The science fiction genre has evolved over time, influenced by various factors, including underrepresented authors.

The genre is evolving into a universal mode of entertainment and a tool for social change.

Underrepresented authors in science fiction face challenges like genre classification and social conservative norms, impacting the genre's evolution.

Underrepresented authors, including Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia E. Butler, Nnedi Okorafor, and Cixin Liu, have significantly impacted the genre, contributing to its growth and diversity.

The science fiction genre has been influenced by social and technological advancements.

Incorporating underrepresented perspectives has led to new sub-genres like Africanfuturism and Indigenous futurism, exploring technology and traditional cultures.

A science fiction book club should include diverse voices, such as traditional, contemporary, and underrepresented demographics, in their selections.

The club should follow We Need Diverse Books and World Kid Lit for diverse and translated book recommendations.

Prioritizing representation and reviews of translated books, as well as a mix of familiar and new authors, is essential.

Exploring non-American sci-fi authors and middle grade fiction can provide unique perspectives and benefits for reading with children.

Setting a balance between review and purchased books, and limiting social media, can increase reading time.

Choosing books with diverse cultural backgrounds is crucial for a well-rounded selection.

Including underrepresented demographics and literary science fiction in book club choices can add depth to discussions.

Reading diverse authors and unique narrative structures can enhance the book club experience.

The club should prioritize thought-provoking books from underrepresented regions, such as Hong Kong.

Selecting books with strong female protagonists and genre-bending works can contribute to a balanced selection.

Novels like The Atmospherians and Detransition, Baby can spark discussions on influencer culture and gender identity.

Novels like Once There Were Wolves and authors like Sally Rooney address climate change and contemporary voices.

The book selections should include underrepresented demographics like Cuban and Taiwanese communities.

The science fiction genre has evolved over time, incorporating a wider range of voices and perspectives beyond its earlier influences.

Women authors and people of color, like the authors of Frankenstein and Binti, have significantly impacted the science fiction genre.

The genre includes sub-genres like cli-fi and cyberpunk, which focus on climate change and technology's intersection with humanity.

Publishers, authors, and book clubs must promote accuracy, representation, diversity, and inclusion in science fiction.

A science fiction book club can create a rich and inclusive reading experience by balancing traditional and contemporary voices.

A book club can prioritize underrepresented authors and avoid overly basic books for a diverse reading list.

A diverse book club promotes representation in literature and raises awareness about diverse stories.

Book clubs can curate diverse reading lists by considering peer reviews and including various genres and styles.

Inclusive reading lists promote empathy and understanding.

Diverse books spark interesting conversations and provide a wide range of themes and styles.

Book clubs can promote diversity by prioritizing authors from underrepresented backgrounds.

Diverse authors can bring new perspectives and ideas to the science fiction genre.

Diverse literature fosters positive self-image, empathy, and creativity in children.

Book clubs can feature books by underrepresented authors, like Black women, for a diverse reading list.

Reading diverse stories can increase empathy and help address racism.

Libraries and bookstores offer diverse recommendations and support independent sellers.

A book club can ensure a diverse list by including various genres, styles, and author backgrounds.

Diverse books help children see themselves and learn about others, promoting social and human fluency.

Inclusive reading lists promote discussions among book club members by reflecting diverse author backgrounds.

Book clubs can promote diversity by hosting themed clubs and creating a welcoming space for marginalized groups.

Diverse books inspire children to celebrate their unique identities and cultures.

Book clubs can seek out recommendations from local libraries and bookstores for a diverse reading list.

The representation of underrepresented demographics in science fiction has changed significantly over the years.

The genre has become more inclusive, with significant contributions from diverse authors, including women and people of color.

Chinese female writers have thrived in science fiction, with authors like Regina Kanyu Wang earning Hugo nominations and multiple anthologies of their work being published.

The internet has enabled non-male and non-binary writers to address overlooked issues in Chinese fantasy anthologies.

"Marigold" by William G. Howard explores social equity through a half-human, half-android main character, addressing societal inequities faced by non-human individuals.

Annalee Newitz's novel "The Terraformers" explores underrepresented demographics with a diverse cast, arguing people can be a planet's best resource.

The novel "2070. The Zanon War" by Fadi Zewail depicts a future world divided into two groups: a genetically advanced sect and a flawed, impoverished one.

Science fiction novels disseminate scientific knowledge, simplify complex concepts, and promote scientific awareness.

Authors like Octavia E. Butler, C.J. Cherryh, and Tananarive Due have made significant contributions, writing about diverse characters and experiences.

Modern technology is increasingly featured in science fiction, as seen in books like "Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow".

Novels like "Binti", "The Three-Body Problem", and "The Handmaid's Tale" are classics exploring identity, morality, and social justice.

The "SuperScientists" programme in South Africa features 49 local scientists as superheroes to inspire children and address racial and gender inequity in science.

Queer sci-fi thrillers like "Prophet" and genre-bending novellas like "Remote Control" by Nnedi Okorafor are making an impact.

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" has been reimagined, including a tribute by Janet Winterson incorporating AI and transgender themes.

Janet Winterson's work explores the intersection of AI and human boundaries, portraying transgender people as pioneers in redefining identity and body.

Science fiction literature has undergone significant changes over time.

Science fiction emerged in the Western world and was also shaped by other cultures, including Arabic literature.

The genre explores complex concepts and issues, making it a powerful educational tool.

Book clubs should evaluate science fiction books from underrepresented perspectives based on literary merit, social relevance, and author diversity.

Book clubs can find underrepresented science fiction books by seeking recommendations from organizations like We Need Diverse Books and diverse authors.

Women and people of color, including authors like Nnedi Okorafor, N.K. Jemisin, and Octavia E. Butler, have made significant contributions to science fiction.

The science fiction genre has evolved over time, influenced by various factors, including underrepresented authors.

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Content: 60 Sci-Fi Books That All Science Fiction Fans Must Read

Are you looking for a new science fiction book to read? Looking to fill up your reading list with journeys to strange new worlds and fast-paced science fiction adventures? You're in luck because we've compiled a list of the best sci-fi books.

Whether you're looking to dive into the great sci-fi classics you missed out on or you're looking to delve into brand new tales from up-and-coming indie authors, you're sure to find something that will spark creativity and excitement for you. Science fiction and fantasy novels provide us with allegories, cautionary tales, and deep dives into the human condition told through the lens of the fantastical and the cutting-edge.

The Best Sci-Fi Origins Books

Where did it all begin? Read these early tales with impossible futures, fascinating creatures, time travel, and alien invasion!

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein brought us the iconic monster made by Victor Frankenstein. Considered the first true science fiction novel of the modern era, it would foreshadow genetic tinkering stories of the future.

The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish (also called The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World)

Considered to be the first science fiction work, in the 17th century, Duchess of Newcastle Margaret Cavendish wrote of a utopian world.

Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The third Oz book by L. Frank Baum features Tik-Tok, the wind-up clockwork man Dorothy Gale encounters in the Land of Ev. Tik-Tok is basically one of the first robots in literature. Other wacky features in Ozma of Oz include a sand-sailing boat and lunch pail tree.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

A 19th century classic by Wells, depicting time travel and inspiring science fiction tales for over a century.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

The book would go on to inspire a radio program that terrified people into thinking Martians were actually invading Earth. Wells would kickstart first contact stories and alien invasion at the same time, offering up a cautionary tale that touches sci-fi to this day.

The Best Sci-Fi Space Epics Books

Transport yourself across the universe with these pillars of world-building in science fiction, all of which are either now adapted for TV or film or soon will be.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert’s Dune is considered a masterwork of world-building and family intrigue, inspiring other famous series and their respective houses. In the first book, Paul Atreides encounters the resident free people of the planet Arrakis (Dune), the Fremen, and achieves a destiny of messianic proportions. Dune recently graced the big screen in a new adaptation by Denis Villeneuve.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor's Binti novella series begins with Binti, a Hugo-award-winning Africanfuturistic science fiction horror story published by Tor.com. Binti is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the most exalted institution of higher learning in the galaxy. She faces the choice to accept the offer and give up her place in her family so that she can travel among the stars. Hulu has ordered a pilot for Binti.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

The beginning of the Foundation series reveals the “psychohistory” developed by mathematician Harry Seldon. Seldon would establish a new empire called Foundation to preserve the culture from societal collapse. Foundation debuted as a TV show on Apple TV in 2021.

Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell

Gareth L. Powell's award-winning trilogy Embers of War follows the war-weary crew of the sentient spaceship Trouble Dog, who after becoming disgusted by her role in war joins the House of Reclamation. Trouble Dog and her captain Sal Konstanz are sent on a rescue mission, which intersects a mission to find missing poet Ona Sundak. The galaxy teeters on the brink of another war, just as an alien presence makes itself known, altering the course of things to come. Now under development for TV.

Rendezvous with Rama by Sir Arthur C. Clarke

A strange spacecraft enters the solar system, and humanity investigates. The secrets within the enormous craft, called Rama, reveal the heritage of an advanced alien civilization. Rendezvous with Rama is in development for a film adaptation with Denis Villeneuve at the helm.

The Best Hard Sci-Fi Books

If you like your science fiction taut with the edginess of battle and the implication of future wars, you must add these books to your collection!

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

This classic military sci-fi epic details the tragic effects of time dilation on a group of soldiers fighting a seemingly endless war.

Ringworld by Larry Niven

Set in the 29th century, Louis Wu and his companions explore a vast, Earth-orbit-sized, constructed world. Their adventures uncover the alien civilization that built it.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

First set with the backdrop of China’s cultural revolution, this new epic involves secret scientific experiments, alien invasion, challenging moral dilemmas, and impressive world-building.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

A man in his 70s is recruited as a soldier in the Colonial Defense Force, and altered physically in unexpected ways. Strong on character development, this kickstarts the Old Man’s War Series.

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein

This classic military sci-fi tale follows Johnny Rico and military recruits who become involved in a battle between humans and aliens nicknamed Arachnids or “Bugs.”

If you love Starship Troopers, check out our review of the wisdom of Grand Admiral Thrawn – Michael

The Best Sci-Fi Robot Stories

The future of robots is here and is complex and necessary reading in these sci-fi tales.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov’s intriguing work introduced the laws of robotics that all robots must adhere to work alongside humans.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

The first novel in the Murderbot Diaries, All Systems Red, follows a cyborg that goes by the name Murderbot contends with self-awareness in the corporate-dominated future.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The beginning of the Lunar Chronicles series is a retelling of Cinderella from the point of view of a cyborg.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

Famed for its eventual big-screen adaptation, Blade Runner, this novel recounts a future in which highly realistic artificial fugitives are on the run from bounty hunter Rick Deckard.

The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia

Mattie is an automaton in this steampunk and urban fantasy novel involving gargoyles, Mechanics, and Alchemists.

The Best Sci-Fi Mars Stories

Our neighbor, the red planet Mars, beckons to us. What would it be like to walk on the shifting red sands of Mars? Find out in these Martian classics.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury’s mesmerizing prose introduces us to a Mars full of exotic possibility, soon plundered by humanity’s arrival.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

The first in the Mars Trilogy, Red Mars, involves the colonization and terraforming of Mars and the conflicting moral questions that result.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind on a Mars mission and must draw upon his skills and ingenuity in order to survive.

Mars by Ben Bova

Navajo geologist Jamie Waterman joins the first expedition of scientists exploring Mars. The grounded approach Bova takes to all the interaction, politics, and bureaucracy help achieve a plausible future story.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

The first book in the Red Rising Trilogy envisions a future of planetary colonization in which caste systems abound. Darrow must fight against this system of overlords.

The Best Sci-Fi Fantasy Books

Fly high with dragons, roam lands on epic quests, and learn the hearts of true heroes in the fantasy masterpieces.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnum opus spans three books, opening up a fantastically detailed and wholly invented universe in Middle Earth that was hinted at in The Hobbit. Considered the ultimate work of fantasy, The Lord of the Rings brings myth, allegory, poetry, song, war, and melancholy to heights of realism and wonder.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

The first novel in The Earthsea Cycle tells the tale of the wizard Ged, and his journey to redeem his reckless past.

A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

Beginning with A Game of Thrones, Martin’s elaborate, dark fantasy series covers land in which seasons last decades, and a terrible force from the north threatens to bring an icy apocalypse to an area filled with rulers jockeying to take the Iron Throne.

The Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey

This remarkable series takes place in the world of Pern, where people telepathically bond with dragons. Dragonflight is the first in the series.

The Fifth Season: The Broken Earth, Book 1 by N.K Jemisin

The Fifth Season marks the first book of the award-winning The Broken Earth trilogy. Set against civilization’s collapse and natural disaster, Essun endures great personal tragedy in her quest to rescue her daughter.

The Best Sci-Fi Dystopian & Apocalyptic Books

Set in a nightmare future, these dystopian and apocalyptic legends will keep you up at night.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

In a totalitarian future America, handmade Offred is forced to bear children to men of a ruling class. The tale follows her harrowing life in a bleak future, and the attempt to escape and bring down the subjugating class to restore rights.

The Stand by Stephen King

A deadly pathogen escapes a military installation, rapidly spreading and bringing civilization essentially to an end. A group of survivors makes its way to a form of a promised land while battling a malevolent group seeking domination.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

In the near future breakdown of the society of Los Angeles, empathic teenager Lauren believes in a better future entailing traveling to other planets. Lauren gathers followers to her belief as she makes her way north.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Set in the Great Lakes region of America, a group of nomadic creatives picks up the pieces after the fall of civilization due to pandemic flu. Station Eleven has been adapted for HBO Max.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The first book in the Hunger Games Trilogy follows the immense challenges that Katniss Everdeen faces in the post-apocalyptic version of America called Panem. She takes her sister’s place in the government-sponsored Hunger Games to compete for survival in a no-holds-barred and deadly competition.

The Best Sci-Fi Near Futures Books

The future is here, or nearly so, in these ground-breaking novels set close to our present day.

Contact by Carl Sagan

Scientist Ellie Arroway detects a potential extraterrestrial signal from space, which appears to instruct humanity in how to build a machine. She faces self-doubt amid scrutiny to uncover the mysteries of the discovery.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

This cautionary tale about genetic engineering in which scientists make living, cloned dinosaurs for an amusement park. Mayhem ensues.

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

Mysterious monoliths appear across many worlds, seeding life with intelligence. Following the discovery of one such monolith on the moon, Dr. Bowman and a team of scientists investigate the signal it sends to Saturn’s moon Iapetus. The onboard AI begins exhibiting dangerous behavior during the journey.

Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer

A physics experiment creates an unintended consequence of everyone on earth losing consciousness for two minutes. Each person sees a “flash forward” decades in the future while they are unconscious. The resulting accidents and visions challenge everyone’s ideas of free will.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

In dystopian 2044, impoverished Wade Watts navigates through the virtual reality world of the OASIS, seeking to reverse his fortune.

The Best Sci-Fi Books for Younger Readers

Take adventures through time and space, no matter your age!

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

The Murry children and Calvin O’Keefe crosses universes and space-time to try to find their missing father. Their tale is a mind-bending adventure of good vs. evil.

His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass/The Subtle Knife/The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman

The Golden Compass/Northern Lights begins this sweeping saga of two children, one born in a parallel universe, one born in our own. In Lyra’s world, people’s souls exist in animal form, called daemons. Her father and mother represent warring factions determined to control all universes. Filled with talking animals, witches, airships, and strange creatures, His Dark Materials packs an emotional punch.

The Apothecary Series by Maile Meloy

Set in the 1950s, The Apothecary starts this highly entertaining, thrilling adventure series in which American Janie Scott meets Benjamin Burrows, the son of an apothecary. After Benjamin’s father is kidnapped, the teenagers uncover a terrifying plot that could result in humanity’s end. They use potions with magical effects to try and stop the impending doom.

The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1) by Sayantani DasGupta

The first of the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series, book one begins with Kiranmala discovering her parents are missing, and there is a demon in her kitchen! Two princes recruited her and sent to another dimension, where she must battle the Serpent King and the Rakkhoshi Queen to rescue her parents and save the Earth.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

This delightful middle-grade novel recounts a discarded robot named Roz and her search for love and acceptance.

The Best Sci-Fi Ponderous Books

These mind-bending sci-fi novels will have you thinking for a long time afterward.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

Raised on Mars, Valentine Michael Smith returns to Earth and tries to fit in. His unusual upbringing makes him seem superhuman, but he attempts to help his Earth kin understand things from a different perspective.

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester

Set in the 24th century when telepaths (“Espers”) are common, and police are telepathic as well. Ben Reich tries to evade the telepathic police for a murder he wants to commit. The story opens up the moral issues of using telepathy, regulated mostly by a guild, but raises concerns about the exclusion of telepaths who run astray as well as psychological intrigue.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Solaris follows humans’ failed attempts to communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence. The sentient planet tests the researchers with their memories and emotions.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

A story spanning time and space and connections between various characters, Cloud Atlas explores the theme of fate with a mind-bending narrative.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

This classic tale follows the journey of Genly Ai on his mission to the planet Gethen. The ambisexual Gethenians present challenges and growth for Ai.

The Best Sci-Fi Cyberpunk Books

If you dream of the future lit by neon, shadowed by noir, and fueled with intrigue, these seminal cyberpunk novels are for you!

Neuromancer by William Gibson

In the first novel of the Sprawl Trilogy, hacker Henry Case is hired to help an AI take over the global network called The Matrix.

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

A modern cyberpunk tale is weaving together magic and science, with wit and feeling.

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

Set in the 25th century, humans have spread through the galaxy and can be preserved after death via cortical stacks, then essentially regenerated or “re-sleeved” into another body. Takeshi Kovacs stumbles upon a vast conspiracy after his latest “sleeve.”

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

This early entry into cyberpunk sci-fi follows teleporter Gully Foyle, an outcast considered dangerous.

Synners by Pat Cadigan

The synthesizers, or Synners, are people who can turn mental images into products for consumption. The story is told via various characters’ viewpoints.

The Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books by Indie Authors

Discover the latest sci-fi and fantasy stories, while supporting independent authors!

Mindful Things by Mya Duong

Nineteen-year-old Lauren begins to experience visions and uncovers the fact her deceased parents were witches. A madman hungry for power pursues her, and she must embrace her magical heritage to try to stop him.

The Infinite by John W. Akers

The inventor Pax works on a secret project that can revolutionize human cognition. His plans are derailed by a computer virus that could end civilization, so Pax is forced to choose how he can help humanity survive.

Threadwalkers by Joanna Volavka

Miranda Woodward undergoes a discordant series of events following her father’s death. This is a young adult time travel tale.

Resonance by Jennifer Greenhall

In Book One of the Resonance Series, Sophia Walsh uses her psionic abilities for good but finds herself the next target of a killer.

Heliopause: The Questrison Saga®: Book One by J. Dianne Dotson

Heliopause by J. Dianne Dotson kickstarts The Questrison Saga®, a four-book series science fiction and fantasy series. In Heliopause, a mystery at the edge of the solar system reveals a galactic menace. A galactic natural disaster unfolds, aiding the monster in the void. Human Forster and human-looking, ageless Galla-Deia team up with telepaths, galactic mages, aliens, and androids to face the greatest threat to all life in the galaxy. Full of diverse characters and exotic worlds, found and made families, heartbreak, and whimsy, this space opera recalls Star WarsDoctor Who, and Game of Thrones.

At Your Money Geek, we are huge fans of the science fiction genre, everything from military science fiction to novels about space travel, parallel worlds, and fantasy novels. We are always looking for new books to read and exciting sci-fi writers to profile, let us know in the comments what authors you are currently enjoying.

This post was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.

| Website | + posts

J. Dianne Dotson dreamed up other worlds and their characters as a child in the 1980s in East Tennessee. She formed her own neighborhood astronomy club before age 10, to educate her friends about the universe. In addition to writing stories, she drew and painted her characters, designed their outrageous space fashions, and created travel guides and glossaries for the worlds she invented.

As an adult, Dianne earned a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology, and spent several years working in research. She published Heliopause: The Questrison Saga®: Book One (2018) and its sequels Ephemeris: The Questrison Saga®: Book Two (2019), Accretion: The Questrison Saga®: Book Three (2020) and her last novel in the saga, Luminiferous: The Questrison Saga®: Book Four (2021).

Dianne is also a science writer, content writer and manager, short story writer, watercolorist, and illustrator. She lives with her family.

What is considered a major breakthrough in science fiction publication?

The genre is evolving into a universal mode of entertainment and a tool for social change.

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Content: Dartmouth Speculative Fiction Project considers next steps for the genre

The project brings together authors and Dartmouth professors to collaborate on new speculative fiction work rooted in scientific research on campus.

by Sophie Chadha | 53 minutes ago

From April 13 to 16, speculative fiction authors from around the country came to Hanover to participate in the Dartmouth Speculative Fiction Project, a series of events which included interdisciplinary activities between visiting authors and Dartmouth faculty, as well as readings and panel discussions open to the public. The project aimed to foster collaboration between authors and Dartmouth faculty – with a focus on designing stories rooted in scientific research – and addressed the present and future of the speculative fiction genre.

The project was co-organized by engineering professor Solomon Diamond, English professor Rebecca Clark, the Design Initiative at Dartmouth program manager Paula Olson, Hugo award-winning speculative fiction editor Liz Gorinsky and author and former visiting film and media studies professor Sharang Biswas Th’13.

According to Hugo and Nebula awards finalist Nibedita Sen, speculative fiction is a general term that provokes valuable questions.

“The term ‘speculative fiction’ … works as an umbrella term: It is fiction which imagines things that do not currently exist, things that may come into being through science or through magic,” Sen said. “It could be advancement, or it could be, ‘What if we went backwards? What if we stepped to the side?’ It could be a different dimension, a different timestream.”

In a Q&A panel on April 15, some authors touched on the exchange of knowledge that occurs between scientific researchers and speculative fiction writers. Author K.M. Szpara said he believes the future of speculative fiction will become increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative.

Nebula award-winning author Sam J. Miller  said we should reframe one stereotype about fiction — that it is dismissive of reality’s problems — and instead view its creation of a world without societal problems as proof of the possibility that our society could exist without them.

“It is as simple as, ‘ … And then the housing crisis is over … And then all the people standing in the way of progress are gone.’” Miller said.

Calvin George ’24, who attended the Q&A, said he was intrigued by Miller’s concept of speculative fiction as a tool for social change.

“It was really interesting to hear from these authors [about] how imagining worlds where a huge problem like climate change is gone can actually help us solve those problems by giving us a sense of hope that they are not absolute or inevitable,” George said.

Sen said she views fiction as an important lens through which we can better understand the reality of our problems.

“A lot of people view escapism as a form of writing that is less than, but I don't believe in that. Like Tolkien said: Is it not a prisoner's duty to try to escape? Fiction is the spoonful of sugar that helps the truth go down,” Sen said.

Sen said this belief manifested in her own writing following the results of the 2016 presidential election, when she pivoted into the realm of horror as a form of catharsis.

“[In 2016,] people like me were being viewed as monsters, so I decided, ‘Well, I will show you what a monster really is,’” Sen said.

Looking to the future of speculative fiction, teacher, linguist and author Rob Cameron points to the genre’s growth over the past few decades from a niche, isolated faction of enthusiasts to a universal mode of entertainment.

