April News

*Overheard in the store:

"He's hardly some Svengali. I don't think he could mesmerize a Pet Rock."

"When I sit down to read a Terry Pratchett novel, I know that nothing can hurt me until after I'm done."

(Small Child, to stranger): "You look like a witch!"
(Guardian of Small Child, shocked): "[child's name], why would you say that? That's really not a nice thing to say!" (To Stranger) "I'm very sorry."
(Small Child, totally confused): "It IS a nice thing! Witches are pretty!"

#1: "Oh my gosh -- it's a wall of Tolkien!"
#2: "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
#1: "YES!"

* This was a tough month for literature lovers:

RIP Norton Juster: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/mar/09/norton-juster-author-of-the-phantom-tollbooth-dies-aged-91

Larry McMurtry passed away at age 84: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/mar/31/larry-mcmurtry-obituary

And we lost beloved "Ramona Quimby" author Beverly Cleary at age 104: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/beverly-cleary-obituary-cmwnfx38t

* Photosynthesis without sun! https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/deep-sea-bacteria-spurn-the-sun-instead-using-earths-internal-heat-for-photosynthesis

* This was completely amazing; the real life (and much better!) "Lord of the Flies" -- what actually happened when six schoolboys were shipwrecked for 15 months: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months

* Have you ever wondered how they did the special effects in that particularly gross scene in John Carpenter's movie "The Thing"?https://filmschoolrejects.com/the-thing-chest-chomp/

* We're all thrilled that brilliant fantasy author Peter S. Beagle has regained control of the rights to his work following a lengthy court battle with his criminal former manager Conor Cochran!  Read the press release here, and if you'd like to follow him on Twitter (@Peterbeaglever1) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Peter-S-Beagle-107876501377186), please use the official links listed: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-last-unicorn-returns-home-renowned-fantasy-author--screenwriter-peter-s-beagle-prevails-after-multi-year-legal-battles-against-elder-abuse-and-to-regain-control-of-his-literary-legacy-301254107.html

* Esteemed science fiction author John Varley is recovering well from recent heart surgery, but could really use some financial help.  Varley is a favorite writer of the staff not to mention being an all around lovely person.  A Gofundme campaign has been started by Spider Robinson and Steph Herman -- https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpjohnvarley

February News

* We're very sorry to report that author and editor Storm Constantine has died at age 64: https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/storm-constantine-fantasy-author-passes-away-aged-64-news/

* Someone created a computer graphic of what a Culture ship, from Iain Banks' novels, might look like: https://vimeo.com/184041325

* I completely lost myself in this totally fascinating (Very geeky! Very academic!) blog series by historian Bret Devereaux, excoriating George R. R. Martin for his portrayal of the Dothraki.  (Thanks to Fazal for letting us know about this one!): https://acoup.blog/2020/12/04/collections-that-dothraki-horde-part-i-barbarian-couture/.  

* Thanks to Jordan for letting us know about this extensive (and in-progress) Historical Science Fiction Dictionary: https://sfdictionary.com/. (From https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/arts/science-fiction-dictionary.html)

* Legend Ursula K. Le Guin gets a postage stamp! https://www.cnet.com/news/pioneering-sci-fi-author-ursula-k-le-guin-gets-her-own-us-postage-stamp/

January News

* The amazing Nalo Hopkinson has been named the 37th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award by SFWA: https://locusmag.com/2020/12/hopkinson-named-sfwa-grand-master/

* We regret to report that legendary author and editor Ben Bova has died at age 88:  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/books/ben-bova-dies.html

* Comrade! Come live on this extremely modern Russian cyberfarm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMX0pCs5-n0

* As Scott said, "cute so quickly devolves into terrifying,"; the Boston Dynamics robots dance, and this is completely unrelated to the cyberfarm link above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn3KWM1kuAw&feature=youtu.be

* "Rolling Stone" Magazine (!) talks to Kim Stanley Robinson: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-ministry-for-the-future-interview-kim-stanley-robinson-1101738/

September News

* Mapping Earth's eighth continent, which is almost entirely under New Zealand: https://www.livescience.com/lost-continent-zealandia-new-tectonic-map.html

* An AI wrote this opinion piece on why we shouldn't be afraid of AI: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/08/robot-wrote-this-article-gpt-3

