figuring out what was done, why and when (with a great deal of help from our historian, Zachary Harper). I'm sure that there'll be some surprises as we go along (because there always are) but I don't think that there are going to be any bad ones.
The question that I'm asked the most is when we'll be moving. Obviously we're not doing that until we've got all the work done at the place. Since some of my plans include things like an ADA accessible restroom, refinishing the floors, and building all new bookshelves, the construction isn't going to be a fast process. So, at this point, there are too many variables to make even an educated guess at how long the process will take. That said, I'm hoping for a May opening but, please, don't hold me to that.
In closing, I want to thank all the people who have helped out with the work so far. They are, in no particular order: Melinda, Eloise, Garrett, Jane, Laura, Claud, Russ, Colleen, Marie, Jay, Carl, April, Kestrel, Starling, Zach, Dave, Elizabeth, Emily, Ramon and, last but far from least, Salem and Jude. Without their generous, cheerful, and profoundly aggressive help, I would still be standing in the middle of the backyard, knee deep in ivy, and cursing nature.
-- Alan Beatts
Well, there's a lot in this month's newsletter, so I'm going to keep this short. Don't worry though, I'll have much more news and information about our new building in the next newsletter. But, here's the quick version. The previous owner and occupant of the retail space has packed all his stuff and is out. I've met both of the residential tenants, and they both seem like lovely people. I've also met most of the neighbors, and they're equally nice.
So now we're really digging into getting the work done. Weekend before last we removed the decades of ivy from the backyard and cleaned it up. Turns out that, under a foot of leaves, mulch and dirt, there's a concrete pad that covers most of the yard. One of our next outside jobs is going to be breaking that out and hauling it away. Once that's done, we can start the hardscape (probably dry-laid brick), and then get working on the planters and plantings. Our gardener and designer, Melinda Rose <http://botanikagardens.com/index.html>, and I will be working on the layout over the next few weeks.
Inside, it's demolition time. Last weekend we took out the ill-advised acoustical ceiling and much of the drop ceiling as well. There's still a bit more to go, but most of the "bones" of the building are visible, and they look pretty good. Beams are oversized by current standards, a full 2" thick, and old-growth, clear fir. There don't seem to be any notable problems other than some fire damage in the stairway area (probably dating to 1973). I still need to open up the walls in a couple of places to see what's there, but the building looks to be as solid as I thought it was.
I met with our architect, Kevin Short <https://kjs-arch.com>, today and he agrees with me that the place looks really good. I'm still "learning" the building -- figuring out what was done, why and when (with a great deal of help from our historian, Zachary Harper). I'm sure that there'll be some surprises as we go along (because there always are) but I don't think that there are going to be any bad ones.
The question that I'm asked the most is when we'll be moving. Obviously we're not doing that until we've got all the work done at the place. Since some of my plans include things like an ADA accessible restroom, refinishing the floors, and building all new bookshelves, the construction isn't going to be a fast process. So, at this point, there are too many variables to make even an educated guess at how long the process will take. That said, I'm hoping for a May opening but, please, don't hold me to that.
In closing, I want to thank all the people who have helped out with the work so far. They are, in no particular order: Melinda, Eloise, Garrett, Jane, Laura, Claud, Russ, Colleen, Marie, Jay, Carl, April, Kestrel, Starling, Zach, Dave, Elizabeth, Emily, Ramon and, last but far from least, Salem and Jude. Without their generous, cheerful, and profoundly aggressive help, I would still be standing in the middle of the backyard, knee deep in ivy, and cursing nature.
-- Alan Beatts
November Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
2. Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson
3. Artemis by Andy Weir
4. Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson
5. La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
6. Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
7. Six Months, Three Days, Five Others by Charlie Jane Anders
8. Name of the Wind Tenth Anniversary Edition by Patrick Rothfuss
9. Provenance by Ann Leckie
10. Strange Weather by Joe Hill
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
2. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
3. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu
4. Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger
5. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
6. The Overneath by Peter S. Beagle
7. Tales of Falling and Flying by Ben Loory
8. Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey
9. Passing Strange by Ellen Klages
10. An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt
2. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
3. Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
4. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
5. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
6. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
7. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
8. Who Fears Death? by Nnedi Okorafor
9. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
10. Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn
1. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
2. Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson
3. Artemis by Andy Weir
4. Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson
5. La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
6. Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
7. Six Months, Three Days, Five Others by Charlie Jane Anders
8. Name of the Wind Tenth Anniversary Edition by Patrick Rothfuss
9. Provenance by Ann Leckie
10. Strange Weather by Joe Hill
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
2. All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
3. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu
4. Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger
5. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
6. The Overneath by Peter S. Beagle
7. Tales of Falling and Flying by Ben Loory
8. Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey
9. Passing Strange by Ellen Klages
10. An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt
2. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
3. Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
4. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
5. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
6. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
7. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
8. Who Fears Death? by Nnedi Okorafor
9. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
10. Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn
December News
*Overheard in the Store:
"If I never hear the phrase 'Cyber Monday' again, it will be way too soon."
"I have body piercings older than most of the cafe employees!"
"Okay, gluten-free, artisanal strippers, then."
*Overheard at Writers With Drinks:
"Our motto for 2018 is going to be 'Aftercare, Hydration, and Lots of Cuddles!'"
"I don't know which version of the Bible you prefer-- I like the Queen James version."
* We're sorry to hear of the death of wonderful author Julian May, who wrote well over 200 books. She's best known among SF/F fans for her two series "Saga of the Plioscene Era" and "Galatic Milieu", as well as co-writing the first Trillium novel with authors Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton. https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/julian-may-who-weaved-worlds-in-sci-fi-fantasy-novels-dead-at-86/
* This article about the idea of robot rights is great. There's no real conclusion, but there is a lot of food for thought about human rights and the potential abuse of created beings. https://daily.jstor.org/do-we-have-moral-obligations-to-robots/
"If I never hear the phrase 'Cyber Monday' again, it will be way too soon."
"I have body piercings older than most of the cafe employees!"
"Okay, gluten-free, artisanal strippers, then."
*Overheard at Writers With Drinks:
"Our motto for 2018 is going to be 'Aftercare, Hydration, and Lots of Cuddles!'"
"I don't know which version of the Bible you prefer-- I like the Queen James version."
* We're sorry to hear of the death of wonderful author Julian May, who wrote well over 200 books. She's best known among SF/F fans for her two series "Saga of the Plioscene Era" and "Galatic Milieu", as well as co-writing the first Trillium novel with authors Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton. https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/julian-may-who-weaved-worlds-in-sci-fi-fantasy-novels-dead-at-86/
* This article about the idea of robot rights is great. There's no real conclusion, but there is a lot of food for thought about human rights and the potential abuse of created beings. https://daily.jstor.org/do-we-have-moral-obligations-to-robots/
20th Anniversary Hoodie
We unveiled the special Borderlands Books 20th anniversary hoodie last month at our party, and we still have some left for sale. They feature a lovely silk-screened design courtesy of sponsor Michelle Rapp, and will only be available for a limited time.
We're happy to ship them world-wide or you can stop by the shop to pick one up. If you'd like one shipped, please call the shop during business hours toll-free at 888 893-4008 or you can email us to make arrangements. The hoodies are $55 each, plus any shipping charges, and they are sized from small to XXXL. One note about sizing -- they are quite a trim fit, and so you might want to go a size larger than usual unless you like your clothing snug.
The best model we could find
(everybody else had the day off)
Borderlands Books, finally
prepared for urban domination
(after 20 years of practice)