“With the popularization of science fiction through film, especially Marvel, ‘geek culture’ has become much more expansive — you do not have to be a geek to enjoy it,” Cameron said. “At the same time, authors’ expectations of their readers have changed with these new mediums: Are people really going to sit down and read this book? This kind of thinking sparks novel ideas like ‘choose your own adventure’ narratives, comic books, video games and more.”

According to Biswas, the Speculative Fiction Project came to life when pitched the idea of centering speculative fiction around scholarship at Dartmouth to Diamond. When selecting the authors for the panel, Biswas shared that the organizers primarily aimed to represent diversity in both background and writing experience.

“If you’re claiming to do a project that looks at the future of humanity, you need to represent diverse perspectives,” he said.

Biswas added that if the project were to happen again, he hopes it can bring together an even more diverse group of people with more funding.

“In the future, with better channels of funding, we hope to have more geographic diversity and be able to bring in international authors,” Biswas said.

The Speculative Fiction Project will continue as authors workshop their stories with their research partners. These works of fiction will be presented at a Dartmouth symposium in June and will subsequently be synthesized into an anthology in Lightspeed Magazine next year.

According to Clark, students will be invited to submit their own stories and up to four of them will be chosen and featured in the professional collection.

Underrepresented authors in science fiction face challenges like genre classification and social conservative norms, impacting the genre's evolution.

Title:

Content: Pixel Scroll 5/11/24 I’m Still Scrolling After All This Time, Picking Up The Pixels Of My Life Without You In My File

(1) SCAM TARGETING WESTERN AUTHORS PURPORTS TO BE FROM SCIENCE FICTION WORLD. [Item by Ersatz Culture.] On Saturday May 11th, the Weibo account of Science Fiction World magazine issued a statement about fraudulent emails addressed to authors.  The emails claimed that SFW had decided to no longer publish work by the author that had previously been acquired, but would retain the copyright, and offered the author the chance to pay to reclaim their copyright.  The post did include an image showing part of the (English language) email that one affected author did receive, but redacted their name.  A Weibo post a day or so earlier identified at least one such affected author, but at time of writing, that author hasn’t posted about it on Twitter or Bluesky, so I’ve not included their name here.

A Google Translate rendition of the statement, with minor manual edits, follows.

Dear readers, authors and partners,

Recently, we have received feedback from foreign science fiction writers that we work with. Some criminals are using impersonation techniques to launch carefully planned email fraud incidents targeting those foreign writers.

This fraudulent email uses the email address “[email protected]“, purporting to be from an editor at our company.  It falsely informs the author that their work will not be published due to so-called “commercial evaluation” or other reasons, and illegally claims to retain the copyright of the author’s work, proposing that the author should pay a fee to redeem their copyright.

We strongly condemn such illegal behavior and have taken corresponding measures to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and actively investigate the matter.  In order to protect the rights and interests of all authors, readers and partners, we hereby issue the following anti-fraud guidelines. Please be vigilant and jointly prevent such fraud as follows:

1. Get confirmation through official channels: Our company will formally notify you through official channels (the official contact channels are indicated on the copyright pages of “Science Fiction World” and its journals) for any decisions regarding the publication status of the work, copyright transfer, or financial transactions. . When receiving similar emails, please do not reply directly to the email, but verify through official channels.

2. Be wary of fake email addresses: Scammers often use addresses that are very similar to official email addresses to send emails.  When receiving similar emails, please carefully check the sender’s email address and pay attention to identifying subtle differences, such as adding or replacing characters, using different top-level domain names, etc.

3. Understand the formal processes: Our company has complete and strict business processes. For major matters such as copyright and contract changes, our company will implement a strict and formal process and will never make a hasty decision through just one email.

4. Direct communication verification: If you receive such an email, the most direct and effective way is to contact us through the official contact method you know to verify the situation. Never use the contact number or return address provided in the email for verification.

5. Improve information security awareness: Keep personal information and communications safe, and do not click on unknown links or attachments in emails to prevent personal information from being leaked or being attacked by malware.

We are fully aware of the importance of each author’s work and the hard work behind it.

We will fight resolutely to the end against any behavior that undermines the rights of authors. At the same time, we also encourage authors or other individuals who receive similar emails to report them to us and local law enforcement agencies in a timely manner, so as to jointly maintain a good creative and publishing environment.

Here, we reiterate our commitment to all partners: we will continue to strengthen information security protection and ensure that the rights and interests of every author who works with us are respected and protected to the greatest extent. The general public is requested to remain vigilant and work together to build a safe space for literary exchange.

Science Fiction World Magazine. May 11, 2024

(2)  PTERRY SURPRISE. The Terry Pratchett website has announced “Another lost Terry Pratchett story found”.

We are pleased (delighted, ecstatic) to announce that one further lost story by Terry Pratchett has been found.

A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories, published in 2023, collected 20 rediscovered tales from when Terry wrote under a pseudonym back in the 1970s and 1980s. It was, at the time, believed to be the last stories of his. But, we were wrong.

One final published tale has been found, that was missed from this collection: Arnold, the Bominable Snowman, which brings us to some more news.

This new story will appear in the paperback edition of A Stroke of the Pen, which will publish in September 2024. Furthermore, the story itself will be published online – for free – by Penguin Books, so that those who bought the hardback do not miss out on this tale. More information on the paperback edition, and where to read the story online, will be made available at a later date….

(3) FANFICTION GOT THERE FIRST. In case you thought the title sounded familiar, The Hollywood Reporter says there’s a reason: “’The Hunt for Gollum’ LOTR Movie Already Exists”. And for a moment, Warner Bros.’ lawyers were trying to pitch the video into Mount Doom.

If Warner Bros.’ newly announced The Lord of the Rings movie idea The Hunt for Gollum sounded a bit like fan fiction, that’s because it already is.

There’s a 2009 fan-made film titled The Hunt for Gollum that you can watch below. The film, directed by Chris Bouchard, is rather ambitious. The Hunt for Gollum spans 39 minutes and has received plenty of praise from fans upon its release.

Following WB’s announcement, the film was taken offline for many hours and YouTube put up a notice saying Warner Bros. had filed a copyright claim against the fan movie and blocked it. LOTR fans reacted quite negatively to the takedown online and, early Friday, the film was restored to YouTube….

The fan-made Hunt for Gollum is set during opening act of The Fellowship of the Ring and fills in a quest that was only briefly discussed in Jackson’s 2001 film: Gandalf (played by Patrick O’Connor in the short) meets with Aragorn (Adrian Webster) and asks him to hunt for Gollum to find out more about Frodo’s magic ring. Aragorn has a series of adventures, traps and loses Gollum and gets attacked by orcs and Ringwraiths. Gollum is recaptured by the Elves of Mirkwood, and he’s interrogated by Gandalf….

With my terrible hearing I can’t say whether the audio is in English – but the closed captioning is in Spanish.

(4) SPFBOX. Mark Lawrence’s tenth Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (“SPFBOX”) immediately filled its 300-entry quota on May 10 and has moved on to “SPFBOX phase 1”.

This is the VERY prelimary allocation of books to blogs.

What now follows will be swapping from blog to blog for books that meet the contest rules but have authors who are friends with someone in the blog they’ve been allocated to.

And elimination of books that don’t meet the rules, followed by their replacement with books that didn’t get selected in the original 300.

(5) FRANCHISE COLLISION. A reference to the latest episode of Doctor Who. A spoiler? I never know. “Could the 2 Oldest Sci-Fi Shows Finally Cross Over?” at Inverse.

In “Space Babies,” the debut episode of the newly relaunched 2024 Doctor Who “Season 1” (or Season 14, or Season 40, depending on how you count) the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) have a quick discussion about how beaming works in the universe of Star Trek. When the Doctor makes one small quip, fans of both venerable sci-fi franchises might wonder if travel between the Final Frontier and the Whoinverse, is, indeed possible in some kind of mega-geek-multiverse….

At the start of “Space Babies,” Ruby asks the Doctor if they were just beamed somewhere, saying “Is that like a matter transporter? Like in Star Trek?” The Doctor grins broadly and says, “We gotta visit them one day.” This is not the first time Doctor Who has referenced Star Trek (or that Trek has referenced Who) but, it does seem to be the biggest indication to date — at least on screen — that the canon of Trek could exist in an adjacent dimension, rather than just as fiction.

Throughout all of post-2005 Doctor Who, there have been multiple references to characters and ideas from the Star Trek franchise. Rose called the 9th Doctor “Spock,” in the Season 1 episode “The Empty Child,” the 10th Doctor flashed the Vulcan “live long and prosper” hand symbol in the Season 2 episode “Fear Her,” while the 12th Doctor evoked the famous opening lines “Space… the final frontier,” in the Season 10 episode “Oxygen.” And that’s just a small sampling of Trek Easter eggs in Who!

(6) CHALLENGING HERSELF. “Brush and Ink” at Colleen Doran’s Funny Business, is illustrated with examples based on Gaiman’s Sandman series.

I used to get a lot of ribbing for having an elaborate, decorative style. The word was, artists who choose to add decoration and complex rendering are probably hiding drawing deficiencies.

While I agree that this is sometimes the case (and I can think of a few artists who make my hair go the wrong way with endless rendering and very weak underdrawing,) not all of us are covering up poor structure with frou frou.

I always start with a simple, solid drawing before adding the stylization. If the drawing isn’t solid, I don’t proceed until it is.

Awhile ago I decided to challenge my skill set with a series of minimalist brush and ink pieces. I limited the time cost of each drawing to 10 minutes or less. And I tried to stick to no underdrawing, if possible.

That is, one and done, no prelim. Ink only, nothing else.

While I’ve shown some of these drawings before, you folks on Substack probably haven’t seen most of them.

Most of the original exploratory sketches were based on characters from Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN series, like this group of sketches of Death….

(7) R.I.P. SHEILA STRICKLAND. Longtime File 770 subscriber Sheila Strickland died May 9. The Louisiana fan said in her zine for the Southern Fandom Press Alliance a few months back that her doctors had detected cancer and it had spread to her intestine and liver. She went into hospice just a few days ago. Rich Lynch says, “She was a great lady, always looking toward the future.  And now she’s very much missed.”

Guy H. Lillian III says Sheila’s sister told her Facebook friends that the family obituary will be in the New Orleans Advocate this week and the funeral on May 16 at the Greenoaks Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Baton Rouge at noon.

(8) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Cat Eldridge.]

Born May 11, 1918 Richard P. Feynman. (Died 1988.) I’ll admit that I don’t begin to understand what most of the work Richard P. Feynman did as a theoretical physicist. I seriously doubt most of you do.

While at Princeton, Feynman was recruited for the theoretical division of the Manhattan Project, the very, very secret U.S. Army laboratory set up in Los Alamos, for the purpose of developing the atomic bomb. He was present at the first detonation of an atomic bomb.

In 1965, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. The three each created new mathematical tools for a theory called quantum electrodynamics, which describes how subatomic particles interact with light.

Now there is the matter his influence on the genre. Although as I said was his work in theoretical physics, Feynman was largely pioneered the field of quantum computing and was solely responsible for the concept of nanotechnology. So yes, two widely used SF concepts are from him.

By the late Fifties, he was already popularizing his love of physics through books and lectures including lectures  on nanotechnology called There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom, and a multi volume publication of his undergraduate lectures, The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Yes, these are available from the usual suspects.

He also became known through his autobiographical works Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?. Naturally there would be books written about him. The biography by James Gleick,  Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman is the one I’ll single out as being the best.

It’s worth noting last is that he was selected to be a member the Presidential Rogers Commission that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Lis notes that during the Challenger explosion hearings, Feynman  demonstrated on camera that an O-ring dropped into ice water lost all the resilience critical to its function on the shuttle solid rocket fuel tanks.

(9) ROBERT BLOCH WEBSITE UPDATE. Eight vintage photos of Robert Bloch with such friends/family as Bob Tucker, Dean A. Grennell, Fritz Leiber, Marion Bloch, and others have been added to the RobertBloch.net gallery.

(10) UNEXPECTED NETWORKING. At GamesRadar+, “Russell T Davies explains how his ‘accidental’ criticism of Loki led to the Marvel show’s director writing a Doctor Who episode”.

…As reported by Uproxx, during a virtual Pride month panel at Swansea University, Davies described the queer representation in the MCU show [Loki] as being a “feeble gesture”. As you may recall, Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief became the first openly queer lead character in MCU canon thanks to a reference to the character’s love life in the first season, but at the time Davies wasn’t impressed by the inclusion: “Loki makes one reference to being bisexual once, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh my god, it’s like a pansexual show.’ It’s like one word. He said the word ‘prince’ and we’re meant to go, ‘Thank you, Disney! Aren’t you marvelous?’ It’s a ridiculous, craven, feeble gesture towards the vital politics and the stories that should be told.”

…Reflecting on that statement now, Davies admits that his comments were a mistake, explaining that he reached out to Herron immediately to apologize. Little did he know that they would continue chatting, striking up a friendship, which would then result in working together on Doctor Who….

… For the upcoming season, Herron and her co-writer Briony Redman have penned episode 6 which is titled ‘Rogue’. Of course, since the Doctor Who team like to keep their cards close to their chests, little has been revealed about the episode, but we do know that it is set in the Regency era and will feature Mindhunter star Jonathan Groff.

(11) A PROBLEMATIC PIXIE? According to The Street’s report “Disney World cuts classic character from meet-and-greets amid scrutiny” it appears that Disney has permanently discontinued “meet and greet” sessions for Tinkerbell at almost all of their attractions.

This action followed the New York Times’ 2022 article “Disney, Built on Fairy Tales and Fantasy, Confronts the Real World” which said the company’s Disney Stories Matter team “was marked for caution because she is ‘body conscious’ and jealous of Peter Pan’s attention, according to the executives…”

The Street’s May 7 report says:

…[The] Disney’s Stories Matter team was developed to spot and correct “negative depictions of people and cultures” in Disney’s products.

“We are reviewing our offerings beyond the screen, which include products, books, music and experiences,” reads the Stories Matter homepage on Disney’s website. “While advisories for negative depictions of people and cultures may be added to some offerings, others will be reimagined. We are also investing in new ways to better reflect the rich diversity of stories in our world. This work is ongoing and will evolve as we strive toward a more inclusive tomorrow.”…

The PlanDisney website, answering the question “Why does Tinkerbell no longer have a meet and greet and are their plans to bring her back?” says that currently the only location where Tink does meet visitors is at Pixie Hollow at the Disneyland Resort in California.

(12) MINNESOTA’S NEW FLAG. AP News is there as “Minnesota unfurls new state flag atop the capitol for the first time”. However, my real reason for running this story is that it was the first time I heard about the famed losing entry featuring a loon with lasers for eyes.

Minnesota officially unfurled its new state flag atop the capitol for the first time Saturday on statehood day.

The new flag and accompanying state seal were adopted to replace an old design that Native Americans said reminded them of painful memories of conquest and displacement.

The new symbols eliminate an old state seal that featured the image of a Native American riding off into the sunset while a white settler plows his field with a rifle at the ready. The seal was a key feature of the old flag. That’s why there was pressure to change both.

Officials didn’t pick any of the most popular designs submitted online that included options like a loon — the state bird — with lasers for eyes….

[Thanks to SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Ersatz Culture, Lise Andreasen, Danny Sichel, Rich Lynch, Teddy Harvia, Kathy Sullivan, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, and Cat Eldridge for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Kaboobie.]

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Underrepresented authors, including Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia E. Butler, Nnedi Okorafor, and Cixin Liu, have significantly impacted the genre, contributing to its growth and diversity.

Who wrote "Binti," a Hugo-award-winning African futuristic science fiction horror story?

The science fiction genre has been influenced by social and technological advancements.

Title:

Content: Science Fiction and Politics in Literature and the Arts (Symposium, Toulouse)

Science Fiction and Politics in Literature and the Arts

The aim of this symposium run by the LLA-Créatis laboratory at the University of Toulouse Jean-Jaurès is to develop open thinking about “political” questions, in the broad sense of the term, that science fiction narratives allow. Different types of stories can be considered, in different literary genres or in cinema, video series and comics. It can be studied and interrogated from a historical, political and social perspective by involving, where appropriate, the possible contributions of different analyzes (anthropology, semiotics, feminist studies, postcolonial studies, etc.) Diversity of perspectives and questions raised by gender.

The entire twentieth-century period produced works in San Francisco that were marked by ideologies such as capitalism and its “communist” counterpart, but also by threats associated with civilian and/or military nuclear power, religious-related abuses, racism, minority liberation struggles, and pollution. , etc. These perceptions persisted, but in the period from the last 20 years of the 20th century to the first 20 years of the 21st century, other concerns were voiced: ecological pesticides, the climate crisis, demographic crises, resource depletion, or the danger. The scientific and technical potential (transhumanism, “artificial intelligence”, etc.) is being carried away.

The link to the realities of the times (as in the collection “Le Passager Clandestin / Dyschroniques”) can of course depend on one or more authors, take into account a work or compare several (especially in the case of short stories and short films). The broader perspective will consist in considering the basic ideologies, either in relation to the literary prizes awarded, or in relation to the works themselves, the semantics of these presenting themselves from the outset sometimes as criticism, sometimes as propaganda, the two being able to be combined according to modalities that tend to be ironic, Satirical, disruptive, etc.

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In any case, it would be a matter of highlighting the “exploratory potential” in these works, of identifying the “problematic tools” and of making the ideas put forward in fictional form productive from the point of view of political theory. (Y Rambhala).

Of course, it is advisable to include works belonging to different geographical and linguistic fields so that the panorama of this search is sufficiently realistic.

Provisional schedule of courses (date adjustments possible)

Oct 20, 2-4 PM / Nov 17, 2-4 PM / Dec 15, 2-4 PM / Jan 19, 2-4 PM / Feb 9, 2-4 PM / Mar 15, 2-4 PM / May 31 , 2-4 p.m

Contribution proposals must be sent Before October 1, 2023 To the following addresses: frederics[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Incorporating underrepresented perspectives has led to new sub-genres like Africanfuturism and Indigenous futurism, exploring technology and traditional cultures.

Title:

Content: British Columbia

Here are the Vancouver Public Library's most-borrowed books of 2022

Looking for a read? This annual list of the library's top checkouts is a good place to start this holiday season.

Indigenous non-fiction, Dune and a Hillary Clinton collaboration crack the top 10

If you are in need of a read for your next book club, or have made a New Year's resolution to up your literary game, then a list of the most borrowed books at the Vancouver Public Library (VPL) is a good place to start.

The annual reveal is actually three lists of the top 10 borrowed books for adults, teens and kids. This year, the themes of the books are varied and likely reflective of happenings in the world and in pop culture.

For the second year in a row, an Indigenous writer has clinched the number one spot among adult borrowers. (Thomas King topped the list last year with his novel Indians on Vacation).

In 2022, those honours go to Robin Wall Kimmerer, scientist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, for her non-fiction work Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plant.

"It's been a runaway hit," said Inness Campbell, manager of collections and technical services at VPL.

Campbell said the audio version is read by Kimmerer and is an "incredible" listen. She also noted that the book was recently adapted into a young adult version by award-winning Indigenous author Monique Gray Smith who is based in Victoria, B.C.

"I would not be a little surprised to see it next year on my young adult list," said Campbell.

Indigenous content is already among the most borrowed teen reads this year, with The Marrow Thieves, Firekeeper's Daughter sitting high at number two and three respectively.

Also charting among young readers is Campbell's recommended read Iron Widow, a futuristic sci-fi book written by Simon Fraser University graduate Xiran Jay Zhao.

"It is book one and there's a book two coming later this year, so I'm very excited about that," said Campbell.

In the number one spot on the young-adult list is A Court of Thorns and Roses, the first book in a fantasy series by Sarah J. Mass. Published in 2015, it was announced last year that the series is being adapted for the screen, to be streamed on Hulu.

And what appears on screen appears to influence what people are reading as well.

In the wake of the blockbuster film adaptation of Dune, Frank Herbert's novel cracked the list.

Authors Liane Moriarty and Sally Rooney also have books among the most borrowed and both have had adaptations of previous works draw big audiences on streaming sites. Moriarty wrote Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, and Rooney is of Normal People fame.

What didn't chart well this year were books about people in office and policymakers.

"We're seeing a bit of a drop-off in political books," said Campbell, noting that only a political mystery novel co-written by Hillary Clinton and Canadian author Louise Penny made the lists.

During a year that included an ongoing pandemic, climate change-related disasters and a general election, maybe Vancouver readers were looking for escapism in 2022.

If that's the case, then the titles below could be your next possible read.

Top 10 borrowed adult books

  1. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
  2. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
  3. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
  4. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
  5. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
  6. Dune by Frank Herbert
  7. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
  8. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  9. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
  10. State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny

Top 10 borrowed young adult books

  1. A Court of Thorns and Roses: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series, Book 1 by Sarah J. Maas
  2. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
  3. Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
  4. Six of Crows: Dregs Series, Book 1 by Leigh Bardugo
  5. Iron Widow: Iron Widow Series, Book 1 by Xiran Jay Zhao
  6. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  7. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) by Suzanne Collins
  8. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
  9. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
  10. Shadow and Bone: The Grisha Trilogy, Book 1 by Leigh Bardugo

Top 10 borrowed children's books

  1. Big Shot: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, Book 16 by Jeff Kinney
  2. The Deep End: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, Book 15 by Jeff Kinney
  3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Harry Potter Series, Book 1 by J. K. Rowling
  4. Wrecking Ball: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, Book 14 by Jeff Kinney
  5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Harry Potter Series, Book 2 by J. K. Rowling
  6. Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories by Jeff Kinney
  7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Harry Potter Series, Book 4 by J. K. Rowling and Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure by Jeff Kinney (tie)
  8. The Meltdown: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, Book 13 by Jeff Kinney
  9. Hard Luck: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, Book 8 by Jeff Kinney
  10. Cabin Fever: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, Book 6 by Jeff Kinney

With files from Courtney Dickson and Tapestry

now

A science fiction book club should include diverse voices, such as traditional, contemporary, and underrepresented demographics, in their selections.

Title:

Content: Stack Overflow: 2022 Reading Resolutions

Books Columns Comic Books Stack Overflow

Happy New Year!

Hope springs eternal, at least when it comes to readers and our books. When we discover new (or new-to-us) titles on social media or through podcasts or simply browsing the shelves in a bookstore, we get all excited about a new experience we’ll get to have … just as soon as we get through that other stack of unfinished books sitting in the corner (or on the nightstand, or covering the floors…).

I like to take a bit of time at the beginning of each new year to stop, take stock of what I’ve been reading for the past year, and jot down some hopes and goals for the new year. Sometimes that’s a number of books I hope to read—yes, that can be an arbitrary measurement, but setting a goal like that is one way to encourage a daily reading habit. Sometimes that’s a particular genre I hope to read more. Or it could be some specific titles that I’ve had on my list, and I’ve decided this is the year I’m finally going to tackle it.

Here, the GeekDad and GeekMom writers share our reading resolutions for 2022—may your year be filled with good books!

Jonathan H. Liu

One of my hopes this year is to stay ahead of my book pile—not just by reading, but also by being more selective about what I keep. I won’t lie: it’s so much fun when publishers send me new books. They’re good at their jobs, too—each book usually comes with a letter from the publicist describing the book in a way that makes me think it’ll be my next favorite book. But I’ve been doing this for over a decade now, and it’s time to admit that I simply can’t read everything I’m sent, let alone books that I pick up myself because I’ve heard about them from somewhere else. (And anyway, if I did somehow magically get through my entire pile, there’s always more on the way.) So I have to be more selective, and be okay with reading a fraction of these books and letting go of the rest.

