Beyond Reality discussion

I know we are busy voting for which fantasy series we want to read next, but guess what? It’s also time to think about our Books of the Month for October! What would you like to read and discuss with the group? Nominations are now open!

Each group member can make 1 science fiction and/or 1 fantasy nomination. A couple of suggestions to keep in mind:

1. Telling us a little about the book and why you think it would be a good group read can help get other members interested in reading (and voting for) your nomination. If possible, please use a link to the book and author in your nomination post. Click on “add book/author" for an easy way to do that.

2. To see if your nomination has already been read by the group, you can check:

a. The Beyond Reality Google spreadsheet of Previous Books of the Month, available at this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...". To search for a specific title, use the "Find and Replace" option under the EDIT menu. Don't worry, you will be able to find a title but you will not be able to replace it since the spreadsheet is in "View Only" mode.

b. the group's bookshelf for Previous Books of the Month

c. the topic threads on this page: Previous BotM Master Lists

Books the group has read in the past 2 years are not eligible for current consideration. Being chosen as a past BotM prior to that time is not an automatic disqualification, but be aware that it may hinder your nomination’s chances at the polls.

General guidelines:
• Feel free to re-nominate a book that didn’t win in the polls in previous months!
• For questions regarding specifics such as book formats, books in series, self-nomination, and various rules for nominations, please see the group FAQ.
• Seconding is NOT necessary in this group.
• Friendly discussion & debate is strongly encouraged, but please keep things civil.

Poll schedule:
• Nominations will remain open through Wednesday, July 19.
• The first (preliminary) round of polls will open Thursday, July 20 and will run through Tuesday, July 25.
• The final run-off polls open Wednesday, July 26 and will run through Monday, July 31.

Thanks!
Kathi, for the Mods

NOMINATIONS SO FAR:
FANTASY:
The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
The Bees by Laline Paull
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

SCIENCE FICTION:
The Stars Undying by Emery Robin
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Mockingbird by Walter Tevis

For science fiction I would like to nominate The Stars Undying by Emery Robin. For fantasy I would like to nominate The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore.

For SF, I'll nominate The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz. I heard the author interviewed on a podcast (anyone else listening to Reading Glasses?) and the book sounded really interesting - it takes place over multiple generations in the long-term terraforming of a planet. I'm a sucker for multigenerational stories!

For fantasy, I propose The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi. This has been on my radar screen for a while (I think I may have nominated it once before). The description paints it as Mexican Gothic crossed with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and I absolutely loved both of those!

Fantasy, The Bees
SF, Stars Uncharted.

see previous months for my reasons :)

I will nominate
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. This won the 2022 Goodreads Readers Choice for Science Fiction.

I will also nominate Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett. This is the first book of a series nominated as Best Series for the 2023 Hugo Awards. I just started it, and I'm so impressed with the world building, characters, and creative magical system. I think the group would like it, too.

Fantasy- I'll nominate The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer.

The premise sounds fun, and I tend to enjoy reading books about books. Here's a very short description-

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life.


Scifi- I'll nominate Mockingbird by Walter Tevis.

Taken from a review- a hymn to the life, beauty, truth, and mystery of man.

A short piece of dialogue (also taken from a review)-
“What is it exactly that you do with a book?”
“You read it.”
“Oh,” she said. And then, “What does ‘read’ mean?”
I nodded. Then I began turning the pages of the book I was holding and said, “Some of these markings here represent sounds. And the sounds make words. You look at the marks and sounds come into your mind and, after you practice long enough, they begin to sound like hearing a person talking. Talking—but silently.”

This was interesting enough to make me want to read the book (it's only 288 pages).

Just a note - Mockingbird is very hard to find, at least not for money. None of my libraries have it, and I had on my wishlist at pbs for a long time. And Wishing Game has long holds at my libraries, as it's so new.

But both look so tempting!

Cheryl wrote: "Just a note - Mockingbird is very hard to find, at least not for money. None of my libraries have it, and I had on my wishlist at pbs for a long time. And Wishing Game has long holds at my librarie..."

Thanks for this info. While we wish the nominated books were readily available via library loan, our guidelines at this time simply state they must be available in print and not just as ebooks,

Cheryl wrote: "Just a note - Mockingbird is very hard to find, at least not for money. None of my libraries have it, and I had on my wishlist at pbs for a long time. And Wishing Game has long holds at my librarie..."

Yes, I think since Mockingbird was published in 1980, it may not be as readily available as some of the newer ones, but it does still seem to be available in print (at least a used copy), ebook, and audio format, and many public libraries as well (in the US), where one can get it through an interlibrary loan. I've given some options below, hope it's helpful. (If it's too hard for people to access, I can also nominate a different book).

Some places where it is available to buy (there are others, this is a few of them)-

1) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/034...

2) https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...

3) https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/mocking...

4) https://www.ebooks.com/en-ae/book/186...

5) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...


Public libraries in the US where it is available-

https://www.worldcat.org/title/42759584

Nachiket wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Just a note - Mockingbird is very hard to find, at least not for money. None of my libraries have it, and I had on my wishlist at pbs for a long time. And Wishing Game has long holds..."

Thanks!

It's all good. I just thought maybe it was worth mentioning.

Last day for nominations!!

Thanks for all the great nominations!

The preliminary polls are open for our October 2023 Books of the Month. Polls will remain open through July 25.

Please vote!!
Science Fiction Preliminary Poll 10/23

Fantasy Preliminary Poll 10/23

Remember, polls are open through July 25, so you have one more day to vote if you haven’t already, or to change your vote if desired.

The final polls to choose our October Books of the Month are now open and will remain open through the end of the month (July 31).

Please vote!

Final Poll for SF BotM

Final Poll for Fantasy BotM

If you want good science, The Bees should be your choice. Also see pictures and captions of bees, wasps, and a hummingbird, by a college biology prof, at feathered photography dot com/ blog/ 2023/07/27.

Today (July31) is the last day to vote for the October Books of the Month. The Fantasy poll is currently tied!

Please remember to vote today, if you haven’t already, and if you want to change your vote, you need to do so today as well.

Thanks!