Beyond Reality discussion

Hello everyone,

It’s a brand new month, so we have two new books of the month to discuss. For July, you selected:

July Fantasy: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
July Science Fiction: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

There are a couple of starter topics up for each book, but please feel free to start more. If anyone wishes to volunteer to lead the discussion for either of these books (or any of the upcoming titles,) please let Stefan or myself know ASAP! It can be a lot of fun, and discussions are much more lively when they are coordinated by someone who's enthusiastic about the book.

We also have our schedule set for the next couple of months:

August Fantasy: Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
August SF: Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks

September Fantasy: The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin
September SF: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

In series read news, our ongoing discussion of The Honor Harrington series by David Weber continues. We are currently in the middle of book 11, At All Costs, and will begin book 12, Mission of Honor, on July 15th. Topics for all previous books in the series are still open for discussion, so it's never too late to get involved if you are so inclined.

There is a discussion simmering regarding designating a Classics Read Month every few months (as a theme for the usual Books of the Month, not as an additional read!) Classics don't have a good track record in the polls versus newer works, and there are so many wonderful older books out there it seems a shame they so rarely win. If you have thoughts on this, please stop by the thread here.

That's it for now. Happy reading!

Stefan & Candiss
Moderators