So how do I decide which ones? Well, I hope to have a mix of books from authors I’ve enjoyed in the past—including continuing some series—and trying out writers that are new to me. I’ve got one shelf of sci-fi from non-American writers (Cuban, Chinese, Southeast Asian, and others) that I’m hoping to explore. I feel like I didn’t really read much middle grade fiction in 2021, but my youngest is now in that age range and so perhaps I can experience some of these books with her. We also still enjoy picture books, but I can see that we may be on the tail end of reading them regularly, so my own coverage has decreased—I should make some passes over the stacks I have and decide what we really want to keep and which we can bear to let go of.

A few specific titles on my list: I just started Noumenon Ultra by Marina J. Lostetter, the third book in a series about far-reaching space travel and evolving humanity. I’m looking forward to City Spies: Forbidden City by James Ponti, continuing a middle grade series about a team of secret agent kids. And I’ve got a copy of Mike Chen’s latest novel, Light Years From Home, which is maybe about alien abductions (but, knowing Mike Chen, it’s really about family). It’s also well past time to dig into these middle grade “Rick Riordan Presents” books written by various authors, inspired by the folklore and legends from their own cultures—they look great, but I just haven’t actually sat down to read them yet.

Mariana Ruiz

Turns out I do have some reading resolutions, beside reading everything under my shelf and on my computer (one can dream).

This year I wanted to emphasize diverse voices in YA, that means more diverse books by different authors from the US and abroad. I am following We Need Diverse Books for that and have started collaborating with World Kid Lit, especially because my main job focuses in Bolivian Children’s and YA literature and there is not a single title yet translated into English!

Representation, reviews and shout-outs for translated/diverse voices is very important, so hopefully I will get to point books to you all in that direction.

Jenny Bristol

Following the pattern of the past two years, I hope and plan to read at least 22 books in 2022. I’m in the middle of a couple of books—Emma by Jane Austen and On Writing Well by William Zinsser—but have many others planned. Maybe this will be the year that I finally read Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut series. And Rory and I can get to Persuasion after we finish Emma. I’d also like to read the third book in Matt Haig’s A Boy Called Christmas series if our library ever gets it, my grandfather’s A Guide to Creative Writing, and perhaps even dive into some of Shannon Hale‘s books that I haven’t read yet. This year will also include some household purging, so I hope to find some books that I’ll be happy to part with once I read them. Maybe some of those will be a part of my final 2022 list. I’m looking forward to all of these reads!

Dakster Sullivan

I’m not sure how many books I should set for 2022 or if I should set a number at all. Numbers are good because they help us see the overall picture but does it really tell us how well we are doing? I mean, I’m having some health issues right now, and honestly, just reading one book in a month feels like an accomplishment. So, this year, I think I’ll take a break from saying I’ll complete X books this year and just be happy with whatever I can do. I’ll continue to track my reading for fun but not because I’m pushing myself to obtain a badge in Goodreads. I will say that I plan to expand past just paperbacks and listen to more books in my car on my drive to work and back. I also plan to carry a book with me everywhere so I always have something to occupy my mind (theme parks included).

Robin Brooks

I feel like I should keep my resolutions modest this year. No grand reading schemes that will fail by the end of January. I hit a nice groove with my reading in the latter half of 2021, so I want to keep on in the same vein. I will endeavor to read 50/50 review books/purchased books. This gives a nice balance between reading the new and exciting and catching up on the countless that I have missed out on.

One resolution that I want to bring into my life more generally, in part so I can find more time to read, is to cut down on my social media use. I find I lose great chunks of time reading what people I broadly agree with are saying about people I vehemently disagree with. It might give me fleeting moments of feeling like I’m “a good guy,” but ultimately it’s exhausting and a waste of time that could be put to better use.

It’s a tricky balance as also I find out about great books and games, and interact with my own gaming community on various platforms. I don’t want to lose all that, but I need to develop some willpower not to read what people are saying about Boris Johnson.

This is not exactly a resolution, maybe a piece of wishful thinking. Towards the end of 2021, I read a review of a book by Nobel prizewinner, Olga Tokarczuk. The Books of Jacob. Described as “The Nobel Prize–winner’s richest, most sweeping and ambitious novel yet follows the comet-like rise and fall of a mysterious, messianic religious leader as he blazes his way across eighteenth-century Europe,” it sounds like the sort of book I would love to read. The review was filled with superlatives, and I’d love to give it a go. It’s also 912 pages.

I love the idea of large books. Deep and immersive. Something to lose yourself in for days on end. In practice, I buy them and they sit on the shelf as I can’t find time to fit them into my reading schedule. Perhaps I should start with something smaller? A resolution, then, to read one book by Olga Tokarczuk.

Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!

The club should follow We Need Diverse Books and World Kid Lit for diverse and translated book recommendations.

Prioritizing representation and reviews of translated books, as well as a mix of familiar and new authors, is essential.

Exploring non-American sci-fi authors and middle grade fiction can provide unique perspectives and benefits for reading with children.

Setting a balance between review and purchased books, and limiting social media, can increase reading time.

Choosing books with diverse cultural backgrounds is crucial for a well-rounded selection.

Including underrepresented demographics and literary science fiction in book club choices can add depth to discussions.

Title:

Content: Sunday Literature ‧ 2021 The Most Awakening Book List (Literature)
Post Date: December 26, 2021
【 Ming Pao Newsletter 】 Fiction
by Sunfai
A variety of Hong Kong in three novels
In the past, I actually read less and less Hong Kong literature, and this year I wanted to distance myself from some words that were too timely to respond to society, and also found that I was getting farther and farther away from the younger generation, so I specially found some young writers' novels to look at, and taste the multiple Hong Kong in different eras and frames.
1) The Love Method of the Overcrowded City
Author: Huang Yi
Publisher: United Literature (September 2021)
Before the winter solstice, I finished Huang Yi ’ s “The Love Method of the Overcrowded City ”.
Each short story is put together with a painting, and the words are light and light because of the power of the picture, so that the reader has the possibility of multiple reading.
Whether it is heterosexual love, homosexual love, complex entanglement of love, the author wrote so naturally, but as a reader of my psychological reaction turned out to be so twisted.
The novel was written in the past two or three years, the dark shadow of the era is like a shadow, but it does not reduce the warmth of the heart, love, the breath of youth so that people still have a little space in the oppression.
2) Single Bed
Author: Jiajun
Publisher: Mishan Bookstore (2021)
Because of the promotion of "Sunday Literature", I read the first book by Mishan Bookstore, "Single Bed", and was surprised at the resilience of the younger generation.
In the book, Jiajun writes about Beijing, Xinjiang, Mongolia, South America and other places, but Hong Kong is always a lingering theme.
Central white-collar life is certainly not easy, but occasionally open anal, bladder jokes, the meaning of life still has to rely on their own to find.
As in the case of the righteous, there is a life of lawlessness, a life of lawlessness.
3) Nan Hui Truck: A Collection of Short Stories from New Territories West
Author: Wang Zen-heng
Publisher: Postscript Studio (January 2021)
But the most profound, or after the vernal equinox read "Nan Hui truck: New Territories West short story collection".
The workers in the northwest New Territories under Wang Zen-heng ’ s pen, the crane workers, the massage girls, the unmarried women from the Mainland who came to Hong Kong, the border youths, and the low-level agents of the anti-triad unit, are not the groups I have come into frequent contact with in my life, but I know that they are the background of this society.
The black sand beach of Lung Kwu Tan, the disorderly walk on Castle Peak Road, the village entrance of Siu Lam Tsuen, and the unquenchable smoke head of the ground of the rear hill breaking down the primary school are obviously not the schizophrenic construction of "Illusion Love", but in fact, they are the cruel reality of the nightmare that impels Yuen Tin and even our city.
I am 30 years old and 40 years old, I am particularly taught by the post-90s generation this year, whether it is music, YouTube Channel, or the creators of novels.
This year has not been easy, and the road ahead is even more difficult. I just hope that you will continue to work hard and unleash more power than you can imagine.
Science fiction
Man TANG Ching-kin
The Crossing between Science Fiction and Pure Literature
If science fiction is still regarded as genre literature today, it would be too light on science fiction.
Now pure literature writers are happy to take science fiction as the topic, and actively explore the pursuit of literature with science fiction; on the other hand, many authors who are regarded as science fiction writers have gradually pushed "science fiction" to a new position beyond traditional types of literature.
If possible, I would prefer to use "Watsuki" to understand the relationship between science fiction and pure literature.
1) Clara and the Sun
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Translator: Lin Hongtao
Publisher: Shang Zhou (March 2021)
Nobel Prize winner Ishiguro Ishiguro has written many works with science fiction elements, but the literary laurels make him incompatible with the label of "science fiction writer".
But as soon as you start reading his words, you will immediately understand what I mean by "Watanabe".
Klara and the Sun is a bittersweet grown-up novel about Clara ’ s feelings and introspection as she grows up — the only thing special is that Clara is a robot made to be a companion to human children.
The novel uses a robot as a first-person narrative, so the novel not only responds to the growing fiction tradition in the history of literature, but also transcends it: how did the robot human spirit grow? How did Clara's knowledge of self and love get excavated under the pen of the novelist?
Ishiguro Ishiguro is one of the few writers to write gently and deeply about science fiction, and this new work after the Nobel Prize has not disappointed.
2) Zero Separation
Author: Imah
Publisher: Maitian (May 2021)
However, this kind of "crossing" is not limited to the topic of the novel.
In Taiwan, for example, a group of Mesozoic novelists even regarded it as a basic narrative skill, and science fiction has become a common material for them to practice narrative skills.
This year, I was particularly interested in the new book Zero Separation.
Since "The Dreamer", Yi has explained to the Chinese speaking world that he has the ability to lead Chinese novels to a new territory of "science fiction - (pure) literature".
The complexity of the narrative of the novel lies in the fact that he takes on the universe of The Dreamer and at the same time inserts various fictional "subtexts" such as preface, postscript, and dialogue to contain a future world written by a future author.
3) "Transit: 15 Trans Dimensional Travels by Le Guin"
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Translator: Yan Yun
Publisher: Trojan Horse Culture (August 2021)
Finally, I have to recommend a science fiction writer in the strict sense.
Her "six songs of earth and sea" has long been a science fiction type of classic.
This year, Taiwan translated her short story series, “Changing Planes, ” a series of stories about moving through different dimensions.
Under Le Guin ’ s pen, science fiction stories are written as ethnography, spreading the magnificent and mixed heterogeneous universe.
Literary readers with a clear heart can also read a kind of intertextuality: the novel refers to many literary names, such as Bochs, Calvino, and Dostoyevsky.
As I read, I twirled between the “sci-fi universe ” and the“ literary dimension. ”
This is the experience of reading contemporary "science fiction - (pure) literature".
prose
Mann Chan Yen-kai
1) Copy the "Unfathomable": "Drifting Clouds"
Author: Li Rikang
Publisher: Postscript Studio (January 2021)
Those frightened, harsh eyes were staring at me.
He is forcibly taken away by a dog squad with a dog pen, or has become a dish on someone else ’ s table.
It was the black dog that accompanied me through my childhood.
It turns out that "a lot" is also the case, which may be the fate of rural dogs.
Li Ri Kang ’ s “Leaving the Clouds ” also revealed the scars of my childhood.
The author says this book is about misinformation.
While studying in Kyoto, he enjoyed Japanese aesthetics, but also encountered natural disasters.
In the summer of 2018, I was editing a collection of student essays, and I soon received an article entitled “A Journey to Kyoto ” from Li Rikang.
The article explains the various aspects of visiting students, and carefully explains the experience of copying ancient books in college.
A year later, someone is determined to open the Pandora box, and the result is “unexpected ”.
Later, people experienced "grief, sigh, destruction, mystery, fear, determination, and dreams."
There is also a "mishap" to be written.
Man Hsu Ti-chung
Guarded by Dragons: Encounters with Rare Books and Rare People
Written by Rick Gekoski
Publisher: Constable (August 2021)
When Gekoski was a student, he sold a set of Shakespeare and made his first pot of gold, which led him to start his gold business by trading old books.
His original occupation was a professor of English at Warwick University, and he probably taught Tao Jie. Obviously, being a rare bookseller is much more fun than teaching.
The subtitle of this book, "The Best Book and the Best People", can also be used in the previous similar work, Tolkien's Gown (American version of Nabokov's Butterfly), both to write books, and more importantly to write people, these people, mostly famous writers, Gekoski help them sell books, or Their book heritage, written about their great personalities and behaviors.
So the bookseller can not be offended, otherwise he will explode your dark side - rest assured, after you pass.
3) "Geng Zi Hai Wu Xu"
Author: Yeh Han-liang
Publisher: OUP (April 2021)
Yeh Han-liang is now widely known as a martial artist. When he knew his name, he was a musician and a broadcaster.
When I bought this book, I wanted to see if he was teaching people how to spend years and fortune telling.
If so, you might end up putting the book down.
There is only a small amount of talk in the book, and because of the circumstances, it is not selling cucumbers.
And Ye Han-liang is the same generation, he talks about the old life, I can most of the experience, feel the same.
The words in the book are quite beautiful - a little higher than fluency, Li is the meaning of sprinkling.
He studied foreign languages at university, but has long paid attention to "national history", and academic numbers, had to understand Chinese classics, the pen quotes the ancients, pure and natural, will not give people the feeling of dropping a book bag. Geng Zi, that is, 2020, 2019, 2018, is the eventful autumn of Hong Kong, the article is more lyrical than emotional (in fact, it is absolutely not), it is not only political, it is more everyday.
4) 《 Love Bookstore 》
Author: Yosuke Ikouchi
Publisher: Small Bookstore Small Case Publishing (July 2021)
The coronavirus epidemic has dealt a heavy and even fatal blow to various industries, and the book industry naturally bears the brunt of it, with fewer people taking to the streets. But according to the author of the book, some booksellers have turned to selling books online, and their business has been ahead of the curve.
Another interesting phenomenon is the addition of a number of independent bookstores and independent publishing houses in that year alone (2020).
I found that this is also the case in Hong Kong, in addition to bookstores and publishing houses, as well as magazines, it is because of curiosity that we have to see what is happening in the Japanese book industry.
The author visited 10 independent bookstores in Japan and their founders, and his list is said to be as long as 40.
These bookstores have their own characteristics, but they generally have one thing in common, which is that they often host lectures and events, and even publish.
In Hong Kong, some bookstores offer paid lectures, classes, and even become a major source of income.
The author is Japanese, understands Chinese, and the book is written in Chinese, so there is no translator.
Man Lee King-heng
I ’ m not a fan of new books, but I ’ ve recently read a couple of memorable books that happened to be published in 2021.
5 ） 《 Shop Life 》
Author: Huang Guoxuan, Zheng Junhan
Publisher: Extraordinary (March 2021)
I rarely read the prose, but this collection of essays calls me unrelenting.
The article in the book depicts the daily life of the bookstore, but in the clever arrangement, the whole book structure is complete and unified, the content is comprehensive, and thought-provoking.
The story begins with two people entering the bookstore and ends with a review of everyone ’ s departure.
The author briefly and warmly outlines the daily work of the bookstore — ordering, unpacking, putting on shelves, stocking, packing, book fairs, and even dealing with rat plague floods, as well as the fate and interests of bosses, colleagues, guests, publishers, authors, book club owners, and even porters.
The book permeates the author's ideal mission and realistic management of books, reading, bookstores, and even social life care and reflection.
Reading this book about books and bookstores made me feel the texture and temperature of the book.
6) Running to the Night: A Collection of YOASOBI Novels
Author: Hoshino Dance Night, Ishigaki Aota, Ishigaki no, Underwater Wave
Translator: Chen Fanfan
Publisher: Cutting-Edge (May 2021)
I like books and I also like music.
This “musical novel ” project, which combines music and literature, is very special: the record company first released the draft under the premise that the winning works will be adapted into songs, and the Japanese duo YOASOBI wrote and interpreted the lyrics based on the winning works. YOASOBI is good at subtly composing melodies of melancholy and melancholy, and subtly composing melodies through the contrast of form and content. It is a simple but complex rhyme.
This book contains four original novels adapted by YOASOBI as songs on the album THE BOOK, including young people ’ s feelings and reflections on death, fate, love, and the end.
Hoshino Dance Night ’ s “The Temptation of Sonatos / Dissolve in the Night Sky ” is a story about death in an ingenious and one-of-a-kind way, and the song“ Run to the Night ” has been downloaded over 100 million times.
But I prefer - whether it is a song or a novel - "Maybe", like it to capture the sadness and helplessness left by a couple after their love fades with a precise but understated brush stroke.
7) Becoming Simonova
Author: Kate Kirkpatrick
Translator: Zhang Wei
Publisher: Acropolis (June 2021)
Simompova is a legendary woman: an open relationship with Saudi Arabia; an existentialist following Saudi Arabia; a world-renowned feminist. It is absolutely amazing to read this more than 500 pages of Being Simompova with these impressions.
Based on the letters and diaries published after Bova ’ s death, the author presents one of the most three-dimensional complex Simone Bova has ever seen.
Rather than being the perfect embodiment of ideal love, Bova and Saudi Arabia are more like partners on the intellectual road.
In fact, she is much more passionate about other heterosexual and same-sex relationships, and has been deeply hurt by Saudi Arabia ’ s popularity and coldness.
Academically, Bova ’ s ability to argue is higher than Saudi Arabia ’ s, forming ideas about existence and nothingness earlier, and even developing a set of existential ethics on her own.
She was dissatisfied with the feminists of the time, and wrote "Second Sex" originally only to organize their own growth experience, but unexpectedly became the most influential feminist.
Finally, I have to mention that the foreword of this book is very wonderful, and even if she is not a Bova fan, she will certainly feel endless fun.
WEN YARAN
(8) The Complete Seventies.
Author: 7th Grade
Publisher: Imprint (December 2020)
A full set of 13 books, with novels, poems and essays, published in December 2020, should not be excessive if it is included in the 2021 awakening book list.
I have not read the seventh grade before, it is after his death in 2020, the printing and publishing of this set of complete began to read.
The words of the seventh class are really powerful, like one of his masterpieces, the short story "I Love Black Eyes", is pouring rain, pedestrians scramble to climb the ladder to the roof of the house to avoid flooding, he wrote: "He has never hated human beings as much as at this moment. The goal of the project."
The words of the seventh class, I would say, have a unique dark atmosphere, and when asked where this atmosphere came from, the prologue in the second book of the Complete Collection provides an answer: that is, "the characteristics of the rhythm of the text."
In the words of the seventh class, the rhythm is different from other, there is "the breath of life, the beating of the blood."
You will understand when you read.
9) The past is not as good as smoking.
Author: Zhang and
Publisher: OUP (September 2021)
When you see the author ’ s name, you know it ’ s a must read book.
The six characters in the book, like the first book published in 2004, are the stories of the upper echelons of Chinese society and the last aristocrats, all of whom have been talking to the author's father, Zhang Bojun, for many years.
In China before and after World War II, as well as resisting foreign enemies, the elites of these countries wandered between the two parties, and in their lives, there were questions about where the country should go and what role they should play and what role they should play.
There are dramatists like Hong Shen, who was once a member of the Kuomintang, and later hoped to be recognized as a communist after his death; there are also political figures like Zuo Shunsheng, who was once the secretary general of the NLD, an important figure of the third force outside the KMT, and was the object of Mao Zedong's active recruitment.
It was only after 1949 that he did not go to Beijing and did not go to Taiwan, choosing to settle in Hong Kong and continue to discuss politics as a scholar.
Under the political storm, there are at least six examples of what people can choose and how they should choose.
"The Anatomy of Melancholy"
Author by: Robert Burton
Publisher: Penguin Classics (July 2021)
The Chinese translation "Anatomy of Depression", first published in 1621, and finally revised after the author's death in 1651. In 2021, the Penguin Classic reprinted this monumental work in hardcover.
This year, there is such a book on the pillow, there will be a calming effect. More than 1,300 pages, talking about what depression is, was written by Robert Burton in Oxford.
The book is very thick, but in addition to the opening preface, there is actually no need to read from scratch, find the chapter that interests you, that is, a specific depression that troubles you, or what kind of curiosity you are about depression, like the root of love depression, or why we are angry or afraid, the author as early as the 17th century, has the answer.
Wen Yi-jen
11) The Mayfly of the Great Age
Author: Shao Songxiong
Publisher: Mishan Bookstore (December 2021)
Shao Chung-hsiung studied in the 1980s, and has a wide range of knowledge and interests in the humanities. In the past, Oxford published only three collections of essays on music: Black and White, The Joy of Music, and The Twilight of the Gods.
"The Mayfly of the Great Age" just compiled his column articles written in the last years of the Apple Daily, from memoirs of the pioneers he encountered during his school years, to talk about Hong Kong popular culture such as movies or TV dramas, from family education to learning boxing and cooking, etc., and chatter and talk, and let the reader savor the image of the last student.
The book is divided into six parts by content: floating life, religious views, teaching, world style, humanities and film arts.
Shao Songxiong ’ s words do not have beautiful words, on the contrary, he sincerely shares his experience and insights with readers in a solid text, which is a long example of scholarly prose in the classical humanistic tradition.
"The Soul of the Old."
Author: Guo Ting
Publisher: Maitian (July 2021)
What are old things? Why are old things important? Guo Ting, who grew up with the elderly in Shanghai, seems to have a firm belief in old things.
From the old things, she saw people who had lived and died in a single line of time and did not return, leaving behind a chance to reconnect with the lost time.
While studying in the UK, she found that the society has been relatively stable for hundreds of years, and its charity shop has left a large number of intact old things, from fashion to porcelain, from books to vinyl records, and even home furnishings. Guo Ting will be her rich knowledge and passion for charity shops, second-hand shops, and old bookstores, focusing on the soul of old things. It is written in a very detailed manner, and it is written in a poetic manner.
How did the sad days pass?
Author: Huang Shu-han
Painting: LAI En-tsi
Photographer: Ruan Chi Him
Publisher: Shi Ching Culture (November 2021)
After two turbulent years, many Hong Kong people re-examine the past life and find the shadow of the past life. Huang Han-sook's "How to Live the Sad Days" recorded some of her own experiences and thoughts in the past few years: as a person in the education system, a witness of my city's aging, a patient, how should she view the city people's evasion of negative things?
In search of the whole, she listens to other people ’ s stories; in search of answers, she reads classic literary novels.
The book contains not only her simple words, but also the paintings of theater director Ryan Enci and the street scenes photographed by Ruan Zhiqian, which show a more three-dimensional look of sadness.
Poetry collections
Mann Chan Tzu-him
1) Save me with her little tongue.
Author: Cao Shuying
Publisher: Black Eyes Culture (June 2021)
Cao Shuying is good at short poetry and rapid segmentation, full of improvised fun, you can never guess where it will turn, how to stop.
This book is published in Taiwan, but it is full of memories of Hong Kong. At least four and a half of the seven chapters refer to this place: Hong Kong, Tai Yu Shan, Night Kowloon, Heart Lake City, Green Island.
Some poems seem to have no local memory, and the author still does not forget the point at the end of the poem, which shows deep feelings.
On the other hand, poetry does not always flow into reality, but can also plunge into the mind.
Also written in Taikoo, Cao Shuying ’ s “In Taikoo ” does not outline the landscape and concentrate history like the“ Taikoo ” of Ru Ming, but says that those “women like robots ” and“ men like silk ”, “should not walk in King ’ s Road, Jusco, Percy ’ s Restaurant, / They should walk in Rome, Prague, Brooklyn. ” A mysterious rope is drawn.
How far can poetry go from life?
2) "Simboska. Collage of Life"
Author: Alice Milani
Translator: Lin Wei-yun
Publisher: BIG CULTURE (July 2021)
Simboska is very popular in the Chinese world, and there are many translations of poetry, but no biographies in Chinese have been seen so far.
Based on biographies, interviews and other materials, the graphic novel "Simboska. Collage of Life" is a virtual reality, which not only presents the poet's life turning point, changes in literature and political beliefs, but also infuses imagination with fun.
Poets love to collage images, and so does this book, which uses crisp splicing to connect different time and space.
When it quotes poetry, it often does not restore the writing background like a biography, but deliberately mismatches the poetry to another time and space, and uses it to interpret the poet's psychology and arouse the reader's imagination.
Simboska is known for his humor, and the book is just as humorous, and even the dullest thank-you note makes me laugh: “Finally, I want to thank my unparalleled manager, Alexandra Sparta. ”
He has my love and 70% of my income. "
The Rose Is Open for No Reason: 40 Paths Approaching Modern Poetry
Author: Liao Wei-tang
Publisher: New Classical Culture (May 2021)
Roses bloom, there is no need for reasons, but when the city people can not feel the poetry, who will give them the reason to read poetry, or temptation? "Roses are open for no reason - approaching the 40 paths of modern poetry" does not intend to generalize all poetry issues, prefer to give the right medicine, and respond to the public's questions: Is modern poetry and classical poetry incompatible?
Is there no musicality without rhyming? Why branch?
Therefore, this book does not look like a hard textbook, but a dialogue with a living person.
There are 40 chapters in the book, each with two or three poems carefully read to explore a poetry topic. It is obvious that Liao Wai-tong does not first have concepts and then find examples, but first draws inspiration from poetry reading and then distills concepts.
Therefore, the discussion of the topic in the book may not be complete, but the appreciation is always written brilliantly, as tempting as poetry.
Art • Liu Ruoji
Editor • Kwan Hsiao-yang
Email • literature @ mingpao.com
fb: http: / / www.facebook.com / SundayMingpao

Reading diverse authors and unique narrative structures can enhance the book club experience.