* National Geographic discusses "declinism" (decline bias), news and social media consumption, and why 2020 isn't _actually_ the Worst Year Ever: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/09/why-2020-feels-like-the-worst-year-ever/

* Author Judith Tarr on horses, metaphors, and accurate worldbuilding: https://www.tor.com/2020/09/08/writing-horses-those-handy-equestrian-metaphors/

* Brandon Sanderson will be offering a free YouTube lecture series on writing science fiction and fantasy: https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2020/9/2/21417196/brandon-sanderson-free-creative-writing-class-youtube-science-fiction-fantasy

* This was fascinating; mystery writer Gabriel Cohen moved into a New York apartment that seemed too good to be true, and ended up both captivated and haunted by the real-life murder he found out had taken place there: https://narratively.com/a-splash-of-red/

* For fans of Seanan McGuire's "Wayward Children" books, a side-quest novella with Lundy from IN AN ABSENT DREAM: https://www.tor.com/2020/07/13/juice-like-wounds-seanan-mcguire/

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/

June News

* Massive, enormous, huge "thank you"s to the wonderful folks who did incredibly successful fund-raising benefits for us over the last month -- Annalee Newitz and Short Story Club <https://www.shortstory.club/>; Charlie Jane Anders, N.K. Jemisin, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Maggie Tokuda-Hall via We Love Bookstores <https://welovebookstores.org/>; and all of you who turned up virtually to show your support!  We appreciate it more than we can express, and it has made an immense difference in allowing us to continue paying our staff during the shutdown and moving forward with the construction plans for our permanent home on Haight Street.  We can't thank you all enough.

* We're also thrilled and grateful to artist Eli the Man <https://elitheman.com/> and Paint the Void for this amazing mural that now graces the temporary doors at 1377 Haight Street, our permanent-home-to-be: <https://twitter.com/borderlands_sf/status/1267174129683202048/photo/1>. Paint the Void is keeping artists engaged and paid during the shutdown; check out more of the stunning work they've been doing here: <https://paintthevoid.org/>

* In very sad news, Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore, the oldest independent science fiction and fantasy bookstore in the US, and Uncle Edgar's Mystery Bookstore (which shared the building) were both completely destroyed by fire during riots at the end of May.  Owner Don Blyly has claimed the Go Fund Me page originally set up by a fan: https://www.gofundme.com/f/let-us-help-save-uncle-hugo039s.  In addition, Greg Ketter's DreamHaven Bookstore, also in Minneapolis, "was trashed," according to Greg, but is still standing, and volunteers are coming to assist in the cleanup.  Dreamhaven is doing fine but the folks at Uncle Hugo's could really use your support.

Curb-Side Pickup Coming Soon

Hi Everyone,

As you've probably heard, both California and San Francisco are relaxing some of the restrictions on business operations.  Specifically, retail businesses like Borderlands will be allowed to start offering "curb-side pickups" to the public starting on Monday, the 18th.  We are, as you'd expect, very excited to start being able to handle business in a slightly more "normal" way.  It's also going to be really nice not to need to pack up every single book that we sell and send them by mail.

However, we aren't going to start immediately.

The guidance from the city Health Department has been a bit scant so far, and that is part of the reason that we're going to delay a little bit.  But, moreso, I want to have time to think through our procedures carefully and get the supplies and equipment that we'll need on hand before we start.  As I see it, there is no reason to rush headlong into this and, given the risks associated with making mistakes, there is a very good reason to move slowly and thoughtfully.

We will start a trial of doing curb-side sales on Wednesday, May 20th, from 11 am to 5 pm and we'll continue on Thursday and Friday, the 21st and 22nd.  Then we will close for the weekend, assess how it went and, assuming that we have a good system in place, we will start a regular schedule on Monday, May 25th.  For the first three days, Jude and I will be the only people working at the shop.  Starting on the 25th, I anticipate that we'll be bringing staff back to the store, opening for longer hours (probably 10 or 11 am to 6 or 7 pm), and be operating seven days per week.  Below you'll find an explanation from Jude about how the process will work.

It saddens me that we not be able to allow any customers into the store during this stage of reopening, and I also regret that we won't be able to spend much time at all socializing with you when you stop by.  But, this is much better than the circumstances that we've been working under and, although we'll only see you for a short time, it makes me very happy that we'll be able see our favorite people in the world -- you, our customers.

