Springfield-Greene County Library District discussion

Hello everyone!

This month's topic for discussion is Science Fiction!

If you need ideas for some books to read this month, you might be interested in the Library's Science Fiction bookshelf or this Goodreads blog article from July: This Year's Most Popular New Sci-Fi Novels So Far.

Comment below and tell us about your all-time favorite science fiction titles and authors!

I really love Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. All of the characters are so interesting and it's a thought-provoking book. I read it in a book club once and we never ran out of things to say about it--which is impressive considering it was a very small book club.

Recently I read All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells and I really enjoyed it! I wasn't expecting a humorous take on security androids so it was a delightful surprise. I love the fact that it's a series of novellas because it will be a great series to return to whenever I'm looking for a short read.

I also enjoy reading Star Wars novels and my favorites are Lost Stars and Bloodline (both written by Claudia Gray), and the Padme Amidala series by E.K. Johnston.

The Martian is one of my all-time faves, too! I think it's the perfect amount of scientific detail for me--enough to make it feel realistic, but it's broken up with lots of humor and the plot speeds along. I recently read Andy Weir's new book, Project Hail Mary, and loved it just as much. It brings up some fascinating ideas, particularly about what alien life might be like. There's a bit of a buddy comedy thing going on, and some great flawed characters. And it's super heartwarming; I cried multiple times while reading it.

I've enjoyed what I've read of Kim Stanley Robinson as well, and would like to read more. I also liked Ender's Game and the other books in that series. I think Ender's Shadow is my favorite. It's the events from "Ender's Game" but from the point of view of Bean, the antagonist from the original. I was really intrigued by his story. As Christina said, Card writes interesting characters.

I just recently heard about All Systems Red myself, and that's what I plan to read for my new sci-fi this month. I'll report back!

I LOVE MURDERBOT and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it! That series is definitely at the top of my list of sci-fi faves, as are the two Andy Weir books mentioned.

I recently enjoyed a sci-fi/romance crossover called One Last Stop. The story has a time slip aspect that is really interesting, and then on top of that all the best things about rom-coms--a memorable meet-cute, likeable main characters, and a group of amazing friends as side characters.

A series I've been meaning to continue is the Wayfarers by Becky Chambers. I read the first book, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and it was such a fun read! A funny space romp like the Murderbot series, but with a large cast of characters.

Still haven't decided what new sci-fi I'll read this month, but I'm running out of time.... !!!

I finished All Systems Red, the first in the Murderbot series, and loved it! It's only about 150 pages, but I'm amazed by the amount of story and characterization the author fit into the short book. The action starts right away, and you learn about the characters and grow attached to them as you read. I've never related to an android so much!

I had forgotten about "The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet"! I loved that one too. One thing that stood out to me about that one was the different alien cultures. There are so many ways our world is structured that we take as given, but reading about the diverse group of aliens made me think about ways we could do things differently, particularly related to family structure and community. Has anyone read the rest of the series?

Good Morning Midnight by Lily Brooks Dalton. I am not a big fan of scifi but this was ok

Thank you both for the recommendations! I love some good world building. And I've wanted to read more translated novels, so "The Three Body Problem" is going on my list.

I have just started The Three-Body Problem in the last few days. It was highly recommended by my daughter. I am enjoying it so far. I recently finished reading Klara and the Sun, and I really liked it. It is a good story, but also quite thought-provoking. I have all kinds of questions about different things the author might have been trying to convey, but it is fun just to ponder these things. And one more, I read a review this morning of A Psalm for the Wild-Built, which i s the first in a new series by Becky Chambers. The reviewer gave it high praise.