The club should prioritize thought-provoking books from underrepresented regions, such as Hong Kong.

Selecting books with strong female protagonists and genre-bending works can contribute to a balanced selection.

Novels like The Atmospherians and Detransition, Baby can spark discussions on influencer culture and gender identity.

Title:

Content: Lists

The 20 Best Book Club Books For 2021

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Whether you’re back meeting in person or still catching up with your book club on Zoom, book clubs haven’t slowed down in 2021. I myself have joined a few new ones in the past year. There’s something so satisfying about connecting with other people about books. Whether you loved the book or hated the book, after you read a book, it’s nice to get to talk about it.

2021 has been a good year for book clubs, which means 2021 has been a good year for book club books. So much of the world seems out of our control, and it’s been comforting to escape into a good book and connect with friends about it. If your book club is looking for new books from this year to read and discuss, there are so many great options from this year.

This list includes 20 books that are perfect for book club discussions. They’re compelling and fun to read, so you won’t have any problem getting through them before your next club meeting. These books also packed with plenty of topics worth talking about, whether it’s the wild plot twists, the heart-warming relationships, or the thought-provoking themes the story brings up. The books on this list span several genres, so your club will have something fun to read no matter what genre they prefer. And because 2021 has been such a stressful year, a lot of books on this list are uplifting, feel-good novels that promise an escape from whatever’s troubling you in the real world.

So grab your book friends and get ready to read!

The Best Book Club Books 2021

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

Looking for a good mystery/thriller for your book club that examines American suburbia? Give Sarah Langan’s Good Neighbors a try. Maple Street in suburban Long Island seems like the perfect place to raise a family. Then the Wilde family moves into the neighborhood. The father Arlo is a washed up rockstar, the mother Gertie dresses provocatively, and their kids are rough around the edges too. Not the type of the family the people of Maple Street are used to welcoming into their community. Unsurprisingly, the Wildes quickly become outcasts, and when the most popular family in the neighborhood throw accusations against the Wildes, tensions mount to shockingly high levels.

What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

What’s Mine and Yours is a historical literary fiction novel that’s sure to bring up a lot of interesting discussions at your next book club meeting. When a county in North Carolina moves to integrate its high schools, the community is outraged. Then two high school students — Gee and Noelle — join a school play meant to bridge the divide between the students at the school. Gee and Noelle both find themselves right in the middle of the integration debate in ways that will affect their lives and their families for the next 20 years.

The Atmospherians by Alex McElroy

The Atmospherians is a dark, satirical literary novel that examines contemporary influencer culture and gender roles. Sasha Marcus’s social media career tanks after an unfortunate run-in with a media troll. Now there are men’s rights activists protesting outside of her house, and she feels like she’s hit rock bottom. That’s when she and her best friend Dyson hatch up a plan: The Atmosphere. The Atmosphere is a rehabilitation community for men who have lost everything: their family, their jobs, their self-respect. Seems like a great idea, right? What could possibly go wrong?

The Upstairs House by Julia Fine

The Upstairs House is perfect for your book club if you love discussing books that leave you all asking yourselves “What the heck did we just read?” This book is a strange, eery literary novel with touches of surrealism and horror. It’s the story of Megan, a woman who is raising her newborn baby alone while her husband travels for work. She’s exhausted, drained, and fairly certain the ghost of Margaret Wise Brown and her lover Michael Strange are living upstairs. Will these ghosts help her care for her baby and pull her life together? Or will they do the opposite and tear her life apart?

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

Of Women and Salt is a sweeping debut literary novel about family legacies and difficult choices mothers sometimes have to make to do what they think is best for their children. Jeanette is living in Miami and battling addiction. She’s the daughter of a Cuban immigrant and she’s determined to learn more about her family’s past. And so she travels to Cuba to see her grandmother in the hopes of learning more about her family. But her trip threatens to reveal secrets that could change everything.

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

Beautiful World, Where Are You is the latest novel from New York Times best-selling author Sally Rooney, and it’s been getting a lot of well-deserved buzz. This is the story of Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon, four friends whose lives are complicatedly intertwined. Follow their stories as they fall in love with each other, desire each other, get together, break up, fall back into one another, and more. If you love beautifully rendered characters who are complex and maybe not entirely likable, then Sally Rooney’s books (especially her latest) will really work for you.

Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce

Wild Women and the Blues is a beautifully written and well-researched historical fiction novel set in Jazz-age Chicago. Dreamland Café is a ritzy club where Honoree Dalcour dances every night, looking to find a path to a better life for herself. But how much is she willing to risk to get ahead? Ninety years later, in 2015, film student Sawyer Hayes seeks out a 110-year-old Honoree. He’s looking for the missing pieces to his research about legendary filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, but the information Sawyer gets from Honoree is completely surprising.

All’s Well by Mona Awad

After the wild ride that was Bunny, author Mona Awad’s novel All’s Well was highly anticipated, and readers knew they would be in for surprises. Awad’s latest novel does not disappoint. Miranda Fitch is a college theater director whose life is falling apart. Her acting career was ruined after a terrible accident. Her marriage has fallen apart. All Miranda wants now is to direct All’s Well That Ends Well, but her students don’t respect her, and they refuse to do the play. Then Miranda meets three strangers, and suddenly her luck changes.

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

If your book club is looking for an uplifting, feel-good book club book to get you through 2021, Happily Ever Afters is it. This young adult novel follows 16-year-old Tessa Johnson. She’s never seen herself reflected in the romance novels she’s read, and so she began to write her own. Now, she’s landed herself in a prestigious creative writing program. She’s so excited to finally share her stories with the world, but when she sits down to write, she finds she has some major writer’s block. Maybe a little real-life inspiration is all she needs to spark her creativity.

Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi

Helen Oyeyemi’s novels are always a little bit magical and strange, which should give your book club plenty to talk about. Otto and Xavier Shin are in love, and they’ve been gifted a trip on a sleeper train to celebrate their new commitment to one another. And so they embark on an adventure together, accompanied by their pet mongoose. But Otto and Xavier soon realize this is no ordinary train. Everything aboard seems especially catered to their needs and tastes. And where are all the other passengers?

The Tiger Mom’s Tale by Lyn Liao Butler

With The Tiger Mom’s Tale, you get emotional story of complicated family relationships that’s also ultimately uplifting. When American Lexa Thomas inherits the wealth of her Taiwanese family, she travels to Taiwan to confront the family in which she’s always felt like an outsider, and to face the truths that she tried to leave behind. Lexa’s trip to Taiwan leads her to explore her connections to her family and the realities of who she truly is. This heartwarming story should give book clubs plenty of material to discuss, laugh about, and cry about.

The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam

For your 2021 book club, what novel could be more appropriate than a novel about startup tech companies? The Startup Wife is the story of Asha and Cyrus, two newlyweds who together start a tech incubator called Utopia. Their social media platform soon becomes wildly popular, replacing religious rituals for many of its users. Now Cyrus is being treated like a messiah, and Asha’s unsure their relationship can survive.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

The Other Black Girl has been a really popular book club pick for 2021, and when you read it, you’ll see why. This novel is impossible to put down, but it also examines complicated issues of racism and microaggressions in the workplace. Editorial assistant Nella Rogers is the only Black employee at Wagner Books, and she’s sick of it. So when Hazel starts working for the publishing company, at first Nella is certain she’s found a new ally. The reality, however, is much more complicated.

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Another topic that’s impossible to ignore in 2021: climate change. Charlotte McConaghy’s Once There Were Wolves is a meditation on climate change while also being an engaging story, which makes it perfect for timely discussions an enjoyable reading (so perfect for your book club). Inti Flynn is leading a team of biologists in the Scottish Highlands. Their mission is to reintroduce 14 grey wolves into the environment. Just as the wolves begin to thrive, a farmer is found dead, and everyone blames the wolves. Inti refuses to believe her wolves are capable of such a thing. But if they didn’t do it, who did?

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Cloud Cuckoo Land is another novel that’s been getting a lot of buzz this year. Readers couldn’t wait to see what Anthony Doerr was going to do after his beloved novel All The Light We Cannot See. So if your book club likes to stay up on all the buzziest books of the year, you need to pick up this one. This novel is a mixture of historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy, and follows five characters’ stories in different places in the world in in different periods of time, from Constantinople in the 15th century to outer space decades into the future.

Fault Lines by Emily Itami

Fault Lines is a love story set in Japan that’s compared to the works of Sally Rooney (who is also on this list!) and Helen Fielding. Mizuki is a Japanese housewife who seemingly has the perfect life, and yet she can’t help but wonder how her life could have been different — and perhaps more exciting — if she’d made different choices. Then she meets Kiyoshi, a successful restaurateur. And through her time spent with him, she rediscovers her passion for life. The more time she spends with Kiyoshi, the more she falls for him and the person she is when she’s with him. But this can’t go on forever. Ultimately she must choose the comfortable life with the family she loves, the romance and electricity of something new.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Klara and the Sun is author Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. The story is told from the eyes of Klara, and artificial friend who learns about the world from watching people from her store window. Then one day someone finally comes to take Klara home and make her part of the family. But Klara is warned to not trust the promises of humans. Ishiguro’s literary sci-fi novel brings up environmental issues, concepts of religion, questions about what it means to be human, and much more. Perfect for a book club discussion.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

Torrey Peters’s Detransition Baby is one of the most talked about books of 2021, which means it’s perfect for your book club. This novel follows the story of three women — transgender and cisgender — whose lives come together in unexpected ways when they attempt to raise a child together. Detransition, Baby explores gender identity, motherhood, relationships, and more through thoughtfully rendered characters who feel incredibly real.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Are you looking for a fun, lighthearted sapphic romance with a huge dose of time travel? After hearing that sentence, are you realizing this this the storyline you didn’t know you needed? August is a cynical twentysomething New Yorker who doesn’t believe in love. Then she sees Jane on the train. Jane is gorgeous, charming, mysterious, and she looks like she came from the 1970s with her leather jacket and punk rock style. Then August finds out that Jane is actually from the 1970s, displaced in time, and her subway romance becomes a whole lot more complicated. This is a warmhearted and unique romance story that your book club will love talking about.

Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian

Gold Diggers is a coming-of-age story with a big pinch of magical realism, humor, and heart. Neil Narayan is a second generation Indian American teenager growing up during the Bush era in the Atlanta suburbs. Neil’s parents want him to be successful, but all he really wants is Anita Dayal, the girl of his dreams who lives across the cul-de-sac. Then Neil discovers Anita is brewing a magical potion out of stolen gold that harnesses the ambition of the person who owned the gold. And Neil’s life is changed forever.

If you’re looking for more guidance for getting your book club going, we’ve got some suggestions for you! Have the books you want to read but don’t have club to read them with just yet? Here’s your guide to starting your own book club. Also! Here are some ideas for book club discussion questions to get the conversation going. And if you’d rather just keep things online for now, here are some of the best online book clubs you can join right now. Happy reading, and happy chatting it up with your book club friends!

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Novels like Once There Were Wolves and authors like Sally Rooney address climate change and contemporary voices.

The book selections should include underrepresented demographics like Cuban and Taiwanese communities.

The science fiction genre has evolved over time, incorporating a wider range of voices and perspectives beyond its earlier influences.

What is considered a major breakthrough in science fiction publication?

Women authors and people of color, like the authors of Frankenstein and Binti, have significantly impacted the science fiction genre.

What is considered a major breakthrough in science fiction publication?

What is considered the first true science fiction novel of the modern era, which foreshadowed genetic tinkering?

Who wrote "Binti," a Hugo-award-winning African futuristic science fiction horror story?

The genre includes sub-genres like cli-fi and cyberpunk, which focus on climate change and technology's intersection with humanity.

Title:

Content: Politics Foreign Affairs Culture

Catastrophic Cold

A new climate fiction novel brings critiques of climate hysteria to another audience.

(Photo by LARS HAGBERG/AFP via Getty Images)

Winter Games, by Daniel Church, New Wave Books, 248 pages.

How cold does it have to be for someone to freeze to death?

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Apparently, not very cold at all. If by “freeze to death,” you mean hypothermia resulting in one’s heart shutting down, the answer is 59 degrees Fahrenheit—provided there is a light breeze, and one isn’t bundled up for a winter storm.

This factoid comes from the opening pages of an odd new novel, Winter Games, by an anonymous American academic writing under the pseudonym Daniel Church. This Mr. Church is not to be confused with the well-known British horror writer of the same name. Perhaps the author of Winter Games was paying tribute to his namesake, the author of The Hollows. In that novel, a village is trapped in a prolonged snowstorm and some characters die of hypothermia. The Brit’s novel, however, is a supernatural thriller, while our American writer has his crampons firmly planted in the glacier of scientific fact.

Winter Games belongs to a sub-genre of science fiction that fans call “cli-fi”—climate fiction. In its most familiar form, cli-fi conjures the results of run-away global warming. But Church’s book entertains a contrary view: that the great danger that faces humanity in our decade is climate hysteria. The readiness of vast numbers of Europeans and Americans to believe in the imminent danger of global warming, says Whit Thorgason, the protagonist of Winter Games, is causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people by hypothermia. How so?

If we check what the fictional Thorgason says against the record of what has happened in England since the British government began its all-out assault on fossil fuels, we find, “an average of 9,700 deaths each year are believed to be caused by living in a cold house, according to research by National Energy Action and the environmental group E3G.” The numbers vary according to the source, but not the general picture. A study in Lancet Planetary Health in 2022 found that, each year in England and Wales, about 800 people die of excess heat, but about 60,500 die of excess cold.

The pseudonymous Church has constructed a bit of science non-fiction fiction out of such numbers. He pictures the United States in 2028, by which time the “climatists” have achieved unquestioned domination of the news media, government, industry, all levels of education, the organs of scientific research, and, of course, popular opinion. This is hardly any extrapolation from 2023, but in Church’s imagined 2028, a lonely band of physical scientists operating in secret reject the great “climate consensus.” Most of them dare not speak lest they forfeit their careers and endanger their families, but a few choose to defy the iron hand of conformity.

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These are scientists who work in such fields as volcanology, geology, glaciers, and ocean currents. They have detailed understanding of how the earth’s climate is actually changing and how it has changed continually over eons past. In their view, humanity is flourishing during the temperate inter-glacial period that commenced some 10,000 years ago. And mankind has benefited especially in the last several centuries from our capacity to generate cheap and abundant energy.

Fossil fuels have, among other things, allowed us to thrive at temperatures that could easily kill us. The increase in the percentage of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere resulting from our burning fossil fuels, they say, may have increased Earth’s temperature ever so slightly, but by an increment too small to measure in any meaningful way. The “evidence” in the form of dramatic events—the melting of ice caps, the rise of oceans, the increase in catastrophic storms and droughts—is illusory. It comes from manipulation of the actual record and efforts to play upon the psychological susceptibility of the public to scary stories.

Those of us who already consider ourselves skeptics of the so-called “climate consensus” will see nothing very science-fictiony about Church’s story set-up. He has simply taken the basic realities of our rocky, watery, wind-swept, and sun-drenched world and dressed them in the guise of a potboiler. No doubt he hopes this will go down more easily than just laying out the facts.

Others have attempted the path of setting out lucid summaries of the science that contradicts the main climate consensus narrative. In fact, there is no shortage of these. High up on anyone’s list would be Steven Koonin’s Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters (2021). Koonin was Obama’s undersecretary for science in the Department of Energy. A highly regarded physicist, he simply reached a breaking point when the story he was expected to sell had diverged so far from the scientific record that he couldn’t take it anymore. Unsettled ought to have unsettled the global warming fantasies of millions of Americans—and Europeans for that matter—but it is hard to see that it had much effect.

The stalwart Rupert Darwell is a British writer who has spent a decade writing sophisticated and eloquent works such as The Age of Global Warming: A History (2014) and Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex (2017). Darwell’s forte is showing how the climate change movement emerged out of progressive politics as early as the 1970s.

Darwell is a conservative, but his concern about the twisting of environmental claims to advance left-wing politics gets amplified by the activist Michael Shellenberger, who was a Democratic candidate for governor of California in 2018. Shellenberger’s Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All (2020) offers the insight, as he puts it in one chapter head, that the contemporary movement is “destroying the environment to save it.”

Danish “skeptical environmentalist,” Bjorn Lomborg, is perhaps the most famous advocate of a cost-benefit assessment of global warming claims. His most recent book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet (2021) gives full cry to the need to address the world’s social problems, which he argues are only exacerbated by the war on fossil fuels.

Having gone this far down the path of mentioning non-fiction works that aim at the sort of refutation that Church puts in the mouth of his protagonist let me acknowledge that I have merely picked out five of several dozen such books that I have shelved next to the tract that Rachelle Peterson and I published in 2015, Sustainability: Higher Education’s New Fundamentalism. Some of the other works are argued with vehemence, some with sweet reason, some tersely, and a few with prolixity. Michael Hart’s Hubris: The Troubling Science, Economics, and Politics of Climate Change (2015) achieved an unsurpassed depth for its time, but it would take most readers another Ice Age to work through its nearly 600 pages of fine-toothed argument. At the other end of the scale is Stephen Einhorn’s Climate Change: What They Rarely Teach in College (2023), which is scientifically literate and reliable, but happily succinct and aimed at the general reader.

With so many plain factual critiques of climate catastrophism available, why did our pseudonymous Church resort to cli-fi? Plainly he hopes to reach an audience that Koonin, Darwell, Shellenberger, Lomberg, Hart, Einhorn, et al. didn’t or haven’t reached yet. But Church is plainly not a science fiction writer who just happened to hit on a likely theme. Winter Games shows little sign of having been penned by a sci-fi regular. Rather its author is a scientist who knows his way around volcanos, glaciers, American universities, international science conferences, and the often-vicious attempts to cancel academics who dissent from the “official” positions of their departments.

I have no idea who “Daniel Church” really is, but he is plainly an insider at a very high level of his discipline. And he is an insider who has decided that the only way he can get his message to a broader audience is to resort to a novel.

As a novelist Church lacks any hint of subtlety. The male protagonists are dashing and brave. The women are all smart and beautiful. The heroes all have tragic backstories. Characters make improbable decisions. They become incredibly lucky at opportune moments. Television news is the catspaw of millionaire manipulators and the news folk themselves are the embodiment of prideful ignorance, but at the necessary moment they discover a capacity to listen to reason. The book ends suddenly with an optimism that belies everything that came before.

Those are all good reasons not to mistake Winter Games for literature. But it is nonetheless quite remarkable storytelling, and worth the attention the author bids for.

The basic plot is this: The dissenting scientists have hit upon an appalling tactic of despair. Unable to get their voices heard in any other way, one by one they stage public suicides. Their method of exit is to film themselves at intervals, one at a time, each sitting in his laboratory somewhere around the world, delivering a message about the falsity of the climate consensus. After that, each simply sits still in a 59-degree room with a fan blowing a light breeze, for 18 hours or so, until they die of hypothermia.

That’s all it takes. Is it a plausible way to die? Actually, yes. Not that anyone would actually do it. A real person would stand up and walk out of the room; do some jumping jacks; put on a sweater; turn up the heat. But the point for these fictional scientists is that those are not options for millions of people living some distance from the equator, suffering through winters as their governments have decided to raise the cost of energy beyond their ability to pay. Replacing relatively low-cost fossil fuel-produced heat with high-cost (and unreliable) wind, solar, and other “alternative” sources of energy is a death sentence to those who are impoverished and elderly—or simply impoverished. Governments get away with it (in Church’s not-so-fictional world) because it is an “invisible holocaust.” Elderly people dying one by one in the winter is a statistic, not an engineered calamity.

The “climatists” not only see no calamity, they come away with an image of themselves as champions of the Earth and humanity’s greatest benefactors. But in Winter Games, dissenting scientists lay down their lives to teach ordinary people just how vulnerable we all are to the ever-lurking cold. While I doubt a single “climate denier” would ever actually perform this experiment, plainly one was willing to devote his off-hours to imagining a narrative where thirty-some so-called “59ers” (as they die at 59 degrees) see this as the only way to break through the controlling fable backed by authorities ranging from Al Gore to the International Panel on Climate Change.

Serial suicide makes for a dramatic tale, but in fact dissenters from the climate faux consensus do have some opportunities to make themselves heard. Not on NPR or the BBC, or on network television, and certainly not in America’s classrooms, where what now passes as “science” instruction is mainly indoctrination in the evils of the industrial revolution. But outside this bubble, word is getting around.

I do not just mean in that collection of books I cited, but also in an increasingly articulate broad movement. In Britain, the race to de-carbonize the economy is running into large-scale tragedy. And even in far-flung corners of the world where hypothermia is not an issue, the efforts to starve people of energy are undermining health. In southwest Africa for example, Namibia has been bamboozled into forfeiting its abundant energy resources in the name of fighting “climate change.” The power grid in much of Africa has been jeopardized by these make-believe efforts to stave off global catastrophe.

Bit by bit, the public is noticing the holes in the climatists’ garment of altruism and concern for human flourishing. The climatist narrative is beginning to unravel. Not fast enough, I must say. Last year a French journal invited me to present my views on climate change, which it promised it would translate and publish. My essay appears to have almost melted the Mer de Glace and denuded Mont Blanc in the heated editorial debate that ensued. But I am pleased to report that “Unsustainable: The Imaginary World of Global Warming” will soon appear in that Parisian journal. It is not my first such battle.