Warm Regards,
Alan


We're happy to be able to provide front-of-store ("curbside") pickup by appointment for your book orders!  In keeping with directives from San Francisco's Health Department, we've developed the following system to keep our customers and employees safe while getting you the books you need.

How it works: just call us (415 824-8203) or email orders@borderlands-books.com to place your order.  If you call us, we'll ask for your book selections and credit card info for payment, and we'll set up a time for to pick up your order.  If you email, please send us your book selections and your phone number; we'll call you to get payment information and set up an appointment for pickup --  please DON'T email us credit card info -- it's not secure.

Please arrive on-time for your pick up appointment, or call us and let us know if you need to reschedule.  Once you arrive, call the store to let us know you're here.  We'll bring your bag of books and receipt outside to you and wave cheerily.  (Cheer levels may vary by employee.)  Confirm that your order is correct and you're on your way!

All Best,
Jude

May News

* The brilliant Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Mars Trilogy, NEW YORK 2140, and many other seminal works, examines our current pandemic: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-coronavirus-and-our-future

* Two enlightening links about what our bookshelves say about us: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/books/celebrity-bookshelves-tv-coronavirus.html and https://twitter.com/BCredibility

* Check out the gorgeous relaunch of The Fabulist Magazine! They're running an open call for fantastical art, with more fiction, poetry, and reviews to come: https://fabulistmagazine.com/

* Cozy up with book-themed socks, and help out the bookseller community at the same time! https://libro.fm/binc

April News

* Overheard in the Store/ at the Con/ at Writers With Drinks:

"It's a writing prompt: 'A lending library. . .*of* children.  Maybe a Redbox too.'"

"Hey, have you heard of this Robert Heinlein guy?"
"Wasn't he the one who wrote TWILIGHT?"

"Sadly I've had to put the whole cannibal thing on hiatus indefinitely."

"People will totally pay double to get drunk in a collapsing multiverse."

"It's completely legal to ship axolotls in the US, so at one point I received a box that said 'Contains Live Salamanders -- Hopefully'."

"That's A LOT of finger food for a pandemic."

"Their first mistake was assuming I was a harmless old woman. They didn't get a chance at another mistake."

"Eeney, meeney, mine-y, . . . . Both!"

"A bunch of great people. . .   great, supportive, and REALLY weird."

"We're vertical, on the right side of the sod, and sending telemetry. We're good!"

* Welcome to our new neighbors, indie comic shop Silver Sprocket!  https://missionlocal.org/2020/02/sliver-sprocket-punk-rock-indie-comic-disneyland-opens-on-valencia-street/

* Meet the mad scientist who wrote the book on hunting hackers: https://www.wired.com/story/meet-the-mad-scientist-who-wrote-the-book-on-how-to-hunt-hackers/

* Black History Month is over, but these authors deserve to be read all year 'round: https://theportalist.com/black-science-fiction-and-fantasy-authors

* Beer in Space!  Author Arkady Martine gives us the low-down on deep-space home brewing: https://www.tor.com/2020/01/24/how-to-brew-beer-in-the-confines-of-a-generation-ship/#more-544311

* A victim of the 79 A.D. volcanic blast at Herculaneum was found with an exploded skull and glass-like brain tissue . . .  https://www.livescience.com/vitrified-brain-of-vesuvius-victim-found.html

* A gallery of Rod Serling's "Night Gallery" paintings: https://dangerousminds.net/comments/a_gallery_of_the_paintings_from_rod_serlings_night_gallery

* Riddle us this: What has the head of a vulture, the body of a parrot, is the size of a small child -- oh, and is TOTALLY REAL?  This isn't a fantasy creature, this is the Dracula Parrot. https://mysticalraven.com/adventures/17554/the-dracula-parrot-is-scary-and-beautiful-all-at-once

* In today's real-life Lovecraftian-Horrors news: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/newly-discovered-underwater-volcanic-range-teeming-bizarre-tiny-fanged-fish

* From the Hogwarts school to the Wall in "Game of Thrones," here's how different buildings from fiction measure up: https://www.digg.com/video/comparison-sizes-of-fictional-buildings

* A 16th-century assassin's (or perhaps just an herbalist's?) cabinet discovered in a hollowed-out book: https://mymodernmet.com/poison-cabinet/

* Once again, reality and science fiction are neck and neck: scientists build "first living robots" from frog stem cells: "It's a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism." https://futurism.com/scientists-worlds-first-living-robots-stem-cells