I gave a talk on global warming at a conference in Switzerland a few years ago, which was the only occasion in my public speaking career in which a portion of the audience got up and stomped out—literally. One of the co-editors of the conference proceedings resigned rather than have my paper published. But I note with satisfaction that my skeptical voice in both cases ultimately defeated the guardians of climatist conformity.

How awful and offensive were these two excursions about manmade catastrophic global warming? No more provocative than anything I have written here. They just help me see how clearly the censorious spirit of control presides over this topic. It would probably be easier to publish an article in the mainstream press advancing an argument for the restoration of Aztec human sacrifice in the name of indigenous rights than it is to question the legitimacy of the climate consensus.

Even so, large numbers of ordinary people have begun to doubt the gospel that fossil fuels are bad and windmills and solar are good. Perhaps we will reach a compromise on nuclear energy or one day on fusion energy, but at the moment we face a no-compromise determination by the world’s ruling regimes that climate change poses an existential crisis, a permanent state of emergency in which nothing will suffice but windmills, solar, EVs, and the banning of everything from gas stoves to hot showers.

Winter Games may be a quixotic attempt to open the public mind. I certainly don’t expect it to find its way on to high school reading lists. But it offers a window into some of the actual and but almost always unheard scientific debates in American universities. And it offers at least one good mystery: What prominent scientist wrote it? Grab a sweater, put a carboniferous log on the fire, and read it.

What concepts does Ishiguro's literary science fiction novel bring up?

What concepts does Ishiguro's literary science fiction novel bring up?

Publishers, authors, and book clubs must promote accuracy, representation, diversity, and inclusion in science fiction.

Title:

Content: Opinion

It’s Time To Let These Publishing Trends Die

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I started writing this with the intention of writing about some ridiculous and/or silly trends publishing should let die — but it was honestly difficult to take that tone with the amount of trends I very much, for very good reason, want to stop. Okay, so one of these really doesn’t matter, but it visually bugs me and makes my brain twitch every single time, so that obviously had to be on the list. And another just pisses me off because spoilers! But the rest are things I’d really like to see publishing have a long hard sit down and chat over and actually do something about. So here are the publishing trends I want to see die — at the time of writing this. I know the second I submit this, I will think of something else.

Zero Expertise, Zero Fact Checking

There’s been a lot of conversations about social media granting large platforms for people with zero expertise, pseudo science, misinformation to get their message out and the harm it’s doing. Publishing also offers the potential for a large platform, and when it comes to nonfiction, “authors, not publishers, are responsible for the accuracy of nonfiction books.”

Let’s say I believed laying naked in my backyard every morning to get sun on my bits where the sun is not supposed to shine offered me the full level of vitamins my body needs for proper health for a full 24 hours. If I was offered a book deal in which I shouted how healthy this was, should I really be the only person in charge of making sure I am being factual? I mean yes, if I believed this nonsense then in my mind I would be being factual — but with zero evidence and plenty of contrary medical and science information, there should really be more in place to keep me from publishing a book to convince other people to up their risk factor of skin cancer on their genitals.

Publishing is a business and so the reason of course is given that it costs too much money for fact checking. Put the liability and responsibility on the authors and wash your hands of it. A terrible stance, with plenty of ways to go wrong — including plagiarism, which is once again in the news. Publishers of nonfiction should have built-in, on top of the author’s fact-checking, a review process by people trained in fact-checking. Books take time to go through the process from writing to ready to purchase; there is no excuse to not have within all that time a safety net to check for inaccuracy, pseudo information, and evaluate sources.

People’s Humanity Is Not Debatable

This feels like it’s in the same ballpark as above, or has overlapping issues (especially with zero facts), but it really feels like it needs its own section. Publishing often plays the card of “if we publish these voices we must publish the counter voices.” If Mr. Meow published a book on cats being the best pet, publishing a book by Mr. Woof that claims dogs make better pets is not the same thing as publishing a book by a xenophobe attacking immigrants because an immigrant published a memoir. People’s humanity is never up for debate.

Book Club Pick Covers

I love book covers. Not only do you get this amazing book to read, but it comes with a little mini work of art. Sometimes the colors used are just so perfect I wish I had an outfit to match. Or — more times than I should admit — I want to lick it for how delicious it looks. I can zone out and stare at a cover I love for a few minutes and feel my stress start to melt away. All of this is to say, I absolutely hate book club stickers being added to book club picks. I get it. I don’t need a lesson on marketing. I still hate it and honestly can’t imagine that a better solution can’t be created — maybe a bookmark that folds over the top of the cover like those magnetic animal ones on etsy?

Look at the cover of Honorée Fanonne Jeffers’s The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois before and after it was picked by Oprah’s Book Club. I mean, the face now has a gigantic blob on it that says Oprah. No offense to Oprah, but no thanks. Whether it’s a physical sticker that is stuck on or it’s actually added to the cover art and printed on, I hate the intrusion into what was originally designed.

“Clean”/”Wholesome” Book Tags

I obviously have zero issue with books that don’t contain swearing or sex on the page. Just because I personally love an f-bomb and don’t have any issue with sex in books doesn’t mean that I am incapable of understanding that people can dislike what I like, and vice versa, and all the things can exist in harmony. Just grab the things you like and leave the ones you don’t. Simple. My issue is the terms used. They are not accidental; this is publishing after all, and words absolutely matter and are taken into account deliberately. Not only do terms already exist like “closed door” to mean no sex on the page, but every single person understands the ratings G, PG, PG-13, and R. There is absolutely no reason to choose moral judgement language to imply that one thing is “clean” and the rest is thus dirty, impure, and immoral.

White Narrators Voicing Characters Of Color In Audiobooks

This should be self explanatory. So much so that it shouldn’t even exist, yet here I am trying to understand why I have had to stop listening to so many audiobooks for making this choice. Let me eliminate the “but” from the get go: multicast, bilingual, and narrators of color all exist. This is why it’s so hard to not feel like this is a choice that audio productions are making when they do this. I don’t care if a white guy from New Jersey who shares zero Jamaican ancestry thinks he’s perfected a Jamaican accent. I don’t care if a non-Latinx thinks they are doing a great imitation of a Puerto Rican accent or spent hours learning how to pronounce three sentences in Spanish. They are all a big fat no. So are stereotypical voices of races, cultures, and ethnicities. And someone please explain to me why a narrator is doing an “accent” for a character when the text never says the character has an accent? The world does not need more stereotypes, racism, or xenophobia.

Oh Look, Another Gone Girl or Get Out Comp

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single thing that makes a lot of money will be copied to death as everyone tries to jump on the money train. This is why two things always happen after something goes super popular ($$): everyone wants to make the next X, and everything gets compared to X regardless of accuracy. My biggest issue with these two titles in particular is simple: it gives away the literal ending of the book! Romance readers read the genre in part because they are guaranteed a HEA. Knowing that about the ending is part of the appeal. The crime genre is on the opposite spectrum of this. Do not spoil a twist. Do not spoil the ending. Both these comps are handing someone the book and telling them the literal actual twist/ending. Stop it! I get that both did new things in genres, and that’s great, but use the genre tags to find the audience. It’s for fans of Get Out? Social thriller and social horror is right there! Gone Girl? Domestic thriller, “unlikable,” twisty, unreliable…See the beauty about “unreliable” is it can go either way: books are set up to either make you think they’re unreliable and turn out not to be or maybe they do. Hence, still enough of a mystery to not spoil the book. Please, stop spoiling mystery and horror books.

Now as for a recent trend that is all the likes, give me more? Romance novels with baking competitions. Mmhm, yum yum. Also, I’ve been seeing more witchy things written by marginalized voices, and they can put all the spells on me.

Which trends would you like publishing to stop doing?

A science fiction book club can create a rich and inclusive reading experience by balancing traditional and contemporary voices.

A book club can prioritize underrepresented authors and avoid overly basic books for a diverse reading list.

Title:

Content: Humor

I Left Your Favorite Book Off That List On Purpose

It happens more often than either of us would like to admit. I write a list of books — diverse westerns, perhaps, or authors like Shirley Jackson — and you, my most devoted reader, find the list’s fatal flaw: I left off your favorite book, one that you feel absolutely certain deserved not only inclusion but reverence, a place of honor among other, inferior books that might also fit the parameters.

Allow me, please, to get this out of the way before I say anything further:

My bad.

What’s that? You feel that I ought to elaborate on this not-really-an-apology? Very well. But you may not like it.

Here’s the truth: I didn’t forget your favorite book. I didn’t overlook it. I chose to leave it off the list, for reasons varied and wholly uncomplicated. Here are a few of them; please choose whichever is most accurate to the situation at hand, and don’t worry! There will be plenty of opportunities to use the others in the future, when I will continue to not include your favorite book on my book lists.

I’ve never heard of it.

Yes, this is a possibility! Believe it or not, I do not know every book on earth. Unfortunately, I have probably heard of your favorite, because…

It’s too basic.

This is not in any way a value judgment! I listen to Taylor Swift and drink pumpkin spice lattes. Liking things other people like is not a problem! BUT…I wouldn’t put Taylor Swift on a list of music artists you might not be aware of, or PSLs on a list of the best under-the-radar Starbucks drinks. Likewise, I am not putting The Old Man and the Sea on my list of oceanic adventure stories!

It doesn’t actually fit the list.

Reread the description for “It’s too basic,” but apply it to your non-basic book, too. Sometimes your fave is just not applicable! Sorry to be the one to tell you!

It’s by a white cis het man. Probably a dead one.

Listen. There’s nothing wrong with being a white cis het man, and there’s nothing wrong with being dead (it’s kind of inevitable). But. If you look at 90% of book lists, they are made up of authors who fit most, if not all, of those parameters. I’m not like the other girls and my lists aren’t like the other lists. Deal with it.

I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t read it.

I include books I haven’t read on lists all the time, but I try really, really hard to make sure they fit the subject and are peer-approved, usually by a fellow Rioter. I do a lot of research into whether the books are problematic, what the writing style is, etc., etc. Sometimes I simply cannot figure out if a book would make the grade after I read it, and I don’t have time to read everything (ALAS), so I skip it.

I’ve heard of it, I read it, I hated it.

I should have asked you to sit down. Are you sitting down? You probably ought to be sitting down. Here goes. SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT TASTE IN BOOKS THAN YOU. Sorry.

It’s by [insert author name here].

There are some authors I will never, ever include on a list. Maybe they are/were racist, homophobic, transphobic, antisemitic, etc. Maybe they’ve been credibly accused of sexual assault. Maybe they are William Faulkner. Maybe they once said something that irritated me on Twitter. Perhaps they ranted about how “real” writers major in English, or don’t major in English, or have an MFA, or a day job, or no day job, or write for precisely four hours and seventeen minutes every day, or some other terrible advice. Maybe I don’t like their prose.

Whatever they did, they are on my no-no list forever and nothing you say will change my mind.

I must seem pretty difficult to please, huh? But think about this: why are you so insistent on my inclusion of your fave? Why are you so difficult to please? Why don’t you talk to a nice cup of tea about that, and we’ll meet back here on my next book list and see if it meets your standards.

A diverse book club promotes representation in literature and raises awareness about diverse stories.

Title:

Content: Storybook Channel hopes to bring diverse narratives to children’s literature – The Daily Free Press

The Boston University chapter of the nonprofit organization Storybook Channel led a book swap at the George Sherman Union last week to raise awareness about their club and its mission to support independent bookstores, donate children’s books to low-income schools and share diverse stories.

Hana Yoo, a junior in the College of Arts and Science, president of the club, and College of Communication junior Jia Lin Li, vice president, started the non-profit organization last year. The pair later decided to make it a club at BU, opening up a chapter this semester with a full e-board.

Storybook Channel’s mission recognizes the biases created by a lack of representation in literature and hopes to alleviate these by sourcing and donating children’s literature that has “mirrors” and “windows” — which Yoo defined as times when children see themselves in books socially, culturally, economically and racially, and see outside of their lives as well.

“A lot of people like to look at Storybook Channel and think ‘Oh, this is a club for people who like reading books,’ but it’s really not,” Yoo said. “It’s about allowing all different people in general to be able to normalize their lives at home or in their country or within their culture or religion.”

At the book swap, SBC featured paper wrapped books with brief descriptions of the plot and additional information about the group, to encourage people to read different stories.

“Folks may be picky about what kinds of books they may want to read, or literally judge a book by its cover,” said Rudy Joseph, head of research, a junior in the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. “The primary purpose of the book swap is just to raise awareness, however, the reason we kept it Hidden at the same time … is to prevent some of that biased thinking.”

Yoo said that the inspiration for Storybook Channel came from her personal experiences and upbringing. As an English and Asian studies double major at BU now, she says reading was foundational to her.

“Reading did shape my life,” Yoo said. “It shaped how I viewed the world and it shaped how I was able to empathize and see other People’s perspectives and other People’s lives and stories.”

Michael Tran, a junior in CAS and the director of internal relations, also credited his personal upbringing for his interest in the Storybook Channel. Growing up in an immigrant household, he said he wished stories like his parents were shown in stories.

“Joining Storybook Channel really resonated for me because growing up a lot of the stories that I heard were not reflective of my culture, or how I grew up or how I was raised,” Tran said. “SBC spoke to me in a way because I was able to help the next generation of young children set a better image for themselves.”

Julia Samuels, a Wheelock junior and head of external relations, said the group’s goal is to provide books to low-income educational facilities, in addition to Addressing and compensating for the lack of representation in books for children aged 0-3.

“A lot of people overlook [toddler’s book representations] because they don’t think about how children start developing biases and images of themselves from the day they’re born,” Samuels said. “Kids need books that both reflect them and show them other identities.”

The group is also working on creating a database of diverse children’s books that will eventually be brought into communities in need. Joseph said the books provided by SBC also aim to encourage the students’ creativity and education.

Another main goal for the Storybook Channel is to collaborate with different cultural groups on campus, as well as find ways to encourage involvement in the greater Boston area as well, such as visiting schools and reading to children Meaningful books that they see themselves in.

The Ultimate goal of the Storybook Channel is to make sure students see themselves in the stories they read.

“We really want to fight to help serve every student that maybe wouldn’t have the opportunity to find themselves in books be able to find themselves in books like in their own library,” Yoo said.

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Book clubs can curate diverse reading lists by considering peer reviews and including various genres and styles.

Inclusive reading lists promote empathy and understanding.

Title:

Content: “Wherever books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too.” – Heinrich Heine.

These words were said 100 years before the fateful 1933 book burnings in Germany by students wishing to destroy books with “un-German” ideas. Fast forward to 2022, when we rarely, if ever, witness an actual book burning.

We are in an era where a small group of individuals can raise their voices loud enough to ensure that only books or ideas representing their specific cultures, ethnicities, familial make-up, beliefs, etc., are represented. At the drop of a tweet, a person can incite a call to action in which individuals decide what other individuals should read, watch or listen, and thus the flood gates open to mark certain titles as unfit for the whole.

“I think the act of reading imbues the reader with a sensitivity toward the outside world that people who don’t read can sometimes lack. I know it seems like a contradiction in terms; after all reading is such a solitary, internalizing act that it appears to represent a disengagement from day-to-day life. But reading, and particularly the reading of fiction, encourages us to view the world in new and challenging ways … It allows us to inhabit the consciousness of another which is a precursor to empathy, and empathy is, for me, one of the marks of a decent human being.” – John Connolly, “The Book of Lost Things.”

You may be wondering why a small-town librarian is writing about such a topic. As a librarian, I took an oath to protect and ensure literature and learning is accessible to all in my community.

The Library Bill of Rights can be found online at www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill, and this bill of rights highlights the importance of libraries to provide access to resources not just regardless of race, religion, orientation, creed, color, etc., but because of those things.

All humans have a right to feel included, seen and understood. Ensuring all individuals are represented does not only mean we are ensuring that all can find a connection to someone like themselves, but also when we read or watch stories that are different from our own, we increase our ability to have empathy for others.

If history has taught us anything, those most known for caring about others did not only show concern for those like them, but for all people, and at times especially those different from themselves. When we neglect to think of others, we run the risk of losing our ability to have compassion and increase our chances of becoming focused only on oneself.

I would hate to have a world full of people just like me; that would be rather frustrating and boring for everyone.

“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln.

When we cross the line deciding what is appropriate for another to read, we are stating that our freedom is more important than their freedom. In managing our freedoms, we must also remember that suggesting the elimination of one person’s thoughts could in-turn open the door for another to suggest the elimination of your ideas and beliefs.

“Diversity is about all of us and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.” – Jacqueline Woodson.

I will leave you with these final thoughts. I know as humans we are going to make mistakes. I know that hurt and trauma change us, and often change our thoughts and behaviors. I understand that the harshness of life affects us all differently, and that I can in no way understand the complexities of what those different than me undergo.

What I can do is extend compassion and have empathy. I can say, “I don’t know what ____ feels like, but I can listen (without judgment) and I make it a point to learn more about that topic to better understand you.”

I can politely agree to disagree with someone and share that while I may disagree it does not mean I am right, and you are wrong. It does not mean that what you feel is invalid. We are all here together, so why don’t we learn to accept each other in love and kindness.

I can choose to not read things that offend, hurt, or are not aligned with my beliefs. That hurts no one. I can also choose to purposely read and learn about another person to expand my ability to have empathy.

In the essence of Fred Rogers and Bob Ross, I am happy you are here. I am happy you exist. You are special by just being you, and there is no one else like you. We can turn these mistakes into something beautiful, like a happy little accident.

Each year libraries across the United States celebrate and educate during what is known as Banned Book Week. We are celebrating the freedom we each have to read what we want and educating about the importance of maintaining our freedom to choose and have access to materials.

So, Sept. 18-24, celebrate with us. Read a book that inspires, connects, or educates you or ask library staff to share book titles with you that are often challenged and read one of those. You may be surprised to find one of your favorites on the list.

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

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Content: Children's

10 Picture Books You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of by Creators of Color

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Prepare yourself for an unapologetically diverse book list! All the books on this list are written by authors of color, many are illustrated by artists of color, and most feature characters of color. #sorrynotsorry

In all seriousness, creators of color need and deserve our support. The publishing industry is challenging to break into, and that difficulty is compounded for authors and illustrators with marginalized identities. Furthermore, authors of color are often paid less than their white counterparts.

Children’s books are among the most important genres in need of diversification. Children from diverse racial backgrounds need to see themselves reflected in books. Conversely, children from dominant cultures need to see others represented in various and multifaceted ways. Unfortunately, books about and especially written by people of color still do not reflect our population.

I am proud to write for an organization that is intentional about highlighting marginalized writers. All people deserve to tell their own stories and have those stories heard. For too long, the powerful have shaped the narratives about marginalized populations. I’m hopeful that our efforts at Book Riot are helping to right that wrong.

A surprising, but super cool, side effect of writing for Book Riot is that people share books with me all the time. Often, I receive under-the-radar gems that I would never have found on my own. Thus, I figured readers might appreciate the opportunity to check out some of these lesser known titles.

10 Picture Books You (Probably) Missed

Christopher Changes His Name by Itah Sadu and Roy Condy

While most of the books on this list are relatively new, I decided to start with this hidden gem. I discovered this book when I was planning a teaching unit about names and I’ve loved it ever since. Throughout this humorous tale, young Christopher keeps changing his name after being inspired by historical and cultural icons. Ultimately, he realizes how special he is, just as he is.

Always Anjali by Sheetal Sheth and Jessica Blank

With a name like Mikkaka, I empathize with characters like Anjali. While Christopher changes his name because it’s too common, Anjali has the opposite problem. When she gets a new bike, she can’t find her name among the novelty license plates. Additionally, kids begin to make fun of her name. Ultimately, however, Anjali learns to appreciate her name and celebrate her culture.

Phenomenal AOC by Anika Aldamuy Denise and Loris Lora

This picture book biography is a beautifully illustrated account of congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s journey to politics. It chronicles AOC’s rise from a child in the Bronx to becoming the youngest congress member in United States’ history. Rich with references to her Puerto Rican heritage, this book is an inspirational look at the life of a truly phenomenal woman.

Three Bunny Sisters by Raveena, Diya, and Amisha Duggal

Three human sisters under the age of 13 wrote this cute story to inspire others. With an impressive resumé of charity work, the Duggal sisters are all about giving back. Thus, the bunnies in their book learn how to help other bunnies in need.

One Hundred Percent Me by Renee Macalino Rutledge and Anita Prades

What are you? Where are you from? Most children of immigrants hear questions like this daily. The multiracial main character in this picture book definitely does. However, rather than letting other people define her, she proclaims that she is 100% herself.

Wutaryoo by Nilah Magruder

Similarly, the creature at the center of this picture book is one-of-a-kind. There are no other animals like her. She searches the world for answers, finding adventure along the way.

The Kite of Dreams by Pilar López Ávila, Paula Merlán, and Concha Pasamar

Children across the world play with kites. In this story, we see children from various countries playing and dreaming. The kites carry their dreams high into the sky. This book offers a glimpse into many different cultures. If you enjoy this one, you may also like López Ávila’s With a Butterfly’s Wings.

Super Satya Saves the Day by Raakhee Mirchandani and Tim Palin

When Satya wears the cape her super mama made for her, she feels unstoppable. However, when she has to face a day without her super apparel, she is worried it won’t go well. This is an adorable story about facing your fears and being your true self.

The Color of Your Skin by Desirée Acevedo and Silvia Álvarez

When Vega’s classmate asks to borrow her “skin-colored” colored pencil, Vega wonders whose skin he means. She thinks of all the people she knows and the range of colors that match them. This is a very cute exploration of racism in everyday language and it’s handle beautifully and in an age-appropriate way.

I Am Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges and Nikkolas Smith

For decades, we’ve been telling and retelling the story of Ruby Bridges. As a civil rights icon, young Ruby was the first Black child to attend her local all-white elementary school. Now, Ruby Bridges tells that story in her own words, through the eyes of her 6-year-old self. This is undoubtedly a must-read.

Zigglebee by Lana Bailey

Okay, so this one is a bonus and an exception. It’s not a picture book yet. The young author, Lana Bailey, composed five stories within the book’s pages, leaving space for readers to illustrate. Lana’s twin sister, Laila, has Jacobsen syndrome and is nonverbal. However, Lana learned that Laila enjoyed interacting with her through art and storytelling. Her book invites readers to connect and create, using our imaginations.

Diverse literature fosters positive self-image, empathy, and creativity in children.

Book clubs can feature books by underrepresented authors, like Black women, for a diverse reading list.

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Content: A 'microshop' for Black books opens in a downtown Lansing smoothie spot

Krystal Nurse
Lansing State Journal
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Nyshell Lawrence read her first book by a Black author in the second grade: "Roots" by Alex Haley.

"Something about it intrigued me and I wanted to take it home," she said. "I know in second grade I could not understand all the complex things that happened in the story, but just the idea that I had this huge book written about Black people was major for me."

But as she grew up, she struggled to find books about Black culture that didn't focus on pain, slavery or other trauma, she said.

On a 2017 date to a bookstore with her husband, the couple left empty-handed, unable to find books that contained the natural inclusion of Black people. She said the selection of books by Black women was particularly dismal.

"We spent the rest of the evening talking about how we could create something that would be for Black women that would celebrate us," Lawrence said. "That's where the idea and the concept of Socialight Society came from and came about."

And so Lawrence started gathering friends and peers for a bookclub. She curated the reading list herself — all books by Black women — which the group met online to discuss.

As her club grew over the summer, Lawrence started buying through Bookshop.org, an online retailer that supports independent booksellers. She sold books at pop-up shops at Afterglow Market, Social Sloth Café and at the Lansing Mall.

Now, she's opening a space inside Soul Nutrition, a smoothie and tea shop at 222 S. Washington Square in downtown Lansing.

She'll host an RSVP-only grand opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 13, then open full-time 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

Lawrence curates the books she sells from her personal collections and makes recommendations to book club members.

"Socialight Society is really big on making sure that women — specifically Black women — feel seen and feel celebrated," Lawrence said.

More:Look inside Middle Village, new pop-up market in downtown Lansing

Lawrence's shop isn't the only store-within-a-store, or "microshop," new to downtown Lansing. Just down the street is A Novel Concept, another shop for new and gently used books in Middle Village Micro Market, a pop-up by the nonprofit Downtown Lansing Inc.

The two micoshops are a "testament to the environment" of the downtown neighborhood, said DLI Executive Director Cathleen Edgerly. The store-within-a-store concept allows retail-focused entrepreneurs to build a customer base while managing low overhead costs.

"People have been asking for a downtown bookstore, and as downtown continues to evolve, this is meeting those needs," she said. "It’s giving them an entertainment and literary outlet."

Kim Milton-Mackey runs Dreams and Visions Manifested, a nonprofit sponsor of Socialight Society. She helped Lawrence book space at both Afterglow Market and Soul Nutrition this year, and is working to raise $10,000 for a brick-and-mortar store. Lawrence is also collaborating with Lost Girl Vision and UR Blends Tea for the shop.

"We've done a lot of work in regards to those of African American descent who don't have the reflection in their stories and in schools," she said. "If you had to get a book, then you probably have to go on Amazon or elsewhere. To have a space in the community where you can read and share about books with others is empowering."

Milton-Mackey also said the shop fills the need for additional library-like spaces downtown. She recalled her own library visits at a young age — getting excited after reading a title — and hopes Lawrence's bookstore gives that experience to young people today.

To that end, Socialight Society intentionally targets all age groups. Lawrence stocks titles ranging from children's books to young adult novels and classics. The books rotate based the season and current events.

"Sometimes there just may not be knowledge that these (titles) exist," she said. "Perhaps we don't know that there's a Black author that wrote about this certain topic. This space makes that visible for everyone."

Edgerly said Lawrence's plan to stock books by locals gives those writers a place to be recognized in their community, especially in the state capital, where workers often flood downtown for lunch.

"This is now a meeting space where individuals can have some commonality and a place where it's not tension or anger," Milton-Mackey said. "It's a space where people can go into that reflects them."

Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at (517) 267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.

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Reading diverse stories can increase empathy and help address racism.

Libraries and bookstores offer diverse recommendations and support independent sellers.

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Content: Diverse Books Matter. Paula Willey’s Top Recommendations for Pre- and Emerging Readers - Early Learning Nation

Diverse Books Matter. Paula Willey’s Top Recommendations for Pre- and Emerging Readers

Raising a nation of readers and empowering our kids with the empathy and understanding to succeed in our diverse world requires social and human fluency gained from reading stories that offer multicultural, full-color perspectives. For too long, books about white children written by white authors dominated the children’s sections of libraries and bookstores. Titles like Stevie by John Steptoe or The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats were outliers—and often the only books where Black children could see their own faces reflected.

Fortunately, it’s starting to change as a host of organizations take action that underscores the need for publishers to acquire, publish and promote children’s books by authors whose identities, abilities or affinities reflect a wider range of human experience. Parents, caregivers, aunts and uncles and all those who buy books for the children in their lives can share books that inspire them to see themselves and learn about others, from their earliest ages.

In addition to the testimony of teachers, who tell of previously indifferent students becoming riveted readers with books featuring characters who look like them, there’s new evidence showing the positive impact of reading materials that represent a wide range of experience. First Book’s Diverse Books Impact Study found that student reading scores and reading engagement improved after diverse books were added to their classroom libraries.

Here are some wonderful titles to consider sharing with the young children in your life:

Board Books for Babies

Hair Love ABC’s. Matthew Cherry’s Hair Love ABC’s, the fun and funny board book companion to his best-seller Hair Love, follows a skillful dad and his adorable little girl as they care for and style her hair. Braids, twists and rainy-day frizz will elicit a smile from readers well-versed in the tools and techniques of caring for their own hair. Kids and families for whom Black hair care is less familiar will gain vocabulary and cultural competence along with the giggles.

Want more ideas? Stop by your local library or bookstore, and ask them for their recommendations. Or check out the Stories for All Project collection on the First Book Marketplace. While only members of First Book—who serve children in low-income communities—can purchase books, anyone can look through the collection, with books specially curated for their impact, authenticity and ability to engage readers.

In the words of the late, venerable children’s author Walter Dean Myers: “Books transmit values. They explore our common humanity.”

The Pronoun Book. Are pronouns a puzzle? They’re easier than you think—just ask! That’s the advice you’ll find in The Pronoun Book by Chris Ayala-Kronos. Bold lines and bright colors depict folks whose outward presentation has nothing to do with the way they are addressed. Becoming accustomed to gender diversity at a young age is a great way to avoid missteps later on.

Our World. This board book series highlight one country per book. Each author and illustrator, chosen for their connection to the country, depicts daily life, introducing toddlers to new words and sensory details in bright, simplified illustrations and spare text.

Me and The Family Tree. Gentle rhymes and funny pictures accompany a child’s thorough comparison of all of their features to those of all of their family in Me and The Family Tree, by the beloved and prolific Carole Boston Weatherford. “I’ve got my father’s mouth, and my mother’s thick brown waves. I’ve got my uncle’s chin, though you can’t tell ‘til he shaves.” Tailor-made for vocabulary building and movement story time!

Picture Books to Pique Growing Attention Spans

All Are Welcome. “No matter how you start your day, what you wear when you play, or if you come from far away, all are welcome here.” So begins All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, an anthem to the spirit of inclusion. The success of this openhearted story has inspired the author to create a suite of diverse picture books, board books and beginning readers, such as Big Feelings, Give What You Can and All Are Neighbors. Discussion and activity guides are available for this series.

Five Words That Are Mine. Sharing stories in which characters learn to appreciate what makes them special prompts conversations about all the ways that the reader—and everyone they know—is unique. In Five Words That Are Mine by Melissa Seron Richardson, a skateboarding kiddo picks Spanish and English words that feel just right. Onomatopoeia and jazzy word choices make this book a slam-dunk read-aloud.

Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock. Comedian Jesús Trejo relates the story of high-spirited Little Jesús, who is excited to spend the day at work with his dad. While Papá mows lawns and whacks weeds, he leaves Jesús in charge of the water jug, saying, “When the jug is empty, the work day is done.” But tenderhearted Jesús shares their water with thirsty animals, and the water is gone long before the day is done. Warm and energetic, with text that reads like a well-loved family story with art that incorporates goofy details, this is a great lap share.

The Proudest BlueThe three stories in this series by Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad (The Proudest Blue, The Kindest Red and The Boldest White) follow sisters Asiya and Faizah as they explore kindness, courage, family and community. Expressive art by Hatem Aly helps the reader feel every exuberant twirl, warm hug and powerful lunge. Allez! Muhammad is widely known as the first American Olympic athlete to wear hijab to compete.

Twelve Dinging Doorbells. Billed as “an every-holiday carol,” Twelve Dinging Doorbells updates a familiar Christmas carol to encompass any holiday on which family and friends gather. Each time the doorbell rings, more folks arrive—“six toddlers squealing,” “nine women whisp’ring” —more food appears on the table, including lots of macaroni and cheese! Traditions are nice, but they don’t have to be set in stone. An adaptation like this one frees readers to make their own changes.

Early Reader Series for Beginners

Ty’s Travels. This award-winning series follows Ty and friends from the music stage and a classroom lab to the beach, a camp-out and more. These stories regularly exercise kids’ imaginations and earn five stars from First Book educators for their engaging storylines.

Makeda Makes. These Level 2 I Can Read! books by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich feature Makeda, an exuberant seven-year-old “maker” and problem solver who loves to create.

Reina Ramos. The title character is a loyal friend whose high-spirited antics sometimes cause chaos but who always finds a way to make things right. Reina is one of the first Latina characters in the Level 2 I Can Read! Program. Written by Emma Otheguy, the series is available in English and Spanish.

Gigi and Ojiji. This Level 3 I Can Read! series by author-illustrator Melissa Iwai follows Gigi, a biracial six-year-old who learns about her Japanese culture from her grandfather when he comes to stay.

Paula Willey is Senior Manager, Collection & Project Development for First Book, a Baltimore-based librarian and a former columnist for the Baltimore Sun.  She has written about children's literature and family engagement for publications such as School Library Journal, the Baltimore Sun, Booklist, VOYA, and Baltimore's Child and speaks on topics ranging from book illustration and trends in children's literature to what it means when a kid is totally into truly creepy books. A member of the 2019 Michael S. Printz Committee, she is a vocal advocate for families with justice system involvement.

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A book club can ensure a diverse list by including various genres, styles, and author backgrounds.

Diverse books help children see themselves and learn about others, promoting social and human fluency.

Inclusive reading lists promote discussions among book club members by reflecting diverse author backgrounds.

Book clubs can promote diversity by hosting themed clubs and creating a welcoming space for marginalized groups.

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Content: Bouquets, Books and Burlesque at the Petals and Pages Bookstore

“There’s a need for two things in Denver—community spaces and a growing literary scene,” says Dylah Ray, owner of Petals & Pages in the Santa Fe Arts District. Ray is tending to these needs with beauty and inclusion. A clean open room dotted with pinks and florals—freshly cut and hand-painted, Ray’s bookshop itself is a work of art: an intentional first step in community building. “We deserve a beautiful space,” she says. “We want a place where valuable, joyful community work is done together—and the space should reflect that.”

The aesthetics are built into the name, and Petals & Pages is both a queer bookshop and a florist. “I have been a writer for a while—more as a hobby, than as a profession. I have also been a baker and was interested in baking with botanicals,” Ray explains. “What’s fun about Petals & Pages is that these once were ‘side projects,’ not my main career ambitions, but I came to a point where I realized, they were the things I was passionate about. The things that kept me going. I wanted them to become the primary focus of my life.”

Petals and Pages bookstore in the Santa Fe Arts District. Photo provided by Petals and Pages.

In pursuing her passion for natural beauty and literature, Ray has simultaneously built up the community space she felt her fellow Denverites were yearning for. “First and foremost, we are a community gathering space where we want everyone to feel comfortable, safe, free to express themselves through book choices, the arts, taking a class or meeting new people.” Members of the community have rushed to fill up the available spots for Bookstore Burlesque, for example, a dance class with local dancer and musician, Sophia Eliana. There are “paint and sip” classes, open mic nights and craft parties, among many themed book clubs, including queer lit, poetry, queer horror, fantasy and The Next Chapter, a gathering for individuals 60+. “We have a wide range of events because it’s fun to be in a bookstore. What we are saying is: a bookstore is a sexy place.”

Dylah Ray, owner of Petals and Pages bookstore. Photo provided by Petals and Pages.

Part of creating a welcoming community gathering place has been making extra space for marginalized groups. “Specifically, we are fostering an environment catering to LGBTQIA+ and other people underrepresented in literature in the past. We try to feature books by authors left out of historical or current discussions.” Petals and Pages prominently features LGBTQIA+ authors and ensures that 50% or more of the stocked titles are penned by authors of color. “We’re trying to bring voices that have always been present, but not widely available or celebrated, to the forefront. You might be able to find these books in other stores, but they’re not prominently displayed. We welcome those communities with what we view as ‘our stories and our voices’, and it’s critical right now in this age of book-banning, in particular, to share stories about the LGBTQIA+ community and racial justice.”

And while Ray has a finger on the pulse of the national scene, Petals & Pages is always bringing it home to Denver, to the local community and its needs. “There is tons of local talent in Denver; local authors and artists looking for a place to call home.” Petals and Pages hosts regular author talks and readings with members of the local literary scene and also offers special consignments for local authors selling their books. As part of the Santa Fe Arts District, their doors are always open for First Fridays, bridging the gap between visual arts and literary arts. “We have put a lot of attention into our art program, and our art director, EmmaMay Beers, curates a rotating monthly program for artists to sell in our store.”

Quiet writer’s corner at Pages and Petals bookstore. Photo provided by Petals and Pages.

In a time where the Denver art scene is exploding and remaining local, many literature lovers, both writers and readers, are eager to celebrate the written word as art. “Denver is really hungry for that right now,” Ray agrees. “There’s a big need—and we are seeing big growth,” and Petals & Pages is a stunning part of that development.

Petals & Pages is located at 956 Santa Fe Drive. For more information visit petalsandpagesofdenver.com or follow on Instagram at @petalsandpagesofdenver.

Diverse books inspire children to celebrate their unique identities and cultures.

Book clubs can seek out recommendations from local libraries and bookstores for a diverse reading list.

The representation of underrepresented demographics in science fiction has changed significantly over the years.

Title:

Content: PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Author William G. Howard has published his latest science fiction book, which transports readers 250 years into the future to a time in which eastern countries have dominated the West, and a mysterious virus threatens to overtake the modern world. "Marigold" follows a half-human, half-android woman as she navigates this post-revolution landscape and grapples with societal inequities faced by individuals like herself who are not fully human.

In the year 2270, the Lyceum Mechaniska laboratory has produced androids – part robot, part human – called "InOrganics." Marigold is one such creation, built to assist individuals who have experienced emotional or physical trauma. However, Marigold has been acting strangely, even aggressively. When Marigold is accused of murder, she is in danger of being terminated. Despite what scientists believe, she is innocent of her crimes and is now on a mission to stop a virus from being released and adhere to the last words of a dying man by finding "the Pink Bunny."

Detective Chabox Brignadoc has long been suspicious of Lyceum and the company's behind-the-scenes behavior. Brignadoc must determine if Marigold is guilty of murder or if she's the victim of a conspiracy. In an adventure that spans two continents, both Marigold and DCI Brignadoc are in a race against time to expose a deadly secret that could change the face of humanity forever.

"I admire authors who innovatively address social issues and venture down the road less traveled with their fiction," Howard said. "I've always considered myself to have a unique vision of the world around me, and I'm excited to share my imagination with readers. I hope this book can provide entertainment and maybe even spark a conversation about artificial lifeforms and their place in the modern world."

Ultimately, "Marigold" sweeps readers up on an adventure into the not-so-distant future and explores the topics of social equity, scientific mindfulness, and holding the wealthy and powerful to account. Wrapped in a gripping mystery, readers will be riveted to the very last page.

"Marigold"

By William G. Howard

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0260-7 (sc); ISBN: 978-1-6657-0261-4 (e)

Available through Archway Publishing, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

About the author

William G. Howard's fascination with storytelling began in childhood. After graduating from Temple University with his Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood and elementary education, Howard taught for the School District of Philadelphia for 20 years before semi-retiring in 2013 to devote himself to writing. He earned his master's degrees in elementary education and history for educators from LaSalle University. Howard is a member of the Bucks County Writers Group and is also the author of "The Eye of Hermes: A Minerva Novel." He resides in Philadelphia with his wife, Bonnie, and he is currently working on his next book. To learn more, please visit http://www.williamghowardauthor70.com or follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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What is considered a major breakthrough in science fiction publication?

More female authors
More Non-binary authors

The genre has become more inclusive, with significant contributions from diverse authors, including women and people of color.

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Content: Science Fiction: Chinese Female Writers | Culture | DW | 21.10.2023
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Cultural warp and weft
Science fiction: the rise of Chinese women writers
While the space for feminist expression in China has shrunk further over the past decade, there ’ s good news from this week ’ s World Science Fiction Conference in Chengdu: Chinese female writers are thriving in the science fiction world, making them one of the most striking trends in the genre.
The rise of Chinese female writers in science fiction has become one of the most striking trends in the genre, according to participants at this week's World Science Fiction Conference in Chengdu.
The World Science Fiction Conference, the world ’ s oldest and most influential science fiction event, was held in China for the first time this year and attracted a large number of local fans, both male and female.
China remains a relatively socially conservative country, and under President Xi Jinping, the space for feminist expression has narrowed further over the past decade.
But author and editor Regina Kanyu Wang, who was nominated for two prestigious Hugo Awards at the World Science Fiction Conference this year, said the number of women writers in science fiction has soared in recent years.
She said more and more women are now realizing that "it's not just nerdy, nerdy science-fiction novels like Liu Cixin [author of the three-body series] that can be published, or can be considered science fiction." Liu Cixin is great, and we all like him.
But there's a lot more to it than Liu Cixin's style. "
The good news, says Wang, is that once women start to become writers, they don ’ t feel they ’ re being treated unequally.
The market and readers need a new perspective, she said.
The 81st World Science Fiction Conference will be held in Chengdu from October 18 to 22.
"Now, many Chinese female science fiction writers focus on issues that women face that men may not feel," Zhou Danxue, a literary scholar at XJCC Liverpool University, told AFP. "These writers can reflect unique female experiences in their own way."
Wang said that in the past two years, four anthologies of Chinese fantasy novels written only by female or non-binary authors have been published, which is a major breakthrough.
There wasn ’ t even an all-female science fiction writer ’ s portfolio before that.
Before the 1990s, there were very few female science fiction writers.
An article in the collection "The Way Spring Comes", which Wang Kanyu participated in compiling, pointed out that the Internet is a training base for women and queer talents.
Author Ni Xueting explained that the widespread use of the Internet “not only brought a new sense of community to people, but also … removed many barriers to writing based on industry and social stereotypes, especially for non-male writers. ”
Chen Qiufan, one of China ’ s leading science fiction writers, told AFP that the genre had traditionally not received special attention and was seen as “written and read by boys. ”
He said there was now a "wider and more diverse audience", estimating that his readers were split equally between men and women.
Chinese women writers begin to make their mark in science fiction
Monet, a 21-year-old woman who visited the science fiction convention on Friday, said she sometimes felt isolated among her own fan base.
“It ’ s hard to share my interests with people who don ’ t understand me.
They ask, "Why does a girl like science fiction?"
She is optimistic about these changes in attitude, pointing out that there are a lot of interested primary and secondary school students at the conference site.
“I think interest in Chinese science fiction has to be nurtured from an early age, ” she says.“ We didn ’ t have that opportunity when we were young … I really envy them, to be honest. ”
(AFP)
© 2023 Deutsche Welle Copyright Notice: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special permission from Deutsche Welle.
Any misconduct will lead to recovery and criminal prosecution.

What is considered a major breakthrough in science fiction publication?

Chinese female writers have thrived in science fiction, with authors like Regina Kanyu Wang earning Hugo nominations and multiple anthologies of their work being published.

What is considered a major breakthrough in science fiction publication?

The internet has enabled non-male and non-binary writers to address overlooked issues in Chinese fantasy anthologies.

What is considered a major breakthrough in science fiction publication?

"Marigold" by William G. Howard explores social equity through a half-human, half-android main character, addressing societal inequities faced by non-human individuals.

Annalee Newitz's novel "The Terraformers" explores underrepresented demographics with a diverse cast, arguing people can be a planet's best resource.

Title:

Content: HomeScienceIf Future Humans Terraformed a New Earth, Could They Get It Right?

If Future Humans Terraformed a New Earth, Could They Get It Right?

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Fiction

Future Imperfect

What kind of world would humanity build with another chance to do it right?

The Terraformers

by Annalee Newitz

Tor Books, 2023 ($28.99)

Great stories often start from a tantalizing “what if?”—the more irresistibly original the premise, the better. In The Terraformers, the new novel from i09 founder and former Gizmodo editor in chief Annalee Newitz, the central question points straight at our planet’s existential crisis: Given the painful lessons we’ve learned about how not to build a sustainable, equitable future, what if people had a chance to create a cleaner, fairer Earth 2.0? Could we succeed?

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It will surprise no one that the answer is a resounding “well, maybe.” Newitz’s formidable imagination can’t change the fact that people are people. Yet the novel smartly argues that people—particularly when the term expands to include sentient forms far beyond humans—might just be a planet’s best resource. Even if takes a millennium’s worth of creativity to offset rapacious corporations, unethical developers, ineffective governments and standard-issue corruption.

The novel’s first scene sends up a classic trope of science fiction, the “first contact,” in which representatives from two civilizations meet on an alien world. Except in this case, the alien world is an early-stage planet called Sask-E, which has been modeled after the original Earth by a terraforming corporation known as Verdance, and the first encounter is between two very different versions of Homo sapiens. One is a resource-plundering, trash-talking, trash-generating, remotely operated proxy, and the other is Destry, an Environmental Rescue Team ranger who proceeds to show what happens when someone tries to mess with her boreal forest.

Sask-E appears at first to be an Eden of wild beauty and limitless potential. But as the good-hearted Destry discovers, the developers who created Sask-E—and who hold both her job and her life in their clutches—aren’t out to make a better world. Their true goal, not shockingly, is profit. The discovery of an underground civilization on Sask-E forces Destry to choose sides in a conflict that alters her beloved planet’s future.

From here the novel takes running leaps through time. Terraforming is a slow process after all, and readers who get invested in Destry’s character might be saddened to learn that this isn’t really her story. Newitz’s plot skips across generations of people who come after Destry—an appealingly diverse cast of rangers, scientists, engineers and an utterly endearing autonomous collective of sentient flying trains. If the antagonists in Newitz’s novel are thinly outlined, it is perhaps because the novel’s big “what if?” demands some fairly broad strokes. Each character plays a part in answering whether well-intentioned people can save the best parts of Sask-E from the worst depredations of runaway consumer culture fostered by slimy corporate interests and lazy government.

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As the story of Sask-E’s rise, ruin and slow road to redemption unfolds over thousands of years, Newitz’s attention is on the complex symbiotic relation between technologies and cultures, another classic trope of science fiction that they also explored in their 2021 nonfiction book, Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age. The same technological innovations that push a civilization to new heights of achievement can also be complicit in that civilization’s undoing.

On Sask-E, however, technology has made possible an entirely new definition of personhood. Animals, robots, hybrids, and even doors and worms are in communication with the humans of the future. And thanks to a galactic accord known as the Great Bargain, they all have a valid seat at the negotiating table. Once the assumption that only humans are people is swept away, thorny questions of natural resource allocation, representative government, inclusive language and sexual freedom are up for reevaluation. (If you’ve ever wanted to know how a sentient train can couple with a robot or a cat, your answer is here. As one character remarks, “Where there’s desire, there’s data.”)

As messy as all this sounds, it opens up thrilling new pathways of hope that Earth 2.0 might succeed. The Terraformers, refreshingly, is the opposite of the dystopian, we’re-all-doomed chiller that’s become so common in climate fiction. Newitz’s mordant sense of humor steers the story clear of starry-eyed optimism, but it’s easy to imagine future generations studying this novel as a primer for how to embrace solutions to the challenges we all face. If we’re ever going to save ourselves from ourselves, then maybe what we need is a new way of thinking about self. —Siobhan Adcock.

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Siobhan Adcock is a writer and editor whose most recent novel is The Completionist.