* What every mystery fan needs -- a thorough guide to not getting murdered in a quaint English village: https://crimereads.com/your-guide-to-not-getting-murdered-in-a-quaint-english-village/

* Is Belukha Mountain (Siberia's highest peak) haunted by the color out of space?  https://mymodernmet.com/clouds-belukha-mountain-siberia/

* Forget chess - the real challenge is teaching AI to play D&D.  Some artificial intelligence experts think role playing adventure games will help machines learn to be as clever as we are: https://www.wired.com/story/forget-chess-real-challenge-teaching-ai-play-dandd/

* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is 42! https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2020/02/28/45518/the_hitchhiker%E2%80%99s_guide_to_the_galaxy_is_42%21

* It was just a matter of time.  Creepy abandoned dollhouses for your inner demon child: https://www.messynessychic.com/2020/02/27/and-now-abandoned-dollhouses-for-your-inner-demon-child/

* Akira Kurosawa's spectacular hand-painted storyboards: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/akira-kurosawa-hand-painted-storyboards/

* "Medieval wall made of bones".  How can you resist a phrase like that? https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/medieval-wall-made-of-human-bones-discovered-in-belgium/

* NOT Dr. Seuss creations . . . 10 amazing and beautiful houseplants you never knew existed: https://mysticalraven.com/art/11803/top-10-amazing-but-also-beautiful-houseplants-you-never-knew-existed

* Metal, Dude! Astronomers have discovered a planet where it rains iron: https://www.cnet.com/news/astronomers-discovered-a-giant-planet-where-it-rains-iron/

* David insisted I HAD to include this in a newsletter ASAP -- detailed 3D illustrations of anatomically correct cartoon character skulls labeled as scientific specimens: https://laughingsquid.com/cartoon-skulls/

February News

* Overheard in the Store:

"Our benevolent, yet hapless, geek empire will span the galaxy."

"PLEASE go away. I am completely out of patience for mumbled glossolalia today."

"Thank you kindly, but I don't need anything else that could potentially cause awkward questions from the TSA."

"I don't need to watch the game. I can track it from the screaming outside."

"She kills all the plants, right?"
"Yeah, she's _definitely_ more of a mineral person."

[angrily, on the phone]: "Well obviously there's a ton of uncertainty here. We have no idea what we're doing, but that's never stopped us before!"

"Our team-building activity is to not talk to each other.”

"I told her that I REALLY needed a cocktail. Or a lobotomy."

"I like it when the aliens are weird enough to be recognizably alien but still human enough to be hot."

* "In partnership with SF in SF, Borderlands Books, Locus magazine, Tachyon Publications, Consonance and other organizations, SF by the Bay at the San Francisco Public Library, February 1 – April 30, presents over two dozen programs, including film screenings, author talks, live dramas, lectures, panel discussions, a filk music concert, book displays, a costume contest, and an exhibit of rare books, magazines and art drawn from the Main Library's J. Francis McComas Fantasy and Science Fiction Collection, a reference collection of more than 3000 books and magazines. With a focus on local authors and culture, the SF by the Bay exhibit and programs highlight the San Francisco Bay Area's important contributions to the history of fantasy and science fiction and celebrate this ongoing history in relation to its international and multimedia contexts." https://tachyonpublications.com/experience-sf-by-the-bay-a-grand-celebration-of-the-san-francisco-bay-area-science-fiction-and-fantasy/

January News

* Overheard in the Store:

"We washed the rest of The Watcher. . . witched the rest of The Washer . . . DAMMIT. We WATCHED the rest of 'The WITCHER' last night!"
"I've never seen a 'Damn You, AutoCorrect' in real life before."

"When I worked for the hospital, I wrote, and then unfortunately lost, 'The Cat in the Hat Gets a Colonoscopy'."

"Ooh! An asexual tentacle monster! That's the closest thing to describing my actual gender."

"You can always tell the clouds that are hiding alien spacecraft behind them."

"This year EVERYONE is getting books!"

"Have YOU ever tried to wrap Z-Fold Mil Spec Combat Gauze to put in a Christmas stocking? I don't recommend it."

"I'll just let it live its Majestic Chicken Life."

"Everywhere I look -- tentacles!

"All I remember are bed shelves, clabbered milk, and people wandering off to die in the cold."