Nonfiction

Blood Money

A cinematic tour of ambition, greed and desperation in biotech

For Blood and Money: Billionaires, Biotech, and the Quest for a Blockbuster Drug

by Nathan Vardi

W. W. Norton, 2023 ($30)

“Finding new therapies that target only cancer cells and did not kill healthy cells had become the holy grail of cancer drug development,” writes Nathan Vardi, a managing editor at MarketWatch and former editor at Forbes. For Blood and Money follows the path of one class of such products (“targeted small-molecule drugs” designed to fight blood cancers) that ultimately pits two biotech companies against each other in a race to market—and to an unimaginable payday. Readers are introduced to scientologists, restless entrepreneurs, clinical experts and the machinations of magnate financiers searching for the next billion-dollar blockbuster. In the middle of that friction of ambition and greed are the patients, desperate for cures and more time.

The story begins with Pharmacyclics, a small biotech company in California that is working on a drug to treat leukemia. Along the way, we meet charismatic and sometimes capricious executives and investors, as well as revolving doors of employees being hired, fired and starting new companies (and competitors).

Vardi examines the fraught, infamously slow FDA market-approval process, but the pacing of the book remains quick. With the focus on characters shifting from chapter to chapter and a vast number of names—people, companies, drugs—included for detail, it can feel at times that one needs a color-coded organizational chart to keep up.

In the quest for magic-bullet biopharma drugs, a particularly disquieting element is how powerful investors become drivers of medical strategy. The scientific search for cures often seems overmatched by the outsized desire to be first and to reap the highest returns; one could be forgiven for wanting to rename the book For Money and Blood. The profits are astronomical, yet investors still consider how much they’ve left “on the table.”

Still, there are meaningful collaborations, and many characters in the book genuinely want to do right for patients with deadly diseases. Readers remain distinctly aware of those who have benefited (and continue to benefit) from these drugs. Yet the banks, investors and hedge funds leading the search underscore an overall health-care system that feels skewed in its priorities.

Vardi, who is clearly knowledgeable about Wall Street and biopharma, depicts the nuances of both in a vivid, cinematic fashion. One can already imagine the movie version. —Mandana Chaffa

In Brief

The Land Beneath the Ice: The Pioneering Years of Radar Exploration in Antarctica

by David J. Drewry

Princeton University Press, 2023 ($39.95)

Glaciologist David J. Drewry takes readers to the frigid research outposts where he and his colleagues pioneered the technique of radio-echo sounding to plumb the depths of the Antarctic ice sheet. Drewry explains how this new technology emerged to compensate for inadequacies of past methods, then shares his own experiences mapping invisible mountain ranges and, worryingly, lakes deep under the ice that are hastening melt. A peppering of photographs and delightful personal anecdotes show the excitement and frustration that are inevitable during scientific expeditions. —Fionna M. D. Samuels

The Deluge

by Stephen Markley

Simon & Schuster, 2023 ($27.99)

Stephen Markley’s epic novel creates a full-scale panorama of a world bludgeoned by climate change, even as it magnifies the struggles of those caught in its vast and unrelenting chaos. Activist groups A Fierce Blue Fire and 6Degrees both attempt to provoke government and industry into addressing the climate crisis, but their divergent philosophies take them down different paths as society unravels. Markley’s dark depiction of the near future is filled with vivid descriptions of climate catastrophes, but his intricate network of complex characters balances precision with pathos, offering a kaleidoscopic view of humanity’s fraught relationship with its changing planet. —Dana Dunham

The One: How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics

by Heinrich Päs

Basic Books, 2023 ($32)

Which is more fundamental, the many or the one? Author Heinrich Päs believes physics gestures at an underlying unity simple enough to count on one finger. If only physics would embrace monism, its deepest mysteries would yield to that magic number. But monism was declared a heresy, first by the medieval Church and second, in Päs’s telling, by physicist Niels Bohr. Even if the connections between ancient monism and modern science are a stretch and Bohr is reduced to caricature, the history is thoroughly researched, the physics is cutting edge and Päs’s larger point resonates: much, or maybe all, of what we take for reality is an artifact of our limited perspectives. —Amanda Gefter

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The novel "2070. The Zanon War" by Fadi Zewail depicts a future world divided into two groups: a genetically advanced sect and a flawed, impoverished one.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
2070.
“The Zanon War. ”
Smart machines guard the paradise of the superior and conquer the poor
Decades ago, fiction and cinematic works of science fiction depicted technological development that seemed more fantastical than realizable, and despite the imaginary dimension of these ancient works, the cautionary tone of potential outcomes was never absent.
Today, with technological advances so unprecedented in human history that they threaten the foundations of the social and political construction of societies, the cautionary cries of fiction are only real fears that are strongly justified on the ground.
The issue of AI and its terrifying developments preoccupy Western philosophers; there are hundreds of conversations, books and discussions about the possible threats to the future, and the fate of man in a future in which the machine is expected to dominate and control, an era in which the machine will perform the tasks that humans used to perform along with intellectual discussions....
In the Arab world, the issue is present, but of course not as much momentum and wealth.
At the creative level, works that keep pace with the latest technological developments and their questions remain few, hence the novel “2070.
The Zanon War, by Egyptian programming engineer Fadi Zewail, and issued earlier this year by the Egyptian-Lebanese House, its importance.
The novel depicts a future world to be determined in 2070, in which the duality of East and West in today ’ s world is exacerbated by the division of the world into two groups of people; the first is the genetically distinctive sect that enjoys various characteristics and enjoys all that man previously imagined to solve his problems, the second is the flawed sect that retains its old genetic defects and lives according to the foundations of the past unchanged. A giant wall like the Great Wall of China, or the wall that Trump tried to build to prevent the flow of refugees to the United States in the past, but it is a virtual barrier of highly concentrated electromagnetic waves that extends into outer space to prevent any attempt of unwanted penetration from the sect of defectors.
This barrier prevents the crossing of environmental pollutants from the lands of the “defective ” community, which uses fossil fuels and petroleum.
The genetically distinct community of Europe and the Americas lives in what they call “paradise, ” creating for themselves all the superhuman imagination.
In heaven there are no feelings in general, and therefore there is no room for hatred, hatred and betrayal, and there is no room for dealing between humans, which has always resulted in wars and conflicts, except to the narrowest extent, and there is no room for sexual relations between humans, each human being chooses what he likes and what suits his desires and then can replace it with another if he feels bored or wants to change.
The privileged are free of physical disabilities, minors and poor structure, poor eyesight, anemia, immunodeficiency diseases or defective moral traits, such as susceptibility to depression, stressors, shyness and introversion, and extend their lives to 250 years.
The faulty population is less than 70 years old, and they carry the weak genes and therefore have to live only in Africa or Asia.
On the surface, the life of the privileged seems ideal, robots are made in accordance with the requirements of the labor market and the requirements of individuals, and it is not easy to distinguish between these electronic people called Zanon and the real man, and all fantasies and hopes quickly find their realization on the ground without much effort under a social system accurately formulated to ensure the well-being of individuals, similar in terms of the idea of the wonderful new world Aldous Huxley. What the narrative reveals is the fact that it is a masked hell.
This revelation is achieved by confrontation between the two communities. There are members of the sect of the defective decide to rebel against their inferior status and the two worlds meet. The people of Paradise discover that there is a vibrant life that they lack in the midst of their strict and precisely defined mechanical system. There are human feelings that led to a life unlike life. The fullness of human existence, or are human imperfections the essence of true life?
Each character writes a letter in which she reveals her life, obsessions, and plans, and also reveals the narrative structure of the novel in an intensification that avoids engaging in details that do not serve its basic questions, and also saves it from the shortcomings of the sometimes incomplete expression of the character ’ s multiple psychological dimensions.

Science fiction novels disseminate scientific knowledge, simplify complex concepts, and promote scientific awareness.

Title:

Content: The novel is a cure for scientific infiltration.
Novelist art of the last three decades of the twentieth century and the beginning of the present century is perhaps one of the most important tools for the dissemination of scientific knowledge and making it part of the general culture, as it has significantly reduced the gap between the scientific fiction and scientific applications in the field, through interesting stories and interesting characters.
Scientists can reach a wider audience and simplify complex ideas, which contributes to the promotion of scientific awareness and inspiration among readers; the integration of science with literature is not just an intellectual luxury, but a necessity for effective communication between scientists and society, especially as physical discoveries have become more confusing and fascinating than the most imaginative scientific novels.
When we read according to preconceived expectations, we marginalize the element of surprise with all its uncalculated potential, which may lead us to wonder and pleasure.
The use of the novel in the dissemination of science is not a new innovation, as literary stories throughout the ages have been an effective means of transmitting knowledge and values. Every sober novel must be a medium of knowledge, and therefore it undoubtedly requires a writer passionate about knowledge to touch a chord in the heart and mind of the reader. To achieve this, the reader must be engaged in learning.
But in modern times, with the increasing complexity of scientific theories and technology as a means of dealing with epistemological lava, epistemological narratives are no longer just lavish, but an urgent need and a simplistic tool that allows audiences to understand this knowledge more deeply.
To think of scientific novels as mere science fiction involves a great deal of predilection and prejudice, and I think it is more correct to describe them as an epistemological novel that satisfies in a fictional framework, and this can be seen by examining the dramatic and attractive survey that marked most of them.
With the proliferation of international novels and their drinkers, selective reading was inevitable; after all, we wouldn ’ t be able to read every recent edition.
Here comes the subjective approach; some are satisfied with the translator into Arabic, because there is no way for him to read another language, some read novels based on previous compliments of prominent critics and known for the excellence of their literary industry, others follow novels for their popularity and popularity, and there are readers who follow certain names for their knowledge of the creativity in their novels, and I think myself of the latter category. Although I sometimes tend to take the opinion of the first category, I think that when we read according to preconceived expectations, we marginalize the element of surprise with all its uncalculated potential, which may cause us to wonder and enjoy.
In Alice in Quantum Country, Robert Gilmar takes the reader on a journey through the world of quantum mechanics, in ways that draw the reader into the depths of this mysterious and complex field.
Gilmar uses a simple narrative style, with illustrations and famous experiences
I follow the work of Dan Brown and José Rodríguez dos Santos with great passion, and I make sure that I do not miss any of their work, and I think it is a wonderful experience that their novels and the works of other novelists who have taken it upon themselves to convey scientific ideas and concepts to a wide audience in an interesting and easy to understand way, especially by making them freely available to readers on the Internet. A large number of readers are paying to read it, and to see the most distinctive and unusual scientific investigations of our time.
By this I mean “particle physics ”, which is one of the most prominent sciences of the modern era, led by the Center for Nuclear Research in Switzerland (CERN), and the unprecedented revolution of communication, informatics and electronic applications, nano-engineering, and the science of industrially created materials; as well as“ quantum mechanics ”, which led to a revolutionary turn in science, thought and philosophy.
These are some of the most exciting and complex fields of science.
Thanks to their storytelling style, writers have been able to present these topics in a way that non-specialist readers can understand and enjoy, and keep up with the explosive stream of information generated daily; in Alice in Quantum Land, Robert Gilmar takes the reader on a journey through the world of quantum mechanics, in ways that draw the reader to the depths of this mysterious and complex field.
Through illustrative examples and famous experiments, such as the double-slit experiment and the Schrödinger cat experiment, Gilmar explains how qubits and quantum entanglement can be the foundations of new quantum computing, simplifying complex scientific concepts and making them accessible to everyone.
Dan Brown introduces elements of particle physics and electronic engineering into his novels, as shown in The Lost Symbol and The Origin.
It mixes scientific facts with literary fiction, creating interesting worlds.
The book is not just a theoretical exposition, it is a fictional journey into the quantum world, involving chapters with dramatic titles that rob the passionate reader: Into Quantum Land, Heisenberg Bank, Institute of Mechanics, Copenhagen School, Fermi-Boz Academy, Virtual Reality, Atoms in the Empty, Rutherford Castle, Particle Concert Masquerade, and the City of Experimental Physics Games.
Quantum Alice is similar to the Alice created by the novelist Lewis Carroll (who had an in-depth experience in mathematics).
It is a novel whose protagonists are electrons, neutrons, protons, photons, and quarks.
Alice goes to the Quantum Country — an entirely new version of Wonderland, smaller than an atom — and each landmark she frequents there illustrates a different aspect of quantum theory; there Alice encounters a number of extraordinary characters, through which she learns the uncertainty principle, wave functions, Pauli principle, and other concepts. Baffling, with a new intake that makes them all easy to absorb.
Along the same lines, Dan Brown introduces elements of particle physics and electronic engineering into his novels, as shown in The Lost Symbol and The Origin.
Braun blends scientific facts and literary fiction to create interesting worlds that help readers explore these fields without feeling overwhelmed; in Angels and Demons, Braun offers particle physics in an exciting way, tackling the story of antimatter smuggling, which prompts the reader to dive into this complex field of science, in an interesting narrative that highlights the challenges and adventures associated with this science.
José Rodríguez dos Santos, a Portuguese journalist and novelist, combines his journalistic and novelist skills to provide stories that delve into science in an exciting storytelling style, though he elaborates on scientific knowledge more than Dan Brown does.
In his novel The Mystical Hand, Dos Santos addresses the subject of biological evolution and astrophysics, mixing scientific facts with fiction, dissecting scientific concepts in a way that the average reader can understand, without losing the element of suspense and excitement in his plots.
I feel very grateful for this type of novel and its authors as much as I am for scientists and their discoveries, and I hope that it will be more popular in our Arab societies, whether by specialists in the scientific field or others, as a space for fun and learning.
In his novel The Gods of the Universe, Dos Santos explores topics such as the Big Bang and string theory, presenting them in the context of an exciting story.
Thanks to his journalistic background, Dos Santos has the ability to simplify scientific concepts, presenting them in a curious way.
What science fiction novelists do in their series is try to shift one ’ s mind from the superficial, fragile, transitory levels of thought to the higher horizons, which may seem invisible or intangible to many; understanding the basics is the foundation of every sober science, the necessary first step to contribute to intellectual and societal advancement, and not to dwell in the corners of indifference away from the scientific revolutions around us.
I feel very grateful for this type of novel and its authors as much as I am for scientists and their discoveries, and I hope that it will be more popular in our Arab societies, whether by scientific professionals or others, as a space for fun and learning, to turn on the disrupted senses, and to take a look at the worlds around us.
The views expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.

Authors like Octavia E. Butler, C.J. Cherryh, and Tananarive Due have made significant contributions, writing about diverse characters and experiences.

Title:

Content: Fiction

10 Vintage Book Series From The ’90s To Read This Year

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The 1990s are back in a big way, and Gen Z is loving every minute of it. For Millennials like me, it stings just a little to hear the ’90s described as “vintage” — or even, gulp, old — but so it goes. If you want to get in on the fun, I’ve got ten must-read vintage book series from the ’90s for you to read this year.

Without question, the last decade of the 20th century was a weird time, mostly due to rapid technological advancement and changes in the way we consumed media. Concerns over the intersection of corporatism, consumerism, and technological development nurtured the burgeoning cyberpunk genre.

When the decade began, the World Wide Web hadn’t been invented yet. By the turn of the century, Google had entered its beta phase, and companies like Angelfire, Geocities, and LiveJournal made it possible for anyone to make their own website. It’s no surprise, then, that the well-trodden world of print publishing embraced recorded and digital copies in the 1990s.

In many ways, the ’90s feel like an awkward teenager, caught up between the wealth-flaunting of the plasticky — and relatively low-tech — 1980s and the sleek, all-chrome, the-future-is-now stylings of the 2000s. The best 1990s book series are just as all-over-the-place as the rest of the decade…and you’re going to love them.

10 Vintage Book Series From the ’90s to Read This Year

Earthseed by Octavia E. Butler

This sci-fi trilogy may be unfinished — author Octavia E. Butler died while writing the third installment, Parable of the Trickster — but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dig into it this year. The first book, 1993’s Parable of the Sower centers on Lauren, a Black teen born with the ability to feel others’ pain. When American society collapses under the weight of climate change, capitalism, and corporate greed, Lauren leaves her gated community and founds a new religion based around humanity’s ability to adapt for survival.

Foreigner Universe by C.J. Cherryh

An ongoing series at the time of this writing, C.J. Cherryh’s Foreigner launched her series of the same name in 1994. Two-hundred years ago, the Phoenix, a ship carrying colonists and supplies from Earth to a far-flung space-station-to-be, crashed on an already-inhabited planet. Tensions between the humans of the Phoenix and the ruling atevi people led to an all-out war, which ended with total separation of the two races. Total separation, except for one man: Bren Cameron, emissary to the atevi, and the only human welcome in their society.

African Immortals Series by Tananarive Due

Vampires are making a comeback these days, so now’s the perfect time to check out Tananarive Due’s African Immortals series. Jessica seems to have built a picture-perfect Miami life with David…until the murders begin. As a killer stalks closer to home, David reveals that he’s not who he seems to be. He’s actually a 400-year-old Ethiopian vampire, and his people are demanding he return to his homeland, or else.

Shadow Children Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Only the first installment of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children series actually came out in the 1990s, but it’s still worth reading this year. Set in a dystopian version of the U.S., in which parents are only allowed two children, the series follows Luke and Jen: kids whose families have hidden them from the rest of the world for their entire lives.

Cousins Duology by Virginia Hamilton

Fair warning: this book is much heavier-hearted than other titles on this list. Cammy’s jealousy toward her wealthy cousin, Patty Ann, morphs into a more complex emotion following the other girl’s death. Patty Ann died saving another cousin, Elodie, from drowning. Did she do it just to spite Cammy? And how is Cammy supposed to feel, now that her cousin and archnemesis is gone?

Anastasia Krupnik Series by Lois Lowry

One of the most challenged book series of the 1990s, Lois Lowry’s Anastasia Krupnik series spans nine titles, beginning with 1978’s Anastasia Krupnik. Only the last two books, Anastasia at This Address and Anastasia, Absolutely, came out in the ’90s. Trust me when I say that Anastasia’s trials and tribulations are basically timeless, however. And if nine books aren’t enough for you, know that a four-book spinoff series centered on Anastasia’s kid brother launched in 1988 with All About Sam.

Hatfords and Malloys Series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Also known as Boy/Girl Battle, the Hatfords and Malloys series follows seven kids — the four Hatford brothers and the three Malloy sisters — as they duke out a deeply entrenched rivalry over the course of 12 installments. In The Boys Start the War, the Malloys have just moved to West Virginia from Ohio. Too bad they’re horning in on the Hatfords’ turf. If hijinks in the vein of Home Alone and The Parent Trap are your style, you owe it to yourself to read this series.

Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore

Dungeons & Dragons players, take note! Legendary drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden debuted in the 1988 sourcebook, The Savage Frontier, before appearing in R.A. Salvatore’s Icewind Dale trilogy. If you want to jump right into Drizzt’s backstory in the drow metropolis of Menzoberranzan, however, you’ll want to start with the Dark Elf trilogy: Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn. Fair warning, though: these novels play into the problem of fantasy racism by casting Drizzt as a drow who isn’t innately evil — a problem that Wizards of the Coast has promised to fix in future iterations of the game.

Maizon Trilogy by Jacqueline Woodson

Another coming-of-age middle grade series, Jacqueline Woodson’s Maizon trilogy follows BFFs Margaret and Maizon as they’re separated and reunited. In Last Summer with Maizon, Maizon’s accepted at Blue Hill: a prestigious, majority-white boarding school. That means Margaret will have to weather huge life changes, including her father’s tragic death, without her bestie by her side. The second installment, Maizon at Blue Hill, tells Maizon’s side of the story. A third book, Between Madison and Palmetto, brings the girls back together for a new adventure: growing up.

Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn

OK, so, first things first: there are three Thrawn trilogies. This one, published between 1991 and ’93, was the definitive sequel to Return of the Jedi. Until the Star Wars Extended Universe was retconned by Disney, that is. Timothy Zahn has since published two more Thrawn trilogies — Thrawn and Thrawn: Ascendancy — both of which are well worth reading. You just can’t beat this classic Star Wars EU trilogy from the 1990s, however.

Want to read more vintage book series from the ’90s? Be sure to check out this list of must-reads from the 1990s and these ’90s tie-in books.

Modern technology is increasingly featured in science fiction, as seen in books like "Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow".

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Attention to technology.
Writers explain the shift in current literature
In a new novel by journalist Yumi Adejuki, an anonymous statement circulating on social media threatens to undermine the burgeoning relationship between a young couple, the novel illustrates all the fears and toxins that social media apps can sow.
Anatomy of the role of contemporary technology
This is not the only work of fiction in recent years that puts aspects of modern technology under the microscope, there are many books that dissect the role of contemporary technology in our lives.
In Gabriel Zevin ’ s Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, he touches on the themes of life, death, reconciliation, and love through the lens of the evolution of video games and online worlds.
A best-selling book like Yellowface looks at race, privilege, power, and the pitfalls of the publishing industry, but it also touches on Twitter.
Technology company scandals
Bookblogger Julian Bonocore told Mashable that she has seen a rise in technology-based fiction in recent times, attributing it to the fact that such books play on the public ’ s concerns, especially regarding real-life tech scandals in Silicon Valley and big tech companies.
Technology-based stories are compelling and interesting, from business diving to personal success and scandals.
Young author Wendy Maas told Mashable: “Twenty-first-century novels are increasingly entangled with the constant evolution of technology and its impact on humans.
For decades, futuristic gadgets like artificial-intelligence-controlled devices and the ability to instantly communicate with anyone around the world have been the exclusive stuff of science fiction writers.
Now, a lot of great technology has become part of our daily lives, so authors of other genres can incorporate it into their stories as well.
The ever-evolving technology
Stories about tech workers have become commonplace.
Many authors have been praised for their accounts of the people behind the big tech companies and the dark side of the industry.
Sometimes, the industry is used as a symbolic story, but more often, as a framework for exploring the undulating consequences of a culture of bustle, freedom, and ambition.
Sophie Vershbow, a writer who previously worked in publishing for 10 years, believes that this kind of fiction exploits our very real and human fears about the ever-evolving technology landscape.
Books containing technology are popular for the same reason dystopian novels were popular during President Trump ’ s presidency, and epidemiological novels were popular during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Imagination is a way to indulge our fears and curiosity across pages.

Novels like "Binti", "The Three-Body Problem", and "The Handmaid's Tale" are classics exploring identity, morality, and social justice.

The "SuperScientists" programme in South Africa features 49 local scientists as superheroes to inspire children and address racial and gender inequity in science.

Title:

Content: Meet South Africa’s Superhero scientists Cosmic Dawn, Bones and Nitro

Mpho Kgoadi remembers waking up at 5am every Saturday to watch his favourite superhero series, X-Men. As an 11-year-old, he would be riveted by the extraordinary powers of the mutant squad, especially Professor X, the paraplegic founder of X-Men. Being transfixed by his superhuman abilities on screen allowed Kgoadi, who grew up in the township of Wattville on Gauteng’s East Rand, to draw parallels with his own disability.

“The entire cast of X-Men is so relatable but the obvious choice is Professor X because of his struggle to choose between his legs and his mental prowess,” says Kgoadi, now an astrophysicist and PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand. “I draw a lot of inspiration from X-Men to see how people who are ‘outcasts’ have such a positive impact on society and are not just seen as differently-abled.”

As a child gazing up at the night sky wondering about the future, he never imagined that he, too, would be immortalised as a Marvel-style superhero through the nonprofit SuperScientists programme, which features 49 local scientists in the marine, biomedical, astronomy, maths and palaeo sciences.

By appealing to young peoples’ love of comic heroes, the programme is designed to inspire children to see themselves in the faces and stories of scientists working today, who are profiled through trading cards, posters, calendars and activity books.

As Cosmic Dawn, Kgoadi’s superpower is observing the dark matter that makes up most of the universe and studying its influence in the early universe 12-billion years ago.

“I grew up watching superhero movies and fantasising about this specific moment in my life. To be a superhero in this kind of way is something I never expected and it’s an absolute honour,” Kgoadi says.

Amazing powers

Everyone loves a good fictional superhero who can shrink down to the quantum realm or jump over a building in a single bound. But “real scientists, real people, have just as amazing powers”, according to SuperScientists.

“Scientists can see individual atoms within a molecule, read the DNA of a single cell in a tumour and peer back in time to when black holes collided. They have saved millions of lives through their research and technological advances and are solving questions today that people have asked for millennia.”

But young people in South Africa, for the most part, don’t know a scientist, says SuperScientists founder Justin Yarrow, who runs the science education nonprofit Codemakers

“The image in their head is Einstein, a ‘mad’ scientist, and not someone they can relate to. The phrase, ‘you can’t be it if you can’t see it’ is really quite true. Representation matters and so, when young people can’t connect a name and face to these careers, it limits their imagination to see themselves in them,” he said.

Flash of inspiration

Yarrow’s spark of genius came when he noticed how children in the Codemakers programme — and his own children — were captivated by Super Animals, Pick n Pay’s collectable trading cards.

“They were learning about African animals and that’s brilliant, but I was just like: ‘Ha, wouldn’t it be cool if we could use that same approach for learning about science and scientists?’ ”

His idea blasted off and in the past two years, more than 15 000 trading cards, posters, an activity book and a calendar have been distributed to young people, schools, community centres and clinics, with more offerings in the works.

Even though he had his own children, Yarrow didn’t realise how much young people live in a superhero world filled with imagination and characters, whether on TV, in books, or on social media.

“They are incredibly social and yet when we teach science, we don’t connect them to the people and characters who are doing the work.”

To illustrate the achievements of homegrown scientists, the programme has drawn in artists including Curtis Bonhomme, Hero In My Hood, Venus Bambisa and Clyde Beech, who was part of the team behind the Kwezi and Supa Strikas comic books.

Involving children in science

“My whole thing is about how do you decrease barriers to knowledge and get more young people engaged, whether it’s about making animations in their mother tongue about things that they care about, or having heroes that look like them, and maybe participating down the line in science and technology development rather than the standard people that have historically done that,” says Yarrow.

To represent who scientists can be, the SuperScientists programme features diverse scientists from South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, Zambia and Rwanda. This is important, Yarrow says, because racial and gender inequity is a problem in science, limiting who becomes a scientist and restricting young people “when they don’t see scientists who look like them”.

Explorer and paleoanthropologist Keneiloe Molopyane, whose SuperScientist alter ego is Bones, explains further: “We get to live in a different reality from everyday life through superheroes and comics … and your imagination comes to life. What’s really nice about SuperScientists is that all these scientists look like the average South African. Any child of colour can pick up the cards or the poster and visualise themselves as that person.”

This, says the National Geographic, which has an Emerging Explorer programme of exceptional individuals in their fields, is crucial in the South African context “where scientists are not celebrated as celebrities”.

Molopyane says: “You grow up, especially for my generation, and you become a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, or maybe an engineer. Then to have something as an archaeologist thrown in your face … to have another medium through which this field of science is expressed is wonderful.”

Oceanographer and University of Cape Town PhD candidate Kolisa Sinyanya, who is superhero Nitro, agrees. “There’s very few marine scientists that are black, especially black women … With Nitro being the character that portrays me, for some people it’s very overwhelming because they never had any role models to look up to. If they do, they don’t look like them. And that’s a very important thing to consider in a career — having someone look like you. That gives children hope.”

Changing children’s lives

From her home in Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal, Nothando Mndaweni runs a literacy programme for children in grades 4 to 7. It was there a year ago when she asked children if they knew what a scientist was.

“They couldn’t answer at all and I was quite surprised,” Mndaweni says. “What I discovered is the way that science is taught in township schools, the children only interact with science through taking notes off a chalkboard and parrot learning to pass their exams.”

Through SuperScientists, “children can connect what they learn at school with their everyday lives because science is all around us. Using superheroes makes it so much more real and relatable to the children.”

The children in the programme have started asking smarter questions about science, and for some, their marks have improved. “One big positive SuperScientists has made is the tremendous improvement in children’s special vocabulary, which is essential in building their comprehension skills. They’ve been introduced to words like oceanographer and phytoplankton.”

Opening minds

Gretchen Wilson-Prangley, the founder and chief executive of the nonprofit, Play Africa, says it has distributed SuperScientists materials as part of its programme.

“Play Africa’s ‘I am a Scientist’ programme is really aligned with the SuperScientists programme, because at Play Africa we’re trying to really inspire every child to open their minds and unlock their thinking around the possibilities for their future,” Wilson-Prangley says.

In 2017, researchers reported in the South African Journal of Science that 78% of the country’s most visible scientists are white, despite white South Africans making up only 8% of the country’s population.

“A full 63% of the most visible scientists are white men, leading to a devastating misconception that science in South Africa ‘belongs’ to only a select part of the population,” Wilson-Prangley says.

Play Africa has embarked on a study with Stellenbosch University to test how children see scientists. “We’re using a methodology called ‘Draw A Scientist’ and we go into a classroom of grade 3 learners in Soweto or in the inner city of Joburg and ask them to draw a picture of a scientist doing science.

“What we found, surprisingly, is that children in grade 3 often don’t even know how to illustrate the stereotype of scientists doing science. The term scientist doesn’t have a lot of reference images in their minds. So with SuperScientists, these kinds of interventions can make a difference in helping children identify with science in a new way.”

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Sheree Bega
Sheree Bega is an environment reporter at the Mail & Guardian.

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Queer sci-fi thrillers like "Prophet" and genre-bending novellas like "Remote Control" by Nnedi Okorafor are making an impact.

Title:

Content: Swords & Spaceships

8 Excellent Genre-Bending Sci-Fi Tales To Take You to the Next Frontier

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Lyndsie Manusos

Senior Contributor

Lyndsie Manusos’s fiction has appeared in PANK, SmokeLong Quarterly, and other publications. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked in web production and content management. When she’s not nesting among her books and rough drafts, she’s chasing the baby while the dog watches in confused amusement. She lives with her family in a suburb of Indianapolis.

Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen Macdonald, published by Grove Atlantic

The must-read queer sci-fi thriller of the summer! In a world just one perilous step from our own, an unlikely pair sets out on the most dangerous and otherwordly mission of their lives. When a diner suddenly appears in a remote field, Adam and Rao are confronted with the most devastating weapon they have ever seen: Prophet. No one knows who created it, or why, but this spooky substance is bringing happy memories to life, then stifling people with their own joy. Despite their troubled past, the two are drawn closer than ever to defend what they hold most dear.

As I said in my 2022 science fiction subgenre primer, the genre of science fiction is expanding. Like our universe, it is expanding quickly, redefined with every story, be it short or long-form. And beneath the large umbrella of science fiction, subgenres are added and redefined. All in all, there are endless ways to tell a science fiction story (don’t let any old guard tell you different).

And then — subgenres aside — there is genre-bending science fiction. There is science fiction that centers horror and science fiction that is fabulist and weird. There’s science fantasy, as well as science fiction romance. There’s science fiction that is nearly unclassifiable, a mixture of so many things, or even all the things. I’ve mentioned in my Book Riot oeuvre that genre-bending of any shape or size is my kind of work. When writers are bold and brave in their genre weaving, that’s when the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. That’s when I rub my hands together and think, “oh, this is going to be good.”

Genre-bending science fiction doesn’t have to be confined to the novel form, either. Short fiction science fiction is in a golden age right now. Check out the latest finalists and winners for the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus awards, and I promise you will find mindblowing, genre-bending, exceptional work.

Below I will showcase eight tremendous genre-bending science fiction tales, ranging from short stories to novels, and everything in between. I believe I’ve mentioned at least one in a previous post from last year, but you’ll notice the genre coverage is different. Ergo, these stories are genre-bending.

In any case, I hope you’ll enjoy these stories as much as I do.

Genre-Bending Science Fiction: Novels & Novellas

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Fatima had a past before she became known as Sankofa. Before those around her called her the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. With a mere glance, an entire town could fall. But before that, the world was different.

So much of what Okorafor writes is genre-bending science fiction (the Binti trilogy!). This novella begins in an almost fantasy-horror like fashion: Sankofa walking, leaving fear and horror in her wake. But as the story unfolds, it becomes this all-encompassing tale of African futurism, how the world shapes us, and then how we might reshape the world.

Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones

One of the things I love about including this book is seeing this title on Goodreads and reading all the genres it’s described as. Hint: it’s like all the genres. Fantasy, science fiction, time travel, magic, dragons, robots, portals, you name it, Hexwood probably has it. And clearly, none of this should surprise you coming from the legendary Diana Wynne Jones.

The tale follows Ann Stavely as she watches people disappear through the farm’s gate. She meets a sorcerer, and time begins to move differently in the woods nearby. Little does she know that far beyond Earth, Controller Borasus receives word that an ancient machine has been awakened.

I mean, clearly, genre-bending at its finest.

Escape Velocity by Victor Manibo

I love how Victor Manibo is always able to craft the perfect mystery within his brilliant science fiction worlds. Manibo is a master at showing Earth just around corner, especially if we keep on our current trajectory. Picture a world of hyper-capitalism, a luxury liner — Space Habitat Altaire —and a ruthless world of amassing “points” in order for the chance to start a new life on Mars.

Now, add a decadent mystery of whodunit with a sprinkle of who’s willing to do anything to get what they want: Ava wants to find out who murdered her brother; Laz wants to win Ava’s heart; Sloane wants to collect secrets as his family’s wealth declines; Henry will do whatever it takes to get to Mars.

And all this is set during a class reunion on a luxury space liner, with twists and turns you won’t see coming. Get your science fiction Knives Out fix with this one.

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

I still think about this book. I still think about Borne and that giant bear, Mord. This book is solidly science fiction, but it’s also just fucking weird. That’s honestly the best way to describe it, too, which is why I love it so much. It’s post-apocalyptic, and it manages to be both epic and extremely intimate.

Rachel is trying to survive in a world that wants to kill her at every turn. Then she finds Borne, an amorphous creature, in the fur of a Godzilla-sized bear named Mord. Rachel cannot bring herself, nor allow her lover Wick, to destroy Borne. Borne reminds her of better times and better places, and an attachment grows between them. This book is personal as well as out of this world. It’s weird fiction at its finest. It’s science fiction at its most profound.

Genre-Bending Science Fiction: Short Form

This list includes short fiction, though that ranges in word count. Below you’ll find tales that are short stories or novelettes.

Foxfire, Foxfire” by Yoon Ha Lee from Beneath Ceaseless Skies

Let me begin by saying that the publication of this story is in a highly respected (and one of my personal favorites) genre magazine called Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Its mission: to publish the very best in “literary adventure fantasy.” And yet, this story also has beautifully crafted science fiction elements.

This novelette follows Baekdo, a magical, shapeshifting fox who is able to speak to gods. Baekdo is set on becoming human, which requires him to kill — and devour the liver of — 100 humans. Baekdo has no qualms about coming to his 100th kill, but things don’t go as planned. Baekdo’s 100th victim is the pilot of a Cataphract, a giant battle mech. Baekdo swears on the tiger-sages that he will keep his oath with the pilot, Jong, and finish her mission. It’s an intimate, magical tale while also being epic in scope. Truly, a genre-bending masterpiece.

The Gondoliers” by Karen Russell from Orange World and Other Stories

Karen Russell is a masterful genre-bending writer. I fell in love with Russell’s work over ten years ago, with her first collection St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. Like Kelly Link, Russell was vital in redefining, for me at least, what fiction, especially literary fiction, can do. “The Gondoliers” is a wonderful example of this.

It follows Janelle Picarro, a.k.a Blister, in a post-apocalyptic world where parts of Florida have fully submerged underwater and is now called New Florida. Blister is a gondolier, ferrying people across the waters. Blister and her sisters use echolocation to communicate and steer. There is a little bit of everything in this story, and you won’t be the same when you reach the end.

Memories of Memories Lost” by Mahmud El Sayed from khōréō

khōréō is one of my favorite speculative fiction magazines. “In Memories of Memories Lost,” El Sayed crafts a devastatingly personal short story of memory, loss, and sacrifice.

After aliens take over Earth, humans must pay a “memory tax” to their cosmic invaders. The story follows Ahmed, who chooses, for his tax, to give a large family memory in the form of a heirloom. In doing so, he can assure the comfort of his father, who suffers from dementia. It’s a story of complex relationships and love. It’s a story that begs hard questions of ourselves, our souls, and our loved ones: What if we could give traumatic memories away? Would we regret the loss?

The Dizzy Room” by Kristina Ten from Nightmare Magazine

Look, I know I’ve mentioned this story before, and it’s because the story is that good. Published in the renowned horror magazine Nightmare, this story is about a video game, but it’s also a horror story about memory and language. There are images and a multitude of sensory details that will haunt me forever.

This is science fiction horror at its best, with a mounting dread that will have you tempted to lean back while also leaning forward, closer to the page, admittedly desperate to hear the sounds of the game itself beckoning you. I am not at all surprised that this story is a finalist for the 2023 Shirley Jackson Awards.

Find Genre-Bending Stories Everywhere

Every genre has trailblazers, writers who take a genre and build upon it, question and criticize it, and remold it into something new. These are the writers I seek out again and again to dissect and study these genres, rediscovering them and also falling in love with them all over again. They are out there now, and their stories are waiting.

If you’re interested in more genre-bending work, check out these other Book Riot gems:

Who wrote "Binti," a Hugo-award-winning African futuristic science fiction horror story?

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" has been reimagined, including a tribute by Janet Winterson incorporating AI and transgender themes.

Title:

Content: Tribute to Frankenstein! "Science Lovers" turned AI AI version author into transgender
▲ In response to "Frankenstein" two centuries ago, contemporary writer Janet Winterson wrote a tribute to "Science Lovers". (Photo / Courtesy of New Classic Culture)
Journalist Yu-Aya Lin / Comprehensive Report
In 1816, writer Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein", and now the boldest contemporary writer Janet Winterson wrote a tribute to "Science Lovers", which not only made Frankenstein "electric" into AI, but also turned the author into a transgender romantic lover. Chinese version of Classical Culture.
In 1818, Mary Shelley published the first science fiction novel "Frankenstein", in which the protagonist is a curious medical student, Frankenstein, who disregarding the taboo to assemble body parts and connect the electric current, creating the horror monster we are now familiar with - "Frankenstein".
This novel not only opened up the science fiction vision of literature, the author also used monsters to refer to the situation of women in the early stages of the industrial revolution: unable to receive education, excluded from the public domain, and extremely limited scope of life.
[Advertisement] Please continue reading...
In 2018, when “Frankenstein ” turned 200 years old, Britain ’ s most original writer, Janet Winterson, paid tribute to the classic two centuries ago with her new book“ Science Lovers: A Story of Love ”, and also asked the question: In the modern era of artificial intelligence and genetic technology, does the line between “artificial life and human ” and“ woman and man ” still exist?
In the humorous pen of author Janet Winterson, Dr. Frankenstein, who had previously violated the taboo of life, has become Professor Victor Stein, the developer of artificial intelligence; and Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, has become the lover of Professor Stein; Lord Byron has also come to the modern age, becoming a playful sex robot maker. The success or otherwise of his career has influenced the "sexual" well-being of the world.
Dr. Vito Stein, on the other hand, is secretly conducting some kind of taboo experiment, and with Rui ’ s help, he wants to steal a mysterious head from the ultra-cryopreservation of the human body in Phoenix and upload its consciousness to the cloud.
Mary Shelley, less than 19 years old, published Frankenstein in 1818.
Right: The most daring writer of the time, Janet Winterson, wrote the modern version of Frankenstein ’ s response.
(Image / taken from the network)
Mary Shelley, who was less than 19 years old, wrote Frankenstein; and Janet Winterson, who also experienced extraordinary experience, wrote a humorous, cynical, bold and frank modern version of Frankenstein in response to Mary Shelley, and the modern intersection of the development of artificial intelligence and the breaking of human and non-human boundaries, embracing science and love of literature. She asks, “What is the nature of life? ”
The work has also been well received by international media, with Elle magazine praising Janet Winterson as "the boldest and most original writer of our time."
“Winterson ’ s smartest scheduling in this book is perhaps to point out that transgender people are the real pioneers in a future we can decide for ourselves, when we can design our own bodies. ”
In rewriting Frankenstein from this perspective, the monster no longer looks like a monster; he was just born too early.
One day, Winterson pointed out that biology no longer defines us.
We are just consciousness - unbridled consciousness. "
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What is considered the first true science fiction novel of the modern era, which foreshadowed genetic tinkering?

Janet Winterson's work explores the intersection of AI and human boundaries, portraying transgender people as pioneers in redefining identity and body.

Science fiction literature has undergone significant changes over time.

Science fiction emerged in the Western world and was also shaped by other cultures, including Arabic literature.

Title:

Content: Monday 27 December 2021
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Editor-in-Chief
Wael Lotfy
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Editor-in-Chief
Wael Lotfy
“Studies in Scientific Literature. ”
A book that explores the features of science fiction in Arabic works
Science fiction literature has witnessed a wide presence in Arab creative writings despite its emergence and prosperity in the Western world, and despite its creative popularity, it has not received sufficient critical attention. Based on this idea, the Syrian writer and critic Ahmed Ali Mohammed observes the features and features of science fiction in Arabic literature, both ancient and modern, in his book "Studies in Science Literature", recently published in the series of studies by the Arab Writers Union.
The Syrian researcher believes that the Arab criticism has overlooked the literature of science fiction, citing a number of arguments such as the immaturity of this type of writing in the Arab world, and the disregard of his writers for the features of literary writing, as well as the lack of scientific knowledge, which the writer considers weak, especially with the presence of remarkable writings in this field succeeded in setting a firm foot and overcome many shortcomings.
Leadership in scientific literature
Ali points out that the philosophical messages of Avicenna and Ibn Tufayl can be considered as the beginning of the link in ancient Arabic literature between literature and science, as the Arab heritage includes philosophical messages written in successive times that represented the basis of literary thinking based on science fiction, the most prominent of these messages: "The message of Hayy bin Yaqzan" by Avicenna.
Shahabuddeen al-Sahrawardi ’ s “Strange Alienation ” message is inspired by the story of the neighborhood of Ben Yaqzan, and Ibn al-Nafees ’ s“ Perfect Letter ” in which he followed the example of his predecessors.
The author says of the relevance of these letters to science fiction: "These letters draw a narrative basis based on the facts of science, elaborate on the imagination based on thought and knowledge, and depict part of the knowledge of their owners.
The most prominent aspect of these letters is the narrative imager related to the facts of science and the perceptions of philosophy, which confirms the existence of seeds of scientific literature in the Arabs. ”
Science Fiction Poetry
The writer points out that science fiction literature has been associated with narrative forms, was raised with the French writer Jules Verne, who published the first story in science fiction literature in 1863 entitled "Five Weeks in a Balloon" and then wrote another story entitled "Journey to the Hollow of the Earth" and then continued productions, including the novel "Time Machine" by George Wells and others.
Science fiction poetry is rare, including the poem "The Asteroid" by Russian poet Nikolai Glazkov, translated by Al-Azhar University professor Ahmed Shafiq al-Khatib, a poem based on the achievements of science fiction literature in terms of prediction, foresight and time travel.
Criticism of scientific literature
Some of the works of Tawfiq al-Hakim include The Year of One Million (1953), which is dominated by philosophical consideration of life, nature and the universe, and his play Journey to Tomorrow (1958), which involves a forward-looking view of the future related to man ’ s struggle with time, as well as his play “Food for Every Mouth ”." In which he talks about the problem of food that people will suffer from in the future, and his play "The Prayer of Angels", which deals with the impact of science on the happiness of humanity and the provision of its needs.
Political fiction literature
The writer monitors the branches of science fiction literature that not only addressed the problems of the environment, pollution, space and planets, but touched the problems of politics, society and economy through the literature of political fiction, which includes under its banner the literature of utopia and dystopia.
There are a number of writings concerned with depicting Utopia, which means a utopia without trace of corruption, evil or injustice, the most prominent of these writings is Thomas Moore ’ s “Utopia ”, which depicts an ideal world critical of the political, religious and social conditions of his time.
The literature of dystopia comes in contrast to utopia, but they belong under the name of political fiction, which is a branch of science fiction literature, as each deals with political life by storytelling accompanied by fiction, and dystopia means the literature of the corrupt city or the world of bitter reality that depicts a society full of corruption and highlights the phenomena of destruction, murder and destruction and transformation of human beings. A feuding.
The author mentions a number of Western and Arabic writings that have emerged in the field of dystopia, including George Orwell ’ s 1984, Aldous Huxley ’ s Brave New World, and Ray Bradbury ’ s Fahrenheit 451.
At the level of Arabic writings, a number of works can be observed such as the novel "The Front" by Izz al-Din Issa, the novel "The Tale of the Last Arab" by Wassini al-Araj, "Frankenstein in Baghdad" by Ahmed Saadawi, "The Second War of the Dog" by Ibrahim Nasrallah, "Mercury" by Mohammed Rabie, "The Line" by Basma Abdul Aziz, and "Novelist of the First City" by Omar Hazek. And "Orwell in the Southern Suburbs" by Fawzi Thebian.
Literary Studies
In his book, the Syrian critic offers critical readings in a number of works under the banner of science fiction literature, including the novel "Hala al-Nour" by Mohammed al-Ashri, seeking to stand on the aesthetic trend, especially with the departure of literary criticism from the study of the aesthetic aspects of science fiction literature, observing the methods of the novelist mixing the facts of science with the world mythical heritage.
The book provides another analysis of the collection “Behind the Dark Walls ” by the Syrian writer Taleb Omran, which falls within the literature of dystopia, because the stories depict worlds in which savagery, destruction, murder and destruction prevail, and on the other hand it monitors the Syrian storyteller ’ s interest in the method of scientific storytelling and its reliance on astronomical knowledge and geographical information.
The writer also analyzes the elements and features of fantasy in some of the works of Ahmed Khaled Tawfik as one of the most prominent writers in this field, explaining that science fiction is different from fantasy or wonder in the contemporary novel in that it starts from the modern scientific output, and depends on scientific knowledge specialized, while fantasy completely degenerates from logic and depends on the imagination and does not find a trace of laws we know in reality and depends on mythological and form It is in harmony not with the outside world but with its own world according to which it takes place.

The genre explores complex concepts and issues, making it a powerful educational tool.

What concepts does Ishiguro's literary science fiction novel bring up?

What did Frank Herbert's "Dune" manage to achieve?

Book clubs should evaluate science fiction books from underrepresented perspectives based on literary merit, social relevance, and author diversity.

Book clubs can find underrepresented science fiction books by seeking recommendations from organizations like We Need Diverse Books and diverse authors.

Women and people of color, including authors like Nnedi Okorafor, N.K. Jemisin, and Octavia E. Butler, have made significant contributions to science fiction.

What is considered a major breakthrough in science fiction publication?

Who wrote "Binti," a Hugo-award-winning African futuristic science fiction horror story?