"It's THE CALL OF CTHULHU, done Dr. Seuss-style. There's no denying the world was waiting for that."

"The place is really called 'Normal, Illinois'? The city doth protest too much, methinks."
"You're right -- it's like calling a town 'Definitely Not Gay, Kansas'."

"Around here, I will tell you when to panic. You don't get to panic without authorization."

* The Bold Italic talked to Alan Beatts, Rudy Rucker, M. Luke McDonnell and Rina Weisman for this optimistic piece about science fiction in San Francisco! https://thebolditalic.com/san-franciscos-sci-fi-renaissance-95713a91171c

December News

* We're very sad to report the death of the incredible artist Gahan Wilson, who passed away at age 89.  Read Neil Gaiman's loving tribute here: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2019/11/gahan-wilson-born-dead-now-dead-again.html

* We're also sad to note that Dorothy "D.C." Fontana, author of several of the most beloved original "Star Trek episodes", passed away last month: http://www.treknews.net/2019/12/03/star-trek-writer-dorothy-dc-fontana-dead/

* Borderlands' owner Alan Beatts, along with The Booksmith's Christin Evans and Dog Eared & Alley Cat Books' owner Kate Rosenberger, will be participating in a panel on the state of bookshops and bookselling, including how the industry works, what issues are facing it, and the place and importance of bookshops in city life.  The panel will take place Tuesday, January 28th from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Manny's, 3092 16th Street, San Francisco. https://www.welcometomannys.com/

* The best science fiction and fantasy books of 2019, according to Silivia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-best-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-of-2019/2019/11/21/96604448-ef65-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html

November News

* Overheard in the Store:

"Pokemon should not make you feel funny in your pants-parts."

"Finally, a bookstore with the _correct_ smell!"

"Some fungi are only edible once."

"If all else fails, use the parallel world."

"The highest villain in the book is a giant bagpipe. Nothing could be more evil than a bagpipe."

"I was ambushed, and she forcibly read her poetry at me."

"If you're not pissing someone off, you're probably in PR."

"Joel Selvin has covered pop music for the San Francisco Chronicle since shortly after the Civil War."

"It's a book title - 'Consensual Cannibalism: An Atheist's Primer for Surviving the Apocalypse'."

"Apparently it's the day of Hyper Aggressive Authors."

* Big congratulations to all the nominees and winners of this year's World Fantasy Awards!  https://locusmag.com/2019/11/2019-world-fantasy-awards-winners/

* We are very sad to share news of the death of the incomparable Michael Blumlein.  Michael was a Borderlands sponsor, a retired doctor, and an extremely talented genre author, but more importantly he was a brilliant, humorous, generous, and tremendously good human being with an enduring sense of wonder.  He will be fiercely missed. https://www.tor.com/2019/10/28/michael-blumlein-1948-2019/

October News

* Overheard in the Store:

"At one point in history you could certainly read every science fiction & fantasy title that came out that year. Now you can't even read all the Seanan McGuire titles that come out in a year!"

"What house are you in?  Gryffindor?  Like everybody.  I'm in Slytherin, obviously."

"It's low-level and hilarious vegan propaganda, TBH."

"I just need to find an ancient Babylonian oatmeal recipe RIGHT NOW!"

"I think it's really creative what this guy did with dried noodles."

"Please don't kill people.  It would be rude."

"Tentacles are coming.  Paint is drying."

"As a friend of mine once sniffed, 'Suburban bondage'."

"That's the name of my new punk band --'Stalin's Unicorns'."

"This is the sort of book you put on your coffee table to find out who your real friends are."

* Huge congratulations to Alex and JoAnne!  Alex proposed to JoAnne at Borderlands on Tuesday, October 1st with a custom-made book that celebrates their story.  We wish them a lifetime of happiness!  You can see pictures of the happy couple (and that adorable book) on our Twitter feed, @borderlands_sf.

* Bay News Rising talked to Alan about Borderlands' new building and discussed the difficulties of small businesses purchasing them: https://baynewsrising.org/2019/08/19/small-business-survival-tactic-own-your-own-building/

September News

* Overheard in the Store:

"Don't worry, it only _looks_ haunted."

"It didn't actually end, it just ran out of chapters.”

"Like I'd let some wimpy ghost best me in a fight. I will die by the hands of Al Capone's fat ghost or I will NEVER DIE."

"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data."

"I really wish there was someone smarter than me around to deal with it."
"I understand, but sometimes being a grownup means you're all the smart you’ve got, and you just have to do your best."

* Dell Magazines has elected to change the name of the John W. Campbell Award to The Astounding Award for Best New Writer, following Jeannette Ng's award acceptance speech at the Hugos, and much discussion in the field: https://theastoundinganalogcompanion.com/2019/08/27/a-statement-from-the-editor/ .  (The full text of Ms. Ng's speech is here, if you missed it: https://medium.com/@nettlefish/john-w-campbell-for-whom-this-award-was-named-was-a-fascist-f693323d3293)

* Congratulations to all of the Hugo Award nominees and winners! http://www.thehugoawards.org/

* A crashed Israeli lunar lander accidentally scattered microscopic "water bears" on the moon: https://www.wired.com/story/a-crashed-israeli-lunar-lander-spilled-tardigrades-on-the-moon/

August News

* Overheard in the Bookstore:

"I'm sorry, but you need to leave RIGHT NOW, because you're not actually wearing pants."

"He looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger, as possessed by the spirit of Ernest Hemingway."

"She's a library."
"She works in a library?"
"No, she IS a library."

"What is the duck for?"
"I think it's just a Breast Cancer Awareness duck."

"You _can't_ just go to the bathroom at Jurassic Park in the rain."

"Schadenfreude isn't just a river in Egypt."
"Right. [pause] Wait; what?"

"It's the best pop-culture writing of the last 30 years -- it's got a zombie ska band!"

"Tom Waits is mid-life crisis music for goths."

* A decent article about the creative things San Francisco comic stores have done to survive, with a dire headline: https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/SF-comic-book-sellers-hang-on-hoping-each-laugh-14092674.php

* Speaking of doing creative things to survive. . . Probably because we had just announced that we were closing the Cafe and people were understandably distracted, a bunch of folks missed this link when we first posted it.  Freethink Media created an awesome video on Borderlands' and Mission Comics and Arts' respective sponsorship programs and our survival models for unconventional retail!  Watch it (among other excellent reasons) to see Alan looking Very Serious Indeed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=mQD1y2yORPQ

* A really lovely post by Jud Meyers (of North Hollywood's Blast Off Comics, which sadly closed at the end of July) about the rewards of being able to give the gift of books (and comic books), and secondarily about why there were never any posters obscuring Blast Off's windows: http://www.blastoffcomics.com/2019/07/four-letter-words/

* Beloved author James A. Moore could use some financial help for medical expenses, if you can assist: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-author-james-a-moore

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).

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/

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

May News

* Overheard in the Store:

"Receipt? Oh, no, no, thank you. I don't want to be reminded how much I've spent on books."

"That’s adorable! The Prius had a bumper sticker that said 'Cool Prius! - Nobody'."

"But the paper ones are _meant_ to be edited"

"Space said 'we have black holes' and scientists just replied with, 'pics or it didn't happen'."

"You measure the cinnamon in parsecs?"

* ICYMI: Yes, we have permanently closed Borderlands Cafe (JUST THE CAFE), and we will be moving the bookstore (only) to the building that we purchased on Haight Street at some point in the future, when the construction work on the Haight Street building is complete.  Alan Beatts, the business' owner, on closing the Cafe: http://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/2019/04/borderlands-cafe-to-close.html

* Because we've closed the Cafe, we'll be selling all the Cafe furniture, fixtures, and equipment, plus some extra bookshelves and other things while we're at it.  The sale starts Sunday, May 19th at 12:00 pm.  Come check out many tables, chairs, a variety of bookshelves, and a mind-boggling array of mugs, glasses, teapots, and such!  We also have some really beautiful furniture  -- would you like an amazing Chinese-style armoire, or a church pew for your place?  This is a really cool opportunity to take home a little bit of Borderlands' history.  We'd love to know that these items will live on with people who appreciate them.  (Regrettably, it won't be possible for us to hold anything.  And not to sound too salesman-y, but. . . prices will be dropping as we get closer to the cafe's must-be-vacant date of June 1st, but if you wait you'll risk missing out!)

* R.I.P. celebrated author and science fiction Grand Master Gene Wolfe: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/gene-wolfe-science-fiction-writer-with-a-literary-touch-dies-at-87/2019/04/28/9bf76226-69c1-11e9-a66d-a82d3f3d96d5_story.html